Tag Archives: WIPP

May 2016 WIPP National Partner of the Month – JeFreda Brown

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JeFredaRBMay 2016 WIPP National Partner of the Month

JeFreda Brown, CEO, Goshen Business Group, LLC

 

WIPP sat down with JeFreda to hear a little bit more about her business and relationship with us:

Tell us a little about your company and its mission.

Goshen Business Group, LLC is a full service consulting firm. We provide financial and business compliance consulting services. Our focuses are compliance, risk management, and fraud. We service small to large sized organizations in the US and are looking to expand internationally. We provide our services through consulting and professional development training. We also can develop training courses.

Our mission is to educate organizations on their financial responsibilities. This includes helping them learn and understand federal, state, local, and industry regulations and laws to develop and maintain compliant financial practices.

 

Have you always been an entrepreneur? If not, what inspired you to take the leap?

Actually, when I was 7 I used to pray and tell God I wanted to be a business owner one day so I could be rich and help people. I left my job with the Federal Government in January 2011 to go full time into my business. I felt like I wasn’t using my full potential and that I needed to do more to help others. I have so much knowledge that can be very valuable to those who need it. My grandfather worked for the federal Government, but he also had his own construction business. He was my biggest inspiration growing up. Seeing him as an entrepreneur and how he helped so many people gave me the courage to take the leap.

 

What is your biggest lesson learned working with the Federal Government?

I would say the biggest lesson I learned while working with the Federal Government was to be very detailed. I was a Senior Auditor with Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA). We were trained to be very thorough and detailed. That has helped me tremendously in my business. I also learned how very important risk assessments and fraud detection are. I have taken those lessons and now teach them to my clients.

 

Do you have a success story that you are particularly proud of? Tell us about it!

I have several, but I can roll them up into one. I am always getting feedback from my clients letting me know how much they appreciate my help. They say, “we don’t know these things, and we need someone like you to help us and keep us out of trouble”. One client told me that she doesn’t think enough people recognize how much knowledge I have and how much I can help their companies. I have had so many clients who have received bad advice from others, but they found me, and I was able to fix things that were done incorrectly by others.

 

Tell us about your experience as a WIPP member? What resources/value has WIPP provided that has been helpful to you and your company?

I have truly enjoyed being a WIPP member the last 5 years. It has been a great learning experience for me. WIPP provides so many valuable resources for women owned businesses and professionals. The monthly webinars are awesome. I was even asked to do a webinar training a couple of years ago on DCAA Audits, and it’s now part of the contracting certification program. Not only am I learning what I need for my business, but I’m also connecting with and interacting with other amazing women. I’m building great business relationships with these women. WIPP has also shown me that they value me and trust me by selecting me to be a part of the Procurement Committee, Leadership Advisory Council, and now Treasurer on both the WIPP Board of Directors and Education Foundation Board of Directors. You have to be involved to get value out of WIPP. You have to actively participate in the things WIPP offers. No other organization for women offers what WIPP offers, in my opinion. WIPP has a reach across the globe, and it’s growing more and more. It will soon be up there in the ranks like huge international nonprofits such as UNICEF.

Twitter: @GoshenBG

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoshenBG/

Join Us In Celebrating National Small Business Week 2016

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It’s that time of year again and National Small Business Week starts this week May 1-6! As a partner and supporter, WIPP is excited to share with you some of this weeks live and online events:

Live Event Locations

 

Webinars

Monday

  • Taking the Mystery out of Voluntary Benefits
  • The Decline of Magstripe Cards—and What That Means for Your Business

Tuesday

  • Cloud, Mobile, and Social: Great Apps and Services That Will Grow Your Business

Wednesday

  • Access to Capital and Business Loans: Best Practices

Thursday

  • Tips for Getting Your Business Financially Fit

Click here to learn more and to register for these webinars.

 

To view recent news/press releases and learn how to share with your networks, click here.

