Month: December 2019

036: Merry Korn – From Social Worker to Experienced Businesswoman

Posted on by Eric Coffie

In this last interview of 2019, our guest Merry Korn from Pearl Interactive Network

Tells us how she went from social worker to an experienced businesswoman in the federal arena. She encourages everyone to dream big and have a vision. Merry  takes us through her journey of her own vision turned to accomplishments.

Merry Korn, owner, an experienced businesswoman with a master’s degree in social work, honed her business skills as senior vice president of marketing for American Health Holding, Inc.  As part of a team of four founders, Merry grew American Health’s business from a startup company in 1993 to a firm that today has over 300 employees and 20 offices nationwide. In 2004, she founded Pearl Interactive Network, a social enterprise that blends a for-profit business with a social mission that provides work opportunities to the most challenged populations. Through Merry’s leadership, the company is scaling to 1,100 employees, and registered in 40 states. Pearl gained traction among the world’s largest federal government contractors and positioned the company as an expert comprehensive contact center and telehealth solutions firm that provides federal prime contractors with mandated certifications and DCAA-compliant accounting system. Merry and her team have launched Pearl TLC, a supportive care and remote monitoring solution, an end-to-end telehealth solution that combines people, process and technology to address the needs of patients with multiple chronic conditions.

For show notes visit: www.govcongiants.com/podcast

Does the Government Buy What I Sell?

Posted on by Eric Coffie

In this article, we’re going to talk about the answer to the question, “Does the government buy what I sell?” We’ll even take it a step further by discussing what entities are buying products and services and how much are they buying. Read this article to learn more!

WHAT DO YOU SELL?

The first thing that you should look at is the kind of products or services that you sell and analyze the NAICS code related to it. 

For instance, if you’re providing janitorial services, then what is the NAICS code under that service? Upon searching, 561720 is the code for janitorial services. 

To learn more about the complete NAICS code list, you can view it from the U.S. Census Bureau or by contacting the bureau through 1-888-756-2427 or on their email address NAICS@census.gov.

If you also want to know about this code and how to choose one, then check this video entitled “Primary vs Secondary NAICS Code.”

SYSTEM FOR AWARDS MANAGEMENT

Getting Contract Opportunities

You can easily check all of the contract opportunities without logging into the database. All you have to do is choose “Contract Opportunities” in the search bar, type your NAICS code, and then click search. You will then see hundreds of results, depending on your NAICS code.

You can also filter that result by adding more keywords or changing other information on the left side of your results page. You can edit your preferred date, types of notice, federal agency, DUNS, PSC code, and place of performance. 

Then, if you’re okay with the results, you can already check all of the contract opportunities and see which fits you. 

If you click for a specific result, you can then check its notice ID and the agency posting it. You can also see its general information, classification, description, attachments and links, history, and contact information. 

Apart from that, these are the things you should consider:

  1. The place of performance might be different to the address of the agency.
  2. While you can easily see the results without logging in, you might need one if you want to:
  • Save and rerun searches
  • Download search results and display it into .pdf or .csv files
  • Follow opportunities to keep up to date to its changes
  • Add yourself to an opportunity’s Interested Vendors List
  • Run customized reports on opportunities data
  • Request access to controlled, but unclassified attachments

Getting Award Data

Through the integration of FPDS and SAM, you  can now analyze award data through the SAM database. With this, you can already do historical research and determine the opportunities that have already been awarded to companies. 

Suppose you are a small business and fits the Small Business Administration’s size standard table, then there are a handful of companies that you can solicit for work.

What I usually do is build a target market list where I put the top vendors that are being awarded by my target agency. Then, I look for their contact details to start soliciting work from them. 

You see, these vendors are the incumbents, not your competition. In fact, you should consider them as allies because they are always looking for small firms to either solicit joint venture teams and partnerships or build good subcontract partnerships. 

“I can promise you this, every one of these companies, they have good companies that work for them and bad companies. So, if your firm delivers a quality product and service, they want you. I mean they want you, like desperately. They’re wanting you bad.”

USASPENDING

USAspend.gov is similar to FPDS where you can look at historical data, it just presents it in a different format.

The only thing that you need to do is do a keyword search and type in your NAICS code. Upon typing the code, 561720, the result showed almost 200,000 contracts and less than 30,000 of these are Indefinite Delivery Contracts. 

Other than that, you can also do an advanced search where you can filter it in terms of time period, award type, and others and download all of this information. 

Now, you can do some data mining and continue making your target market list. Who are the people in your backyard that are doing janitorial stuff? Who do you need to call? Start doing some data mining based on that information. 

RESOURCES

Now that you have information from SAM and USAspending, you already know that the government buys what you sell. 

This is the beauty of the government because this is public information and you can use this to analyze your next step, unlike the private marketplace where you have no idea who was awarded what, how much, and when.

With this in mind, if you want to learn more on how to do government contracting, then check the resources below. 

You can also join us here at GovCon Giants or check the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

Does the government buy what I sell?

https://youtu.be/q6ZLYKdfhA4

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/final-does-the-government-buy-what-i-sell.pdf

Build a Target Market List using FPDS -Federal Procurement Data System

https://youtu.be/gUbTyb2h7as

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Build-a-Target-Market-List-using-FPDS-Federal-Procurement-Data-System-1.pdf

Don’t Start Small, Start Big!

