TSB: An Aha Moment

Background: Many times in my 30 years as a WBO (woman business owner), I heard that I needed to become certified by Iowa's Targeted Small Business (TSB) program. The program is designed to help women, minorities (American Indian, Asian, Black, Latino, Pacific Islander or persons with disabilities start and grow their businesses. 

But many WBOs would focus on one program component: access to government entities—and corporations from Iowa and other states—who turned to the TSB roster to meet minority contracting goals. All the years that I've been up to my eyeballs in work, I never completed the hefty packet of paperwork to get certified. Plus, the vast majority of the WBOs I knew who became certified would report, "I didn't renew my TSB certification because I never got any business." 

Fast Forward to 2009: This year I've revisited just about every business decision I ever made and checked out TSB certification. The process is now streamlined and simple. That "directory of TSBs" is now online and easily searchable by a world of potential users. The TSB program also offers low interest loans and technical assistance to TSBs. 

So I'm now TSB-certified and officially registered as a vendor with the State of Iowa. Before yesterday I'd done two things since getting started last month: I looked to see who else was certified (600 businesses) and I reviewed the RFPs posted by state agencies in the Current Bidding Opportunities List. The only opportunity I saw that was connected to my skills was huge in scope, not a project that my small business could successfully complete. So until Thursday I was perhaps destined to be one of those women saying, "I got certified and never got any business from the state!" 

That's when I learned that only projects of $10,000+ have to go out for bid. Dah! In three decades of work I can still name the individual projects I've had that netted $10,000 for P.S. Writes. So it's time to look at ways to access my typical opportunities (those that top out at $9,999) with state agencies. 

On Thursday I attended a "Doing Business with the State of Iowa" workshop. I learned the ins and outs of state procurement from TSB (Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals), the Department of Administrative Services, Iowa State University, Department of Transportation, Department of the Blind, and the Iowa Communications Network. I walked away with the names of specific purchasing individuals who want to connect with vendors with my areas of expertise. And now I know that much more is required than getting my name on that TSB list and becoming a registered Iowa vendor. That wasn't going to create a new revenue stream. Relationships still need to be there. I'm still responsible for connecting. It's still up to me to make the contacts and market myself so that I'm more than just a name on a list.