We hope that you can join us this week!

Access to Angel Investors Just Got Easier

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By: Jake Clabaugh, WIPP Government Relations

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Seeking to clear up a gray area triggering securities registration, the House of Representatives passed The Helping Angels Lead Our Startups (HALOS) Act pushed by Small Business Committee Chair Steve Chabot (R-OH).

Pitch events or demo days are common methods for business owners to showcase their companies and products to a room full of investors. Right now, there is confusion about whether these events are allowed because the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules prohibit “general solicitations.” The HALOS Act would clarify that pitch events hosted by angel investors are not general solicitations and do not require securities registration – a complex and expensive process for both angel investors and companies seeking investment.

Angel investment is particularly important for women-owned businesses. Recent data indicates that one in four angel-backed companies are led by women. The number of women-led companies receiving angel investments has increased by 234% in just the last decade. Since women-owned businesses receive only 4% of conventional small business loan dollars, it is vital to cultivate other sources of capital.

This bill will now move onto the Senate for consideration. WIPP will continue to engage Members of Congress on access to capital issues. An additional recommendation in WIPP’s access to capital platform, Breaking the Bank, urges Congress to incentivize angel investments with tax credits.

 

 

Filing Frenzy: Tax Deadline Strikes Today

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By: Jake Clabaugh, WIPP Government Relations

Tax Day is upon us and woman business owners have been working overtime. Not on growing their firms, planning investments or making important hiring decisions, but on tax compliance. At least, that’s according the House Small Business Committee, which took a look at the burdensome tax.

Forgetting tax liability – the amount a business owes – the Committee focused on how difficult it is for small businesses to satisfactorily comply with dense tax rules. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses spend 5.5 billion hours preparing and filing taxes – time that should be spent growing the business. The costs and complexity of calculating tax provisions makes it difficult for smaller businesses to take advantage of incentives designed to reward investment. As a result, larger businesses that can incur the costs of calculation reap the rewards.

As we’ve heard from WIPP members across the country, tax certainty is a top priority. Clarity on what provisions and incentives will be enacted would provide businesses with the ability to plan ahead, rather than adjust to a changing environment. For the last few years, Congress has passed legislation solely for “tax extenders” – deductions and credits that were set to expire at the end of the previous year, but were extended to cover the current tax year. While many of these credits could provide some relief for small businesses, firms spent the entire year without knowing if these provisions would be available. Hardly an efficient way to have to run your business.

A simpler tax code would reduce compliance time and allow owners to focus on their business – not the latest tax rules. Also, small businesses should be able to take advantage of the same incentives that larger businesses can. WIPP will continue to focus our advocacy on the two guiding principles of simplicity and fairness for women-owned businesses.

Could comprehensive reform – not seen since the 1980’s – be on the horizon? House Ways and Means Committee Chair Kevin Brady (R-TX) announced last week that his Committee is planning to release a tax-reform “blueprint” this summer. Additionally, Members of the House and Senate have stirred over international tax reform in the wake of recent corporate mergers. While the conversations are ongoing, comprehensive tax reform in an election year, with an ardently divided Congress seems, at least in our view, unlikely.

For updates on tax policy and other finance issues, please visit WIPP’s Economy and Tax section and WIPP’s Economic Blueprint.

 

 

Costs and Benefits: Paid Sick Leave For Federal Contractors

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By: Jake Clabaugh, WIPP Government Relations

sick leave paidFederal contractors have been hit with a bevy of new regulations over the past few months – everything from increased reporting of labor and safety violations, a raise in minimum wages and increases in mandatory overtime pay. The next shoe will drop in January 2017, when ALL Federal contractors, primes and subs, will have to provide paid sick leave benefits to workers. The Department of Labor (DOL) proposed rules that would implement this change last month.

