Helping Each Other Succeed

What does it matter if I invest time talking with business owners? It's not my business. Why should I care?

What a delight to talk with a young woman yesterday. She was demonstrating her product. "These are my grandmother's recipes" she said with pride. Little did she know I had spoken to another family member three weeks ago. I learned that they used to do all the manufacturing themselves, but their product has made it into several national grocery chains, so they have outsourced manufacturing locally which has created jobs. Again I listened, then asked "are you interested in a government contract"? At first she appeared disinterested. After all she doesn't know me or my motivation for asking this. Then I explained we had participated in the 2013 Governors Roadshow, and that GCAP is currently teaching a series on Federal contraction. I asked two more simple questions: are you certified as a Women Owned Business or as an Emerging Small Business. No, she said, I'm not. "Did you know the prison system is one of the largest purchasers of food?" Again, she said no. I hadn't even thought about it.

What started off as an aloof response, turned to a serious conversation. A five minute conversation may prove life changing for her. She thanked me profusely. And she is not alone. Our goal is to share information, create partnerships, build relationships and help others grow. In turn, we hope they will do the same for others.

Winning Government Contracts: Can Small Businesses Really Compete?

Is your small business certified as an Emerging Small Business? There are several special certifications any  eligible small businesses in Oregon can apply for. If you can't manage a government contract, it's possible you could work as a subcontractor for a prime contractor.

Government Contracting Assistance Program (GCAP) partners with government and various organizations to help small businesses overcome barriers to compete for government contracts. It doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen. Perhaps you've heard about huge government contracts. Did you know there are also small ones? There is a knack to getting all this figured out. If you have more questions than answers that's okay. In some instances small business owners may not even know where to begin asking questions. That's okay too. The fact is we all have to start somewhere. The operative word is "start".

If terms like DUNS, NAICS and SAMS baffle you, GCAP offers free educational and technical assistance. To learn more about this free service visit http://gcap.org/