Woman Owned Business
On this week’s episode I continued my monthly series with NOWaccount. CFO Archie Jones stopped by to talk about woman owned business. He introduced us to two female entrepreneurs who are working on disrupting their respective industries.
KRG Oil Company is a family and female owned fuel and petroleum products business. The company has positioned itself to serve the needs of small to mid-sized clients that require quantities of fuel and petroleum products that are below what larger fuel companies are willing or able to fulfill. Marie described how she and her father, who had spent numerous years in the fuel business, decided to start their own company together after Marie was laid off from a previous job.
They determined their mission is to provide excellent customer service that goes above and beyond their competitors. Marie shared how KRG’s corporate philosophy is to treat all of their customers with professionalism and respect, no matter how big or small the client company. KRG Oil was started because its founders felt that the fueling industry was missing good and old fashioned “customer service.”
We talked about how Marie and her team want the success of this business to be used as a platform to encourage others to “think outside of the box” and to give back to our community.
Kenzie Biggens explained how her earlier work in the social media arena opened the door to an unexpected opportunity to launch her virtual assistant business, Uniquely Virtual. She explained how an executive she had been working with on social media services was retiring and suggested she start the business she had been contemplating for some time.
Kenzie got her business started and began to see a true niche and need for virtual assistants, particularly for executives who are serving in a contractor/consultant role. Eventually, she designed an effective database and client management platform that has empowered her to allow her production partners to work remotely, helping to accelerate scaling and growing the company.
The Uniquely Virtual solution allows executives to gain access to professional assistant services while saving many of the employee expenses that come with employing workers.
My guests shared strategies they have used to help them get a toe hold in their markets and how they chose to distinguish themselves from their competitors, particularly with strict focus on customer service.
Special Guests:
Marie Hunter, President/CEO of KRG Oil Company
- BA, Journalism and Telecommunication Arts, University of Georgia
- Previous Internet Sales Manager, Lewis & Sheron Textile Company
Kenzie Biggens, CEO/Founder of Uniquely Virtual
- MFA, Luxury and Fashion Management, Savannah College of Art and Design
- Committee Member, Atlanta Regional Commission, Strategic Implementation Innovation Subcommittee
- Member, Board of Directors, ArtsATL