How to Do Business with Large Corporations
Over the past several weeks, I’ve had several interesting conversations with diverse suppliers who were seeking to gain access to the corporate supply chain. Published reports reflect that when a small business acquires a contract with a government agency or corporation, they grow by about 260%. That growth translates into …
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June is the Perfect Time of Year for Self-Reflection
Ah, summertime! I love this time of year. Long days, vacations, warm weather, graduations, weddings… And as a small business owner, it’s also an excellent time to reflect on where you currently are with the goals you’ve set for your business this year. The summer is a great mid-point to …
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What Are the Basics of Subcontracting
What Are the Basics of Subcontracting If you’re a minority or woman-owned small business and are looking to get into the world of government contracts, a great gateway can be to maneuver your way into subcontracting. Every year, the City of New York has a subcontracting goal of 30% for …
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Best Practices for Responding to and Winning RFPs
If you are looking to add government agencies to your client roster, you are going to have to develop expertise in responding to and winning RFPs. Here are my recommendations for some of the best practices you can follow: Read the Entire Solicitation: Avoid skipping right to the scope of …
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Should You Go After Small/Micro Purchases Contracts?
Are you thinking about making the city of NYC your next client? If you’re a small M/WBE in the City of New York, maybe you should be! Last year, New York City spent over a $1 billion on contracts with M/WBEs. That’s up over $32 million over the same period …
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Get the New Year Started Off Right by Learning How to Market to the Government
There are always milestones throughout the year where we check in with our small business’ finances. This is usually tax time and the beginning of fall (new school year!), but the most natural place to do some checking in is at the end of the year. Not only does the …
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Demonstrating Procurement Readiness is a Necessary Step of Getting Government Contracts
Your business is finally certified to work with government agencies! Now what? One of the most common things I see when helping M/WBEs is the frustration of small business owners being unable to land any government contracts after becoming certified. This is precisely what happened to me 30 years ago …
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Why You Need to Understanding Your Contract Responsibilities
Sometimes, M/WBEs are so focused on landing government contracts that they put the compliance part of the job on the backburner. Then, by the time they are getting ready to start working, the contract obligations and responsibilities are not clear to their team. This can cause a ton of headaches …
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How You Should Be Responding to RFPs for Goods
One of the most common questions that I get at workshops for M/WBEs is, “Are all RPFs the same?” And the answer is no! Some RFPs require a tremendous amount of detailed paperwork, especially if you are going to be doing extensive work for the government. Others, like RFPs for …
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How to Create a Compliant Cost Estimate for Goods and Services Bids, Proposals, and RFPs
One of the biggest opportunities for small business of all kinds, especially those owned by women or minorities, are government contracts. By winning government contracts, you can bring in an entirely new source of revenue, enable you to grow your business and become more successful than ever. This, of course, …
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