Tweet It’s not enough to make symbolic efforts to be eco-conscious or “green” if you want to be a Fortune 1000 company supplier. Without real, science-based sustainability programs that demand action and accountability, suppliers are in danger of “green washing” their businesses with false product claims. Such Green Washing does a disservice to buyers and the environment. It’s no way to run a successful, profitable business in the long term. Running a sustainable business benefits suppliers by making the most efficient use of its resources. Green suppliers, in turn, help corporate buyers meet their own sustainability challenges, making a truly green supplier valuable to its corporate buyers. Today, there is a gap between what corporations seek and what many suppliers [...]
Read More »Tweet A new Small Business Administration program aims to provide strong resources for veterans transitioning into civilian life who want to start businesses. The national program, Operation Boots to Business: From Service to Startup, will be piloted with the U.S. Marine Corps, according to an article in Diversity Plus Magazine. Before a national rollout, the program will be in four locations: Quantico, Va., Cherry Point, N.C., Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif. Through Operation Boots to Business, interested, transitioning veterans will take a entrepreneurship training class to learn the “nuts and bolts of how to start and run a business.” The training will take place in three phases. It starts with a short video introduction to entrepreneurship, followed by [...]
Read More »Tweet A wide range of companies — large and small, private and public — are embracing diversity as a way to grow their businesses. That means they are choosing diversity in every aspect of business, from their board of directors to suppliers and franchise owners. One example is The Melting Pot fondue restaurant chain, which is reaching out into diverse communities to grow its franchise. An article, The Melting Pot Looks to Diversity to Grow its Franchise, highlights the effort, which includes the company working with minority, veteran, international and LGBT business organizations to grow. “One of the problems with franchise marketing is that lots of brands advertise in the same publications. It can get cluttered. But by focusing on [...]
Read More »Top corporate buyers on ConnXus.com for the second quarter of 2012 are: 1) Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; 2) Procurian, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, OH (tie).
Read More »ConnXus.com Founder and CEO Rod Robinson was recognized as one of the inaugural E.D.G.E. Awards as part of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2012 program in the South Central Ohio and Kentucky region.
Read More »Rod Robinson, founder and CEO of ConnXus.com, has been selected to present at the National Urban League’s 2012 Conference on August 28.
Read More »Tweet We all have those days when we are highly motivated to work. We’re energetic and enthusiastic, and the day seems to just fly by. Then, there are those days when we just aren’t “feeling it,” everyday tasks are boring, and making that call or sale just seems like a burden. Now, we all know that motivation is a key factor to success of small business, as a business owner you may have plenty of self-motivation, but motivating your sales staff is just as important. It takes good, consistent managerial policies and procedures to keep a staff motivated. And there are a few ways — some are very basic — you can keep your sales staff happy and motivated, which [...]
Read More »Tweet BDPA was formed in the mid-1970s to address a challenge that lingers today: a lack of African-American representation in the IT industry. Since the first chapter was launched in Philadelphia, BDPA has become a sophisticated national organization. The nonprofit aim is to identify and advance African-American leaders in IT. “We provide programs, scholarships and services to help our communities win the future,” Wayne Hicks, BDPA Education and Technology Foundation executive director, tells us. BDPA has 40 chapters across the country including: Atlanta Baltimore Cincinnati Chicago Detroit Tampa Houston The organization has an ambitious mission to reach from the classroom to the boardroom, and does just that with an impressive array of programs, services and scholarships. In Cincinnati, where Hicks [...]
Read More »Tweet It’s getting harder for small businesses to get traditional bank loans, but working capital remains a vital lifeline for growth. That’s why businesses owners are looking outside the box for non-traditional sources of funding. An emerging source, Peer to Peer Lending, is gaining traction and becoming a viable financial resource for businesses. Peer to Peer lending what is sounds like. It’s a form of lending from an individual who wants to invest to another person looking for investment. A recent piece in TechCrunch, Peer To Peer Lending Crosses $1 Billion In Loans Issued, says that P2P lending is one of the fastest-growing investment areas. Since it took off in 2006, through industry leaders Lending Club and Prosper, P2P has [...]
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The ConnXion Point is the blog for connXus.com, an online service connecting small, minority- and woman-owned businesses with companies seeking to hire diverse suppliers.
I'm Rod Robinson, founder and chief connector of connXus.com. I've spent 15 years in the procurement business as a minority business owner, company procurement officer and industry consultant.
The ConnXion Point will focus on issues, events and news about procurement and supplier diversity. So, whether you're purchasing or selling, we'll have information you can use. We also hope to facilitate a healthy, respectful exchange of viewpoints on issues surrounding supplier diversity and procurement.
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