08 Nov Menttium Earns Women Business Enterprise Certification
When I was young, I never thought about failing, I thought the world was there for me to explore and my mind was open to all possibilities. I was the oldest and only girl of four siblings. My Dad had planned to call me Eric and was supremely disappointed when his firstborn was a girl. Hadn’t even thought of a name – just in case!
I don’t know if it was the combination of my mother telling me I could do anything I set my mind to do, or my dad challenging me to prove I could do as well or better than my brothers, but pretty early on in my life I was focused on showing the world that women mattered and could be excellent leaders.
How My Journey Began
In the 80s, after graduating with a double major in psychology and social work, I went to work for 3M as a receptionist. Now the 80’s don’t seem that long ago to me, but back then, women were struggling to be seen and heard.
It took me five years to break through the stigma of the administrative role. But once I broke rank, there was a female manager in the Learning and Development department that took interest in me, even though I did not report to her. She took the time to coach and mentor me. Every promotion I received over the next 10 years was because she actively and visibly believed in me.
Now fast forward to 2002. Menttium’s founder confided in me that she wanted to retire.
The Next Steps in My Journey
I went home and talked to many, many people about buying the company. However, it wasn’t until late in the game that I thought hmmm…I should call my mentor. I called him, but by the time he was able to call me back, I had already agreed to buy Menttium.
When he finally reached me on the phone – before telling him I had bought Menttium, I asked him – “Do you think I can lead Menttium?” and with a long pause he said, “Well, there’s potential!”
That’s my story and here I am 16 years later. He was right – there was potential!
Living in the Now and Looking to the Future at Menttium
I am very proud to say that Menttium has been a woman-owned business since its inception 27 years ago. I am even more pleased to be able to share that Menttium has now achieved a WBE (Women Business Enterprise) Certification.
While this certification helps Menttium expand our reach to organizations interested in mentoring services, more importantly, it makes it easier for organizations to buy our products and services. This is particularly true for organizations adhering to a Vendor Diversity policy.
How Menttium Can Help Your Business
We believe the right mentor can accelerate learning, increase confidence, broaden perspectives and help key talent realize their true potential. We focus on the whole person and leverage formalized mentoring programs to help people thrive at work and in life.
Founded in 1991, Menttium is a pioneer and leader in formal corporate mentoring systems that support leadership development and diversity in the global business community. Through a portfolio of programs and consulting services, Menttium designs innovative cross-company and internal mentoring systems to help organizations strengthen key talent in ways that tie directly to business goals. We inspire individual potential and stronger business performance.
If you are searching for a strategic partner with expertise in growing talent through a mentoring process, consider Menttium!