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.