The Right Lane
by Carla Lane, President and CEO, Lane Staffing, Inc.

Award-winning Lane Staffing shares its 2009 recession strategy.

”Diverse-ifying” to Serve You Comprehensively - Not Just Better

Small business owners should always look for innovative and cost-effective ways to serve its clientele. Our current state economy, now more than ever, is challenging each of us as business owners to step up our game; to deliver more than what’s expected and to revise our value proposition.

The recession forced us at Lane Staffing to take inventory of our services and how we deliver them to our clients and the community. This year, we audited costs and cut expenses that weren’t bringing value.

We also rolled out many of the subsidiaries created prior to the economic downturn. Diversifying your business offerings is a smart move at any time, but especially during tough times. Thinking ahead and not having all of our eggs in one basket proved a good business decision. Not only did we initially believe it made good business sense to offer a one-stop business solution provider shop; it also provides us with multiple revenue streams.

We’ve always offered exceptional staffing solutions. In addition we offer:

DiverseRecruiting Specialists – provides the marriage of great client opportunities with talented professionals that you won't find on resume search sites.

DiverseScreening and Testing – provides comprehensive background screening and drug testing services that help organizations mitigate risks and make informed decisions in critical areas such as employment, supplier selection, investment placement, institutional admissions, and data breach incident management – including identity theft solutions for individuals.

DiverseTemps – offers a complete suite of staff augmentation services to plan, manage and deliver projects of any scope nationwide.

DiverseTraining – serves businesses that have a need to educate their employee base in order to achieve the desired outcome that benefits employees, employers and customers.

For the small business owner, in particular, the following two support services were created:

DiversePayroll Partners – provides our clients assistance with the day-to-day burden of payroll administration, book keeping and tax preparation.

DiverseHR Consultants – offers clients HR-oriented solutions that will help with all aspects of the HR function, from research, planning and strategy to competitive salary surveys and benefits.

In the near future, we look forward to rolling out an online job posting and search tool called DiverseBizJobs.com.

We also suggest, employing the best technology and innovation as you can at your level of business. It helps improve your efficiencies and will streamline your processes.

Above all else, it is of grave importance to provide consistent, exceptional customer service. We believe our personable customer service gives us a winning edge. We meet and anticipate our clients’ needs. Good customer service is low cost and delivers big dividends in the area of client loyalty.

We encourage each of our fellow business owners to never give up on your business ownership dream no matter how challenging the times. The next generation is looking at our examples and counting on us!

“Membership has its privileges.” How many times have you heard this phrase? Every membership-driven organization has member benefits. Networking benefits can be derived by simply attending any organization’s events. Other than networking, why join an organization?

When considering joining a business organization, ask yourself these questions:

1. What stage am I in my business? This is where you determine the number of years in business, revenues/gross receipts, number of employees and where you hope to be.

2. What am I looking for in an organization? The offerings can range from networking to business development, educational offerings to procurement opportunities, peer learning to political advocacy. The thing to do is create a list of what is most important to you and find the organization that puts a strong emphasis on those top priorities.

3. What is my intended level of participation? Do you want to join a group to simply say you’re a member? Perhaps part of your long-term strategy involves becoming a board member as a key action item towards growth. Maybe you’re only interested in marketing yourself to the community.

4. What’s my measure of success? Be clear on what you intend to do for the investment of your membership dues. Ask yourself, at the end of the first year, what will have happened that will make it worth it for me to renew? How well were my needs and wants met? Would I recommend this organization to another business owner?

At TBA, we believe we meet the needs of small businesses looking to increase their capacity. Our programs and events are certainly unique networking opportunities, but our mission is entirely business development focused. If your goal is to increase your capacity for growth, we offer one of the best membership value propositions.

