We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laurin Stamps a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Laurin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

My business’s mission includes a focus on serving the underserved, and includes this sentence: “To bridge the gaps in equity that occur in Corporate America and beyond, which adversely impact marginalized communities…” The majority of my clients are Black women, which is intentional. Black women are adversely impacted in the work place because of both racism and sexism, which result in us being paid less for our labor. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Black women made just 64 cents for every dollar a White, non-Hispanic man earned in 2021. My business aims to address this issue, and chip away at that gap, one Black woman at a time.

Through comprehensive and culturally competent career consulting services, my business supports our clients by revising resumes, drafting cover letters, updating LinkedIn profiles, as well as facilitating career consultations and interview preparation sessions. Through these services, my business has successfully assisted clients increase their salaries, build confidence, and more seamlessly navigate their careers (including obtaining promotions) over the last few years.

Laurin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Black woman, who has suffered at the hands of Corporate America on more than one occasion. It is because of this treatment that I was inspired to create my business, which is focused on helping others who look like me. By trade, I am a project/program manager, with extensive experience in healthcare. I possess a Master of Public Health, and have worked on various healthcare projects, including those related to health inequities. I am passionate about bridging gaps in equity in all the facets in which they occur, whether that is through full-time work, entrepreneurship, or volunteerism. In addition to running my business, I founded a group called Black Women in Project and Program Management (BWIPM), which currently has over 11.5K members. This is essentially a resource group, where we provide tips to acquiring a role as a project or program manager, which can be a very lucrative career. We facilitate monthly mentorship sessions, and eventually, I would like to be able to offer scholarships to members who want to sit for certain exams, but are unable to afford the costs.

Most importantly, I am a mother to two beautiful boys. One is only 2.5 months old, and helped me learn how to navigate pregnancy, labor, and raising an infant as an entrepreneur. My other son is 13, with a heart of gold. He plays baseball, and is such a great big brother. I am also a fiancee to an amazing man that I will marry in September of this year. My family inspires me in the work that I do, and motivates and supports me every single day.

My business, Battle Plan Strategic Consulting (aka Battle Plan), provides a variety of career consulting services for our clients. We revise resumes, draft cover letters, update/optimize LinkedIn profiles, and facilitate both career consulting and interview preparation sessions. I have also created job searching guides and career planners for my clients to use. The problems we solve for our clients are helping them figure out their next career moves, and how to get there, as well as how to best market themselves as a capable employee. What I am most proud of with my business is helping my clients increase their salaries by a cumulative $4M+ over the last 2.5 years, especially since the majority of our clients are Black women.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has been the group I created on social media (Facebook and LinkedIn) – Black Women in Project and Program Management (BWIPM). With over 11.5K members, I offer everyone in the group a continuous discount, as many of them are seeking better paying jobs. Additionally, I market my services in the group whenever there is a sale. Word of mouth and testimonials go a long way with my business, and there are a multitude of testimonials in the group from members who have used my services, and acquired better and higher-paying jobs (or even successfully pivoted into project management from a different previous role). These testimonials inspire others to purchase services from Battle Plan.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Battle Plan employs five contractors at present. Managing people is one of the more challenging aspects of running a business, in my opinion. My advice is to always lead by example, and ensure there is consistency and transparency in your leadership style. In addition, successful people management requires interpersonal communication skills, which is something I had to work on in my early 20s. To me, it seemed an expectation that interpersonal communication would just come naturally as someone who is extroverted, but it is actually a skill that you should work at, as necessary.

In order to maintain high morale, providing consistent feedback is important – and not just constructive criticism, but also ensuring my team knows when they are performing well, and the areas in which they are excelling. Whenever I receive testimonials complimenting one of my writers, I make sure to share it directly with them. I want them to understand the positive impact that they are having on our clients. Some of the salary increases that are reported to us are life-changing . For example, one of our clients – a Black woman – increased her salary by $255,000 after using our services. I also like giving Christmas bonuses as a small token of my appreciation, and an act of recognition. Lastly, hearing my team out results in my ability to maintain a high morale. When there are concerns, my staff know that they can come directly to me to address them. This is where as a leader, I tap into my active listening skills, and do my best to address concerns, implement new processes, and/or course correct, as necessary.

Contact Info:

• Website: battleplansc.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/battleplansc?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BattlePlanSC
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/76484957/
• Twitter: @battleplansc