Are you positive that you have the best financing in place? Ever question the charges or fees you're paying? Do you know what is industry standard versus excessive. Recently I had our partner Encore Funding look at 3 of my students previous agreements with finance companies and found many ways that they had been taken advantage of. For far too long this has become the industry norm and now with a trusted ethical company on our side we can rest assured that we are getting the best overall rate. V...
Feb 19, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 253
In this episode, we talk about the imporance of organizational training programs and project management. We discuss the various types of training programs that can be implemented in organizations, from safety training to soft skills training, and how the government's contractual requirements dictate which training programs are needed. We also talk about project management and the different levels of program management and how our guest expert was able to grow in their role, from resource manager...
Feb 18, 2025•10 min
In this episode of The Daily Windup, I interviews a successful entrepreneur, Likia Hawkins, who transitioned from being a contractor in the Intelligence Community (IC) to starting her own business. She shares her experience of planning and executing a solid plan to grow her business while navigating the challenges of increasing brand awareness in the IC community. Likia also provides insights into the IC community and explains that it includes the top 13 agencies that primarily support national ...
Feb 17, 2025•7 min
In this episode of The Daily Wind Up, we have a conversation between experts about quad charts and combatant commands. Quad charts are used in government contracting to concisely and clearly summarize a company's technology and capabilities, while combatant commands refer to the different regional commands in the military. Our experts explains the various components of a quad chart, such as the technology overview and bullet points that make the company stand out. He also provides a specific exa...
Feb 16, 2025•9 min
In this episode, we will be discussing the best practices for container security. Integrating security early in the DevOps pipeline is crucial to identifying critical vulnerabilities in your production-ready apps before they ever reach production. Scanning frequently and scanning early are also important practices to adopt in order to ensure that your code is secure. Establishing quality checks within your DevOps pipeline and monitoring aging images are also important practices to adopt. Avoid r...
Feb 15, 2025•8 min
In this episode of The Daily Windup podcast, I interview a successful entrepreneur about her journey to building her own business. She talks about her experience working in a large company where she was exposed to many different areas of expertise and how this experience gave her the faith she needed to start her own business. However, when she became the president and CEO of her own company, she found herself lacking the resources and support she had been used to. The entrepreneur explains how ...
Feb 14, 2025•9 min
In this episode of The Daily Windup podcast, we have a former cybersecurity expert who emphasizes the importance of developing a security plan for businesses, regardless of size or industry. He explains that such a plan is a living document that should grow and evolve as a company expands. They discuss various certifications and plans, including ISO 9,000, CMMC, and ISMS, that a company can consider depending on its needs. The conversation also delves into the administrative processes that are t...
Feb 13, 2025•9 min
Ever been burned by finance companies, I know I have. So often as small minority owned businesses we do not get the best rates, offers or just out right get taken advantage of because of what we don’t know. Thanks to our new partner, Encore Funding we are now bringing you a trusted source for government contract financing. With more than $500M in funding going to minorities alone in 2024 Encore is here to support your business. Visit encoregov.com for information on how to apply. At our 2024 GCG...
Feb 12, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 252
In this episode of The Daily Windup, we discuss the key components of a successful SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) proposal pitch deck. The importance of including a graphic of your company or logo, providing an overview of your product or service, and showcasing your company's history, expertise, and qualifications are vital. In this episode, we also emphasize the significance of accurately identifying your technology readiness level (TRL) and explaining why your technology is better ...
Feb 11, 2025•10 min
In today's episode of The Daily Windup, Eric Coffie interviews an expert who provides insights into the controls that need to be implemented by anybody using containers, such as OpenShift and Kubernetes. Organizations that modernize to the cloud and those running VMs may want to move to a more orchestrated environment using containers. They highlight the need for certain configurations, including agentless implementation and telemetry, for analysts to monitor environments for attacks, power abus...
Feb 10, 2025•8 min
In this episode of The Daily Wind Up, host Eric Coffie speaks with Nichelle Early, a successful entrepreneur who shares her experience with program management and proposal writing. She explains that while program management professional certification may not be necessary in all situations, it is useful for those managing large projects. She also emphasizes the importance of being a lifelong learner and seizing opportunities to gain new knowledge and skills. Nichelle also discusses how her faith ...
Feb 09, 2025•9 min
In this episode of The Daily Windup, we have Likia Hawkins talk about her plans for the future and her strategies for growth. She explains that her current focus is on pursuing government contract vehicles, such as GWA contract vehicles, and winning single award contracts to align with their capability as a prime contractor. She also emphasize the importance of talent acquisition and building a dynamic culture that cultivates intellectual and independent thought. She also discusses their approac...
Feb 08, 2025•7 min
In this episode we discuss the keys to successfully winning government contracts. Diane Dempsey, who is an industry expert, emphasizes the importance of thoroughly analyzing requests for proposals (RFPs) and determining whether a company is qualified to bid on a project. She advises listeners to pay attention to past performance and staff composition, as well as ensuring financial viability. She also warns against using overly flowery language and making unsupported claims. Lastly, she gives a g...