Our members have said there are many benefits of joining TBA, but their top five are:

1. Access to bid opportunities and referral programs
2. Access to TBA membership and TBA event rosters
3. Member-2-Member Program
4. Business Assessment Readiness Evaluation (“BARE”) – free business consultation
5. Marketing and exposure including small business sponsorship programs

As a TBA member, TBA is honored to help you identify areas of business development, process improvements, and capital and contractual opportunities.

Special, limited time only membership dues are being offered to small businesses ($195) and individuals ($95). The limited time fees are nearly half priced. View the TBA Web site for a complete membership benefits listing and online payment.

“The Texas Business Alliance is moving small, minority, and women-owned business beyond networking! As a direct result of the Texas Business Alliance One-on-One Program, Taylor Smith Consulting received a contract and has developed a new business relationship with the Port of Houston Authority. Thanks to TBA for your continued support and advocacy.” – Tracy Taylor Smith, CEO, Taylor Smith Consulting, TBA Member

How does Texas Business Alliance (TBA) differ from other organizations?

By far, this is the most frequently asked question posed to me. The question is a great one. Understandably, it is natural to compare the unknown to the familiar to gain insight. However, TBA is unlike any other organization.

TBA is entirely a business development organization. TBA is a nonprofit, membership-based entity with a mission to equip minority- and women-owned businesses to be qualified suppliers, ready to compete for public, private and international opportunities through progressive development and specialized training.

We do not certify. We do not exist purely for networking purposes. We are not in competition with other small business organizations. We collaborate with all organizations. The contracting disparities that exist for women and minority-owned businesses are real. We must all come together to close this gap for the success of our economy.

There are two development gaps that exist for small businesses. For new businesses, there is a knowledge gap that exists from startup to the point of certification. Many small businesses lack the information needed to build a solid foundation. The second gap exists for established small businesses post-certification. Many small business owners lack the know-how to get to their next level of success. TBA’s purpose is to close these two development gaps. Annually, too many small business owners have to close their doors because of a lack of knowledge to overcome these challenges. We close the gaps through our six business development programs: Business Enterprise Academy®, One Woman National Business Conference™, The Prime Objective™, Capital Connections™, Community Collaboratives™, Youth Entrepreneurship Academy™ and customized programs we develop and execute for our corporate and governmental partners.

America's 27 million small businesses are the nation’s engine of growth, pumping almost a trillion dollars into the economy each year, creating two-thirds of all new jobs annually and making up more than half the U.S. workforce. The stakes are too high for any of our small businesses not to be operating at their maximum capabilities.

It is not acceptable for even one small business to fail when it can be avoided. We must be collaboratively engaged in the process of supporting and preparing our small businesses for success. Our country’s success depends on it.

What are your thoughts on the matter? I’d love to hear from you.

Jeffrey L. Boney
Founder and CEO
Texas Business Alliance

jboney1@texasbusinessalliance.org

One Woman™ Special Thanks

The TBA Board of Directors is immensely thankful to the following supporters that contributed to the success of One Woman™:

Presenting Sponsor Capital One Bank (Lynn Wyatt and Laurie Vignaud pictured); Gold Sponsor H-E-B; Lunch Symposium Sponsors Lane Staffing, Inc. and Lone Star College System; Health Pavilion Sponsor Aetna; Soaring Heights Awards Brunch Sponsors Hewlett-Packard, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, Mokara Spa, Ceron Salon and Tootsies; Workshop Sponsors UBS, UnitedHealthcare and the AT&T Yellow Pages; and Small Business Sponsors Pretty Quick Delivery Services, Taylor Smith Consulting and AbiDawn Holistic Therapies, LLC.

Media Partners included: Presenting Media Partner Womentality magazine; and Media Partners Black Enterprise magazine, the Blue Zero, DBA eZine, D-MARS.com, Final Call Newspaper, The Houston Sun, i10mediagroup, Minority Professional Network, Plan B Television, Radio One, Rolling Out Magazine, Texas on the Go, Women’s Enterprise Texas magazine and Who’s Who in Black Houston.

