『140: Karen Barbour – People Are People』のカバーアート

140: Karen Barbour – People Are People

140: Karen Barbour – People Are People

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Guest: Karen Barbour Guest Bio: ​With nearly 40 years of surety experience, Karen Barbour founded The Barbour Group in 2002, a nationally licensed surety agency focused on construction bonding and advocacy, with offices in Maryland and Tennessee. TBG is a certified DBE, WBE, WOSB, and WBENC firm. Her advocacy sparked in the late 1990s when achieving a Federal Acquisition Regulation change permitting annual bond forms to support five-year contracts instead of one bond for five years, giving small and minority 8(a) firms the capability of bonding such projects. Karen serves on the U.S. SBA’s National SBDC Advisory Board, MAA (BWI) Small & Minority Business Advisory Council, as Vice Chair for AMAC’s Government Affairs Committee, and on boards such as Women Construction Owners & Executives and Girl Scouts of Central MD for over 10 years. Karen co-founded the Alliance for Hispanic Commercial Contractors, Party For A Cure, and the National Small Business Party. She continues to manage an exclusive surety bond program with Hensel Phelps Construction Co. that to date has bonded over $170,000,000 in subcontracts with no losses. Key Points: Early Career and Challenges as a Woman Started in the insurance and surety industry in the 1980s as one of the few women in a male-dominated field. She faced pay inequality and a lack of mentorship or grooming for leadership. Despite working 80-hour weeks, she wasn’t offered ownership opportunities. Founding the Barber Group After a successful career as a bond producer, she left to start her firm in 2002. Her motivation included economic independence, work-life flexibility, and family care (as a single mom and caretaker for her father with Alzheimer’s). Passion for Cold Calling Loved the challenge and directness of cold calling. Used it to differentiate herself and prove her value in a field where women were not readily accepted. Emphasized understanding of construction and surety underwriting, which made her uniquely effective. Advocacy for Minority and Women-Owned Businesses A pivotal moment came in her 20s when she unintentionally walked into a minority contractors’ meeting. Shocked by the industry's bias (her company directed underwriters to flat-out decline minority applicants), she left and began actively advocating for diversity. Worked to bond minority and women-owned firms, growing underwriting from $250,000 to $2.5 million in a year without losses. Personal Motivation and Values Grew up in a polluted, working-class neighborhood in Maryland. Experienced loss and hardship early in life (lost her mother at 11). Driven by empathy, fairness, and a strong sense of justice. Discovered later in life that her biological father was a neurosurgeon, which helped her understand her innate compassion. Diversity, Inclusion, and Economic Equity Emphasizes the importance of seeing and celebrating cultural differences, not ignoring them. Believes diversity brings better business outcomes and strengthens communities. Argues that systemic exclusion limits contributions from capable individuals and that access to capital and education are key. Community and Social Impact Initiatives Founded the Alliance for Hispanic Commercial Contractors to support minority businesses with financial assistance, consulting, and sponsorships. Created Party for a Cure, a nonprofit supporting children with neurological diseases. Developed a political platform, the National Small Business Party, to give small businesses a stronger voice in policy. Core Philosophy Step through fear—growth and purpose lie on the other side. Use business as a vehicle for empowerment, particularly for underrepresented groups. Diversity isn’t just a value—it’s a strategic imperative for societal and business success. Guest Links: www.thebarbourgroup.com www.ahcc-midatlantic.org www.nsbpusa.org – National Small Business Party Home | Minority Business RoundTable | Washington, D.C. - Nonprofit for AHCC www.pfac-md.org Party For A Cure – Nonprofit that helps kids with Neuromuscular Diseases About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus, and revenue generation experts. Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs. If you are a business owner or sales manager with an underperforming sales team, let’s talk. Click here to schedule a time. Please subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated! To learn more about our previous guests, ...

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