International Supply Partners Secures a Partnership with Overstock Government to Supply PPE to the GSA Marketplace
“We Just Partnered With Overstock Government To Supply PPE To The GSA Marketplace!”
“We are their only certified Minority, Woman-Owned Small business supplying essential PPE available to Federal agencies and all 50 states and US territory governments.”
— JENNIFER BARBOSA. FOUNDER. CEO. INTERNATIONAL SUPPLY PARTNERS
ABOUT
International Supply Partners is a full-service supply company leveraging our relationships with manufacturers domestically and internationally to offer the best and essential products our clients need to serve their customers. We offer Medical, Office, Janitorial, Industrial, and Brand Identity supplies and equipment. We have been in business since 2016.
Q: What inspired you to start your own business?
I’ve always had a passion for business and an entrepreneurial spirit. ISP launched after my blended family and I left San Diego and the Navy and moved to Atlanta. I became a stay-at-home mom of 6 kids. Believe it or not, I found myself bored and yearning for a challenge while the kids were at school. I wanted to do something that gave me fulfillment. My small boutique insurance agency was on autopilot, and I wanted to do business with the government. But honestly, my children have always been my inspiration in everything I ever do. They are my WHY! During the pandemic, I was going through an excruciating divorce and besides my 3 biological kids, ISP was what kept me motivated and inspired…and incredibly busy!
Q: What are the most exciting services/product offerings/collaborations/projects you recently experience with your business?
We just partnered with Overstock Government to supply PPE to the GSA Marketplace!! We are their only certified Minority, Woman-Owned Small business supplying essential PPE available to Federal agencies and all 50 states and US territory governments. Our highest quality, competitively priced products include NIOSH N95 1862 Level 3 surgical masks and fentanyl and chemo-rated hospital-grade nitrile gloves.
Q: Who are your ideal clients?
Our ideal clients include healthcare facilities, government agencies, and corporate organizations seeking best-in-class products and services. We are known for our ability to leverage our manufacturing relationships supplying hard-to-find products when needed most.
Q: What’s been the most memorable client that your company has served and explain why?
This is a tough one! We truly see each one of our clients as the most important client. Relationships and service are part of the value system in our organization. International Supply Partners truly believe we should operate as a partner to our clients. We make it our mission to understand our clients and take essential factors into account when supplying the products needed to operate the business and serve their own clients.
Q: Lessons that you’ve learned that shifted your mindset to optimize running your business?
I have to credit several factors and people in optimizing my business. First, I never stop learning! I read and apply new lessons and processes as much as I can. Second, I am a part of several business groups, clubs, and organizations. Third, I am actively involved in business accelerator programs and hired a business coach to keep me on track. Finally, I ask questions and ask for guidance from other leaders and business owners who have reached the goals I am after and try to learn and understand how they overcame their most challenging experiences professionally and personally. Doing all this constantly keeps my mind going! There is always something I didn’t know and could improve upon.
Q: If you can do over something in the past, what will it be and why?
Every experience and challenge were part of my journey to bring me to where I am today. I don’t know if there is anything I would do over again, but if I could do anything differently from my past, it would be to start sooner, fail faster, end that relationship sooner, and not second guess my intuition.
Q: What was the game-changer for you that catapulted your leadership at your company?
The pandemic! While most of the world was bored quarantined in their homes, I was getting an intensive crash course on supply chain, manufacturing, international business, negotiations, operations, and contracts. My network grew exponentially, and so did I. I learned how to be a better leader and businesswoman, and I continue to build upon skills daily.
Q: What projects are you working on this year that you’re most excited about?
We are excited to partner with Overstock Government in supplying the GSA Marketplace! We are looking forward to this partnership in the long term. As a Minority Woman-owned Small Business, we have an incredible opportunity to work with a nationally recognized company. Both ISP and Overstock set goals to work with the government, and this partnership allows us to leverage our knowledge and strength to serve government buyers best.
Q: What is your ultimate vision for your company?
Our vision is to grow into an internationally recognized and trusted supplier known for unprecedented high-quality customer experience offering the highest quality competitively priced products. We will also own manufacturing and warehousing facilities around the world. In addition, our company will partner with organizations worldwide to empower the underserved and protect the environment.
INTERNATIONAL SUPPLY PARTNERS
International Supply Partners is a full-service supply company leveraging our relationships with manufacturers domestically and internationally to offer the best and essential products our clients need to serve their customers. We offer Medical, Office, Janitorial, Industrial, and Brand Identity supplies and equipment. We have been in business since 2016.
Q: Books that you’ve enjoyed and why?
I love reading and listening to books! My library includes topics on self-development, business, and autobiographies of exciting people and leaders. I love authors like Paulo Cohelo, Napoleon Hill, Robert Greene, Og Mando, Zig Ziglar, Jim Collins, and don Miguel Ruiz. My favorite books include The Richest Man in Babilon, Think and Grow Rich, Profit First, The 4 Agreements and We Should All Be Millionaires, to name a few. Essentially, anything that will expand my mind, gain and fine tune skills, gain more knowledge, understand and improve myself to grow into a better person.
Q: Who are your mentors that impacted your professional/personal journey and explain why?
Wow! This is tough to answer. I am so blessed to have some amazing mentors and teachers in my life. My parents, first and foremost, have been my guidance and examples of perseverance. They moved to a country they did not speak the language of and worked hard to raise five successful children, owning homes and businesses when all the odds were against them. Of course, my sisters Melissa, Jessica and Marylissa, who’ve always believed and saw my greatness when I could not and encouraged and celebrate me. Next, I am grateful for my business coach Larry Gilmore who first pushed me to understand my past to make the path for the future I want. Additionally, my big brother Jean-Claude Fresnel of Lenserf and Co. taught me about the insurance industry and how to navigate the industry and business in general. He always encouraged, challenged, and celebrated me in the 10+ years of our friendship.
Q: What are the ideal networking gatherings that make sense for you and are vital to your company’s growth?
I don’t go anywhere without purpose. At every event I attend, I intend to meet and connect with people with whom I can learn, contribute, and do business. I do my best to attend as many conferences and association events as possible. In addition, I attend speaking engagements and am a member of private clubs where like-minded entrepreneurs and professionals gather for meetings of the minds.
Q: Places that you enjoyed visiting locally & globally, and explain why?
I love traveling and exploring new places and cultures. My favorite areas include Cabo Verde, Dominican Republic, South Africa, Washington, DC/DMV, Boston, and RI. There are so many more places I plan to visit. I love learning about the history and culture of the native people. I love the beauty of human beings and how similar and different we are.
Q; Three things that we should absolutely know about you?
1. I pride myself on being a mother. It is an honor and a great privilege to be called Mom by three exceptional individuals who inspire me in everything I do. As a single parent and sole provider, the responsibility is great and is what fires me up every morning to be an example of what it looks like when you don’t wait or look for something or someone to save you but rather make the life you want for you and your family.
2. I don’t know how to quit! I’m so afraid of complacency and stagnation. I refuse to lose; losing is when you quit and stop trying! So never underestimate or count me out!
3. I love my heritage and culture. As a first-generation American of immigrant parents from the Cabo Verde Islands, I am grateful for the values and pride they instilled in me and my siblings. We grew up in a tiny, poor city called Central Falls in Rhode Island, where everyone expected us to fail and be nothing. Still, I’m so proud of myself, my siblings, cousins, and friends who proved the naysayers wrong by becoming victorious in our rite.
