1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:00,280
Speaker 1: Hi.

2
00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:03,280
Speaker 2: I am Rashaan McDonald. I host this weekly Money Making

3
00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:07,520
Speaker 2: Conversation Masterclass show. The interviews and information that this show

4
00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,800
Speaker 2: provides are for everyone. It's time to start reading other

5
00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,280
Speaker 2: people's success stories and start living your own now. If

6
00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:16,520
Speaker 2: you want to be a guest on my show, please

7
00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:21,320
Speaker 2: visit our website, Moneymakingconversations dot com and click the BO

8
00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:24,360
Speaker 2: guest button. If you have a product or company that

9
00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:26,880
Speaker 2: you want to talk about on my show, you're an entrepreneur,

10
00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,200
Speaker 2: please take the time to fill out the BO guest button.

11
00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:33,440
Speaker 2: Press submit. It comes directly to me. Now we've got

12
00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:36,479
Speaker 2: that out the way, let's get this show started. My

13
00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:41,760
Speaker 2: guest is the CEO and founder of International Supply Partners ISSP.

14
00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:46,720
Speaker 2: International Supply Partners is a premier provider of essential products

15
00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:53,680
Speaker 2: and procurement solutions, specializing in safety, PPE, industrial, janitorial, and

16
00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:57,600
Speaker 2: construction supplies. Please welcome to the Money Making Conversation Masterclass.

17
00:00:57,880 --> 00:00:59,160
Speaker 2: Jennifer Barbosa.

18
00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:02,800
Speaker 3: How you doing, Jennifer, I'm wonderful for Sean, how are

19
00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:03,640
Speaker 3: you now?

20
00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,240
Speaker 2: This doesn't sound like one of those jobs that you know,

21
00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:08,840
Speaker 2: just you. I want to go out there and be

22
00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:10,800
Speaker 2: a supply I want to go out there be a supplier.

23
00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:13,160
Speaker 2: How did you get in the supply of business?

24
00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:20,280
Speaker 3: Well, I first started just by deciding that I wanted

25
00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:24,440
Speaker 3: to do business with the government, and I thought of

26
00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:27,800
Speaker 3: what can what does the government need that they will

27
00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:35,120
Speaker 3: always need and can potentially keep me in a lasting business, right,

28
00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:39,200
Speaker 3: So I first started with office supplies. The government needs

29
00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:44,240
Speaker 3: to supply. They're the largest customer, they spend the most

30
00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:48,680
Speaker 3: money in the world, and they do not do everything themselves.

31
00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:52,040
Speaker 3: They always contract out. So they were my first target.

32
00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:55,560
Speaker 2: Now as it is from Jennifer. Now, you know, I

33
00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,440
Speaker 2: would think that they would already have a relationship with

34
00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,360
Speaker 2: like a big company. You're talking about supplies. You talking

35
00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,480
Speaker 2: about when you say supplies, we talking about notepads, pencils

36
00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:07,440
Speaker 2: or janitor everything.

37
00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,360
Speaker 3: Okay, anything you can think of the government purchase.

38
00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:14,480
Speaker 2: Why wouldn't they have a relationship already and how were

39
00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:16,799
Speaker 2: you able to get into that Because a lot of

40
00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:22,080
Speaker 2: people want to do business with the government, so they do.

41
00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:28,760
Speaker 3: Have standing relationships. But the government is required to consistently

42
00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,720
Speaker 3: look for best cost prices on services and products that

43
00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:39,200
Speaker 3: they consume and purchase, so they do that through RFQs

44
00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:43,280
Speaker 3: or RFPs, and sometimes they give out contracts for a

45
00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,920
Speaker 3: certain period of time and then they reassess their budget

46
00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:48,040
Speaker 3: and costs.

47
00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:49,960
Speaker 4: And also they.

48
00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,200
Speaker 3: Have what are called p cards, which are purchase cards

49
00:02:54,240 --> 00:03:00,680
Speaker 3: where office departments can make smaller purchases below a certain

50
00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,920
Speaker 3: threshold without requiring UH to go out for a bid

51
00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:11,160
Speaker 3: and requesting multiple quotes. And as long as the vendor

52
00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,440
Speaker 3: or company is registered within their system, is in good standing,

53
00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,760
Speaker 3: UH pays their taxes, then they can then purchase and

54
00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:21,639
Speaker 3: do business with them.

