Porscha Jackson with City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Houston, Texas. It’s time for Houston Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio. It is my pleasure. And I am so excited to have this amazing guest on with us today. Porscha Jackson, the Business Development Manager for City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity. She is a powerhouse in Houston small business ecosystem and as the business development manager at the City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity, which we’re going to call OBO. We’ll talk about that later. She’s not just managing the programs, she’s the secret sauce for small businesses hungry for success. Besides that, she’s also an author and she’s written two books, Pursuing Legacy and It’s Me, Not You, with a heart for the underdog. She’s not just a professional rock star, but a community champion fighting for inclusivity and brighter futures. Porscha, welcome to the show.

Porscha Jackson: Thank you. Thanks for having me. Glad to be here.

Trisha Stetzel: I’m so excited that you’re on with us. And, you know, you and I have had the opportunity to have some conversations around what you’re doing in the city of Houston, and it made me realize, and you probably get this all the time, that people just don’t know what’s going on with the City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity, we’ll call it OBO for short today. Um, so why don’t we start there? I’d love if I missed anything, Portia, about you. I’d love for you to add that. And then let’s jump into what in the world is the OBO, and how might we be able to utilize it or get the word out about it?

Porscha Jackson: Absolutely. So oboe is what I tell people. We are the advocate for small businesses on behalf of the city of Houston, where one of the 22 departments at the city of Houston, and we are charged with advocating for small businesses, especially those businesses that have been historically marginalized and that are owned and operated by historically marginalized individuals. So what that means is that we’re one of us. We’re about, I would say, maybe between 35 and 40 people in our office. So we’re a small but mighty office. We do certifications that are used widely by other government agencies as well as we have our Oboe Solutions center for folks who say, hey, I need mentorship or I want to start my business, what do we ask for? You know, where do we go for permits? What’s going on? You know, as far as business, we can provide the solution to you and then we also have our contracts compliance division, which ensures that any certified firms, the folks that we certify that are working on our contracts, that everything is going correctly as towards that contract. And then the last aspect that we have is kind of the space where I live, and that’s the business development programing. So we have a plethora of programs, whether it’s just maybe a couple hour workshop all the way up to programs that last up to six months. So that’s in a nutshell, what our office does.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s bigger than just a nutshell. Porsche. I think you guys are doing a lot for this city. And one of the things that you and I have talked offline about, in particular, these programs where you are out negotiating these programs and bringing them to business owners, and you’re finding that people aren’t taking advantage of the programs because it sounds like it’s too good to be true. So can we talk a little bit about these These particular programs that you have out there that you’ve worked so hard to bring back to the business community?

Porscha Jackson: Absolutely. And one of the reasons people think it’s too good to be true is because all the resources and services, including the programs that we offer, is at no financial cost to our business owners. So when people hear free, they always have that that eyebrow lifted like, huh? What? Yeah. No, it’s totally free. We want you to take advantage of it, because we understand the significance that our small business play businesses play in our ecosystem. You guys are the backbone. So we have to make sure that you have the resources and the services that you need in our programs do just that. We have a program all the way from folks who are just in the ideation stage like, hey, I want to do a business. I got this idea. How do I make it come into fruition? And we have our lift off Houston business plan competition that satisfies that. So it’s really targeted for folks who just, again, are in the ideation stage or have been in business for less than a year, and they get to compete for funding for their for their business. And one of the things that I really like about it is that on the pitch day. Right? So I guess leading up to the pitch day, you go through a series of classes, then you are paired with a financial mentor as well as a mentor who’s going to help you develop that idea and create that business plan.

Porscha Jackson: And then you can go and pitch to the finalist will pitch in front of a Facebook audience. And so the audience gets to vote on the best, the fan favorites, what we call it. So it’s always an engaging experience with that business plan competition. So that’s kind of like the first level of our business development programing. And then we go all the way up to what I call as our capstone pillars for success. That runs on the blue wave supplier development program. And that’s for folks who’ve been in business, been making a pretty good amount. Like just say about 350 a year. And they’re saying, you know what, I want to take it higher. I want to go to the next level. How do I do that? And so this program really gives in place the policies that they need to establish. How can they expand and add in more new employees, consider other markets with their business. So that’s the range of the programs that we have available.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. Just so exciting. And yes, at no cost. And it’s not too good to be true. It is true. And you guys have worked so hard to be able to bring these programs to the business community. Um, I’d like to focus just for a few minutes, Porsha, on how do we get people more involved. You and I had this conversation before about these business owners are so stuck working in their businesses that they feel like they can’t step away and participate in these programs where they’re actually working on their business. So what advice could you give to these business owners who are struggling when they think about stepping away from their business to actually work on it, instead of in it?

