Becoming A Women-Owned Business Enterprise
Well I did it. I finally bit the bullet and became a certified Women Business Enterprise!
When I started DCC Marketing 20 years ago, it was because I saw a gap in the marketing agency sector. As the global marketing head for a manufacturing organization, I found that the marketing agencies I had hired were not interested in taking the time to understand my business. They consistently failed to provide me a brand strategy or go-to-market plan. The reason? They were not asking the right business questions. How can you market without integrating and measuring sales?
For my entire career and still today, I have worn multiple hats on the corporate marketing side of business while simultaneously running an advertising agency. This dual perspective is unique, and I believe it is the key component to our success. Rolling up your sleeves, learning the products and services, understanding the customers, knowing how and where revenues and margins are generated, analyzing market sectors and growth opportunities, building a database by identifying and segmenting audiences; all of these pieces are what great marketing strategies and brands are built on. This was why I started my own marketing business, and it remains a part of DCC Marketing’s core principals to this day.
Diversity and culture has always been inherent in our business philosophy with or without a certification stamp. So why become certified now after 20 years? For the first five years, I never really contemplated certification—even though 100% of our staff was female and minority. As the business grew, there were several milestones that I crossed and considered certification, but it was not until recently that I realized what an impact this can make—not just for our business—but for our employees, our clients, and our partners. After a little more research, guidance from a few of my YPO colleagues, and a really awesome attorney and state liaison (Yes, I said it. They were really helpful.), I went for it. DCC Marketing’s work with government contracts continues to grow in the education and healthcare arena. Certification has opened new opportunities for training, education, and networking within our corporation as well. It has solidified our commitment to unique and diverse cultures, while providing a network of connectivity—for me personally—to help other businesses thrive and inspire diversity in leadership. While our values and philosophies have not changed, I’m proud to finally say that DCC Marketing is officially WBE certified.
Kara Demirjian Huss