As firms grow, many begin to assess their need for a business intelligence tool to support their BD team. Christopher Pohle, Founder and CEO of Capture 2 Proposal (C2P), offers a defense tech solution for smaller and mid-size businesses that rivals the larger platforms with added flexibility and less costly customization. He discusses why he developed his platform in this manner and how companies can use it to fortify their pipeline.

Accessing and contracting with new federal agencies is a business development goal for many firms. Randy Lange, CEO and Managing Partner of Firebird Analytical Solutions & Technologies (AST), discusses how he leverages relationships and subcontracting partners to identify new opportunities for awards.

In celebration of Military Spouse Appreciation Day this Friday, Elizabeth Jamison, an attorney at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and military spouse, discusses the barriers that professionally credentialed military spouses face and the advances made by the Military Spouse JD Network and the Department of Defense to improve licensing issues.

n honor of the Month of the Military Child, Besa Pinchotti, Executive Director and CEO of the National Military Family Association, joins the podcast to discuss the new ways we can support military children of all ages, including a groundbreaking new program to connect teens.

Culminating our series focused on women leadership for Women’s History Month, Jenny Stone, CEO of Partner Forces, visits the podcast to discuss how she believes her generation is working to eliminate the sharp elbow/scarcity mentality of women in the government contracting industry and how depending on relationships has helped guide her professional career.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, Lauren chats with Courtney Jackson, CEO of Paragon Cyber Solutions, about founding a woman and veteran-owned small business by leveraging subcontracting partners. Focused on IT, Courtney uses her compliance expertise to grow her customer base.

Leah (Hermiller) Sanders, CEO of D&G Support Services, visits the podcast to discuss her firm’s recent admission into the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program. Lauren provides her with ideas to leverage the 8(a) program for organic business as well as new contract awards.

Greg Celestan, CEO of Celestar Corporation, discusses the strategy behind his company’s growth out of 8(a) status and the decision he made to decrease the firm’s size, transitioning back into a small business.

In honor of National Veterans and Military Families Month this November, Jose Jimenez shares the steps he is undertaking to open his federal contracting firm as veteran and small business owner.

In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, Jon Panamaroff, CEO of Command Holdings, a corporation owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, shares his story as a member of the Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak, the adversity he faced, and his focus on growth within the tribe’s business sectors.

Katie Lopez, Director of Military and Workforce Development for the Tampa Bay Chamber, speaks about the importance of veteran and military spouse hiring. She discusses the importance of advocacy and quality of life issues both in the local and defense communities.

We reconnect with Iron EagleX CEO Michael Grochol as he celebrates his company’s 2021 win as Tampa’s fastest growing company. He provides an update to last year’s podcast interview on how his team has changed, learning from their losses and his advice for other small businesses. Listen to the first podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/user-892965027/small-business-bootcamp-iron-eaglex-inc?si=66c9c00b0eef400dbe73a57507d3f2a9

Carlos Salvat, CEO of security firm Defense Elevated, shares his motivations and strategy as a new small business working to win their first contract. A first generation American and intelligence officer supporting Defense Intelligence Agency at USCENTCOM, Carlos is identifying ways to utilize his passion for public service and his background in counterterrorism to provide the government with contracting solutions.

Mike Jones, U.S. Army Major General (Retired) and a Senior Strategist at WWC Global, details the skills involved in becoming an effective leader. Based on his learned leadership at both the junior and senior levels, he describes the key components necessary to inspire a positive professional culture such as a shared common set of values, an ethical focus, and the importance of doing what is best for the organization.

We recently learned about the untimely passing of Greg Pellegrino, former executive at Deloitte. Prior to his death, we had recorded this episode focused on the importance of incremental thinking in entrepreneurship, manufacturing, and consulting. As someone who dedicated much of his career to mentorship, we publish it in his honor today.

Haley Uthlaut is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, a former Army officer with deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, a Gold Star spouse, and the current spouse of an active duty Army officer. Haley worked with Lauren and Donna to found InGear Career, now a part of the US Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Professional Network, one of the first non-profit organizations aimed at supporting professional military spouses across the career spectrum. In this episode, the women discuss the adversities they faced both in their personal and professional lives as military-connected spouses.