One Woman™ tradeshow booth sponsors: Capital One Bank, Womentality Magazine, UnitedHealthcare, Americanized Benefits Consultants, D-MARS.com, Lane Staffing, Liberty Island, American InterContinental University, Taylor Smith Consulting, NASA, AETNA, AbiDawn Holistic Therapies, Mokara Spa, Ceron Salon, Body Magic, Red Tangles Boutique, AT&T Yellow Pages, Spaulding for Children, Pretty Quick Delivery Services, MeneJo Records, Jacqueline Lewis-Sevier, IRS, Miche Bags of Houston, Soul Purpose, Dirty Blond Lizard, Final Call Newspaper, Pashmina Panache Designer Collection, The Abby Liz Group, Shoes 4 School, Mission 4 Nutrition, Edward Jones, KD’s Kloset, The Houston Sun, Scents of Desire, Positive Image TV, Rolling Out Magazine, Houston Business Journal, Who’s Who in Black Houston, Jobing.com, Look What Jesus Did, All It Took Was Faith, Holy Adornment and the Authors’ Corner participants.

Special thanks also to: The Brilliant Lecture Series, Southwest Awards, A-1 Shredding, Lexis Florist, Cheryl Lynch and CL Solutions, MWH Public Relations and Password Productions.

TBA thanks gifted performers Loretta Williams Gurnell and Nicoya.

Very special thanks to the 80 fabulous moderators and presenters who donated their intellectual capital to deliver quality information so selflessly.

Special, special thanks to the Omni Houston Hotel for hosting One Woman™ with style.

One Woman National Business Conference™ 2010 Registration Open

I think the event was a great success and very well organized. ▪ Wonderfully put together. ▪ Blended business acumen and traditional networking with a type of spiritual strength and ‘oneness’ that marked it as unique. ▪ I have two appointments with leads from [One Woman]. ▪ That [One Woman] was a well run excellent event, really first class. ▪ I came away from it with more resources, knowledge and contacts than I ever expected. ▪ Our city is blessed to have you as a neighbor and the people of Houston are the better for your contribution. ▪ You set the bar high for your first conference and it looks like it paid off. ▪ I am thrilled to have attended.

The above represents just some of the feedback received regarding the August 6-8, 2009, inaugural One Woman National Business Conference™ (One Woman™), held at the Omni Houston Hotel. Collectively, over the three days, more than 800 attended the conference directed at helping to develop business owners from the inside out, and featuring funny lady Joan Rivers.

A survey conducted after One Woman™ revealed that 92 percent of the respondents had a high level of satisfaction with the conference and 94 percent would attend again or recommend their colleagues to attend.

TBA already has begun plans for next year’s One Woman™ to occur August 6-7, 2010. Responding to survey feedback, TBA will roll out two workshop tracks – one for business start-ups and the other for seasoned small business owners. Both dates will be filled from start to finish with content, activities and speakers exciting to TBA partners and sponsors, young professionals, men and women of all backgrounds, and primarily small business owners.

Early registration is encouraged to secure your spot and to take advantage of cost savings. Register now through December 31, 2009 for the 2010 conference and receive a “Premier” all-access registration for only $125. Beginning January 1, 2010 through April 30, 2010, the “Early Bird” all-access fee is $200. The $250 standard all-access fee goes in effect May 1, 2010. Late registration, beginning August 1, 2010, and walk-up registration all-access fee is $399. Overnight stays at the Omni are available for an additional $125 per night. Special tradeshow booth fees also are available.

To register, click here.

To view the 2009 One Woman™ wrap-up report, click here.

Click here to view the One Woman™ post-event video produced by Plan B Television.

For a 2010 One Woman™ speaker application, click here.

Houston Mayoral Candidate Debate

Looking Back on Houston Mayoral Candidate Debate: What does the Next Mayor Have to Say about Small Business Matters in Houston?