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Start doing high level thinking. Recognize that you don’t have to start small, you can start big!

THIS IS MY STORY

You may have heard my story on going after a niche market. What you probably missed in that story was that the first contract I got was $1.5 million.

Do you know what happens when you get a $1.5 million contract? People stop insulting you with projects that are $10,000 or $30,000.

Not that there’s anything wrong with those projects, it’s just that it puts you at another plateau or another level where people start to expect that you’re this multimillion-dollar contractor. 

That’s what you want people to believe. Yes, it is a must to niche down so that you will know who to work with. However, make sure that these contracts are huge. Remember, don’t start small, start big!

WHAT I WANT TO TELL YOU

What I want to tell you is to go after the largest contract that you can find.

“Somehow, when you go after things that are much bigger, it attracts the better type of people, the better quality of people, better suppliers.”

I found that quote from Donald Trump true to my experiences. The larger the project, the fewer headaches that I have. That’s with me personally.

When I work with smaller projects and smaller people, then they need a lot of help. They need money. They need equipment. They need assistance. They don’t have a team. They don’t know how to fill their paperwork. They need to learn. You got to teach them this and show them that. 

However, when I go after really large projects, guess what? I get higher quality people and higher quality teams with the necessary knowledge fit to complete the project.

Then, you also get people and companies that are excited to work with you. Why? Because they see you as someone important in achieving the overall goal.

RESOURCES

Again, if you have the option and the ability, don’t start small, start big.

“Go after the biggest contract that you can put your hands on.  Put the team together and make it happen.”

With this in mind, if you want to learn more on how to do government contracting, then check the resources below. 

You can also join us here at GovCon Giants or check the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

Don’t start small, start BIG! High level thinking.

https://youtu.be/iZOfyxPPTMM

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/final-dont-start-small-start-big-high-level-thinking.pdf

Grow from 0 to $1.5 Million (Niching down) – Eric Coffie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeftC7ogJ34&t=6s

Get Past Your Fear of Failure and Take Action!

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Get past your fear and take action by learning what fear is not and the benefits of failure on your journey towards success!

OUR GOAL

One of our goals in creating more content is to help more people. This is part of our 20/20 challenge to help people and get feedback to know what’s working and what’s not. 

Luckily, our group continues to grow, so if you also want to grow with us and meet like-minded individuals, you can go through our 12-day course and transition into our private Facebook group where we share more information and opportunities with each other. 

“I need people to start doing these activities so that we can, you know, we can kind of find out where they’re at what’s working, what’s not working, and we can start adjusting from that.”

However, in order to get past through this, you need to forge a fearless attitude towards life. Our content won’t help you, if you, yourselves, are afraid to take action. 

FEAR AND FAILURE

1. Failure is not avoidable.

If you don’t feel fear in your activities, then you’re not being bold and with that you won’t grow and you won’t develop.

There will always be fear of what will happen next, but you can’t avoid it, you just have to do it. 

“As long as you’re attempting new things, you’re gonna make mistakes.”

2. Failure is not an event.

In the game Zelda, in order to get to the next level, you have to find a key to the door by finding hints and clues. 

That’s also the same with reaching your goal, you will never stay in the same area. When you want to grow, you need to learn the rules and move to the next level. 

3. Failure is not the enemy.

Most people try to avoid failure like the plague. However, it takes adversity to create success.

For instance, we look up to the success of the Ferrari car inventor, Enzo Ferrari, but we don’t even know that for him to reach success, he had to face several charges (which was later acquitted) because some of his previous car crashed and killed its drivers and spectators. 

4. Failure is not irreversible. 

In a quote by Mark Cuban, he says, “It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. You only have to be right once and then everyone can tell you that you are an overnight success.”

This is a fact because most people don’t even bother to ask about what a person went through just to get that success.

“That’s the same thing that happened to me is that, you know, no one, I haven’t, no one person to say, ‘Eric, let me, can you tell me about some of your failures and some of your mistakes?’ You guys don’t realize that a few years ago that I almost went bankrupt, I mean I made a video about it but no one even watches it.”

5. Failure is not a stigma.

When LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers and played for the Miami Heat, people went crazy. However, when the Heat won, suddenly he’s King James. 

“There was obviously the stigma that was placed upon LeBron James, but is now gone, right, so there’s no stigma with failure.”

6. Failure is not final.

People think that failure is final, it’s not. The only time that failure’s final is when you quit.

As Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that it won’t work.” 

BENEFITS OF FAILURE

We’re all social creatures, so it’s natural for us to conform to the people and norms around us, but underneath we also have that fear to follow our own path no matter what people think of us.

The fearless types are able to conquer this fear and they fascinate us. We secretly admire and respect them and we wish we could act more like they do.

“I really believe that we can build an army of really good contractors out there.”

However, we believe that we, regular people, can achieve this. And to  emphasize our point, we will use Helen Keller’s lessons:

1. You will learn lessons. 

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.

