Continuous Education for Small Businesses in Government Contracting

I try to live by the saying, “Learn Something New Everyday.” In the world of Business Development, Capture and Proposals for the Federal Market, we often feel overwhelmed with our to-do list. For example, if we are in a supervisory position responsible for Profit & Loss (P & L), we may find our time is consumed with responsibilities causing us to lose sight of our employees’ training and personal improvement opportunities. Finding ways to balance our time with high professional demands can be difficult, to say the least. It is especially tough for Small Businesses with fewer resources than other companies causing training to become an afterthought.

Something I have found useful are the on-line training resources the US Small Business Administration makes available. This allows me to conduct self-paced training as my schedule allows. Each course averages 30 minutes in length and you can log-off and return at your convenience. Even better, it costs nothing and I continually learn new things I can share with coworkers and my clients. Even if you are not part of a small business, I recommend you check the site out for there is information that applies to all socioeconomic organizations.

A couple of useful classes they offer are, “How to Prepare Government Proposals,” which explains the Government’s contract-solicitation process and provides their perspective on how to prepare a response. Another is, “Government Contracting 101,” designed to help small businesses understand how the Government buys goods and services. This is a three part series providing a very good overview of contracting basics. I also like, “Marketing 101: A Guide to Winning Customers.” designed to give you practical marketing tips, and real world examples. This one is directed to small business owners who want to reach a broader customer base.

These examples just touch the surface of the resources the US Small Business Administration provides. “Learn Something New Everyday” by going to their site at https://www.sba.gov/tools/sba-learning-center and get started today. Training is everyone’s business and this is one way you can take personal responsibility and make it your business.

Agility Development Group is a learning company that uses an integrated, ‘vested interests’ approach to support the growth of our business partners. Our Learning Services include customized classes centered on sharing our experiences with numerous successful proposal efforts. View the entire list here: https://www.agility-grp.com/what-we-do/learning-services/