4 Essential Ways Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Businesses Can Drive Innovation

Making The Right Supplier Connections Can Help

Marianne Strobel Executive Director, AT&T Global Supplier Diversity

With 34,000 troops – about half the U.S. force in Afghanistan – set to withdraw by early 2014, service-disabled veterans will be flooding the wavering job market by starting or joining small businesses. While economic improvement seems hopeful, service-disabled veteran owned businesses (SDVOBs) still need to make wise choices in order to make the supplier connection with companies like AT&T – and drive innovation. 

For SDVOBs just starting out or starting to incorporate their military veteran supplier diversity business program, here’s some advice.

1. Get engaged.

Strategize the best ways to get engaged with local and national SDVOB or disabled veteran owned business enterprise (DVBE) advocacy organizations like the U.S. Small Business Association. Here you’ll find helpful information for SDVOBs to start and grow your business. There are also many private and government resources available to corporations that seek SDVOBs – and AT&T is no exception. We have several diversity programs established to provide support for the mission of including more veteran owned businesses in the world of corporate contracts.

Participating in collaborative forums is also a great way to share best practices with other corporations in effort to help enhance your business. One such resource for SDVOBs is our Operation Hand Salute Mentor Program. Operation Hand Salute (OHS) is a groundbreaking national education, training, and mentoring program for service-disabled veteran owned businesses. Growth-oriented mentoring programs like OHS, help DVBEs grow to the next level—which may enhance their opportunity to win corporate contracts. By the end of 2012, 14 SDVOB CEOs saw positive results from participating in Operation Hand Salute. With a new 2013-14 class of OHS mentees set, it’s a very exciting time to be a SDVOB.

2. Understand the business community.

In 1993, AT&T answered the call to address the challenges disabled veteran owned businesses face in the marketplace by launching our Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program (DVBE). More than 20 years later, our global organization is now recognized as a best-in-class company for those efforts. One of the ways to stand out from the crowd and receive recognition is to remain engaged in community-based organizations and diversity councils. That’s why we work closely with National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (NMSDC) and other supplier development organizations to foster successful stronger joint ventures and strategic alliances. Collaborating and networking within the business community among your peers can only bolster your business connections.

A suppliers’ scale and scope also matters to a Fortune 500 company, and is a key factor to success. Several of our contracts require SDVOBs that operate globally, nationally, or regionally.  Also, recognize that most good opportunities are going to be 2nd tier with our prime suppliers.  This is a good starting place to create a performance track record and understand a company’s business. Many successful SDVOBs have started this way and continue to be good suppliers for major companies.

3. Develop tailored business solutions.

More companies have increased their outreach to certified DVBE firms – and expanded their resources to support DVBE spending goals. Articulating what your value proposition is for these companies and perfecting it is vital for any business plan to stay ahead of the curve.  SDVOBs must remember that they are in a very competitive marketplace, competing against other good small businesses or other SDVOBs around the country and need to bring added-value to the table.  Start by answering the question: what makes my company different than the other one hundred companies that do what I do?

The companies that approach us with developed business solutions tailored to our business objectives and challenges are way ahead of those businesses just trying to sell a product or service. Many companies look for businesses with size and scope – and robust web-based processes that can work together with a global company. The ability to provide proven niche solutions helps improve competitive position.

4. Incorporate innovation.

Today more than ever, our supplier organization is accelerating the pace of innovation, which means working with innovative suppliers who can take us to the next level. My team incorporated emerging technologies and applications to achieve its supplier diversity targets – with great results, including:

•  
  • Improved reporting for prime supplier and supplier diversity results
  • Virtual matchmaking venues for supplier meetings
  • State-of-the-art entrepreneurial business development programs

In 2013 and beyond, we continue to look for diverse suppliers in key strategic growth areas:

•  
  • Wireless construction
  • 4G LTE
  • Distributed antennae systems (DAS)
  • U-verse
  • Application development
  • Cloud services

Diverse suppliers who can deliver innovative solutions in their business plan can help companies  achieve their objectives to drive innovation for customers. By delivering world-class products and services to meet customers’ unique needs, these suppliers unlock the potential to revolutionize business operations. We thrive on building a solid foundation with suppliers – including SDVOBs that can help move technology forward and change the world.

2013 is our supplier organization’s “Year of the DVBE”…. and we encourage certified service-disabled veteran businesses, particularly those with more than three years in business and three million in revenue, to registeryour profile with us. Let’s see if we can do business together.