May is the month I started my business in 2017 so 12PointFive is celebrating 8 years in business this month. As I’ve pointed out in previous newsletters, it’s been a wild time to be a business owner, but also just to be alive.

Since last month I traveled to two events where uncertainty and chaos in business – and how to deal with them –  were the unofficial themes of the events. It’s not news to me, who had a whole series of interviews called Business Unusual, that if it’s not one thing, it’s another. Adaptability and resiliency have always been the name of the game. Just talk to business owners who survived COVID, the dot com bust, the business landscape after September 11, or the financial crisis in 2008.

After talking to business owners in these “unprecedented times ™” one thing that got them through was the support of their fellow business owners, even if that support was just touching base or a friendly coffee to commiserate.

In April, the We The Change retreat brought me together with some amazing purpose driven business owners from all over the country (and one from Canada!) to talk about what our businesses need now and where to go from here. The best part about it was the incredibly generous connections all the attendees were willing to make for one another.  Being in person was gratifying but being in a room where our purpose and values were aligned was transcendental.

A little over a week ago I was in San Antonio for the Women Presidents Organization Entrepreneurial Excellence Forum. The Forum is a truly global experience and it was illuminating – and sometimes embarrassing to talk to business owners from Canada, Europe, South America, and Africa.

Both were energizing experiences that allowed me to connect in person with new people from around the world as well as people who live here in DC that I only see in zoom rooms.

Several people mentioned to me that they feel like we’re all caught up because they “see what I’m doing on LinkedIn,” which I love to hear. I am eternally grateful to SocialLight.net for keeping me posting and keeping the fear of the cringe factor at bay. Even though I know how valuable it is to see and be seen, sometimes it’s still hard to take my own medicine.

And, even when people “see you everywhere” it doesn’t mean they know what you do or how to help, even after 8 years.

So in the spirit of thanking the clients, collaborators and friends who have kept me going for these eight years, I want to introduce myself to any newcomers and introduce them to you as well!

Highlighting my Clients and Collaborators

Training: With my business partner Heather, I have an online course Diversity Masterminds® for business owners who want to maximize their diverse business certifications – Disability IN, NGLCC, NMSDC, WBENC and Veteran Owned.

For large companies and organizations, we also offer trainings for their supplier diversity and inclusion events and their supplier development cohorts. We’ve worked with some notable companies that are committed to their suppliers, enough to want them to succeed in other companies as well – American Water and AARP are some big ones.We also work directly with business owners who are doing amazing work (and more confident at conferences and meetings after working with us). Jessica Broome of Southpaw Insights and John Reid of We are Sky are two notable ones who are making their certifications work for them.

Consulting: I also work 1:1 with clients who have experience and or teams on their side to build business development plans. They probably know what they need to do, but need additional know how and elbow grease to get it done.

Directed Action and Strategar are two companies who I continue to work with as their teams and companies grow.

Darcy Flanders from Baseline Group NY is a friend, client and collaborator and true to her role shaping and transforming brands, is one of my biggest brand ambassadors.

With The Fehlig Group, I offer consulting on sustainability and how to leverage those certifications to work with larger clients.  I love seeing the light bulb go off when clients link sustainability to resilience and just plain good business.

Speaking: Organizations hire me to speak to their teams and suppliers about certifications, sustainability and increasingly now, what to make of the upheaval surrounding some companies supplier diversity inclusions (and it is only some, so far).  WACIF is one of my clients where I’m regularly talking to small business owners in DC about certification and sustainability and I love working with them and their business owners.

Malloy Industries is also a great collaborator and puts me in touch with inspiring international clients where I get a chance to speak about building a network and learning from them about what would NOT fly in their cultures. I recently spoke at a program for Russian startup founders with the Eurasia Foundation’s SEAL program which is becoming an annual gig I really look forward to.

Facilitation: I am a professional facilitator for the Women Presidents Organization (WPO), which is why I was at the Forum in San Antonio. WPO is a dynamic membership organization for woman–owned second–stage businesses and beyond that provides access to professional peers, innovative ideas, executive education, and actionable insight. We have monthly meetings for the members and annual retreats along with some fun in person events along the way.

Labors of Love

In that speaking event with the SEAL program,  I told a founder to limit what she did for free. Noting that I had mentioned several volunteer things I did, she asked me how a business owner can volunteer without doing things for free. I haven’t always been great at that distinction so let’s get into it.

I’m pretty transparent about it in my social impact report that I aim to offer 100 mentorship hours pro bono.  I do it because my main mission is supporting entrepreneurs and often the people who need it most are the ones who don’t have the funds to pay.

I set a goal around it because it serves both as a goal and boundary so I don’t end up saying yes to too much. With that I can support WBEC NY & DMV, We the Change, Hera Hub, and other organizations that are aligned with my values. I keep track of what I offer and have a good reason for saying yes and, importantly,  no. But it’s that work that has been some of the most sustaining for me – mentally but also financially. It’s how I’ve met some of my favorite clients.

New Ideas

As a consultant, my brain is my moneymaker and that’s really hard to scale. With my co-host Jared Kelly, I was able to turn some of the conversations I really wanted to have into a video series called 12PointFive Minutes Presented by CEI Media Group that provided content and connection for us and the interviewees.

Working on 2 seasons sparked more ideas on how we can make something like that more scale-able and less work intensive, which is all I can say it about it right now.  But are you really an entrepreneur if there isn’t one shiny thing on the shelf distracting you from the business that currently pays you?

So when I say I do training, consulting, speaking and facilitation – now you know what I mean. And if you’re a business owner that needs a resource in connections or community during these trying times, don’t hesitate to ask!