Liz Whitehead, CEO of 12PointFive:
Empowering Diverse Business Owners to Win Big
Liz Whitehead is an award-winning business strategist, certification expert, and CEO of 12PointFive. Liz is passionate about helping business owners leverage diversity certifications to drive growth, develop impactful professional networks, and amplify their unique value in competitive markets.
Known for her straightforward insights and actionable advice, Liz has partnered with business owners across industries to reach their goals through facilitation, consulting, one-on-one coaching, and speaking engagements.
With her deep expertise and passion for empowering diverse business owners, Liz delivers powerful insights, breaking down complex strategies into actionable steps.

Liz’s workshops and speaking topics include:
The Who, What, When, Why of Certification to Win Big Clients
Accepted by Fortune 1000 companies, diverse business certifications are powerful business development tools for businesses owned by people with disabilities, women, minorities, veterans, and the LGBTQ community. To harness that power, business owners need to understand how to leverage diversity certification opportunities.
In this talk, Liz demystifies the world of diverse business certifications, helping you understand:
- Why certifications matter,
- Which certifications are right for you, and
- How to make the most of your certification to gain valuable business opportunities.
This discussion is perfect for business owners from underrepresented groups who want to unlock new opportunities, navigate the certification process with confidence, and leverage their diversity certifications to attract major clients.
Giving to Get a Professional Network
Networking isn’t just about making contacts; it’s about building authentic and lasting connections.
During this talk, Liz will discuss the importance of a professional network including:
- Building a meaningful professional network
- Approaching contacts at different levels effectively
- Maintaining long-term connections
- Knowing when and how to make “the ask”
- Reaching out to the right people
From social media tips to crafting your “ask”, this talk will redefine how participants think about networking.
Fire Up Your Follow-Up
Moving from referrals to a proactive strategy requires a solid follow-up system. Working with large procurement organizations means finding connections within the company, educating your advocates, and making up to 30 TouchPoints.
Liz shares her best follow-up practices, including:
- Must-have elements for effective follow-up
- Nice-to-have practices to make you stand out
- Practical action items to boost visibility
- Bonus “Don’ts”: What not to do during your follow-ups
This session is perfect for business owners looking to sharpen their outreach and follow-up tactics.
Build Your Sustainability Statement
Organizations want to showcase their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals, but get overwhelmed with the process or how their goals fit in.
Liz will cover:
- Why a sustainability statement matters
- How to craft a meaningful sustainability statement
- Tools like the B Impact Assessment that make it easier for you to build and showcase your statement
Participants will walk away with a clearer understanding of where they fit in and how to communicate their sustainability statements.

Services
Get on the right track to make your certification work for you! Certification as a diverse businesses offers unlimited opportunities to grow your business.
But finding the right opportunities for you can be painful. You can waste time and money going to the wrong networking events and approaching the wrong people.
If you’re like most diverse businesses you have challenges:
- Finding the right opportunities for your business within the supplier diversity space
- Getting customized, real time support
- Devoting big chunks of your time or your team’s time to long term business development
- Finding time to pursue and take advantage of opportunities
By working with 12PointFive you will

We are not like a typical business coach or even
a typical business development consultant.
The value we bring comes from:
Podcast Guest or Interview Host
Liz’s expertise doesn’t stop at the podium—she’s a natural conversationalist and interviewer, making her a perfect fit for podcasts, panel discussions, or as a co-host for business-focused events. She partners with CEI Media Group for a video series called, 12PointFive Minutes, which showcases her talent for engaging industry leaders in thoughtful, impactful conversations.
Liz brings her deep expertise in diverse business strategies to each interview, delivering insights for business owners to thrive.
Questions?
If you have questions or would like to inquire about working with me, please use the contact form below.
Thank you!