Tag: business development

Robb Wong: Former Associate Administrator of SBA’s Office of Government Contracting and Business Development

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Learn the BEST tips in winning government contracts straight from former SBA Associate Administrator, Robb Wong!

BACKGROUND

Robb Wong started his career in the US Small Business Administration (SBA) as attorney advisor at the Office of General Counsel.

He, then, became a Special Assistant US Attorney at the SBA Houston District Office and later as the Acting District Director at the Lubbock, Texas District Office.

Meanwhile, after a year as Acting District Director, he left SBA to manage several small businesses that successfully use SPS products and programs to enhance their growth.

Then, in 2017, Robb was appointed by the White House as the Associate Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Government Contracting and Business Development. 

During his service, he advocated for small businesses and represented them on behalf of the President of the United States.

Currently, he is the CEO of Fedsolve LLC where he provides consulting services for small government contractors. 

“I didn’t want to do something just so I could wave my flag and leave and get a better job or something like that. But I wanted to do something that was meaningful… I’m not here for myself. I’m here because this agency in this industry has provided me with a pathway and a goal, and it’s given me a purpose. And I just wanted to try to do something that was efficient and effective. That helps everybody.”

BEING IN THE SERVICE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

With over 10 years of service in the SBA, Robb Wong found certain lapses in the small business certifications such as the HUBZone program. 

HUBZone is a perfect program for economically disadvantaged areas, but it also had some rules that penalized small businesses for being successful. So, they made some changes to help both small businesses and the economically distressed areas. 

However, even with this, there are still government actions that continue to penalize small businesses. 

For instance, when he met someone who was running the 809 panel, that person said that the panel is making recommendations based on who could do all of the work better than anyone else. 

“So I met the gentleman that was running the (809) panel… he said that hitting goals for goals sake is a noble idea, but it is not necessarily an efficient idea. He says, in general, he says… huge government contract companies could do all of the work better than anyone else. We would make a recommendation that they go with them. I said, okay. And he says, this is not personal. They’re asking us what is the fastest way to get there? And this is it.”

Still, Wong continues to hope that contracting officers and officials would make some improvement to these inefficiencies in the certifications and other related to small businesses. 

“I would say (to) the government contract officer, ‘Look, we’ve made them better, stronger, faster to fit your needs. You take a look at us again for the first time.’”

ADVICE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

1. Treat your business as a business. 

The industry will put everybody on the same path, but at the end of the day, the real secret is that you treat your business as a business that needs the necessary help to reach your goals. 

Look at it the same way you look at your kids who have a flu. If your kids have this, you would go everywhere and you won’t quit just to find the cure.

That’s the same way in handling your business. For most businesses, business development is an afterthought, when in fact, this is necessary.

“Try something. You’re either going to succeed or you’re going to learn… The only people that— it’s a failure if you quit.”

2. Understand what your client needs. 

When you talk to your client, it should not only be about them. Of course, you will have your elevator pitch, but it should be as short as possible because the highlight of your conversation is their problem and how you could help them with it. 

After your 15-second elevator pitch, go directly with your, “But that’s enough about me. What are the problems that keep you up at night? I’m a problem solver. Let me try to help you. I don’t know if I can do it myself, but I’ll try and find somebody,” because that’s how you start a conversation. 

3. Be personal with your approach. 

All the contracts that you have comes from ordinary people. They have problems to solve and hang ups in life, so why not just have a little personal touch to your approach?

If you have 10 clients, respect them enough to remember their names, remember to call when you say you’re going to call, and show up because they’re taking their time.

“Your government contracting officers, all they hear is people barking at them with orders. It’s very impersonal. But if you reach out and ask them something personal, try to make a personal connection with them. They’ll remember. They’ll always remember.”

RESOURCES

If you want to learn the BEST tips in winning government contracts straight from former SBA Associate Administrator, Robb Wong, 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!

080: Robb Wong – Best tips and advice from the Former Associate Administrator, Govt. Contracting & Business Development

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/podcast/080/

80: The ABSOLUTE Best Tips From Former Associate Administrator!

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

 

Jon Tellier: Providing Business Development in the Government Marketplace

Posted on by Eric Coffie

A retired US Army company commander turned business owner, Jon Tellier shares how he started and his insights about the importance of business development in the government marketplace.

BACKGROUND

Jon Tellier is the President of JetCo Solutions, a business development and marketing firm that provides specialized services for companies entering the government marketplace. The company has earned a strong reputation among the Michigan defense industry community through winning contracts valued at over $4 billion.

Tellier is also a respected community and business leader for more than two decades because of his service in the US Army as a retired company commander and being part of several committees and boards supporting youth, veterans, and other businesses. 

Currently, he represents several congressional districts (MI02, MI03 and MI06) as a Military Academy Liaison Officer.