55
00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:28,440
Speaker 2: Okay, now you are in a male dominated business. I'm

56
00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:34,440
Speaker 2: assuming and very much he lands when I say that,

57
00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,480
Speaker 2: that's a nond just statement and in your small business

58
00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:40,839
Speaker 2: trying to crack through that door. How did Jennifer pull

59
00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:41,240
Speaker 2: it off?

60
00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:49,960
Speaker 3: I think some of it was probably delusional and not

61
00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:58,160
Speaker 3: that's how you're I just went made a decision and

62
00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:00,600
Speaker 3: went for I didn't didn't have to that we think

63
00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:04,320
Speaker 3: about all of the challenges come up again, I think

64
00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:08,240
Speaker 3: was probably what most entrepreneurs do, and in our own

65
00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:11,880
Speaker 3: best interest, because if you make you decide that you

66
00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:15,480
Speaker 3: want to go into business, and you consider all of

67
00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:20,120
Speaker 3: the challenges, all of the hurdles, all of the setbacks

68
00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:24,520
Speaker 3: that potentially can UH come up against you, then that

69
00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:27,520
Speaker 3: can be very daunting and make you second guess about

70
00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:31,520
Speaker 3: going into business. And so I'd say I really did

71
00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,200
Speaker 3: not consider that I was going to be in a

72
00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:38,960
Speaker 3: male dominated industry. I just knew that I wanted to

73
00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,000
Speaker 3: start up another business that had other businesses and actuality.

74
00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:48,280
Speaker 3: Most of the businesses that I've owned were male dominated.

75
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:50,920
Speaker 2: There was no fear. There was no fear.

76
00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:55,800
Speaker 3: No fear, no fear. That's a good thing or bad things.

77
00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:59,320
Speaker 2: A good thing because sometimes tear stops us, stops us

78
00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:03,719
Speaker 2: from pursuing our dreams. People, fear stops us relationships. Fear

79
00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:07,120
Speaker 2: just stops us from moving seeing an opportunity because you

80
00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:10,760
Speaker 2: don't know what that opportunity you will be. The fear

81
00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:13,440
Speaker 2: of moving in that direction will stop us and it

82
00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,120
Speaker 2: may be the best decision in your life. So in

83
00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:19,640
Speaker 2: that person's life, So you say, Rashan, maybe I was,

84
00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,040
Speaker 2: Maybe I should have had. I love the fact that

85
00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:26,039
Speaker 2: you were fearless, and that's important. But here's an interesting question.

86
00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,360
Speaker 2: Now when you say you're a supplier, the number one

87
00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:31,400
Speaker 2: question that comes in my mind do you have to

88
00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,839
Speaker 2: have inventory? Do you have to have money set aside

89
00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,600
Speaker 2: to be able to buy supplies? So when somebody calls

90
00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,240
Speaker 2: you for supplies, you have to immediately deliver. How does

91
00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:41,800
Speaker 2: that work?

92
00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:46,760
Speaker 3: So it all depends on your business model. If you

93
00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:52,960
Speaker 3: are doing business with the government or most corporations, you

94
00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:56,760
Speaker 3: would need to have money because most of their payment

95
00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:01,640
Speaker 3: systems of processes are on term payments, which means that

96
00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:06,680
Speaker 3: they provide a purchase order to you. You supply and

97
00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,640
Speaker 3: deliver the items that they requested at the cost that.

98
00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:14,320
Speaker 4: You've agreed upon, and then they.

99
00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:19,000
Speaker 3: Will and then once you've delivered, you can then invoice

100
00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:24,680
Speaker 3: them and that invoice is due for payments, whether it's

101
00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,600
Speaker 3: NET thirty which is thirty days from date of delivery,

102
00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:32,480
Speaker 3: or NET fifteen or NET sixty, net ninety, whatever that

103
00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:36,000
Speaker 3: agreement is. So that means that you would need.