Before a packed auditorium of more than 200 business owners, community leaders and concerned citizens, TBA orchestrated a mayoral debate on Thursday, May 21, 2009, at host venue Texas Southern University Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs. On behalf of the university, Executive Vice President James Douglas delivered the welcome.

“Having a strong entrepreneurial community is vital to the economic development and well-being of the city of Houston,” said TBA Founder and CEO Jeffrey L. Boney. “This was the first major debate of the mayoral race with a small business focus and all four candidates were successful in sharing how they plan to support small business growth in Houston.”

Participating in the debate were candidates Peter Brown, Houston city councilman; Gene Locke, partner, Andrews Kurth, LLP; Roy Morales, trustee, Harris County Department of Education; and Annise Parker, controller, city of Houston.

Emmy award-winning reporter and anchor Art Rascon of KTRK-TV 13 Eyewitness News moderated the discussion asking the tough questions regarding Affirmative Action, small business taxes, plans to ensure more contracts are awarded locally to small business owners and the candidates’ track record of supporting minority- and women-owned suppliers prior to announcing their candidacy.

Following the debate, Boney reflected, “The great orator and Congresswoman Barbara Jordan once said, ‘A spirit of harmony can only survive if each of us remembers, when bitterness and self-interest seem to prevail, that we share a common destiny. The imperative is to define what is right and do it.’” “It is our hope that whoever becomes mayor operates in a spirit of harmony and does what’s right for small business owners and the city of Houston,” said Boney.

The event was sponsored by Pretty Quick Delivery Services and supported by community partners Texas Southern University and Jobing.com.

Missed the debate? See it in on Comcast Ch. 17 and streamed live on http://www.hmstv.org/:

Monday, June 1 @ 5 p.m.
Tuesday, June 9 @ 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 17 @ 10 p.m.
Thursday, June 25 @ 5 p.m.
Saturday, June 27 @ 3 p.m.
Monday, June 29 @ 7:30 p.m.

Four Super Deadly Marketing Sins

by Adam M. Urbanski

Deadly Marketing Sin #1
Not Standing Out From Your Competitors

You want to be one in a million not one of the million. In the marketing jargon it’s called a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). I call it a HUB – Hot Undeniable Benefit of doing business with you. Your HUB sets you apart from the crowd. It tells your customers why you are special. And it answers the question your customers are asking themselves, which is: "Why should I do business with you versus anyone else?"

So how do you go about discovering your HUB? Do you know what makes you different from others offering similar product or service? The more competitive your industry the more important it is to emphasize even the smallest differences. Do you cater to a specific group of people? Are you better than others in addressing a specific issue? Do you guarantee your work? How about the one thing no one can duplicate - what makes you – you?

If you can’t find anything unique right now, look for unresolved problems in your industry and become an expert in providing a solution to them. Here is good example. You’ve heard of a small parcel delivery company called FEDEX, right? Do you know their USP? It’s: "When you absolutely, positively need it overnight. Guaranteed." Funny thing is they are no longer the only company doing it – but they offered it first. Discover your HUB, articulate it in all your marketing messages and watch your results soar.

Deadly Marketing Sin #2
Assuming Your Customers Know As Much About Your Business As You Do

Small business owners are a very special breed – we walk, talk, breathe, eat and sleep thinking about our business. Listen, just because you think about your business all the time doesn’t mean your customers do the same!

Your customers don't really buy products and services. They buy SOLUTIONS to their problems. Use articles, presentations and case studies to educate them about WHAT you do, HOW it works and WHY it’s the only logical solution to their problems.

And don’t just do it once. Frankly, if you don’t have a way to consistently and automatically keep in touch with prospects, customers, centers of influence and strategic partners – you are missing the boat!

Deadly Marketing Sin #3
Wasting Time and Money On Marketing Strategies That Don’t Work!

Do you know which of your marketing efforts result in new business? Do you ever calculate the time, money and effort it takes to get a new customer from each promotional strategy you use? Why? Because if it is working – you want to do use it more often! And if it isn’t - you need to stop wasting your money!