Porscha Jackson: I say my best advice would be is that you have to know your goal, right? So if your goal is, hey, I’m fine with this revenue. I don’t want to grow, then that’s totally fine. But if you really want to grow, then you know, in order to grow, there’s going to be some stretching involved, right? There’s going to be some different ways that you have to maneuver in order to fit into those new sets of clothes, right, to. And so and think of the business program as the new sets of clothes that you are growing into. And so you have to just really rely on that and say, you know what? This is my goal. I’m going to get to it regardless. And so if I’m out there, especially because it’s no financial cost, right? So we know that businesses Access to capital and having the capital to invest in your business, and you’re doing all that, but you’re not going to grow if you can’t step away from the business to work on it. If you’re always in it, you’re always going to get those same results. And so we are there for you. We understand that that is hard to do, and sometimes we want to have our fingers and toes in everything. And sometimes you gotta say, you know what? I’m going to trust the process. I’ve set that good foundation for it. So let me step out of it and and learn how to work on it, and let me figure out the folks I can hire so that I feel I can breathe at night. That when I’m gone, when I’m out networking, that everything is being run accordingly. So just really have that goal set in mind and just know, like, hey, whatever it takes, I’m going to put my mind to it and accomplish my goal.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, that’s very sound advice. So this capstone program you all run, I believe, once a year. Do you want to give kind of the timing around that when when you open up registration and what that might look like and, and even who qualifies? I know you mentioned that there’s a revenue qualification, but is there also a qualification around, you know, what part of town they work in or live in and those sorts of things. So give me more details.

Porscha Jackson: Sure. So our pillars for success, again, it runs on our on the Blue Wave supplier development program. And so the requirements are $350,000 in annual revenue. And keep in mind we’re going to be kind of soft on that. So if you’re at two 5300, you know we’ll we’ll have some leniency there. But the other requirements is that you don’t have to be certified by us, but we would like you to be certified because of the opportunities that’s going to come from it. But the main requirement is that you have to be open to learning. So this is where we’re talking about that growing and having those goals, you’re going to have to be open to learning and open, because we’re going to do an assessment from the beginning and the end, and we’re looking at where you’re at. So even if where you’re at is not where you want to be, that’s okay. We got to start somewhere so that we can get you to where you want to be. And so just having that open mind and saying, yes, I’m willing to take in the information. Yes, I’m willing to learn. And guess what? We got homework. So yes, I’m willing to do the homework. Then you will be a great candidate. It’s open for all industries and all industries. We love that because what we find out is that you learn from each other, the other folks that are in your cohort, you learn from each other.

Porscha Jackson: You can do business with each other, but open to all industries. Of course, you must be the owner of that company, uh, to participate in it and just have that willingness to to commit to the time frame. So all the classes except for two. So the first class where we come, we call it the kickoff and then the graduation. Those are the only two that are in person. All of the other classes are virtual, and we meet pretty much every other week for about six months. So right now the applications are open on our website which is Houston, tx.gov/o b o. You can click on business development programs and you’ll see pillars for success right there. We’ll also have informational sessions at the first Wednesday of each month. So that’s September, October, November. You can come in and find out more information. We’ll break down those seven pillars that we talk about. And so you can can kind of get more information, ask questions and see if this really is the right fit for you. And so the program will start January 25th of 2025 and will complete it by June of 2025.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay. That’s amazing. And listen, all of you out there have thought at one point or another, gosh, I wish I had some help with. And you fill in the blank. This is your opportunity to take advantage of the hard work that portion her team have put into bringing these types of resources and programs to you, specifically as a business owner, to help you learn how to scale. If we stay, if we’re the only person working in our business, then we’re only going to be able to get so big in our businesses. So in order to be scalable, we’ve got to be able to step away and focus on working on it at least some of the time, which is what Porsche is offering her and her team are offering through this program. You did say something about certification. So tell me, can you give me a quick, um, overview of what that certification is and what it will get the business owner?

Porscha Jackson: Sure. So we have the certifying agency for the city of Houston, which means we certify folks in six different areas as minority, business owned, woman owned, small business, persons with disabilities, airport concessions, disadvantaged disadvantaged business enterprise, as well as disadvantaged business enterprise. And we can also get you certified for the hub, which is historically underutilized business certification. And that’s typically used for when you want to work on state contracts. So my my ongoing joke that I like, but I don’t know if anybody else laughs at it, but it’s six in a possible. So if you play spades you know exactly what I’m talking about. So those are the certifications that we have and those certifications open the door for you to participate on these larger contracts and sort of put it in perspective. The city of Houston, keep in mind that our spend is over $2 billion a year. Right? So when we’re talking about contracts we’re And honestly, I was just counseling somebody today and we were looking at security contracts, and there was a security contract out there for $86 million. So if you’re a small business, $86 million contract might not be there yet for you. Right? Because you’re just starting off and you’re you’re gaining that. But the entryway towards that 86 million is to work as a subcontractor for that $86 million contract. And to do that, the certification helps you to do that. So those that $86 million contract had a 25%, uh, mWBE goal minority woman owned business enterprise goal, which means saying whoever has this 86 million has to subcontract 25% to a minority woman owned firm. And that’s your way, your gateway into working on these large contracts, a great way to build the capacity of your business so that one day you will have the 86 million, and then you’ll be subcontracting it out because you have built that capacity and grown your business. So that’s what that certification comes into play.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow, that is amazing. There are so many resources out there. That and again, the reason why I wanted to have you on the show so that we could talk about that because there’s this this I think space of unknown and people just don’t know. So we, we’ve got to get the word out. So if you’re listening and you’re interested, please reach out. Uh, you can go to Houston tx.gov/o b o to get more information. And if it’s not for you, maybe it’s for someone that you know and you can share that information as well. So as we get to the back end of our conversation, I’d be really curious, you know, your idea or your opinion on the small business ecosystem here in Houston and maybe some business trends that you see going on?

