Open Access for the Increased Use of VIABLE Enterprises
 
 
 
Opening
VIABLE
Certify
Sourcing
Outreach
Staffing
Services
 
 
 
Related Links/Files
US Minority Business Dev Agency
US Small Business Administration
State of Minority Business - 2002
Minority Business Enterprises-1997
MTA - California Certification Form

 
Sponsors
SPC
NBBC
BBA
Business Plan Pro
Designation Title: A Detractor to Inclusion

Within any speech or discussion about supplier diversity and small business development, we all recite and listen to similar comments.  Comments that reflect how “Minority Business Represents 7% of Federal Contracts; Small Business is the Driving Force of the Nation’s Economy; Minority Business is Critical to the Growth & Economic Development of the Economy; Small Business is the Backbone of the U.S. Economy; Small Business Accounts for 99% of all of the New Jobs in America; Small Business Represents Two-thirds of the Private Sector Jobs; Small Business Represents ½ of the GDP.”

With these glorious superlatives about small business, we should want to grant a term consistent and worthy of such vast attainment.  Particularly, since the public and private sectors are working diligently to develop and include enterprises owned, control, and operated by Native American, Asian, black and Latino citizenry.

As you review the terms that follow in the next section, keep in mind that these are actual descriptions used over the past couple of decades entitling the businesses and programs in place by the public and private sectors for small business utilization.  At a minimum, the assortment of so many names shows a differentiation of our understanding about the target group and our collective objective.   These capture the most used and some were not so favorable, such as;

8(a) Contractor
Affirmative Action Program
Certified Supplier
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)
Emergethnic
Emerging Enterprise (EE)
Ethnic Business Enterprises Development
Fledging Business Enterprises
Historically Underutilized Business (HUB)
Inner-city businesses
Minority Business Enterprises (MBE)
Minority Supplier
Minority Vendor
Minority-owned business (MOB)
Qualified Diverse Suppliers
Second-tier or Subcontractor
Section 3-HUD
Small Business (SB)
Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB)
Social & Economic Disadvantaged Business
SocioEconomic Business Program
Supplier/Vendor Diversity

Offer on 12/7/86 by:
Dean L. Jones, C.P.M.

Jones

 

Best Viable Practice

In some respects, adding another name or brand to the field is like dousing gasoline on the fire.  However, it is sometimes necessary to create a controlled burn to arrest a fire’s detrimental direction.

Creating a new identification that reaches everyone is a daunting task.  Utopia would have us use the word ‘people’ as the only unbiased idiom available.  However, the target market must have viability to meet professional procurement requirements.  Viable firms are what all buyers want and a viable opportunity is what the target group seeks. 

Accomplishing image building fairly results on a case-by-case basis.  Notwithstanding, a more powerful group image is one that has universality.  Therefore, let's refer to our target segment as VIABLE. 

VIABLE has a large usage in small business speeches and seminar training on the subject.  Correspondence and legislation commonly expresses viable suppliers, going back to the inception of small business development.  Therefore, let us centrally focus our language on viability and discard the other negative terms such as minority, disadvantaged, and sub when describing the firms we would like to engage.

 
 

VIABLE
Vending Indian Asian Black Latino Enterprises

 
 

This web site promotes 'viable' improvements to business models that can better position competitive small businesses to enjoy economic parity.  These business model critiques are presented by Dean L. Jones, a Certified Purchasing Manager with the Institute for Management Supply.  A noted strategist for the Southland Partnership Corporation (SPC) and recipient of a Bachelor of Science-Accounting Degree from San Jose State University.

The SPC is a public benefit corporation working to expand, retain, and attract businesses to southern California.  By building capacity for businesses it becomes a generator for jobs, that can help improve the quality of life and opportunities for the residents of this region.  The SPC is a strategic partner with the National Black Business Council, Black Business Association, Broad Spectrum Community Development Corporation, and the Compton CareerLink Worksource Center.