JETCO SOLUTIONS

Building JetCo Solutions, his wife as the proposal writer and him doing the business development, they are basically unemployed. The company provides a different service back then and for months, they haven’t gotten any contracts yet. However, they continued on their business until they landed a government contract and their clients grew in the following months. 

During that time, nobody would give them a huge amount of money but with that, they learned to properly manage their cash flow and to only buy what is needed. 

“We realized, you know, we don’t really need that because we’ll cash flow this and if we can’t afford it, then we won’t buy it.” 

Consequently, the transition of their business from the automotive industry to being a business development firm was when someone pointed out that there’s a need for people who could help write proposals and other services regarding government contracting. 

“At that point I was like, there’s something. And that was the moment that I’m like, ‘Hey, we can, there’s a need for this and there’s people that need our expertise and we can monetize this.’”

So, in making sure that they provide the best business development services, JetCo Solutions help their clients diversify and get into different markets. 

“We’re very proud of helping both, you know, small, medium and large businesses help win in the government space… ‘cause there’s really no book out there for folks to, you know, ‘Hey, do this and you’ll win.’”

GETTING A GSA SCHEDULE

Jon Tellier’s company also helps businesses get on a GSA schedule but he also provides them advice if it’s the best thing to do because a GSA schedule can be a good contract vehicle but there’s a lot of misconception and misinformation about it. 

“We asked the question and we’ll even do some research to back it up to make sure that the GSA schedule is something that you should invest in because if the government isn’t buying the product or service that you sell using a GSA contract, then there’s no sense in spending the time and resources to get one.”

Also, consider that the GSA has a procedure to follow and if you get rejected, you need to fix your requirements and resubmit again. 

Then, after being accepted, you need to follow the process of uploading all of your products, doing your quarterly reporting, and navigating their platform in order to really take advantage of what it can offer as well as being compliant to their rules and regulations.

Hence, if you are not ready for such processes and you are just new in the market, it is best to save your money and do other courses of action in learning the government marketplace first. 

RESOURCES

If you want to watch the full video of the interview with Jon Tellier as he shares how he started and his insights about the importance of business development in the government marketplace, then be sure to click the links down below.

038 : Jon Tellier, JetCo Solutions – An Extension of the Sales and Marketing Team for Businesses

https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/podcast/jon-tellier-jetco-solutions-an-extension-of-the-sales-and-marketing-team-for-businesses/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SE80So3pq4&list=PL6-jBNNcc98vTBvNhFYfUTeH0k-Vx2VBH&index=33

Top 5—”Launching a NASA Award Winning IT Security Company” With Narjis Ali

Posted on by Linette Genao

Temporarily leaving her family behind, Narjis Ali, the president and CEO of Sure Secure Solutions, packed her bags and moved from Pakistan to the U.S. to start her life over again.

Skilled in software programming and development architecture, she was a natural entrepreneur throughout her life, even introducing computer education in Pakistan for the first time. With a little push from her son-in-law, she decided to push forward and begin her business in the U.S.

I said, “Why not where I’ve moved now and made my country here in the U.S. I can also start business. It was just the fear of the unknown I suppose that made me take a few years to start it off, but once I was there, I was like, yeah, let’s roll.”

 

BACKGROUND

 

Sure Secure Solutions is an 8(a), Woman-Owned and Information Technology Security Company founded in 2004. The company’s core capabilities include Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Web Application Development, Data Analytics, Content Management, Information Management IT Security.

Her drive and work ethic has led to a number of awards dating back to 2012 and most recently the 2019 NASA Small Business Industry Award – NSSC Prime Contractor of the Year. In addition, the 2016 Small Business Administration of the Year Award, NASA Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year both in 2016 and 2017 and many more.

 

TOP 5 

 

1. Dig Your Feet Into the Ground and Stand Through The Tough Times

Ali immigrated alone leaving her family, including three children, back home. One by one, they made their way to the U.S. However, she recalls the difficulties within that first year and how she pushed though those tough times, serving as encouragement for others to do the same when things become difficult.

“When I was a child I would stand by the seashore and it was not close to where I lived. We used to always visit once in a blue moon, go to a beach. I used to remember standing there and the sand going from under my feet and remembering how it would make me fall and panic, but my mother and my sister were always there with me and my mom would tell me to hold my sister’s hand and just stand there and dig my feet deep into the ground and just stand. Right? That is what made me. Even when I came here. I went through some hardships, but I stood through that and I realized that if you work hard and your intent is good and you’re honest about things, things do have a way of working out. It worked out for me.”

 

2. Be Patient and Seek Information

“I feel that today I can just hold somebody’s hand and say, ‘Don’t do that.’ ”

Ali discusses how resources and mentorship are key so you don’t waste yours or others time and money. She encourages entrepreneurs to hone into their path and where you want to take your company and educating yourself on the path to get there.