104
00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:39,160
Speaker 4: To have the funding or the credit.

105
00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:45,200
Speaker 3: Readily available to be able to source supply ship at

106
00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:49,960
Speaker 3: your cost and not receive payment until the due date,

107
00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:52,480
Speaker 3: which is usually NET thirty. But then of course you've

108
00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:55,720
Speaker 3: got to consider, you know, not everyone pays on time.

109
00:06:56,080 --> 00:07:00,320
Speaker 2: Right now, let me ask you this. Jennifer Bobosa, she's

110
00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:04,400
Speaker 2: the CEO and founder of International Supply Partners i s P.

111
00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:09,480
Speaker 2: Now let's go back a few years because I introduced you.

112
00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:11,800
Speaker 2: In your introduction, I said a word that I never

113
00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:17,360
Speaker 2: knew nothing about until COVID PPE. What does PPE mean?

114
00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:22,800
Speaker 3: PPP stands for personal protection equipment.

115
00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:28,280
Speaker 2: Now, when I okay, continue so I can get into

116
00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:29,720
Speaker 2: my next question, I apologize.

117
00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:34,600
Speaker 3: No, that's fine, and so it literally means what it says,

118
00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:40,320
Speaker 3: personal protection equipment. But it can what it identifies is

119
00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,080
Speaker 3: going to vary according to the industry that you're in.

120
00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:47,200
Speaker 2: Well, when I when I heard it, it was tied

121
00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:51,440
Speaker 2: to mask. That's what I heard. Mask. You know, all

122
00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:56,200
Speaker 2: I heard was Ppe deliverables, Ppe deliverable masks. Now doing

123
00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:59,280
Speaker 2: that era of that period, which is the country got

124
00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,680
Speaker 2: shut down and we had distances and you had to

125
00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:05,520
Speaker 2: fly our fly on the plane with a mask. But

126
00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,640
Speaker 2: I noticed during that period it was a mean I

127
00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:11,360
Speaker 2: was paying fifteen twenty dollars a mask when it first

128
00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:16,560
Speaker 2: came out. Okay, talk about that pricing discrepens and how

129
00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:17,720
Speaker 2: did that happen like that?

130
00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:24,120
Speaker 3: Well, it was a combination of things. One a demand,

131
00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:31,360
Speaker 3: a huge influx of demand on the product. And whenever

132
00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:36,600
Speaker 3: there's an influx of demand there costs will go up. Right,

133
00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:44,520
Speaker 3: whether the well price will go up rather cost may decrease,

134
00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:49,600
Speaker 3: may increase or may stay the same, but demand will

135
00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:52,560
Speaker 3: always dictate pricing.

136
00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:59,000
Speaker 2: Now, so where were you at, you know, when the

137
00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,520
Speaker 2: when the COVID had happened, and did you see it

138
00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:06,240
Speaker 2: coming because you you know, you supplyed PPEs, you know,

139
00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:09,960
Speaker 2: the whole mask situation, the supply chain, that's all I

140
00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,920
Speaker 2: heard these There was a lot of buzzwords that was

141
00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,439
Speaker 2: out doing COVID. The supply chain. Part of your vernacular

142
00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:19,959
Speaker 2: is that word? So when you how did you react

143
00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:24,080
Speaker 2: when you saw these tremendous pricing differences on masks and

144
00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:25,079
Speaker 2: what were your thoughts?

145
00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:30,480
Speaker 3: So I was very close to a lot of the

146
00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:35,440
Speaker 3: manufacturing and understand what was going on. Before we were

147
00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:42,120
Speaker 3: shut down. I was receiving communications from my manufacturers, who

148
00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,040
Speaker 3: we had sourced a lot of our office and janitorial

149
00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:49,720
Speaker 3: supplies from, asking inquiring if we wanted any ppe whether

150
00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:55,559
Speaker 3: it was masks or gloves, coveralls, a variety of different items.