Case in point; most professionals believe that networking is the best way to get new business. And it can be - but not always and not for everyone. Find out for yourself. Add up the amount of time you spent networking last month. Put a dollar value on it based on your fees. Add the actual price you paid to attend those events. Then divide this total amount by the number of new customers your networking produced. Are you happy with your results? Or is it a shock to see what it actually costs to get new clients by networking?

It doesn’t matter if it’s networking, advertising, referral or joint venture strategies – if you don’t know your ROME (Return On Marketing Efforts) I guarantee you are wasting money doing things that don’t work! Every marketing strategy can be tracked and measured. So figure out what works best for you!

Deadly Marketing Sin #4
Missing Out On Repeat Business

You’ve heard about the back-end-sales, haven’t you? Are you doing it? It’s astonishing how many small business owners do not develop strong relationships with their customers and have no plan for generating repeat business.

You see, one of your biggest costs of doing business is marketing and getting new customers into your funnel. And once you’ve done a great job for them, and then you nurture the relationship you’ve developed, it’s so easy to ask for more business. But you have to develop different levels of products and services to offer to them.

Listen to your clients and develop new offerings to respond to their needs. Create assessments to uncover hidden opportunities for additional projects. If you can’t or don’t want to offer those new solutions – partner up with someone who does. McDonald’s made a fortune on “supersizing” their fries – time for you to start thinking about supersizing your business with each client.

Bottom line is this: when I hear businesses talk about bad economy, clients not having money and overall complaining about how tough it is to make a sale I can always pinpoint their poor performance to at least one of those marketing sins. Frankly, there is no such a thing as a shortage of business – there is a shortage of knowledge how to get that business.

Employees Can Turn Your Vision into Reality

The Right Lane
By Carla Lane, President and CEO, Lane Staffing, Inc.

“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” -- Napoleon Hill

A vision is a source of magic. When people see themselves moving toward an inspiring future, they take action in the present consistent with that desired future to transform it into reality. People become self-inspired when they own the vision for themselves.

When you transform your company vision into a vision shared by your employees they become empowered. If employees can see themselves as a part of the overall company vision, and the company vision as a part of their own future, it gives them a sense of purpose and ties the company’s destiny with their individual destinies.

Keep in mind, employees want purpose and passion to lift them and propel them. Find a larger purpose for your company than just making money. Don’t settle for being a random collection of people and assets trying to make a buck. A purely financial focus will not continue to motivate the troops over the long term. Make coming to work a meaningful and fulfilling event for your employees. People want to work in a challenging and rewarding environment. They want to learn, grow and reach their potential – the full expression of their talent. People are drawn to great leaders, great visions and great causes.

How is the vision communicated to employees? This depends on the size of your organization. It might be communicated one-on-one or at round-table discussions, staff meetings, conference calls, satellite meetings, board meetings, company dinners, off-site outings, or newsletters. Any of these ways might be appropriate for communicating the company vision. Regardless of the venue, every time you get people to talk about the vision, you are helping them make it their own.

The company leaderships shares the company vision to outside stakeholders such as board members, suppliers, customers or clients, investors, the media, and perhaps the government. Communicating a clear, strong vision lets the world know what your company is about and the future it intends to create. This makes it much easier for outsiders to actively participate in your company's future. As a consequence, many things that were once difficult become easy.

In addition to sharing the vision, as a business owner you want to provide opportunities to enable people to take action to realize the vision. Employees should spend 100 percent of their time on work that is aligned with the company vision. They should ask the question, “Is this project moving us toward our intended future?” If not, drop it immediately!

How do you create company vision? Be creative! It is important because same-old thinking rarely fosters a bright new future. Get your employees to look outside the box. What new approaches can be taken? What new technology can be applied?