Feb 07, 2025•6 min
In today's episode of The Daily Windup, we talks to Joshua Atkinson about the importance of project management education and certification. He explains that having industry certifications such as a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification can make a veteran more employable when transitioning to civilian life. Additionally, learning about project management can make anyone a better teammate or employee because every project is focused on satisfying customers and improving profitability...
Feb 06, 2025•8 min
Today’s show was brought to you by our sponsor Encore Funding. Have you or someone you know recently been awarded a government contract and cannot secure funding? Encore Funding has your back, with a recently launched Government division they are funding your receivables so you can just focus on the work. Visit encoregov.com for more information on how to get the money you need to continue growing your business. In this episode, we dive deep into the SBA Mentor Protégé Program, a transformative ...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 251
In this episode of the Daily Windup, Diane Dempsey shared tips from her experience in supplier diversity. She discuss the importance of streamlined processes for small businesses and how they can affect change in their field. With this, she is able to impact the bottom line in her role and can affect change through leadership. She emphasizes the need for small businesses to have processes in place that are streamlined and trigger regular updates. Diane also suggests that small businesses need to...
Feb 04, 2025•9 min
In this episode, Joshua Atkinson talks about the benefits of project management certification. He emphasizes that certifications help upskill individuals and make them more attractive to employers, although there is no guarantee of a higher salary. However, in certain industries such as cybersecurity and government contracting, certification has become mandatory. The guest also highlights the importance of project management in various industries such as healthcare, IT and software, insurance, a...
Feb 03, 2025•8 min
In this episode, Lori and I talk about the common mistakes businesses make while bidding for government contracts. Lorie stresses the importance of being prepared before submitting proposals, having a bid or no bid concept, understanding rules of engagement, and reaching out to the right people. She advises businesses to cross out any inaccuracies in proposal writers' work and to be patient in obtaining government contracts. We also emphasize aligning the contracts with the long-term strategy of...
Feb 02, 2025•9 min
In this episode, we talk about the importance of marketing research for small businesses. Attending industry days is one of the best ways for small businesses to approach capture managers and to learn about future opportunities. We also have Diane Demspey, Director of Small Business Programs, who shares valuable insights on how small businesses can succeed in the government contracting space. Dianne discusses how the company she works for supports small businesses by introducing them into their ...
Feb 01, 2025•8 min
In this episode, I speak to Lori Smith about CCN, which stands for Community Care Network, the VA's way of sending patients out into the community when they're not able to treat them internally. CCN establishes the largest independent healthcare network of independent contractor providers, and Lori volunteered to do region four. Later, she ended up getting the whole program, and with that, they took over the contract admin or the post-award aspect of it. This episode offers insight into the CCN ...
Jan 31, 2025•13 min
In this episode, we share tips on how small businesses can succeed at conferences. Diane Dempsey talks about and emphasizes the importance of understanding the competitive environment, identifying and highlighting one's capabilities, and avoiding embellishments. She also advises to be prepared when attending conferences by signing up for matchmaking early, knowing where large businesses are located, and having business cards ready. Additionally, she suggests that small businesses should say the ...
Jan 30, 2025•7 min
In this episode of the Govcon Giants Podcast, we have a special guest Leslie Faircloth, a dynamic small business advocate working with the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWC TSD). Leslie and her team are responsible for creating over $100 million in small business opportunities annually, all while supporting NAWC TSD’s mission of maintaining 98% operational availability on 18,800 training devices across the globe. Join us as Leslie shares practical advice on aligning your b...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 250
In this episode, we talk about Lori's experience working with FEMA. She shares how she applied for a GS 12 position with FEMA as a favor to their mother, but was offered a GS 13 supervisory position by her former boss instead. She also discusses the nuances of working with FEMA, including planning and posturing for disaster response. You will learn insights for small businesses if you are interested in breaking into doing business with FEMA. They emphasize the importance of planning and posturin...
Jan 28, 2025•8 min
In this episode, we have Lori Smith, the CEO of Acu-Elligent LLC. Lori shares her expertise in government contracting, to educate on how you can efficiently and effectively do business with the government. Her organization, Acu-Elligent, aims to dissolve the myth surrounding government contracting and help people navigate the contracting process with ease. Lori talks about her experience in federal service for 41 years, culminating in her role as the Director of Acquisition Services for the Comm...
Jan 27, 2025•8 min
In today's episode, we discuss the changes in the law related to veteran-owned small businesses. The removal of the requirement of the business to demonstrate good character in order to receive SDVOSB service-disabled veteran owner certification was highlighted. Now, you could be a veteran on a small business and not even be in good character. The direct ownership qualification requires veterans to own the entity directly and not through a holding company or other entity. The annual budget submi...
Jan 26, 2025•9 min
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 ...
Jan 25, 2025•10 min
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!
Jan 24, 2025•6 min
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 opportuniti...
Jan 23, 2025•8 min
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 th...
Jan 22, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 249
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, an...
Jan 21, 2025•9 min