151
00:09:55,920 --> 00:10:00,360
Speaker 3: And at first I was, you know, perplexed, because I'm like, well, well,

152
00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:05,680
Speaker 3: you guys make paper or you make plastic bags, Like

153
00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:09,720
Speaker 3: why are you selling these medical products? But what was

154
00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:12,800
Speaker 3: happening and the other part of the world is they

155
00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:15,080
Speaker 3: were already aware of what was going on and what

156
00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:17,520
Speaker 3: was to come, and so a lot of factories were

157
00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:23,439
Speaker 3: converting their production from what they typically produced to producing

158
00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:27,160
Speaker 3: these ppe that were going to be in high demand.

159
00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:32,680
Speaker 3: So that was the first indication that I had. Now

160
00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:37,960
Speaker 3: also understanding, being that close to the manufacturing is understanding

161
00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:42,600
Speaker 3: what the true cost is. And because of the demand also,

162
00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:48,360
Speaker 3: you know the price is going to go up, and

163
00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:50,360
Speaker 3: part of it has to do with what was going

164
00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:52,959
Speaker 3: on in the supply chain. So there was a demand

165
00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:57,080
Speaker 3: of raw materials that needed to get to the factories.

166
00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:00,439
Speaker 3: Then there was a demand of increase of production, which

167
00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:03,679
Speaker 3: means there is a demand of the machinery to make

168
00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:09,880
Speaker 3: those products. And then there's a demand for the logistical

169
00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:15,880
Speaker 3: shipment of those products, which means containers that move products

170
00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:25,160
Speaker 3: are now being reserved or being monopolized by these ppe.

171
00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:29,240
Speaker 3: So other essential products that we're needing, or toys or

172
00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:33,079
Speaker 3: anything our everyday items were being kind of pushed to decide,

173
00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:37,520
Speaker 3: so it becomes a domino effect. Now at the same time,

174
00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:41,640
Speaker 3: there was an influx of people and businesses who were

175
00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:44,959
Speaker 3: not in the medical industry. We're not in the supply industry,

176
00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,599
Speaker 3: we're not in supply chain whatsoever, but saw an opportunity,

177
00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:52,480
Speaker 3: whether it's because of their access to the financing or

178
00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:57,640
Speaker 3: the relationships that they had, jump into this industry. So

179
00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:00,800
Speaker 3: you saw a huge influx of new businesses that were

180
00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:07,240
Speaker 3: supplying PPE for whatever reason, and they knew that the

181
00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:14,880
Speaker 3: demand was there. The government was purchasing at astronomical volumes,

182
00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,800
Speaker 3: and hospitals and facilities and schools and government and local

183
00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:25,960
Speaker 3: state governments and other agencies were all purchasing and business

184
00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:30,040
Speaker 3: was not as usual. And what that puts at put

185
00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:34,520
Speaker 3: to that is where now the sellers of these PPE

186
00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:40,600
Speaker 3: have maths and they have more power in regards.

187
00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:43,160
Speaker 4: To demanding the payment terms.

188
00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,960
Speaker 3: So the net term payment was no longer an option

189
00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:50,240
Speaker 3: for hospitals and the government. Everyone was paying upfront because

190
00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:54,120
Speaker 3: there's a huge frenzy of getting everything as quickly as

191
00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,079
Speaker 3: possible and it was almost like a grab. And then

192
00:12:57,200 --> 00:12:59,960
Speaker 3: also who paid the most got the most or got

193
00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:05,200
Speaker 3: their products first and fastest. So something that may have

194
00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:09,960
Speaker 3: typically cost like a case of masks, for example, may

195
00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:15,000
Speaker 3: have before the pandemic cost a case of one thousand

196
00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:20,319
Speaker 3: masks might have cost let's say one hundred dollars during

197
00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:23,280
Speaker 3: the pandemic, that same case of one thousand masks could

198
00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:25,479
Speaker 3: have easily cost one thousand dollars.

199
00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:29,520
Speaker 2: Well, I know I was a person who purchased high

200
00:13:29,559 --> 00:13:31,720
Speaker 2: price mask, you know, because I didn't have another option.

201
00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:34,960
Speaker 2: You know, my employees, I wanted them to come to work.