2. You will develop boldness, courage, and strength.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul will be strengthened ambition inspired and success. 

3. Your experiences will open you up to new possibilities.

No pessimists ever discover the secrets of the stars or sail to uncharted land or open a new heaven to the human spirit.

4. You move closer to your purpose.

I long to accomplish a great and noble task but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks if they were great and noble.

GET PAST YOUR FEAR

1. Choose what you won’t regret.

In an interview with Jeff Bezos wherein his brother asked him why he quit his job as an engineer and started Amazon, he answered that he decided to project his life out at 80 years old, and then he would take the path that produced the minimum amount of regrets.

Think about that. Project your life at that age and think of activities that will help you create the minimum amount of regrets. 

“You’re not gonna regret not going to work and quitting that job… What you’re gonna regret is not seeing all that you can be and being able to go after these contracts, making that phone call to the contracting officer, not having gave in that presentation, not having try to put in a bid for that particular contract— The additional effort, those are the things that you’re gonna regret.”

2. Work on the things that others won’t.

This marketplace is tough, but that only means that the people who could get through these barriers are the only ones who will succeed. 

So, instead of doing those little contracts that you see on FedBizOpps or other contracting databases, why not focus on market research and building relationships with your target clients? 

The truth is only only 55% of contracts are on these databases, some of these contracts are directly given to the incumbent contractors that have been working with these agencies for years already.

“When it’s difficult, it makes it better for the people who were serious and the people who really have a hunger for this, and people who really want it, and I’m hoping that you, the people that are listening me today and taking the time out to be on this channel are the ones that are serious and the one that really want it because those are the people who I want to spend my attention with, and my time on, and invest in them, and help them get to a level where I’m at. Those are the people that I want to work with.”

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more on how to get past your fear and take action, then be sure to click the resources below. You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

Listen Here If You Want To Take Action!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drv8y80mnwg&t=25s

Why not you? Why not NOW?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_99Yog9FlE

Is your personal philosophy, poor me? Find out how to change that. – Eric Coffie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1fdnEAwOow&t=848s

Fear and Failure in Government Contracting | Govcon Training Day 2 – Eric Coffie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDjuSKMwE7o&feature=youtu.be

035: Eric Coffie on BEB Podcast – Going Broke Twice To Over 5 Million In Govt. Contracts

Posted on by Eric Coffie

In today’s episode, the table’s a turn. You’re going to hear me being interviewed as a guest on another show with Jay Jones from the BEB podcast. Listen, as he asked me all the tough questions, including how did I get started? How did I make millions of dollars in contracts? Where did I learn all this stuff from? And the most important question, what led me to teaching it on YouTube.

For show notes visit: https://govcongiants.org/podcast/

034: Emily Harman – Former Director of the Navy’s Office of Small Business Programs

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Emily Harman has 38 years of service to her country as both a Naval Officer and civilian federal employee.

Emily served as a Contracting Officer for 14 years working at NAVAIR and NAVSUP. Served as the Director of Small Business Programs, Naval Air Systems Command a position that she says she initially did not want, but ultimately thoroughly enjoyed and received great satisfaction from.

In today’s interview we discuss some of the challenges Emily has faced personally and professionally. We also talk shop about contract bundling, NAVY, breaking down the barriers for small businesses, her new role as a personal life coach as the host of a new show Onward Podcast.

I find Emily to be the one of the most open guest to do this show un afraid to tell her truth.

033: Lourdes Martin-Rosa – Spearheading the American Express Open, White House Small Business Taskforce and more

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Today’s Giant, Lourdes Martin-Rosa, has been featured in over 790 media publications including FOX News, MSNBC, CNN Money, the Washington POST, the New York Times, Hosts a Monthly Blog on GovWin and Money, Inc. Magazine.

In 2012, Lourdes served as a Small Business Programs expert guiding The Whitehouse Small Business Taskforce towards increasing awareness & outreach to small businesses across America. From 2009 to 2019, she spearheaded the development of the American Express OPEN for Government Contracting & Grow Global programs. She also served as WIPP’s National Partner where she promoted advocacy among women-owned small businesses through the Small Business Administration, American Express and WIPP’s ChallengeHER co-sponsored program. The combined efforts connected over 150,000 small businesses resulting in $8.3B in contract awards

This is one episode you do not want to miss.

For Show Notes: https://govcongiants.org/podcast/2019/12/10/033/ ‎

032: Dr. Robert L Wallace – Technology CEO – Public Speaker, Author & Consultant

Posted on by Eric Coffie

On today’s episode of the Govcon giants podcast we are featuring a dynamic speaker, author and serial entrepreneur Dr. Robert L Wallace.

We are honored and privilege to have Dr. Wallace come on our show and share his journey of traveling the entrepreneurship path. From his humble beginnings in the 1990’s working out of a 2 bedroom row home, transitioning through dot.com boom, Y2k to Black Enterprise Top 100 List 2019

In today’s interview we discuss his latest book, a block chain partnership that was created based on his daughters traveling to Thailand, fear of success, his 4 quadrant model, triad and principles of success

For show notes visit:  https://govcongiants.org/podcast/2019/12/02/032/