Govcon Giants

In today's episode, we have an interesting conversation about the Veteran Affairs program that helps veterans start businesses. Renona Brown shared her experience with the VA and what she learned about the program, such as how they will pay for preliminary things like LLC and incorporation fees, website, professional photo, insurance for up to one year, and anything else needed to get ready for the business. We also talked about the timeframe to get into these programs, and the time it took for them to get reimbursed from both CMS and vocational rehab. If you want to learn more, stay tuned!

In this episode, I answer questions from listeners on a variety of topics related to government contracting, including using local Apex accelerators, partnering with construction companies, choosing between large firms or small businesses, and the use of 1099 workers versus payroll workers. I also provides advice on responding to source of sought letters and how to build out pricing for bids. If you want to learn more, tune in now!

In this episode, we navigate through the Unison Marketplace and look at various opportunities that can help small businesses bid and respond to contracts from the government. We take a deep dive into one particular opportunity for an electric forklift and discuss how it is easy to navigate through the marketplace even for those who are new to it. We also discuss how Unison Marketplace is an excellent platform for small businesses to gain experience and practice responding to bids and opportunities that are less complex. Join us as we discuss how to break through the fear of responding to contracts and why participating in the marketplace is essential for small businesses to grow and believe in themselves. Tune in now!

In this episode of GovCon Giants, I sit down with Devoski Boyd, a 27-year-old trailblazer who’s rewriting the rules for young entrepreneurs in the federal contracting space. Starting as a college pressure washing business owner, Devoski now heads Boyd Construction Group, a thriving government contracting business. He’s landed long-term federal contracts, including a game-changing waste management contract with an Army training base in Alabama—all without certifications. Devoski’s story proves that strategic market research and responding to sources sought notices on sam.gov can lead to massive opportunities. We discuss how the shrinking pool of small businesses registered on sam.gov—down to less than 70,000—is creating unparalleled chances for new contractors. Devoski also shares his secrets to managing capital effectively and building a legacy for his family. If you’ve ever wondered how to break into government contracting or turn a simple sam.gov registration into transformative contracts, this episode is for you. Stay tuned for insights that could change your approach to federal contracting forever!

In today's episode, we'll be discussing how to find and sell valuable information to potential clients. You might be surprised to learn that you have information that can be sold, particularly because businesses are busy trying to run their operations and don't have time to do the research themselves. By doing research on a company's buyer's list, types of contracts, and government buyers, you can gather intelligence that can be presented to potential clients. You can also find current, past, and future contracts to sell to businesses that have more money than time. In this episode, we'll give you an example of how to research Department of Interior procurement opportunities and use the data gathered to make intelligent decisions for your business. Remember, if you don't have money, you have to put in time and sweat equity to get ahead. Tune in to learn more!

In this episode, we have Manish Gorawala who talked about his background in entrepreneurship and his interest in technology and finance. He shared that he grew up in India, where his father was an entrepreneur, where he learned a lot about business by joining his father's meetings and conversations with friends. He also talked about his mantra of doing more with less resources and finding creative ways to accomplish tasks more efficiently. He emphasized the importance of tracking progress on a regular basis and making strategic decisions based on the data. Tune in to this episode as Manish shared valuable insights into the mindset and habits of successful entrepreneurs.

In today's episode, we discuss the process of working with FEMA in the aftermath of a disaster and give you some advice for small businesses seeking government contracts. It is important to note that FEMA has to plan for disasters in advance and cannot wait until after a disaster to identify contractors and vendors. With that, I encourage businesses to look for bid opportunities with FEMA before a disaster strikes. Here's an important reminder: I advise against relying solely on the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) for help with government contracts, as PTAC may not assist startup businesses that have been in operation for less than two years. Hope you enjoyed this episode of The Daily Wind Up. See you tomorrow.

In this conversation, we talk about 'price to win'. A specialty that is usually outsourced to find out the range of prices the government is willing to pay for a particular procurement. We recommend hiring an independent party to conduct a price to win assessment as it is a conflict of interest for them to do so. Additionally, we discuss the services for cost accounting and government contracting audits, which are typically done for small contractors to ensure compliance with government regulations for government contracts. The level of these audits depends on the type of contracts being pursued rather than the revenue amount. For example, a cost-plus contract would require a compliant accounting system.

In this episode, we'll be discussing two approaches to achieving financial success. The first approach involves reaching a goal of making $200,000-$400,000 a year through organic growth, which may take several years to achieve. The second approach, which I teach my clients, is the consultant approach. This approach involves working with clients who are already making $20 million a year in business and are looking for projects between $1 million and $5 million. By choosing to work with such clients, consultants can earn 25% of the profit, which could range from $50,000 to $250,000 per project. The clients at this level already have teams, suppliers, and resources in place to execute the projects, which makes the process much smoother. By applying the same skills learned in the organic growth approach, you can work your way up to the consultant approach and achieve financial success much faster. Join us as we discuss these two approaches in detail!

In this episode, we hear from our guest who started a heating oil delivery business despite the challenges of the market in 2007. He shares how he bought a used oil truck, paid for it with a combination of personal savings and an SBA loan, and started as a C.O.D company to get in the game. This episode, my guest highlights how word of mouth spread and how his connections to the blue-collar community helped him build his customer base. He also shares his experience of the instability of the oil market and how his strong work ethic helped him push through the challenges. Finally, we discuss his company's internship program and how it is helping young people learn about the industry. Tune in to this episode to learn more!