202
00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:38,160
Speaker 2: I didn't like I work at a creative media company

203
00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:42,800
Speaker 2: and to achieve that, you know, you're engaging with each other.

204
00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:46,080
Speaker 2: And so I purchased masks, and I was paying anywhere

205
00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:49,080
Speaker 2: from ten to fifteen dollars. So if you hear Rasheon

206
00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:52,959
Speaker 2: McDonald paying ten to ten to fifteen dollars for a mask,

207
00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:55,800
Speaker 2: what would you say? Am I being ripped off? Or

208
00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:56,840
Speaker 2: was I being ripped off?

209
00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:01,200
Speaker 3: Personally, I would have felt that you were definitely being gouged,

210
00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,040
Speaker 3: definitely paying more than necessary.

211
00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:07,160
Speaker 2: Okay, Jenn, What's what's the difference between ripped off and gouged?

212
00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:08,600
Speaker 2: You know, I'm just trying to help, you know, I

213
00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:09,400
Speaker 2: said ripped.

214
00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:15,440
Speaker 3: Off thanks an over exaggeration of aw.

215
00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:18,280
Speaker 2: I thought you want to be professional, you know, I'm

216
00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:20,760
Speaker 2: just going, hey, does somebody rip me off? Where rashion?

217
00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:24,200
Speaker 2: You may have been guys, I don't want to.

218
00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:28,000
Speaker 3: I don't know what their true making those master but

219
00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:29,320
Speaker 3: that was.

220
00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:33,040
Speaker 5: As please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with

221
00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:42,120
Speaker 5: more money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money

222
00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:47,280
Speaker 5: Making Conversations Masterclass hosted by Rashaan McDonald. Money Making Conversations

223
00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:52,560
Speaker 5: Masterclass continues online at Moneymakingconversations dot com and follow money

224
00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:56,280
Speaker 5: Making Conversations Masterclass on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

225
00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:58,360
Speaker 2: I would like to bring guests guests on my show

226
00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:03,480
Speaker 2: that only education and hopefully educates me because products that

227
00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:08,520
Speaker 2: are being made available out there locally, nationally, internationally, is

228
00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:12,000
Speaker 2: being produced right in or being being manufactured, being distributed

229
00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,720
Speaker 2: right in this city of Atlanta. And the CEO of

230
00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:19,280
Speaker 2: founder of this company, International Supply Partners, is Jennifer Barbosa. Now,

231
00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:23,680
Speaker 2: when we talk about procurement and specializing in safety PPEs,

232
00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:27,600
Speaker 2: which we just had a long conversation about industrial, janitorial

233
00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:31,480
Speaker 2: and construction supplies, and we're talking construction flies. If you

234
00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:33,520
Speaker 2: need them in New York, if you need them in California,

235
00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:35,520
Speaker 2: you need them in Texas, you need them in Chicago.

236
00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:40,000
Speaker 2: She makes them available through her company. Now, how are

237
00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:43,200
Speaker 2: we able to be able to pull that vision out

238
00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:47,080
Speaker 2: because everybody starts local, Jennifer, But then all said, you see,

239
00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,520
Speaker 2: you know, something I really can become, you know, nationwide

240
00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,160
Speaker 2: and then global. When did that hit you or what

241
00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:57,040
Speaker 2: enabled you or did you get investors into your company

242
00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,640
Speaker 2: that enabled you to see that vision and make that

243
00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:00,440
Speaker 2: vision happened.

244
00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:08,400
Speaker 3: So originally I was working through distributors, local distributors and

245
00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:13,200
Speaker 3: finding that I could not compete, especially against big box companies.