Contracts issued January 1, 2017 will require all Federal contractors to give employees 1 hour of paid sick leave per 30 hours worked. This rule will only apply to time spent on Federal contracts, so if an employee performs some work for a private sector client, those hours would not count toward sick leave accrual. Additionally, earned sick leave will carry over from one year to the next.

Why just contractors? The President issued an Executive Order to make the change. Like other new regulations pertaining to contractors, the President can make these decisions for his workforce. Congress has been unable to decide if or how to move forward on these issues so the President decided to act on his own. As the Commander in Chief, he can determine procurement policy – including requirements for contractors – without Congress having to pass a law.

While WIPP members support worker benefits in practice, we don’t believe that the DOL gave enough consideration to how this rule will affect small businesses. Without an exception for small businesses, the vast majority of women-owned business will be compelled to provide the same benefits as multi-billion dollar firms.

WIPP’s comments to DOL on the proposed rule can be read in full here.

New OPEN Report Says Women-Owned Businesses Growing at Highest Pace Since the Recession

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Earlier today, American Express OPEN released the Sixth Annual State of Women-Owned Businesses Report and the results are proof of the women-owned business community’s ability to power through adversity.  Some highlights of the report, which is based on historical and current U.S. Census Bureau data and Gross Domestic Product data, are:

  • Between 2007 and 2016, the number of women-owned firms rose by 42% with women starting 1,072 (net) new businesses per day.
  • Women-owned firms now number 11.3 million, employ nearly 9 million people and are generating more than $1.6 trillion in revenue.
  • Over the past nine years, the number of women-owned firms has grown at a rate five times faster than the national average, reaching a post-recession high
  • Number of Firms Owned by Women of Color More Than Doubled Over Past Nine Years

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“We are pleased to see the continued rise of the vital role that women-owned businesses play in our country’s post-recession recovery,” said Susan Sobbott, president of American Express Global Commercial Payments. “We are inspired by these women who are continuing to pursue their entrepreneurial passions, and are strengthening our communities and economy even further.”

“Every day, 1,000+ women choose the path of entrepreneurship.  This report captures the optimism of our members who contribute mightily to the economy by starting and building their businesses—especially women of color,” said Ann Sullivan, Chief Advocate for Women Impacting Public Policy.

 

Industry trends

As we emerge from the recession, women are turning to traditional industries such as lifestyle and services companies. Between 2007 and 2016, the following four industries had the biggest increase in women-owned firms:

  • other services (e.g. home care to hair and nail salons and pet care businesses), up 98%;
  • administrative, support and waste management services (including janitorial and landscaping businesses as well as office administrative support and travel agencies), up 64%;
  • accommodation and food services, up 62%;
  • and construction, up 56%.

 

View the full 2016 State of Women-Owned Business Report, here.

The report was prepared for American Express OPEN by Womenable, a research, program and policy development consultancy, who is also a valued WIPP Coalition Partner.

April 2016 WIPP National Partner of the Month – Roz Alford

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April 2016 WIPP National Partner of the Month

Roz 1

Roz Alford, Founder and Co-Principal of ASAP Solutions Group, LLC – Atlanta, GA

WIPP sat down with Roz to hear a little more about her business and relationship with WIPP…

 

Tell us a little about your company.

I am the founding principal of Asap Solutions Group LLC.  I founded the company in 1989 and together with my business partner Nancy Williams we lead the organization. We are a global company and have offices in Georgia, New Jersey, Texas and India.  We employ over 700 people.

The ASAP family of companies is a multi-faceted business solutions brand.  We leverage decades of experience and knowledge and our exceptional teamwork to enable our clients’ success.  From business consulting services to top-notch talent acquisition within the competitive technology market. We partner with our clients to help them achieve their vision and growth for success. Meaningful technology and business solutions are our home and terrain.

Have you always been an entrepreneur? If not, what inspired you to take the leap? 

Yes. I have always been an entrepreneur.

What is your biggest lesson learned working with the Federal Government?

