Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open For Business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from GWBC Power of Partnering event at the Georgia Power Headquarters. I’m so excited to be talking to my guest, Jennifer Barbosa with International Supply Partners. Welcome.

Jennifer Barbosa: Thank you. Good morning – or good afternoon.

Lee Kantor: It’s afternoon now. It’s been a long day.

Jennifer Barbosa: Yes, thank you. It has been.

Lee Kantor: So, tell us about International Supply Partners. How are you serving folks?

Jennifer Barbosa: We are a almost full service supply company. We supply medical, office, industrial, construction supplies and equipment, and we just added fuel and asphalt to our repertoire.

Lee Kantor: So, what’s your backstory? How did you get involved in this line of work?

Jennifer Barbosa: Well, I was bored. One day —

Lee Kantor: Woke up and said I think I’ll start this international Supply Partners company.

Jennifer Barbosa: That’s it. I was a stay at home mom and I was bored and I needed something else to do. I’ve always been an entrepreneur, but I realized very quickly that I had a lot of the skills and knowledge because I grew up in the manufacturing industry. My parents worked in manufacturing, as well as my grandfather used to import and export between West Africa and the U.S.

Lee Kantor: So, where did you see the opportunity?

Jennifer Barbosa: I saw the opportunity when I learned that I could not be competitive going through third party distributors and stores, and I needed to get straight to the source of the products and built relationships with manufacturers, and that really catapulted during the pandemic.

Lee Kantor: And then, how did you even begin? Because you could supply anything to anybody, so how do you even pick a starting point?

Jennifer Barbosa: Well, in our name, International Supply Partners, we partner with our clientele. So, we do a more inclusive assessment in regards to what their needs are. What is important, is it the cost is, it the sustainability, is it lead time, quality, value? And through those processes, we understand what their needs are and figure out how we can best support them. Sometimes you may think that you need this product, but if we dig deep in and understand why you think you need this product and what is it going to be used for, and what are the metrics that you’re trying to be able to fall in between, then we can maybe even suggest something that could be even more efficient, more valuable, have better safety parameters, or even customize something and make it for you.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you’re in an industry like this, how does your client know to hire you or to partner with you? Like, they must be doing something now.

Jennifer Barbosa: Well, what we do is we attend a lot of events, networking events. We are registered in the vendor or supplier portals for a lot of major corporations, and we reach out and we introduce ourselves. We are a fully certified minority woman-owned company, MBE, DBE. We are certified with several states and counties and cities. We have the EBO certifications with the City of Atlanta as well. And, honestly, a lot of our clients have come to us through word of mouth.

Lee Kantor: So, what is the pain that they’re having? Like, are they just having trouble getting certain things and they’re like, “Hey, this isn’t acceptable. We have to find somebody who can help us get these things”?

Jennifer Barbosa: In some cases, yes. In other cases, it’s more than that, because we continue to talk to our clients and let them know what’s going on within the supply chain industry. Because we have relationships globally, we understand what’s going on, on the other side of the world and how it could potentially impact our clients in the long term or in the future.

Jennifer Barbosa: So, for example, the ILA negotiations of contracts that’s going on now with the deadline coming up next week, we knew about this. And so, what we would tell our clientele, regardless of whether or not the strike goes on, this is going to impact the cost. And considering that we are at peak season, which already increases costs in the supply chain, you need to get ahead of it and make sure that it does not impact you, especially for products that are very time sensitive, is essential to the operations of your business, medical facilities, power companies, a variety of different organizations that need certain products in order to operate and support their clientele.

Lee Kantor: So, how does the GWBC community help you in your business?

Jennifer Barbosa: Well, we stay in touch, attending the events, the workshops, reaching out to the different organizations that are partnered with GWBC, and just staying connected.

Lee Kantor: And then, if somebody wants to learn more about your firm and get in connection with you, what is the best way to do that? And what are the coordinates of maybe your website or a way to connect with you?

Jennifer Barbosa: Sure. Well, you can find us on any social media platform, International Supply Partners. Our website is internationalsupplypartners.com. You can DM us, email us, info@isp-b – as in boy – iz.com. And if you see me, just stop me.

Lee Kantor: Well, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Jennifer Barbosa: Wonderful. Thank you for the opportunity.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor, back in a few at GWBC Power of Partnering.

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open for Business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from WBENC’s National Conference 2022 inside the booth of GWBC, booth 1812, if you want to come by and see us. Right now, we have Jennifer Barbosa and she is with International Supply Partners. Welcome, Jennifer.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:00:35] Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:36] So, how’s the conference been for you so far?

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:00:38] It has been amazing. We’ve made some awesome connections. So, opened up some new opportunities, solidified some great relationships. It’s more than I had anticipated.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:50] It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? You walk in and it just-

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:00:52] Oh, my goodness. All of it, it’s way more than I expected, but I love that the way they have the system, the schedule on the app, it helps you to navigate.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:07] Right. Because you could get—if you just came in here and thought you were just going to wing this, good luck.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:01:12] No, no. I would not recommend that.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:14] I would not recommend that.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:01:15] Have a plan of action.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:17] Exactly. Now, talk about International Supply Partners. How are you serving folks?

