Federal Opportunities for Your Small Business

Clients. They are the life-blood of your small business. Do you have enough of them? Does anyone?
 
Want me to let you in on a little secret? OK, it's a big secret. It's Federal Government big.
 
Did you know that the government spends over $200 billion on goods and services each year?  Chances are they buy what you sell, but, if you are like most small business owners, you aren't even aware of the opportunities offered by the government to capitalize on this tremendous market.  Go ahead!  Make the government your client!
 
You are wondering, perhaps, why the government would want to buy from a small business owner such as yourself.  The answer is, The Small Business Act (Act) established the SBA to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, and to insure that small businesses like you receive a fair portion of the Federal Government's purchases.  That means the federal government is required by law to do business with you either directly or indirectly.  If your business isn't yet strong enough to bid on a federal contract, don't rule yourself out of the race: consider sub-contracting opportunities or even partnering with a larger company.  The federal government has many programs that can assist you.
 
Let's talk about what you need to do to get in the system, and how you can profit from the process.  

First of all, you need to let the government know that you exist and that you want to develop a vendor relationship with it.  
 
Second, the government has its own special terminology when it comes to communicating with potential vendors — and you have to learn how to speak the language.  
 
Third, you have to understand how the government will classify your small business.  This really effects what opportunities are available to you and the scale that will be used to determine your contract bid.  Are a woman-owned business, a veteran owned business, a small-disadvantaged business?  Are you located in a HubZone?  Are you small by the government's definition and standards for your industry?  Small to the government is probably a lot larger that you think…  Don't count yourself out before you get the facts.
 
Fourth, what are you selling?  A product or a service? You'll need to clarify this as you proceed.  But keep in mind, any product and/or service that you sell to your private clients is most likely utilized by one or more government agency as well – and they have to get it all somewhere!  They need paper clips and haircuts and offices cleaned and food prepared and, yes, toilets and toilet paper as well.  Why shouldn't it be you providing these essential products?
 
For example, at the time of the writing of this article, the Air Force has an open solicitation for a vendor to furnish all personnel, equipment, transportation, and supplies necessary to provide laundry rental services;  the U.S. Coast Guard in Los Angeles has need of janitorial services; the Bureau of Prisons needs a Vocational Sewing Instructor and The Department of Health and Human Services needs clerical and translation support in Louisiana.  Each of these solicitations have been set aside for what the government has defined as Total Small Business.
 
Fifth, when you're ready to sell, who do you talk to?  Who are the key people that you should know in order to market your product and/or services?   Sometimes dealing with the federal government can be cumbersome, the possible contacts are too many to count.  If you're like most small business owners, you have neither the time nor the resources that it would take to sift through the thousands of names and numbers at all of these agencies.
 
AWebb, LLC can help you. In our guide Making the U.S. Government Your Customer, we provide a very methodical step-by-step process that will prove to be a MUST HAVE for every small business owner seeking to expand his or her client base to include government agencies, offices and projects.  Our workbook takes the guesswork out of what you need to do to open up the doors to the agencies that need what you offer.
 
As you proceed, you'll be able to use the helpful notes section to keep record of your progress and maintain your business resources in one central location.  This manual has been developed for you, the small entrepreneur with dreams for unlimited success.  
 
You are invited to meet the author of Making the U.S. Government Your Customer and President of AWebb this August for a live in-depth workshop on this topic.  At the upcoming Dream It, Plan It, Do It! 2006 Success Strategies Conference to be held in Valencia, CA, August 16-19, Arnitha Webb will lead a panel with Pamela Smith-Cressel of the General Services Association.  They will provide you with an in-depth understanding of what you should do to build your relationships and bottom-line with government agencies.
 
This is your opportunity to find out from the experts how to get your business in the system, to generate new sales and foster exciting new growth with this country's largest purchaser of the kinds of products and services you offer.  Don't wait.  The secret won't last forever.