When it comes to corporate contracts, there are billions of dollars of opportunities for women-owned businesses. But navigating your way through supplier-diversity programs and learning the jargon (are you a WBE or a DBE?) isn’t easy.

For our ongoing series with the New York Times, we recently spoke with Kristine Jones, a self-described free spirit who has built her business, New England Flagger Services, by securing corporate contracts. We liked how Jones was able to learn the ropes, despite having no prior experience or connections as a contractor. She made some (amusing) mistakes along the way. But she figured it out, and her story might provide a road map for other women-owned businesses looking to do the same.

For more, read Jones’s full story here or on the Times’ website here. And watch the video below.