Patience, patience, patience.  Know your facts.

Tell us about your experience as a WIPP member? What resources/value has WIPP provided that has been helpful to you and your company? 

I have been a member and supporter of WIPP for over twenty years. I have always believed that women business owners have a huge impact on our government policies and through WIPP our voice can be heard and make a difference in giving women business owners the opportunity to work and grow in the federal contracting space.

Click here to read Roz’s full bio.

Entrepreneurs Win at House Small Business Committee Markup

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By: Jake Clabaugh, WIPP Government Relations

32cc090e-78c0-46b6-8130-e810a45a4029WIPP’s access to capital platform, Breaking the Bank, continues to gain traction in Congress as two more priorities cleared the House Small Business Committee during this morning’s markup. The Commercializing on Small Business Innovation Act provides much needed improvements to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. These programs provide funding for small businesses to innovate through research and development partnerships with federal agencies. WIPP’s platform advocates for a public-private partnership to accelerate the commercialization of technologies developed through the SBIR & STTR programs and the bill passed today does just that. The Commercialization Assistance Pilot Program will allow small businesses to receive additional funding to assist entrepreneurs with bringing their products to market after completing the program.

Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) are an invaluable resource for the 10 million women entrepreneurs in the country who annually contribute $1.4 trillion to the nation’s economy. Legislation to reauthorize this program, the Women’s Small Business Ownership Act of 2015, was cleared by the Senate Committee on Small Business last fall and now the House Committee has followed suit. The Developing the Next Generation of Small Businesses Act of 2016 provides much needed updates to the WBC program including expanding annual authorized funding to $21.75 million and increasing the grants available to centers that provide training and counseling to entrepreneurs.

We would like to thank Chair Steve Chabot (R-OH), Ranking Member Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), and Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) for prioritizing women entrepreneurs and passing both pieces legislation with bipartisan, unanimous votes.

 

 

 

Join Me and Other Women Entrepreneurs this Election Season! #WEDecide2016

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Dear WIPP Members and Friends,   

BK headshotWomen business owners are 10 million strong. When we engage in the political process with a positive message there is no stopping us!

WE Decide 2016 is mobilizing thousands of women in business to raise their voice and share their message this election season.  It is a wonderful opportunity to learn and to share our views on issues important to us with the candidates and the media.

So please, sign up today and encourage your friends and employees to join you. To immediately get involved you can like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and sign up for WE Decide 2016 online. Below are the links to make an immediate impact –and it will only take 5 minutes of your time!

Sign up for WE Decide 2016.

Like WE Decide 2016 on Facebook.

Follow WE Decide 2016 on Twitter.

We also encourage you to spread the word in your networks, click here to view the most recent weekly partner and supporter newsletter. This newsletter provides links to logos, pictures for social media, sample social media, the topic for the weekly #WEDecideChat on Twitter, content for your website, and the most recent poll or survey. If you would like to sign your organization up as a supporter, please click here or email Lynn Bunim at lbunim@wipp.org.

Thank you again for your support – we couldn’t do all we do without you!

Sincerely,

BK single

Barbara Kasoff
WIPP President Emeritus
bkasoff@wipp.org

Join WIPP’s Chief Advocate Ann Sullivan for an Insider’s Look at the Presidential Candidates

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AnnSullivan new
Will a new President change how Washington works?  Join me Thursday for an insider’s look at the Presidential candidates and their ability to work with a new Congress and the business community.  Not only will this year’s election decide the Presidency, but control of the Senate is also in play.
Join me on March 24th at 2PM for an analysis of the upcoming elections and how you as women business owners can weigh in on issues that matter most to your business and the future through WE Decide 2016.
And don’t forget to join We Decide 2016 before the webinar – together, we will make a difference.
See you on Thursday!
Ann Sullivan
Chief Advocate for Women Impacting Public Policy
Click here to join WE Decide2016.
Click here to register for Thursday’s webinar.