Take calculated risks! Risk taking is worth failing. Failing shouldn’t be punished. Silicon Valley venture capitalists reward failure as a badge of courage. A failed business venture is a sign of experience and maturity. The lessons of failure, accepted and learned, contain the knowledge of how to succeed the next time.

Initiative can be encouraged by giving people permission to launch projects on their own. If you discover someone working on something promising, be sure they get the resources and funding they need. Make a big deal out of it, too.

Breaking with tradition involves creativity and risk taking as well as courage. Just because something has always been done a certain way, it doesn’t mean that it’s the best or most efficient way to do it. Eliminate the “we can’t because of time, money, resources, etc.” attitude. Instead, cultivate a climate that encourages people to speculate on how “we can” do it. There’s always a way to implement a good idea, even if it takes a little time to get all the resources lined up. Change the blanket “we can’t” to a speculative “why can’t we?” then proceed to remove the obstacles.

In the military, the quality of a senior officer is measured by the quality of the junior officers he is responsible for leading. As a business owner, you will be ultimately successful to the degree that you cultivate the leaders that follow you. Remember that leadership is not a set of qualities, but a set of actions to take. Great leadership ability can be developed through practice.

Rotate people through key positions for experience and change the rules a little from time to time. Keep projects challenging to encourage inventiveness and flexibility. Have managers make decisions on the spot. Delegate responsibility in as many critical areas as possible. Encourage decision making further down the organizational ladder and, finally, let go!

By forging a vision and continually promoting it, you enable your people to take action to bring the vision into reality. By developing new leaders to replace you in critical tasks, you create great leverage.

What do minority business owners need to understand about becoming suppliers in a global market?

By Brian Tippens, Director, HP Global Supplier Diversity Program

Minority business owners wishing to become suppliers in a global market must understand that this requires, first and foremost, competing on a global scale.

Multinational corporations are increasingly realizing that they can achieve cost savings by engaging in “strategic sourcing” strategies. These strategies frequently result in supplier consolidation: the shrinking of long lists of local suppliers to short lists of very large suppliers that can service the corporation on a global scale.

To succeed in the global market, minority businesses should employ a few tactics:

Partner for capacity building: Minority businesses can gain advantages and better equip themselves to compete in a global market if they form strategic alliances. Business-to-business partnerships can allow minority firms to pool their resources to serve corporate customers on a global scale. Corporations are increasingly welcoming alliance and joint venture proposals in global bids.

Embrace second-tier opportunities: Second-tier suppliers are subcontractors who provide goods and services to primary corporate suppliers. These types of arrangements can provide global business opportunities for small minority businesses that may not yet qualify as primary suppliers to multinational corporations. By gaining experience as a second tier supplier, these minority businesses can position themselves to compete for future primary supplier opportunities.

Leverage existing resources and networks: A number of organizations have resources and services to assist minority businesses in their attempts to go global. The National Minority Supplier Development Council (www.nmsdc.org) has established affiliate councils in Canada (www.camsc.ca); the United Kingdom (www.msduk.org.uk); and Brazil (www.integrare.org.br) and offers a robust set of international programs to assist minority businesses. Another organization, Supplier Diversity Europe (www.europeansupplierdiversity.com), has programs throughout Europe to tie minority businesses to corporate procurement opportunities.

Utilize corporate supplier diversity programs: Most importantly, minority businesses should take advantage of corporate supplier diversity programs and initiatives, and use the corporate representatives as their advocates. Most large multinational corporations provide resources to assist minority businesses in navigating the complexities of their procurement processes.

Understanding and utilizing these four tactics will give minority business owners an increased likelihood of success in competing in a global market.

Brian Tippens is Director of HP’s Global Supplier Diversity Program. In this role, Brian is responsible for managing and setting the strategic direction for a program which works to ensure that under-represented businesses have an equal opportunity to become suppliers of goods and services to HP.

Brian has over 15 years of IT industry experience and holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management from the University of San Francisco, and a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.