Garnett Newcombe - Be a Successful Government Contractor: Essential Strategies for Women-Owned Businesses to Become a Government Contractor

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Newcombe, Garnett

Be a Successful Government Contractor: Essential Strategies for
Women-Owned Businesses to Become a Government Contractor

ISBN:978-161-339-5059

For further information contact AudioInk +14255266480 or email

Adopting the right mindset is the missing link in determining whether women-owned businesses will be successful in doing business with the government. Some of the assumptions holding women back include: My business is too small to do business with the government, There will be too much paperwork involved, or I attended a workshop and now I feel completely overwhelmed.

As the owner of a woman-owned business, the biggest obstacle for me was my mindset, which made the difference between failing and succeeding in gaining the government as my customer. In the end, I succeeded and this book will show you how to do the same!

Ill explain the 5 essential mindset shifts that will make you successful. Ill provide the information you need to understand government thinking, and then Ill outline 9 successful strategies that work.

If you read this book and apply what you learn, you will increase your ability to win contracts and take on the government as a customer. While this book is written for women-owned businesses, men may find it helpful as well and at the very least, it will help them gain an insight into how women approach various situations in business.

Quoting my husband, Eric NewcombePeople spend 99% of their time telling themselves they are unable to accomplish a task because they are scared.

Your mindset is key to your business success and it is critical to becoming a successful government contractor. In order to experience your maximum business potential, the entire process begins with a complete shift in the way you think about doing business with the government, because with the wrong mindset you are doomed to fail.

What is mindset? According to theEncarta World English Dictionary, it is a set of beliefs or a way of thinking that determines somebodys behavior and outlook. I define it as an attitude that allows us to see the connection between our business beliefs and that of the larger organization, be it government, non-profits, or private sector. In understanding this connection, we gain a greater understanding of and appreciation for our business and others in this diverse world of business.

Changing your mindset is all about having the right attitude and while that is not something that comes automatically, a positive attitude can be one of the greatest assets that you can nurture in your business. It will determine how far your company will go in developing and achieving new outcomes.

In a perfect world, a business owners attitude is reflected in their business thoughts, beliefs about the business and the image of their business. Business owners often choose to have a positive attitude no matter what economic times they are facing. As the CEO, if you have a positive attitude, you will attract good things to your business, such as positive employees that believe in you and positive customers that trust you and depend on your services or products. The good news is that you have complete control over both situations, and if done properly, you will increase your business bottom-line.

Most of us believe we dont portray a negative or rigid mindset even when we do, and without awareness, most of us think in a way that severely limits our chances of success in a given circumstance. The wrong mindset places a dark cloud over your company. It can make employees feel limited or shut down when it comes to creativity or generating solutions. This cloud can bring unnecessary chaos on your business and it can totally ruin your chances of success.

The collection of rigid views that develop as a result of fear, isolation, and lack of knowledge can formulate into the wrong mindset. Furthermore, if you have a tendency to blame others and never take responsibility of the role you play, it will stop you from moving forward and being able to focus on generating new revenue. Then, its easy to become scared and automatically shut down any potential for increasing your chances of becoming profitable and successful.

Positive Mindset at Work - Your First Score

Before my company, Human Potential Consultants (HPC) opened in Los Angeles, my sister Joyce a co-founder and I decided to get it off the ground in Detroit, MI. I flew out to Detroit to set up an office (with) basic business necessities. My sister already had relationships established with a government entity that required assistance with pre-employment preparation and job placement services for persons with disabilities. We recognized that there was a high demand for providing these types of services for this population and our business model matched the needs of this particular government agency. We submitted our fees, developed the scope of work, the required performance measurements and we were off to an awesome start. HPC Detroit now had an office, clients, and a revenue stream. We kicked back over coffee. There was a sense of accomplishment our first time out the gate.

For this first particular contract, HPC assessed and trained our first new clients and placed them in jobs. In return, we got our first check. It was $2000 and it was one of the most satisfying pieces of paper Ive ever held. Later, we earned $2,500, then $4,000, and on and on. We were off to the races. In our first three months, we trained over 20 people and placed them in jobs. It was a simple business plan, and it was working. I flew back to Los Angeles full of vim and vigor. For some, this success may appear to be small but it was huge for my sister and me. Our mindset was a positive one and we believed that we could duplicate the exact model in California, but we were in for a surprise.

Holding On To the Right Mindset The Setback

After returning to Los Angeles, I had a feeling of confidence. My main focus was to implement the exact approach we used in Detroit. It was a simple business approach and it made sense to me. The operative word here is me. From the onset, I didnt take into consideration what the government agencies needs or wants were in California. I was like a bulldozer, plowing through anybody or anything that got in my way. The assumption was, if I talked to the top people, they would understand what HPC had to offer because there was a high demand for assistance with people with disabilities, so I thought. Many doors were shut in my face because I had no clue as to what the government needed and I didnt take the time to find out. It was only about me and what HPC had to offer.

After I stopped and regained my composure from the many closed doors, I did some research and determined that Californias population focus was indeed people with disabilities. However, this was the time during the Clinton Welfare Reform and the state had completely different priority individuals on welfare. The government agencies had a total different mindset. That is, they were comfortable with organizations they were working with, i.e. non-profit, 501(c) (3)s. These organizations had been providing services to the government for decades and the decision makers didnt have a need for new services or vendors.