An interview with Emily Grandinetta, Owner and President of Grandinetta Group.
Tell us about yourself and about your business.
My name is Emily Grandinetta. I’m from the Washington, D.C. area but relocated to the Lehigh Valley of PA during the pandemic. I’m owner and President of a company called Grandinetta Group. We are a B to B organization, and we specialize in leadership development coaching, training, team building, and consulting.
My background is in behavioral science, and I am a master certified coach through the International Coach Federation. I’ve been a human capital consultant for decades and worked for very large firms. This is my second time being on my own, and this is absolutely where I’m supposed to be.
What led you to WBEC-East? What resources have you found useful?
I knew that one of the very first things I had to do was get certified as a woman-owned small business. I knew that from working in big businesses that procure from diverse suppliers. It was an intense process, but it prepared me for applying for a contract with the General Services Administration (GSA).
For the first few years of living here, all of my work was based elsewhere. I attended many of the Doing Business With events trying to connect more locally, but despite follow-up, nothing has yielded anything yet. I still would love to connect or be connected to senior decision makers in some of the large companies we have here in the Lehigh Valley.
In 2023 you were selected by the City of Philadelphia to design and pilot its first-ever city-wide training program for new and emerging leaders. What was your experience applying for and ultimately winning this bid?
For this bid, Grandinetta Group acted as the prime contractor, and I partnered with another small business owner who is a woman and is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). The fact that we represented diversity between the two of us was important to the City.
When we asked, “what was it that made you pick us?” our contacts said, “you totally got us and got what we were trying to do.” As a coach, I’m trained to listen for what’s being said and what’s not being said. You’ll find clues for important aspects that may not be emphasized in the original ask.
The City selected us to develop and pilot two training programs concurrently: one, a leadership experience; the other, a train-the-trainer program for selected employees who would go on to facilitate the leadership experience in the future. We worked with these employees to not only master the content but also be able to facilitate discovery themselves. In the end, these employees could stand in front of a group of City leaders and facilitate dialogue, connections, and the creation of a profound learning experience.
In a 2023 Forbes article for women leaders you are quoted saying, “Women don’t need mentors—they need sponsors. The difference? A sponsor has a seat at tables with decision makers and puts their name, reputation and network on the line in support of the person they’re sponsoring.”
Have you seen a shift at all towards sponsorship over mentorship? How do we make this shift happen?
I haven’t seen compelling evidence around the number of women advancing into C-suite roles across the country. I don’t know what those trends are, and I think we all would have heard if it had really shifted. But I know that this is a piece that is missing, and I don’t think another mentoring program is what’s needed.
Mentoring is more of a passive helping role, but sponsoring—which is what men have that women don’t seem to receive as often—is much more significant. While a mentor is putting in some time, sharing their network and giving suggestions, a sponsor gets their skin in the game and puts their reputation at stake. Women need that level of support as well.
A sponsor will make it their business to get you visibility and opportunities for projects or governance roles that are necessary indicators of readiness for advancement. Mentorship has its place—SCORE helped me when I was just starting my small business—but most mentors are not going to get you promoted into senior level roles, connected with corporate decision makers, or a seat at the proverbial table.
What advice would you give to WBEs who want to get on the Federal purchasing schedule or try for a contract with the General Services Administration?
My advice would be to hire a consultant who helps businesses get on the government’s schedule and get contracts. It is an investment, but you don’t have to go through the drama of figuring out how to get vetted or pre-approved. It takes a tremendous amount of time and money to market yourself and function in the government space, so be very clear in what you want to get out of this investment. If you’re not set up to do that, there are other ways to scale your business.
You should also celebrate when you are awarded a contract! I wrote a press release after I was awarded the contract with the City and the next day, I got a call from a major firm asking me to partner with them on another huge project. Recognition like this shows credibility and can lead to new opportunities.
What’s coming up for Grandinetta Group? And how can people connect with you/your business?
We specialize in the very niche area of military to civilian transition which, as a behavioral scientist, I’ve studied quite a bit over the last two decades. Specifically, supporting transitioning veterans pro bono and consulting to companies who want to hire them.
I’m excited to share that my second book on this important topic comes out in one week. At Ease: The Guide to a Smooth and Successful Military Transition, makes its formal debut on Veterans Day, November 11th, 2024. All are invited to our virtual book launch party, it’s going to be fun! RSVP here.
You can learn more about the book and our new online transition course at www.military.grandinetta.com. You can connect with me via email at info@grandinetta.com.
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