Betsy Cerulo is in the business of people, in more ways than one.
She founded Catonsville staffing company AdNet in 1990, and in more recent years it has morphed into both a resource for professionals seeking work as well as a consultant to companies looking to hire and grow.
But outside of her own business, she has made her focus helping other entrepreneurs succeed, and break through barriers to do so. Through involvement with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Women Business Owners, she promotes inclusion in the business world, and coaches other small-business owners on how to break through.
She takes a holistic approach to counseling — instead of going back to school for an MBA, she studied integrative medicine, with a desire to better understand the whole body and the effects of factors like stress and nutrition on physical and mental health.
Here is what she had to say about her philosophy to The Baltimore Sun.
AdNet is certified by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. What does that mean to you, personally and professionally?
It opens up the doors for business. Corporations are now wanting to have as part of their procurement spend, they want to allot a certain amount of money to LGBT-certified companies. It definitely gives me an added advantage when I'm looking to do business with corporations. That helps me get in the door. It doesn't make you stay in the door; what makes you stay in the door is how good of a service you provide. If they're willing to open up another door for me to get in, that's wonderful.
From a personal standpoint, it means a lot. It's really a personal piece of growth for me to feel comfortable to say that I am gay and to be very proud of that. A lot of times there's that term, "gay and proud," that's been a big thing over the years. I am. By declaring that the company is LGBT, it helps open up the door for the younger generation, or the ones who have been afraid to say it. If I can be a pioneer to say it's OK to be who you are, then maybe that will give them the courage to come out.
How do you see that fitting in with other business diversity programs?
For AdNet specifically, we're a WBE [through Maryland's Women Business Enterprise program] and LGBT-owned. For a supplier diversity and inclusion program, they're called set-asides, [for example] if you're service-disabled or a veteran or any other minority. I think what it does is it raises the awareness in corporate America that there's multiple populations that have been discriminated against. It's just opened it up. It helps to raise an awareness and build a sensitivity within the business world. Everyone needs to be included and there's plenty of business to go around.
I know that from a state perspective, the MBE [Minority Business Enterprise program] is very separate [from the national LGBT certification program]. When it comes to the government, we're still in really early phases with having an LGBT certification being recognized. I'm on a federal procurement working group on the NGLCC that is working to have this more recognized in the government, which is wonderful. Fortunately we are WBE-certified, and that has done us very well because we've won state of Maryland contracts because of it. We haven't because we're LGBT yet because we're still at the forefront, but it's just a matter of time, and talking to the right people and staying with it.
What is still lacking or needs to be improved to promote LGBT certification?
It's a new certification. The NGLCC has been in existence for 11 years, so the certification is still fairly new and there's about 600 to 700 companies that are LGBT-certified across the United States. Nationally, the population is still concerned about discrimination, about putting it out there. Fortunately, being near Washington, D.C., Maryland has been pretty much at the forefront for a lot of things in favor of the LGBT population, but if I was in a state that doesn't recognize the LGBT population, I'd be concerned about putting it out there for my company's growth. I feel fortunate that Maryland recognizes it.
We've come a long way. There's still a long way to go because, for whatever reason, the LGBT conversation is still uncomfortable for some people. You can't change people overnight. This is one more way for people to wake up and be aware that there needs to be equality across the board. We're all in this together.
As an executive coach and business adviser, what is the most common question you get?
I think the big thing is how to grow. It's always having enough hands to be able to run the business and be out there getting business in the door. The people I work with, a lot of times I teach them about business development. A lot of entrepreneurs are just brilliant with the ideas they have and the products they offer, yet sales is not their strong point. I break it down to people that we sell every day. We sell as a human being. You've got to be able to influence. If you sell from your heart, people will listen.
How has your business changed over the years?
We've shifted it to workforce solutions, which includes staffing. A lot of the people we do provide in a lot of the contracts are really subject matter consultants. It's a professional level and a technical level of contractors as well as executive search. People come with accounting expertise, or human resources, or information technology, or legal. It's very strategic in what we do. We are advising our clients and also advising the individuals we represent on how to make the work scenario successful.
Because we're a diverse organization, we bring that into what we do. We want to attract people that bring their full selves to us. If somebody is in a diverse population, they can feel comfortable walking through the door and presenting who they are. They won't experience discrimination at our company because we're diverse and we're sensitive to that. We also work with our clients, that they present a diverse and welcoming environment. It's all about the relationships and making sure it's a good fit on both sides.
Betsy Cerulo
Title: CEO, AdNet Integrative Workforce Solutions
Residence: Baltimore
Age: 53
Education: Bachelor's degree, Catholic University; master's of science in integrative medicine, Capital University of Integrative Medicine
Family: Married; two children, two grandchildren
Hobbies: Running, tennis, writing children's books, playing with her Weimaraner, Bleu