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:01:22] Sure. So, International Supply Partners was founded in 2016 here in Atlanta. We are a full supply company where we leverage our relationships with manufacturers, international as well as domestic, supplying office, medical, janitorial, industrial supplies and equipments. We are really good at very innovative products new to the market and we are really good at sourcing products that are in high demand but maybe in low inventory. So, we can call up our manufacturer partners who produce those products, and say, hey, can you do me a favor?

Lee Kantor: [00:02:03] So, relationships are important, right?

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:02:04] Absolutely. Yes. And that’s-

Lee Kantor: [00:02:06] And you have a lot of relationships in a lot of important areas.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:02:09] Hence, the name Partners.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:10] Exactly. So, now, how did you get into this line of work?

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:02:14] Well, the funny story is I was a stay-at-home mom, former military spouse, and I had six kids at home, a new baby, and I was bored.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:25] Bored. So, let me just start this brand new business. It’s connecting lots of people all over the globe.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:02:30] Yes. I was just like, I want to supply, and my goal originally was to supply to the federal government. And it slowly started to expand, and now, we supply—we just finalized our partnership agreement with Overstock Government and the GSA marketplace. So, we will be supplying PPE to GSA, which both federal agencies and state governments will have access to. We also have served hospitals. We have hospital health centers that we serve on a regular basis. We have served state counties and local city governments, as well as nonprofit organizations. And we are steadily working on our relationships with corporate and Fortune 500 companies, which we are actively building up on those as well. So, we have a partnership, a master agreement with AT&T. We are working to leverage our relationships with CVS and some of the other major corporations so that we can be of service to them as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:39] So, how has the GWBC helped you?

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:03:43] Well, aside from the amazing network that I’ve made, the relationships with other women owners, the cohorts, the programs, the webinars, I’ve received a lot of valuable information, some valuable skill sets, and just opened up my eyes to what I didn’t know.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:08] And what’s possible.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:04:10] And what is possible. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:12] Now, any advice for that stay-at-home mom out there that maybe has that itch, that entrepreneurial itch to take that leap, and to kind of trust your gut and to go boldly forward?

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:04:24] Well, I’ll tell you this, if you have—if you are a stay-at-home mom, you have a lot of management skills, organization skills.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:34] Don’t discount that.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:04:34] Do not discount that, because it comes into great value and purpose when you’re running your business. And I always say if you feel that in your gut and your heart, and it keeps bothering you, then it means that you need to go ahead and do it. And you don’t need to necessarily have all of the tools or all of the plan in action, just start. You’ve just got to start somewhere.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:59] Uh-huh. And is that what you did? You started maybe small, and then were able to-

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:05:02] Yeah, I started—I registered the business with the state. I started—I went ahead and immediately registered and got my company certified as a minority-owned business.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:12] So, you knew that that was important?

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:05:13] Oh, absolutely, especially when you’re serving the governments. But right now, the trend also is a lot of major corporations, they’re really big in supplier diversity and inclusion. So, having these certifications is essential.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:29] It’s not a nice to have, right?

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:05:30] It’s not a nice to have. No, it’s an essential. It’s absolutely must have. So, I went ahead and started that process immediately. And I’m glad that I did, because it really set us apart very quickly.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:41] And then, it helped probably take you to a new level faster than if you had not done that.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:05:46] Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, conversations were a lot easier to have. You were able to get the decision maker’s attention a lot faster, because like I said, DE&I are big topics and it’s really important to a lot of organizations. And then, the federal government has mandated opportunities for women-owned, minority-owned businesses, and you have to take advantage of that.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:13] It’s like a fast pass.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:06:14] It is. It is.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:16] And it’s true. It’s one of those things where if you’re a woman-owned business or minority-owned business, you should really consider investing the time, because it’s not easy to get the certificate. It’s not like something you just check a box, and they go, here’s your certification, you have to do some work, but it’s work-

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:06:31] You got to do the work, and it’s not hard work, i’s tedious work. It’s paperwork and it’s a lot of back and forth, and some certifications take a lot longer than others, but it is well worth the time and investment for it. Absolutely. And there are free certifications and there are membership organizations that you can get certified through, which I highly recommend as well, like WBENC, like the Greater Women’s Business Council. There are so many out there.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:01] Right. And it’s worth—even if you just meet a person that’s a member of them, just ask them questions. It’s such a collaborative community. Everybody’s trying to help everybody. It’s not this cutthroat, dog eat dog situation.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:07:12] Not at all. Not at all.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:14] People are rooting for each other and they want everybody to succeed.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:07:17] And then, also, one great thing to consider is a lot of the decisionmakers in these major corporations sit on the board or are part of some committees of these organizations that do the certifications. So, the level of networking and connections you’re going to have are invaluable.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:38] Right. And it’s efficient, because like you said, these people are on the board. You can meet a lot of people quickly. And these people are the right people in the right organizations.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:07:46] Exactly.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:47] So, if somebody wants to learn more, what is the website for your organization?

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:07:51] Well, you can visit us through internationalsupplypartners.com or you can also go to queensupplier.com. That’s what they call me.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:00] That’s what they call you.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:08:01] The Queen Supplier. And reach out to us. We love to partner up with other businesses that do the similar thing, or if we can support you and make sure that you look good to your clients, that’s what we’re going for. We’re here to be a partner on every aspect.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:18] Well, Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Jennifer Barbosa: [00:08:22] Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:24] Alright. This is Lee Kantor, broadcasting live from WBENC National Conference 2022 inside the GWBC booth. We’ll be back in a few.