Will Goodman, acquisition policy expert and former Policy Director at NDIA of the NDIA, discusses new legislation aimed at supporting small businesses moving into mid-level size. With expertise in business and government regulations, Will provides details on a new ESOP policy that will help businesses as they bridge the gap out of 8(a) status.

As retired deputy commander of USSOCOM, Sean Pybus ensured the readiness of joint forces and conducted operations worldwide. During this time, he was supported by 5,000+ contractors each year. In this episode, Sean relays his perspective and ideas on how best to support government contracting clients.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Colonel Rachel McCaffrey (Ret, USAF), Vice President of Membership and Chapters for the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and the Executive Director of Women in Defense (WID), discusses how leaders can confront gender and racial bias to build more diverse, inclusive teams. With applicable advice for both the government and private sector, Rachel encourages managers to “make the room bigger” and hire people who deserve the opportunity -- not just those applicants who fit 100% of the requirements.

From her time as an Executive Vice President at MSNBC through her multiple appointments in the White House, Rosemary Williams, Specialist Executive at Deloitte Consulting, provides insight into gaining a political appointment and approaching these contacts as a federal contracting firm.

As a collegiate basketball coach and military spouse, Elizabeth O’Brien realized she would need to pivot her career to continue on a professional track. Through a connection in her military spouse network, she began work at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was able to establish and support one of the largest military spouse networking organizations in U.S. history, the Military Spouse Professional Network (currently, over 60,000 members). Now the Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Learning Group, Elizabeth discusses how she has used her coaching skills to excel in different roles during her professional career.

Mary Reding, a government affairs executive with diverse private sector, non-profit, and public sector experience, spent time in the Office of Management and Budget prior to transitioning to a business development position at a large contracting firm. Focused on supporting Veterans Affairs, Mary provides insight about working with veteran owned firms, how to write a white paper that will land new business, and how small firms can leverage their capabilities to work with a large firm.

Alexis Kovalchick, Senior Account Executive at General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), has brought many small firms into GDIT’s partner ecosystem. This interview provides advice and tips on how to define a firm’s value proposition until it is large enough to expand into other specialized areas. She also discusses the best ways to approach a big firm on partnering on a contract together. According to Alexis, “It’s a team effort with both firms bringing important mission requirements to the table.” Click to hear the full interview.

Outsourcing human resources functions enables a government contracting firm to have scalability and the support of legal, healthcare, risk, and compliance specialists. It can also be a benefit when bidding on new contracts. Doug Constable and Kevin Kelley of Insperity, an HR solutions company, answer top of mind questions for managing, supporting and creating a positive culture for staff.

Once a firm receives 8(a) status, contract awards should be a given but it takes work. Wendy Romeu, President and Rebecca Granger, Project Manager of Alluvionic, an 8(a) woman-owned small business, discuss the growth of their project management firm. Lessons include using relationships to win RFIs, requesting specific information (e.g. contract lead on a certain project) from the Small Business Administration offices, and acting as a subcontractor first to open more doors.

Aisha Bowe, Founder and CEO of Stemboard, discusses leveraging 8(a) status, her focus on innovative solutions to societal challenges, and how her workforce of engineers and programmers pivoted to business development as a result of the pandemic. Leadership does not mean you must have all the answers, but that you work with your staff to learn and identify new business opportunities together. For more information on Stemboard, click here - https://www.stemboard.com/ For more information on Aisha Bowe, click here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishabowe/

From the RFP release to the final submission, drafting a winning proposal is the key to the contract award. Leslie Leaver Bermudez. President and Founder of Strategic Business Solutions and government contracting proposal expert, breaks down the process - how to determine if it is worth a bid, key sections to review and government technicalities that need to be followed.

This episode tackles the topic of people and human resources within a growing contracting firm. Heidi Snell, Chief People Officer at WWC Global, discusses ways to identify the core strengths of the employees within an organization and how to cultivate a transparent culture that is open to feedback and change. It is important to understand what motivates people and have critical conversations, even when that can be difficult.

Government contracting firms transform in different ways. Veteran and entrepreneur, Michael Grochol purchased Iron Eagle X in 16 days (!). The company’s existing security clearances, accounting system and other fully compliant offerings enabled him to make this a lucrative sale and land immediate contract wins. He has grown the company 600% since he purchased it last year. On this episode, Michael explores making the leap as an entrepreneur, his advice for growth and always asking, “what is the worst that can happen?”