“You have to first identify where you’re going, what your skills are, what you want to focus on and then just zoom in there. It’ll take you much less time if you do a handful of opportunities that you think you want to go after rather than just go after anything and everything that says 8(a) in it.”

 

3. Relationships are golden

Unless you have the money, you will have to find a few partners to come up with the equity to set up the infrastructure. Relationships are golden in order for this to work and be successful.

Not just relationships with the customers you’re selling a product or service to but as Ali states, “Customers in the way of the environment. That allows you to be there and create those relationships with coworkers, colleagues, other companies, and the customer.”

This is how former astronaut, John Mike Lounge became one of Ali’s first business partners when she was just getting started. He was introduced to her by a mutual friend. Meeting and working with Lounge, led to her fascination with NASA, allowed her to get NASA, and become the 2016 and 2017 award winner for NASA.

“By the end of it when we were paying the bill. He was like, ‘Okay, I’m sold. I’m your partner.’ I’m like, What?”

 

4. Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket

Learning the hard way, Narjis Ali advises not to put all your eggs in one basket. Instead, first build a strong team and then divide and conquer. This will lead to the most success.

“It’s not about winning. It’s all about getting a team that will win. Whether you have a prime role or a sub role. One is survival. The other is to win and make money…You have to make your name. You have to get money for it and you have to be able to take different roles in different opportunities…We spread out, we team work and we look for teaming opportunities that offer us a swim-lane where we’ve got really strong qualifications and then we shine there.”

 

5. Filter out very quickly where you want to focus

“Stop bidding on everything that looks it’s in your domain. It needs to be in your domain, but it also needs to have a familiarity with the customer environment,” states Ali.

She advises mastering 1 or 2 companies and building the trust and relationships instead of going after all that you can.

“It’s better to focus on a few agencies and be persistent and get to know that very well. Know the gaps and try entrepreneurand be at places where you can get to know the small business office.”

NARJIS ALI

As a leader, Narjis Ali is focused on helping others and assuring those around her continue to grow.

Narjis Ali & Eric Coffie “The most important thing was that we want to take people that matter, to places that matter…I think that means the world to me. When I see people that we’ve been trying to grow, grow and go to places.”

Narjis’ story is truly inspiring and motivating. With such great advice, she leaves listeners and readers with a humbling message.

“I have to become the medium of receiving and then giving. That’s my life story. I listen, I hear, I see. I love and I know that I’m only the medium. So, I hope I can pass on whatever I get and model for someone else, somewhere.” – Narjis Ali

 

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“Evolve or Die?” — Savor Life vs. Make Impact

Posted on by Linette Genao

“If nature or anything were perfect, it wouldn’t be evolving.” – Ray Dalio.

Are you evolving on your journey in entrepreneurship or are you allowing the difficulties to crush you?

Evolution can be a personal topic. However, the bottom line is we are all constantly evolving. Evolution is naturally occurring. Nature evolves, we evolve, and hopefully you are evolving in your daily life. In other words, learning and growing. Adapting to the curve balls life throws your way.

As you evolve, you must intentionally choose and learn how to use the difficulties in life to propel and teach you instead of crush you.

“The key is to fail, learn and improve quickly. If you’re constantly learning and improving, your evolutionary process will be ascending. To do it poorly will be descending.” – Ray Dalio.

bud growing through rocks- evolvingThis is something we should all be reflecting on daily. How to evolve and adapt just as nature does. Learning, growing, analyzing, refocusing and restructuring, in order to turn things around in our lives. If you are an entrepreneur and/or will be working in federal contracting, this is key to the foundation of your business and your well-being.

Things can be great and go amazingly, but they can also go very wrong. Unless you are mentally prepared or aware of how to handle these ups and downs, your journey in this process will be harder than it needs to be.

“Success is not a monetary thing. It’s you doing the best you can with what you have.”- Eric Coffie

In the following video, Founder of GOVCON GIANTS, Eric Coffie, humbly encourages you in the process of entrepreneurship and succeeding in life. As well as, in the process of federal contracting and being fiscally responsible. Expanding and reflecting on Ray Dalio’s book, “Principles,” Coffie explains real-life examples you can relate to and connect with.

“There’s no avoiding pain. Especially if you’re going after ambitious goals. The challenges you face will strengthen you. If you’re not failing, you’re not pushing your limits. If you’re not pushing your limits, you’re not maximizing your potential. Most things in life just are that, they’re just things. The higher you ascend, the more effective you become at working with reality to shape your outcomes towards your goals. What at one point seemed impossible, complex, it then becomes simple.” – Eric Coffie

Watch the video below for a burst of confidence and motivation. Make the choice to light a fire within yourself.

