Ben Means Business

The U.S. Government is the absolute wealthiest customer any small business could ever obtain. The government always has demands for products and services and is not shy about entering into contracts for large sums of money with companies who can satisfy their needs. Despite the obvious monetary benefits, there are usually only a limited number of small businesses competing for these lucrative contracts. The reason that these small businesses don't go after these big contracts is simple........... it's "fear".

Which is why i decided to write this series. I aim to liberate you of those fears by empowering you with the knowledge necessary to identify, bid on, and obtain a government contract for your small business. To that end, I will dedicate 1 or 2 posts a week to the topic for the next couple of weeks. Today's post should serve as an introduction to government contracts. As such, the first thing that we have to do is dispel those common misconceptions that strike fear in the hearts of small business owners.

Government Contracts: The Common Misconception

Most small business owners think of government contracts as these humungous deals designed for Fortune 500 companies. Deals that will never be obtainable for small operations like yours. Well, you are so very wrong, and even worse, you may be missing out on tons of profit for your business. The fact is that the U.S. government understands the impact that small businesses have on the economy and have set aside certain contracts for small businesses.

They niche these classifications in such a way that would prohibit the large Fortune 500 vultures from getting them. This leaves only you and me to compete over larger contracts than either of us probably ever imagined. Don't believe me? Well, take out a pen and paper and answer the next few questions.

Are you a:

Small Business?

Woman-Owned Business?

Veteran-Owned or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business?

Small Disadvantaged Business?

HubZone Business?

Times up! Put your pen down. :)

If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, I suggest that you subscribe to rss(don't worry.. it's free) or check back often over the next few weeks to make sure that you don't miss a thing.

Are you currently in contract with the government? Currently writing a proposal? Leave a comment. We want to hear about your experiences.