Episodes
433
Latest episode
Aug 2026
Language
EN
Game Changers for Government Contractors was designed BY government contractors FOR government contractors. Every episode delivers actionable tips, tricks, and strategies to help you find and win more government contracts. Each episode features Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), companies actively winning contracts, and nationally recognized professional speakers and authors. The show is hosted by government contracting expert Michael LeJeune of RSM Federal. RSM Federal has trained over 25,000 government contractors, and their coaching programs have helped clients win over $14 Billion in government contracts. New episodes release every week. Keywords: Government Contractor, Government Contracting, Government Contracts, Government Sales, Government Subcontracting, How to Win Government Contracts, Where to Find Government Contracts, Small Business Government Contracting, Federal Contracting, Government RFP, How to Write a Proposal, Capability Statement, FPDS Training, The Government Sales Manual, Government Contract Coaching, Government Contract Training, Government Contract Consultant, GSA Schedule, SBIR, Set-Aside Contracts, Government Proposal Writing, Federal Sales Strategy.
In this episode I get into what I call putting in the reps. It's the boring, repetitive stuff almost nobody does consistently, and it's what quietly decides who wins. I run through the reps that matter in your business, including the one almost everybody quits on way too early.
What do you do with the employee who was perfect for the company you used to run? In this episode, I get into what I call the loyalty trap, the thing that catches a lot of owners between $5M and $10M. The business grew, the skill the job needs grew, and the person you hired on day one stayed right where they were. Most owners read that as an employee problem. It is usually a company problem. I also walk through the sit-down conversation, the fork in the road, and the exit that keeps everyone's dignity intact.
What would you do with eight hours back this week? In this episode, I interview Luke Thompson from The Operations Guide about the work he has been doing to implement AI in organizations. One of his favorite implementations is an AI agent that wakes up periodically, checks your systems, and then makes decisions and takes action based on your rules.He also talks about how this can all be managed (once it's setup) from your phone and a simple text.
If I printed 10 capability statements, yours and nine competitors', then cut off every logo, could you pick yours out of the stack? Most contractors say yes. Most contractors are wrong. In this episode I break down why "we're different" is the most common claim in government contracting and the least believable one. Quality work, on time, under budget, great customer service. Those are not differentiators. That is the price of admission, and we have set the bar so low in this country that clearing it by an inch feels exceptional. So I get into what actually separates you. How customer service turns into customer experience. Why the escape room I took Natasha to did more marketing in ten minutes than most capability statements do in a year. And how to build a named methodology of your own so buyers start asking for your process by name. I also share the play that produced 20 to 25 million dollars in direct awards in my first two years in this business. No competition. No RFP fight. Your challenge this week: find the stalest part of your delivery and make it memorable.
In this episode of Game Changers for Government Contractors , Michael LeJeune sits down with Dean Wegner, founder and CEO of Authentically American, to explore the leadership lessons, branding strategies, and entrepreneurial mindset behind building a fast-growing American-made apparel company. Dean shares how his experiences at West Point, Ranger School, and leading soldiers shaped his approach to business, customer service, and team building. He also reveals the biggest mistake he made as a founder, why listening to customers transformed his company, and the three keys to earning national media coverage without a massive marketing budget. Whether you're building a GovCon company or any business, this conversation is packed with practical lessons on leadership, storytelling, branding, and creating an unforgettable customer experience.
In this episode, Michael LeJeune explains why businesses often stall between $1 million and $5 million in revenue, not because the opportunity disappears, but because the founder is still leading like it’s a startup. He breaks down the differences between leading in the military, corporate America, and a growing small business, and why those leadership styles don’t always translate. You’ll also learn how to identify whether your company has the right leaders, the right culture, and the right mindset to scale beyond its current ceiling. If your company has stopped growing and you can’t quite figure out why, this episode may help you find the answer.
In this episode, Michael sits down with Ben Thompson from The Operations Guide to explore what AI looks like when it becomes part of your business instead of just another chatbot. They discuss building an AI productivity headquarters, connecting tools like Google Drive and Read.ai, using Claude Code and Codex to automate real work, and identifying the repetitive business problems AI can solve today. If you’ve been frustrated with AI, overwhelmed by constant updates, or unsure where to begin, this conversation will completely change how you think about it. You’ll walk away with practical examples, a better framework for using AI, and a simple question every business owner should ask before investing in another tool: What work gets deleted if I use this?
Most government contractors are measuring the wrong things. They celebrate phone calls made, emails sent, and capability statements distributed, while completely ignoring the only metrics that actually predict contract wins. In this episode, Michael breaks down why activity is one of the biggest lies in business development. He explains the difference between being busy and making progress, why meaningful conversations should be your primary KPI, how many Sources Sought and proposals you should realistically target each month, and the critical difference between P-Win and your actual win rate. If you’re tired of spinning your wheels and want a BD process that produces results instead of excuses, this episode gives you the framework to start measuring what actually matters.
CMMC is no longer a future problem. It’s becoming a requirement for contractors that want to compete for Department of Defense work. In this episode, Michael sits down with Ed Terensky of DTS to break down what contractors need to know about cybersecurity, compliance, and protecting sensitive government information. They discuss CUI, common misconceptions about CMMC, how to evaluate cybersecurity providers, and why many companies are creating bigger problems by looking for the cheapest path to compliance. If you’re a government contractor trying to prepare for the next phase of CMMC enforcement, this conversation provides practical guidance on how to secure your business and avoid costly mistakes.
Most business owners never actually become CEOs. They stay stuck in founder mode, doing sales, delivery, operations, customer service, problem solving, and putting out fires every single day. The business grows, but eventually the chaos grows faster than the company. In this episode, Michael LeJeune breaks down the critical transition from founder to CEO and explains why this shift usually needs to happen around the 10 to 15 employee mark if you truly want to scale. He walks through the evolution from founder to Chief Growth Officer to CEO, how to think strategically instead of tactically, why operations leadership matters, and how to stop becoming the bottleneck inside your own company. If your business feels heavy, chaotic, or overly dependent on you, this episode will probably hit hard.
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