Porscha Jackson: Yeah, I would say one is interesting about our small business ecosystem that I hear from a lot of people who move here or who visit here. Um, is that wow, you guys get along and I’m like, what? Doesn’t everybody get along? But apparently that’s not the true the truth in every city. And so our small business ecosystem is really a tight connection. We see each other at various different events. When we have our own individual events, we invite each other out. So we work and collaborate very well because it’s like a net, right? We talk about net net worth or net work. We’re building that net for our small businesses. And so if there’s programs that maybe we can’t admit you into the program, we’re definitely going to refer you to somebody else in that ecosystem because we truly understand the importance of our small businesses. And so that ecosystem consists of other government agencies who have a supplier diversity component of their of their, uh agency, as well as straight out business support organizations, which are organizations that are solely created to support businesses, to provide counseling, to provide ways for you to access funding. And so we all work together, whether they’re funders, they’re counselors or they’re advisors, they’re program. We all work together. And to make sure that we are putting on some programs to help our small businesses. And again, that whole ecosystem, some folks charge, but when they do charge, it’s little amount compared to some of the feedback that I get from some folks from other states where they have to pay for all this business development programing and these services and all that here in Houston is not only an abundance, but it’s offered at little to no cost.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. Well, and, you know, talking about organizations coming together and really serving and helping each other, you and I met through the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce at one of our the roundtables that we host with other organizations. So thank you for being a part of that as well and keeping those communication lines open. So any business trends that you see happening right now, I know you’re doing a lot of counseling in your office as well as running these programs. So you have the opportunity to talk to local business owners real time. So what are you seeing?

Porscha Jackson: What I’m seeing is two things is I is definitely a trend. And I think right now it’s like the baby part of it. The introduction is that folks are getting introduced to it, and we’re kind of seeing how it could really help businesses, especially in some areas that might take us personally some time to, to, to cultivate or create. And we can just once we understand I it can get it done in like 20s and we can be spending time over here. So just really how to incorporate AI into your business to help you to be a tool to assist, not to do, but to assist you is one. And then another trend that I’m seeing is more folks trying to really figure out and solidify this whole social media thing. And so word of mouth still is the main venue of or the main vein of how to communicate information. But that word of mouth looks a little bit different because it might be in the form of Instagram or Facebook or LinkedIn. So we’re seeing a lot of businesses trying to find their niche where they might have disregarded social media before, but now they’re seeing like, I must have this. So how do I figure out which platform is best for me and how can I use it to do it, but also realizing that sometimes it’s almost a full time job.

Porscha Jackson: So how can I find someone to do this for me? Um, even if I don’t get it? And that really kind of touches back to what we talked about earlier of working on the business instead of working in it, and there’s so many ways that if you’re working in the business, you’re not going to have time to keep up with that social media. But there are folks that you can hire. So again, releasing some of that control that you pretty much have to do, you know, to make sure that your business is surviving, because that website is going to be like your brick and mortar, and then your social media accounts are, you know, the things that go out and blast out and keep folks engaged and knowing about your business, even on the contract level. Because think about it. If you’re thinking about doing contracts with government agencies, one of the ways they might figure out, okay, we have these folks who are bidding on something. How can we tell who they are? They’re immediately going to your website. And when people want to patronize your business or go to your social media and see what other people are saying about your business. So those are the trends that I’m seeing.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, that’s that’s huge. You’re such a plethora of information. I can’t imagine why anyone, why anyone, would not take the opportunity to reach out to you and reach out to the OBO and really start to understand some of these things that they may be reluctant to get into because they just don’t know, and you’re able to provide those resources. And I think that’s so important to all of our small business owners as we continue to grow the business economy in Houston. It’s huge. Lots of small business owners. I love that you said that. They all people are surprised that we all get along. It’s because we’re Texans, that’s why. Yeah. Uh, if you could give our audience today one piece of advice, what would it be? For sure.

Porscha Jackson: My one piece of advice would be to have the end in mind, know why you’re in the business, what your goal is and what. Why are you doing this? So that you always have that picture and it keeps you moving and you know what direction you’re going in because you’re trying to reach that particular goal.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. That is fantastic advice. Doctor Jackson, thank you so much for being with me today. I have really enjoyed our conversation. I look forward to having more conversations, maybe about your books next time we can spend some time there. That would be a ton of fun. And, uh, it was a pleasure having you on today and thank you again. I appreciate your time.

Porscha Jackson: Yes, thanks for having me. It’s been great.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s all the time we have for today’s show. Join us next time for another exciting episode of Houston Business Radio. Until then, stay tuned, stay inspired, and keep thriving in the Houston business community.