MWBE - Part Two!

UPDATE: On Thursday, May 14, I was certified by NYS as a Women's Business Enterprise! 

After uploading 28 attachments back in February, on April 28, I got an email with 11 additional requests.
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In a few cases, it was a slight do-over of something I had already sent, but there were a number of new documents I had to provide. These included:

• Financial statements including Balance Sheet and 2019 Profit and Loss Statements.
• An invoice and proof of payment (front and back of cancelled checks, highlighted bank statement or EFT) for the contract I submitted in the first round.
• 2 additional signed and executed contracts or purchase orders that include a description of the scope of work completed in the tristate area (NY, NJ, CT), including 2 associated invoices and 2 associated proof of payment (front and back of cancelled checks, highlighted bank statement or EFT) one for each contract/purchase order.
• A detailed narrative relating to the initial capital used to open CMR Communications along with the corresponding documentation which relates to this capital (ie canceled check, loan documentation, highlighted bank statement, etc.)
• A copy of my bank signature card or a letter from the bank that clearly states a list of individuals who are authorized on the business accounts and authorized to make withdrawals/deposits into and from the business accounts.
• A current signed lease or deed for our home.
• Does the company have any employees?
  • If yes, please provide a complete list of all employees and a copy of 2019 payroll records (NY 941 and NY45) including 1099’s for any independent contractors.
• A detailed narrative explaining job responsibilities and time devoted on a daily basis CMR Communications.
  • Additionally, please provide a detailed narrative explaining scope of business.
• A detailed narrative explaining any outside employment and how many hours per week you devote to this employer, for any employers you have outside of CMR Communications.

Of course, this would require a lot of legwork under normal circumstances, but during a pandemic, it took more than a week to get that letter from SEFCU.

According to my Harvest Time Tracker, I spent an additional 9.44 hours on gathering and producing these documents. I told my husband, “I think this is how they weed out the weak.”

I hope that once these documents are reviewed, I’ll quickly be certified!

How are you holding up? Drop me a line and I’ll carve out some time to make #SmallTalk!

Updated on 5/9 to add: On Wednesday 5/6, I received an email from a Senior Certification Analyst in the Senior Certification Analyst in the Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development for Empire State Development to confirm that CMR Communications would have the following codes in the NYS Contract System: Marketing consulting services; Communications marketing services; Grant writing services. With these codes confirmed, my application will be sent to a committee for the final stage of the review process. Fingers crossed!