What is a Minority or MBE Certification?
Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification is intended for businesses to show their diversity. In order to qualify for this certification, you must have a for-profit business which has been running for at least a year in the United States. The main requirement is that at least 51% of the owners should have a minority background such as African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, and more. The company’s day to day operations must also be controlled by a person of color. To ensure all this is true, the business goes through an application process including a site visit from the certifying organization.
How can I get my MBE Certification?
A lot of different organizations can provide the certification. To get started, you must fill out the related documents and take them to the organization you choose. After completing the application process, the business must also receive a visit from the organization to get an idea of how the business operates. This certification will “typically” be valid for 5 years before having to renew. However, some organizations will require you to certify every year to maintain the qualification.
To get started check out the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s page for MBE certification. You can then click on the map to select the contact information of a council in your area.
Benefits of Being MBE Certified
After obtaining the certification a whole new world is revealed! As part of the MBE community, you receive a lot of networking connections including events. You get access to so many different events and companies that can help your business grow. Some of the top events are Business Opportunity Exchange, Annual Golf Tournament, Business Alliance Forum and the MBE Annual Business Meeting. These are only the top 4 business networking events, as there are also a lot of personalized events intended to help companies in specific areas.
On top of the access, your company also gets listed in the National Supplier Database. This puts your company on the map as being minority owned and operated and can help you gain partnerships, contract opportunities, and other business-related benefits.
Another benefit to having your MBE certification is communicating the image and principles your company stands by. People are starting to lean towards doing business with minority owned businesses for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes it’s for personal reasons, due a legal/government obligation, to gain a different perspective, or sometimes to ensure that a large company is being representative of people of color within their supplier/vendor pool. Overall, if you are eligible we think your business will benefit from obtaining an MBE certification if you choose to pursue it.
Summary
If you’re already a minority owned business, it does not hurt to get certified and receive access to a ton of connections. An MBE certification opens a lot of new doors for many companies, including the possibility of growth.
If you are a person who is looking to support minority owned businesses, then check out the video below on our YouTube channel by clicking the image.
