Theresa Jones, Owner and Principal of Evalv IQ, a boutique professional services firm, took full advantage of opportunities to add certifications to her portfolio during the first six months of the pandemic. She felt it was important to position Evalv’s capabilities to address a growing need for protection in the IT sector, so she studied hard, gained three new certifications and rebranded herself as the “Cyber Lady.” That decision was the right one, because she was ready when the Small Business Development Center called with a potential opportunity.
In late 2020, Theresa was awarded an initial contract to provide services through a collaboration with the Small Business Development Center and the Louisiana Delta Community College. Evalv leveraged certifications and experience to support small businesses needing to prepare and protect their IT assets. As the program expanded, Theresa was contacted to refer other small businesses to support growing program needs. She quickly reached out to fellow Enterprising Women of Color member, Annette J. Morris, Owner, GoalGetter, a project management firm. GoalGetter manages activities for small businesses regarding the CARES Act Program and manages metrics of specialty consultants.
Theresa was excited to guide Annette through the procurement process that led to their contract award of $115,000. They plan to continue to pursue larger projects and contracts together. “This is a great example of how impactful networking is,” Jones says. “This referral has turned into so much more and I look forward to partnering with Annette on larger projects.” Instead of celebrating their success with a night on the town, this dynamic duo decided to pay it forward by sponsoring upcoming EWOC classes and build on the networking opportunities available through the program. They look forward to sharing their successful approach with other EWOC members to inspire future collaborations.