Debra Schindler Boultinghouse, Genesis BCS President
We’ve got a saying at our company: The Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses program is, for Genesis at least, the gift that keeps on giving. Even after classroom time that challenged and renewed my passion for my business, after countless connections with other business owners, after benefits like reduced membership rates in networking organizations, my participation in that program has continued to reap personal and professional rewards. So when I was approached a few weeks ago by the program administration asking that I be a panelist in a forum-style discussion titled “Women Build Business: Strategies to Accelerate Revenues”, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to participate.
The discussion was focused primarily on women in Houston Construction industry, which is an especially appropriate discussion to have right now, as new high-rises are popping up across the Houston skyline, and I was joined by representatives of a general construction company and an electrical sales and service company.
For those that don’t know, Genesis created a Structured Cabling division a little over a year, and due in part to the challenging classes I participated in with Goldman Sachs, we’ve seen it really take off. Our biggest project to date has been the Coast Guard’s new facility at Ellington Air Force base. It’s been a challenge to say the least, but one of the more rewarding challenges I’ve ever experienced.
The questions we were asked by the moderator and the audience can really be boiled down to 2 main themes: the strategies we use for our business, and what it’s like to be a woman in this male-dominated vertical market.
Listening to the questions from the audience and comments from the other panel members was great, and I can say with certainty that some things never change! All of us want motivation and inspiration from each other- how we can be better, how do we start, what is the most important lesson we have learned, what is our personal and professional story and how has that influenced our businesses?
What I was able to share with the audience was the vital role communicating with peers and learning from advisors can play in keeping a business healthy and growing.
In my early years, when the male-female business dynamic was much more dramatic than it is now, I made a point of meeting with a group of women business owners that were all in the first three years of starting their businesses. We met every Friday morning for over 7 years, and it was such a huge part of our business’s growth, learning what was working, what wasn’t, trends in each of our industries, etc.. Believe it or not, even two decades later we all still talk to each other.
The other thing I’ve learned is the vital role of seasoned business advisors. I re-learned this lesson most recently last year from Goldman Sachs, but I’ve also used my CEO/Board of Directors roundtables on a regular basis for our entire 30 years in business. Those who participate are usually owners, founders, C-Level professionals, all of whom are sharing with you the journey of each other’s businesses and are very committed to keeping you accountable and growing with you.
Answering all the questions and hearing others answer puts me more in touch with where I am at this moment in time compared to where I was a year ago, two years ago, even five years ago. And more than anything, what it really shows is just how exciting the road in front of us is.
-Debra Schindler Boultinghouse