246
00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:19,600
Speaker 3: And then I realized, you know, coming from you know,

247
00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:23,120
Speaker 3: an international immigrant family. My parents are from the Cape

248
00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:27,479
Speaker 3: Bird Islands in West Africa. They both worked in manufacturing

249
00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:30,040
Speaker 3: when they moved here to the US, so I had

250
00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:35,280
Speaker 3: the experience and knowledge of manufacturing. And my grandfather used

251
00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,960
Speaker 3: to import and export abroad between the US and Cape

252
00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:42,760
Speaker 3: Verds and as well as my grandmother, so they were

253
00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:48,800
Speaker 3: entrepreneurs as well. And so I when I realized that

254
00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:51,400
Speaker 3: I could not compete with the business model that I

255
00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,440
Speaker 3: had at the time, I was like, well, let me

256
00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:57,520
Speaker 3: just I need to get to the source. And so

257
00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:01,520
Speaker 3: I started reaching out to manufacturers both local as well

258
00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:08,840
Speaker 3: as international and developing those relationships, establishing partnerships and figuring

259
00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:12,280
Speaker 3: out how can I be more competitive?

260
00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:16,639
Speaker 4: And during the pandemic, my network.

261
00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:26,200
Speaker 3: Grew exponentially because of my current relationships and continuously looking

262
00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:31,520
Speaker 3: at what was going on and figuring out what the

263
00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:35,960
Speaker 3: supply chain is. So if you understand supply chain, it's

264
00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:39,680
Speaker 3: a map, it's a puzzle, and you want to understand

265
00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:42,119
Speaker 3: how things move and how things are made from the

266
00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:47,440
Speaker 3: very beginning. So even understanding, okay, plastic, how many things

267
00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:49,320
Speaker 3: do we utilize on a day to day that is

268
00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:52,760
Speaker 3: made out of plastic. If there's a shortage or something

269
00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,680
Speaker 3: in plastic, why is there a shortage? What is plastic

270
00:17:55,720 --> 00:18:01,320
Speaker 3: made of? Well, plastic is made out of petroleum is

271
00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:03,760
Speaker 3: only source in certain parts of the world, So then

272
00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:06,000
Speaker 3: you have to look at why is there a shortage

273
00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:09,400
Speaker 3: of plastic? There must be something that's happening with petroleum.

274
00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:11,720
Speaker 3: And then you look at what's going on in the

275
00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:16,639
Speaker 3: different parts of the world to understand what is changing

276
00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:21,440
Speaker 3: impacting the movement of that raw material or petroleum in

277
00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:28,600
Speaker 3: this instance, that is slowing things down or causing a shortage,

278
00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:36,640
Speaker 3: and then follow the dots and so when you do that,

279
00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:40,359
Speaker 3: you'll understand, Okay, where are things sourced. Every part of

280
00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,680
Speaker 3: the world is good at making something, whether it's sourcing

281
00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:49,439
Speaker 3: the raw material or producing manufacturing a certain product. And

282
00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:52,120
Speaker 3: so if you understand that you'll understand where things are done,

283
00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:55,760
Speaker 3: where it's made, and how it travels across the world, and.

284
00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:58,120
Speaker 2: That's how you compete. Now here's something that's been making

285
00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:01,280
Speaker 2: a lot of buzz in the news is diversity, equity

286
00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:05,639
Speaker 2: and inclusion. And how's your company? Well you heard that

287
00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:11,119
Speaker 2: versus basically public announcement and what was your thoughts and

288
00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,480
Speaker 2: how did you react to that as far as your

289
00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:18,199
Speaker 2: company and how you are going to champion or you

290
00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:21,600
Speaker 2: understand to go with the flow? What was your thoughts, Jennifer.

291
00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:29,400
Speaker 3: So, we've been certified as minority owned, woman owned, disadvantage

292
00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:34,359
Speaker 3: owned certification both federal and state, local, city, local, and

293
00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:39,840
Speaker 3: other associations since we started the company. So we started

294
00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:43,160
Speaker 3: in twenty sixteen November twenty sixteen. We were certified by

295
00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:44,320
Speaker 3: March of twenty seventeen.

296
00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:46,720
Speaker 4: But that is not.

297
00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:53,200
Speaker 3: How we've led in business. They were tools to leverage opportunities,

298
00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:58,040
Speaker 3: but I never wanted to lead the company and what

299
00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:01,639
Speaker 3: we do as well, just you know, you should do

300
00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:03,760
Speaker 3: business with us because we're a black owned company, or

301
00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,200
Speaker 3: you should do businesses because we're a woman owned company.