All About the 8a Business Development Program

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The 8a Business Development Program is a government program which aims to even the playing field for businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. The program offers a myriad of assistance to entities that have 51% control by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. It is a vehicle that aids such disadvantaged entrepreneurs to gain access to the economic mainstream in American society, mostly when it comes to the aspect of government contracts. Government contracts can be quite elusive and frustrating; hence, such programs exist to give the aspiring entrepreneurs the solid footing they require to navigate the waves of the contract business.

Going by the name, the program aims at providing business development support to upcoming businesses in various fields such as Training, Financial assistance, Mentoring, Surety bonding, Procurement assistance, Business counselling, and provision of other technical and management support. Before we delve into the deep, let’s look into some of the perceived benefits of the program.

Benefits of 8(a) Business Development Program

Taking part in this program comes with some benefits such as:

Receiving sole-sourced contracts for business capped to $4 million for goods and services. For a manufacturing business, the business contracts get capped to $6.5 million. While the program equips businesses in both institutional and competitive know-how, it encourages them to involve themselves in competitive acquisitions.

Businesses registered with the 8a program can team up and bid on government contracts. By combining forces, companies can perform or service huge contracts through overcoming contract bundling- the effects alluded to combining two or more contracts.

It’s also worth noting that contracting officers have their quota to meet for their set-aside bonus. Whether a business opportunity has a declared set-aside or not, your business will still enjoy a competitive advantage since the government is mandated to set aside at least $25 billion towards small and disadvantaged businesses. As such, it gives the contracting officers the chance to work on your entity aimed at hitting their quota.

By business entities registering for the program, they can get exposure from other seasoned business entities when it comes to learning the ropes. The program achieves this through the Mentor Protege Program.

Since the program certification lasts up to nine years, your business has the potential of earning up to $100 million or five times the SBA (Small Business Administration) limit. Most business entities hit this target during that period.

 

Requirements For The 8a Program

The first step is usually associated with potential candidates checking out their Small Business Administration‘s (SBA) size standards. It doesn’t matter the nature of your business, there is always a North American Industry Classification Standard (NAICS) code associated with your business. Your SBA will determine the size of your entity by your workforce or your annual revenues. For instance, if your firm deals in manufacturing machine tools accessories or machine cutting tools, its NAICS code will be 333515. For the entity’s consideration as a small business, it must have less than five hundred employees.

The next requirement centers on the business owner. According to the stipulated rules of the 8a Program, the entity applying for the program has to be 51% owned by people who are socially and economically disadvantaged. Further to this, they have to take part in the daily operation and planning of the business. The question stands. What does it mean to be economically and socially disadvantaged?

Simply put it means;

Individuals who have experienced or been a subject of either ethnic, cultural, or racial prejudice within the American society due to them identifying or subscribing to particular groups without regarding their individual qualities. Further, their social disadvantages must emanate from factors beyond their control.

Such groups of people under this category would include; African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asia Pacific Americans, Native Americans, Sub-continent Asian Americans, and any other group of individuals classified by the SBA from time to time.

Under the social disadvantage bracket, we have; the physically handicapped, gender affiliations, Being a long term residence in a placed ascribed as being isolated from the mainstream American society, and any quality that makes one a target for discrimination or prejudice that is beyond one’s control.

The second stage highlights the economic disadvantage part which states that;

Socially disadvantaged individuals whose ability to take part in a free enterprise system hasn’t been successful due to lack of credit opportunities or diminished financial capabilities in comparison to others who are in the same line of business or who aren’t disadvantaged socially.

To qualify for the program, one has to meet the government programs socio-economic requirements as mentioned above. Other factors that are taken into account to be eligible for the program has to do with personal income, net worth and one’s value in personal assets as outlined below:

  1. Have a personal net worth of $250,000 or below
  2. Have an adjustable three-year gross income of $250, 000 or less
  3. The owner’s assets should be $4,000,000 or lower.

 

Requirements for Registration

Before registration, each entity or firm needs to take an online assessment evaluation to gauge its suitability for the course. The first segment of the course explains the program in detail, which culminates in a self-assessment eligibility test. The test comprises of simple yes and no answers aimed at evaluating the degree to which one’s entity meets the stipulated requirements of the 8a program. In the eventuality that your firm doesn’t match the stated requirements, you’ll get directed to the SBA resource tasked to aid you at that time.

The application process typically gets done electronically. If, however, you would like to do it on paper, you are required to get in touch with your local SBA District’s office to obtain the necessary application papers.

 

Conclusion

It is imperative for local firms or businesses that view themselves as economically and socially disadvantaged to register for such development programs to take advantage of federal allocations. Despite the registration process being hard, the benefits remain to be quite immense and would boost one’s business to the next level keeping in mind that such allocations will always be forthcoming.