How does an emerging defense contract firm determine fair and reasonable pricing? Jeffrey Shapiro, CPA, is a Partner at CohnReznick in the Firm’s Government Contracting Industry Practice. He provides advice on contract negotiation, when to communicate cost impacts and how to provide disclosures to contracting officers - all while still supporting the growth of the business.

There are many resources (some are even free!) available to small businesses in the Government Contracting space. Jenny Clark, with Solvability, is the self-declared “Oprah of Government Contracting” and provides advice on becoming compliant, how your capabilities need to correspond to your customer, and the accounting standards involved in the industry.

Frank Kuska, Vice President at WWC and retired Air Force Colonel at U.S. Special Operations Command, offers tangible advice for transitioning out of the military into industry. He highlights the importance of networking, attending events to meet firms and to be consistent with your career direction. Frank discusses the idea of leadership vs. management and ways to apply skills from the field to the private sector.

Most people in the industry agree, business is built via relationships. How does marketing play a role in this? On this episode, Seattle-based design agency Chalkbox Creative offers their recommendations for strategic marketing and provides a behind the scenes look of the WWC Global rebrand.

This episode introduces a new ongoing topic - a focus on a small business and the current obstacles they are facing in the industry. This discussion with Frank Vassallo, founder of Tecomsys, offers advice on new business development, specifically given the COVID environment, and how to best market your company’s capabilities. Lauren also reveals three “must-haves” for gaining a new contract.

There are a few key steps to establishing your company as a federal contracting partner. Karen Krymski, Florida PTAC at University of South Florida, specializes in helping businesses branch into government contracting or expand beyond their current projects. She explains how to optimally market your firm and obtain more subcontracting partners and contract awards.

Banking goes beyond straight financial reporting in the government contracting industry, it also encompasses planning for contract awards, strategic direction for the company and focusing on the evolution of the client. Gwynn Davey, President, and Aaron Jones, Florida Director of Government Contracting, both at ServisFirst Bank, discuss the ways a banking partner can help a small business fulfill their organization goals and strategies.

Recently, protests seem to be increasing during contract awards. While many are filed on behalf of firms, they often settle out. Mary Beth Bosco, an attorney at Holland & Knight, discusses the protest system and how to effectively manage it on behalf of your firm.

Relationships with members of Congress and regional elected officials are a key component to success in government contracting. Carlye Morgan, Principal at Shumaker Advisors Florida, LLC discusses the role of lobbying as a small business owner and the importance of engaging with government leaders.

Planning and managing budgets are a top concern for both firms and contracting officers. Join WWC financial management experts Greg Porter, former Deputy Comptroller of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and Bill Staley, former Deputy Comptroller of U.S. Army Financial Management Command, as they discuss the timelines associated with financial spend, execution, close-out and bill payment. They also discuss the implications of COVID-19 on the budgeting process.

Small commercial businesses CAN land massive government contracts. This discussion features Amy Martinez-Monfort, owner of the Tampa Laundry Company, as she shares her experience developing her first government proposal (3 inch binder and all!), securing the bid and helping her small business (a laundromat) diversify, supporting MacDill Air Force Base and Camp Blanding with laundry services.

Landing some government contracts requires specific security clearances for firms and individuals. This interview features Tammy Ferreira, a security expert and founder of Investigations & Industrial Security Solutions (i2s2), as she details the government security clearances processes and how to set up a solid security process for small to medium-sized business.

Many small businesses enter government contracting via subcontracting. On this episode, Subcontracting 101, Lauren and Donna share their lessons learned, how to navigate the pitfalls of subcontracting and avoid “one brother stabbing another brother.” The devil is in the details and they can make all the difference as to whether your company flounders or thrives.

Lauren Weiner discusses the differences in business development and marketing between the commercial world and government services. What are the different approaches that the government is expecting versus a commercial customer? How would you advise emerging companies on what their value is? Lauren also gives a few examples from her experiences.

WWC CEO Lauren Weiner and WWC President and COO Donna Huneycutt introduce the WWC Podcast, a podcast series discussing government contracting and consulting. This introductory episode discusses how Lauren and Donna met, their journey in starting WWC in 2004, and their growth since its inception.