302
00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:11,320
Speaker 3: You should do business with us because we provide quality

303
00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:15,040
Speaker 3: products and services and we operate as a partner and

304
00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:20,040
Speaker 3: understand what is going to improve your operations.

305
00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:21,640
Speaker 4: And so this.

306
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:28,199
Speaker 3: The way that they're trying to disseminate THEI is just

307
00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:35,119
Speaker 3: a manner of trying to, in my opinion, deter businesses,

308
00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:42,679
Speaker 3: whether black, small women owned, from doing business. Now, there

309
00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:46,880
Speaker 3: will always be challenges, and we're constantly challenged. But if

310
00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:51,679
Speaker 3: you are only looking to or expecting people to do

311
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,679
Speaker 3: business with you because you're a small business or a

312
00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,720
Speaker 3: minority owned or a woman owned, then you're not going

313
00:20:57,720 --> 00:20:59,720
Speaker 3: to be in business much longer anyway.

314
00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:00,439
Speaker 5: Mm hm.

315
00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:04,200
Speaker 3: So my response to it was no response.

316
00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:05,080
Speaker 4: It doesn't matter.

317
00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:08,280
Speaker 3: We're going to still continue to do business. We have

318
00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:11,199
Speaker 3: clients that do business with us because of what we

319
00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,120
Speaker 3: do and how we support them, not just because of

320
00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:16,199
Speaker 3: who started a company.

321
00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:19,800
Speaker 2: Agree with you or do I really do? And I

322
00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:22,680
Speaker 2: appreciate your response to that because I tell people all

323
00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:25,040
Speaker 2: the time. I remember in the summer this past summer,

324
00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:28,240
Speaker 2: I told my staff, I said that, you know, as

325
00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:32,160
Speaker 2: far as I'm concerned, DEI stopped it like two years ago.

326
00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:34,879
Speaker 2: You know, it always celerated with you, George Floyd, and

327
00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:37,800
Speaker 2: they start backing off of it, and you start seeing

328
00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:40,520
Speaker 2: Republican l at states because politics play a role in it,

329
00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:45,080
Speaker 2: started accusing and start pointing out educational flaws they thought

330
00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:48,000
Speaker 2: would happened in a certain institution. And I'm not even

331
00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:51,080
Speaker 2: giving creteness things to say that out loud, But what

332
00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:54,160
Speaker 2: I will say is that you are approaching it definitely

333
00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,879
Speaker 2: the right way from a competitive standpoint. I just happened

334
00:21:57,920 --> 00:21:59,679
Speaker 2: to be a minority. I just happened to be a

335
00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:03,600
Speaker 2: person of color. But when you're doing business, now, there's

336
00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,119
Speaker 2: a beauty of it. Now, if you want to do

337
00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:07,639
Speaker 2: business with me because I am a minority, because I

338
00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:11,040
Speaker 2: am a person of color, I welcome you. But my

339
00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:15,560
Speaker 2: company is designed to do business no matter who or

340
00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:18,720
Speaker 2: what I am, and that's how you win long term.

341
00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:21,639
Speaker 2: And I really appreciate you making that statement out loud

342
00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:25,120
Speaker 2: because people need to understand it. Don't allow people to

343
00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:28,240
Speaker 2: slap you in the face or denounce you, or belittle

344
00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,359
Speaker 2: of you or make you feel like you inferior. Now,

345
00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:33,199
Speaker 2: if you, like you said Jennifer, if you base your

346
00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:37,399
Speaker 2: company on that type of model, I'm black, I'm a woman,

347
00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,159
Speaker 2: do business with me. I think as what you are

348
00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:43,359
Speaker 2: not going to last because and I like to believe

349
00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:45,639
Speaker 2: that most people have not done that model like that,

350
00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,320
Speaker 2: because that's not a fair model to yourself and that's

351
00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:51,359
Speaker 2: not a winning model because in the end, you're going

352
00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:55,120
Speaker 2: to get the small budget, the EEDBD budget that they

353
00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:58,960
Speaker 2: set aside for companies that are seeking that type of relationship.

