As business owners, we are often reminded of the importance of “giving back.” Whether it’s time or resources, there’s something energizing about helping others reach success. That’s something that Ranjani Mohana knows a lot about, as her business, R Mo Business Solutions, provides the stepping stones for business owners to expand and succeed in highly competitive markets.
With three master’s degrees from the U.S. and a background in government certifications processes, Ranjani began her path as a business owner in 2011 by helping a friend expand her very small cleaning business. She put her expertise to work and got her friend’s business certified as a minority and woman-owned business. Soon after, her friend achieved a major contract with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Seeing a huge opportunity to help business owners grow, Ranjani quickly launched R Mo Business Solutions to provide procurement and certification services. As of today, she and her staff have served more than 200 clients nationwide across all business sectors—from cleaning to landscaping to construction to high-tech and every industry in-between. In 2016, R Mo Business Solutions obtained a total of 102 certifications for their clients.
The most common certifications are small business owners (SBE), minority business owners (NMSDC), woman-owned businesses (WBENC/WOSB) and LGBT businesses. The larger and more intense certifications are GSA solicitations, 8(a) SDB certifications and HubZone certifications, which are more powerful for a business to obtain to grow their business toward Federal government sectors.
Her team works closely with each client to research the type of certifications they are applicable for and does the legwork to formally process the certifications. There are so many certifications and each state has local certifications as well. Since the certification process can take up to 120 days, R Mo Business Solutions helps business owners grow their business without taking any time away from their daily responsibilities.
Ranjani also uses her industry expertise to procure government contracts for her clients. They added a new service in 2016 called “Bids Subscription,” which focuses on researching bids from all over the U.S. in the government, state, county and corporate sectors and providing bids specific to their clients. “You have to make use of a certification,” she says. “We motivate and guide our clients to go after contracts and assist them along the way. That’s the most challenging and rewarding experience—seeing my clients grow. I see them doubling their revenue in a couple of years, and then they don’t need my assistance anymore. In five years, my business has grown only through referrals, from clients who have seen the value of certifications to their business growth.”
To help her own business grow, Ranjani turns to NAWBO for networking and support. As a board member of NAWBO-San Francisco since 2015, she has helped to boost membership in her chapter and launched a Tri-Valley monthly forum to create easier access for women business owners to network and commune. Her drive to support women in business is clear and is enhanced by her involvement in NAWBO. “When I first joined, I was inspired by the quality of women and their strength in business and in public policy/advocacy. We want to encourage and support each other,” she says.
To promote her business and support women with business development, Ranjani had a booth and hosted a workshop on Government Certifications & Contracting at the 2016 National Women’s Business Conference in Ohio hosted by NAWBO. “Not many people are aware of what I do and how it could benefit their business,” she says. “I thought it would be important for NAWBO women to gain knowledge and grow their businesses.” In part to encourage NAWBO about certification, she conducted a raffle to provide complimentary certification services to two businesses.
The first winner is Julie Lilliston of Julie Lilliston Communications in Nashville, Tennessee. Since the second raffle winner did not qualify, R Mo Business Solutions is in the process of qualifying and certifying another NAWBO member.
Looking ahead, Ranjani is growing her client base and is partnering with larger corporations to assist with supplier certification management. She also continues to dedicate herself to industry networking by attending at least two networking meetings per week. While it may sound like a lot, Ranjani wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love to meet new people,” she says. “I get up every day thanking God for his grace and loving what I do.”
For more about R Mo Business Solutions, please visit: http://rmollc.com.