354
00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:02,000
Speaker 2: You trying to get the big budgets. You better come

355
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:06,240
Speaker 2: in there competing with a with a platform and a

356
00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:10,120
Speaker 2: presentation that you can deliver. No matter who you are.

357
00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:13,479
Speaker 2: You just happen to be a minority. Now when we

358
00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,119
Speaker 2: talk about you as a company and you as an

359
00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:18,840
Speaker 2: inspiration because you are a woman, you're a single mom,

360
00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:22,400
Speaker 2: you know, and you're in a male dominated industry. How

361
00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:24,920
Speaker 2: does one reach out to you or how does one

362
00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:29,120
Speaker 2: find your website to be able to, you know, participate

363
00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:32,360
Speaker 2: in the type of supplies that you offer both locally,

364
00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:34,800
Speaker 2: both for domestically and internationally.

365
00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:40,679
Speaker 3: So you can find us online at International Supply Partners

366
00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:45,359
Speaker 3: dot com. Are handles for social media is also the

367
00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:50,240
Speaker 3: same International Supply Partners dot com. You can also email

368
00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:55,920
Speaker 3: us at info that's I NSS and Frank Oh at

369
00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,640
Speaker 3: biz that's b as in Bravo i Z as a

370
00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:07,760
Speaker 3: Zebra supply s upp l y orders O R D

371
00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:12,360
Speaker 3: as in Delta E R S as in Sam dot Com.

372
00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:14,959
Speaker 2: Well, I'll tell you some Jennifer. I still have some

373
00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,840
Speaker 2: of those masks that I was ripped off. I saw

374
00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,000
Speaker 2: him the other day. So when you when I saw

375
00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:22,760
Speaker 2: I was prepared for this interview, I gotta ask Jennifer

376
00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:25,679
Speaker 2: about these mans. Did I get ripped off? And she goes, no,

377
00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:31,280
Speaker 2: you just price gouged. You're fantastic. Thanks you for coming

378
00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:33,840
Speaker 2: on Money Making Conversation master Class. And I always know

379
00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:37,840
Speaker 2: this is your home, your voice. I built this show

380
00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,160
Speaker 2: with my fans and with people wanting to hear about

381
00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,280
Speaker 2: influencer and you are an influencer. You are a motivator,

382
00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:47,560
Speaker 2: and you're an entrepreneur and more importantly, you make people.

383
00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:50,320
Speaker 2: And everyday people realize it's possible. If you had a

384
00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:54,200
Speaker 2: closing statement that say to my listeners, what would it be, Jennifer.

385
00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:00,320
Speaker 3: I would say, you know, sometimes you just how to

386
00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:06,040
Speaker 3: operate fearlessly and delusional if you want to attain certain dreams,

387
00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:10,280
Speaker 3: and listening to everyone is definitely not going to get

388
00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:13,040
Speaker 3: you where you want to be. So you've got to

389
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:20,640
Speaker 3: ignore the noise and focus on what you're wanting to do.

390
00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,359
Speaker 3: I mean, it's your only capable of what you believe

391
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,840
Speaker 3: you're capable of, and go after it.

392
00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,159
Speaker 2: I appreciate you well again. Thank you for coming on

393
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,000
Speaker 2: money Making Conversations master Class and I hope people use

394
00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:36,320
Speaker 2: the contact information to grow your brand and your business

395
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,080
Speaker 2: even larger. Thank you for coming on our show. Appreciate you.

396
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:42,440
Speaker 1: This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass

397
00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:45,639
Speaker 1: posted by me Rashaun McDonald. Thank you to our guests

398
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,159
Speaker 1: on the show today and thank you our listening to

399
00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:50,200
Speaker 1: the audience now. If you want to listen to any

400
00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,240
Speaker 1: episode I want to be a guest on the show,

401
00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:57,000
Speaker 1: visit Moneymakingconversations dot com. Our social media handle is money

402
00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,000
Speaker 1: Making Conversation. Join us next week and remember to all

403
00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:01,280
Speaker 1: always leave with your gifts.

404
00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:02,200
Speaker 2: Keep winning.

405
00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:07,920
Speaker 5: Mm hmmmmm