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 ant
to join the ranks of women business owners doing
business with the federal government? Your first
step is to log on to www.womenbiz.gov
and locate the SBA Government Contracting staff
closest to you.
Enterprising Women: How is the SBA helping
to open doors for women-owned firms that want to
do business with the federal government?
Melanie
Sabelhaus: Helping women-owned businesses is
integrated into all that we do at the SBA. They
are our fastest-growing market segment! I meet with
my counterparts at all of the major agencies regularly,
and the amount of procurement dollars going to women-owned
firms is always one of our top issues to discuss.
We measure their achievement, and then reward those
who excel with an Award of Excellence at our Annual
Entrepreneurial Conference.
But,
in addition to opening doors at the very top, we
need to encourage women to knock on those doors.
The SBA developed the www.womenbiz.gov
Web site to assist women business owners in accessing
the federal marketplace. This site provides links
to over 100 procurement Web sites, including links
to all of the major federal agencies. It also includes
a section on how to get started in this arena.
EW:
Can you bring our readers up to date on the
SBA's National Matchmaking Program?
Sabelhaus:
This is an exciting new venture we began in
2002 to bring procurement opportunities to companies
beyond the Washington beltway. We bring together
federal, state, and local buying activities and
large prime contractors with identified procurement
needs with small businesses qualified to meet those
needs. They don't meet at a mass expo -
they have a pre-arranged meeting to discuss if and
how they can do business together. This is a real
opportunity.
A
major focus of our Contract Assistance for Women
Business Office has been to spread the word about
these events to women across the country, and the
results have been terrific. Hundreds of women have
benefited from this program.
EW:
What advice can you offer women business owners
who want to do business with the federal government,
but have not yet landed their first contract?
Sabelhaus:
The first one is always the hardest! Be relentless.
Knock on every door. Follow-up diligently.
Don't
only work hard, but work smart! Contact your local
SBA office and see how they can help. Log on to
www.womenbiz.gov
and locate the SBA Government Contracting staff
closest to you. Commercial Market Representatives
(CMRs) work with large prime contractors to maximize
small business opportunities. Sub-contracting can
be your entry to the prime-contracting arena.
EW:
We've profiled Lurita Doan and Gloria Bohan for
this issue. What do you think has made them so successful?
Sabelhaus:
Lurita Doan and Gloria Bohan are great examples
of women-owned firms doing substantial business
with the government. Lurita Doan's philosophy is
"she goes where others are afraid to go." For example,
one of her first contracts from the federal government
was in an obscure border town in Arizona. She was
the only person to bid on the $25,000 contract,
which she won, and turned into a multi-million dollar
deal. I love Lurita because she thinks big and bold.
EW:
Any closing thoughts you would like to share
with our readers?
Sabelhaus:
Women are the economic powerhouse of the 21st Century.
Not only are we starting businesses at twice the
rate of men and staying in business longer, we will
lead the way to an economic recovery for the United
States. Remember these three letters: S-B-A. We
do not want to be the best-kept secret. Our new
mantra is "I got my start at the SBA -
Nike, Fed Ex, Ben & Jerry's, Intel, Compaq…Are you
next?"
Women
are the best net workers in America. No one comes
close to networking the way we do. Relentless networking
is a key component to securing government contracts.
(This
article is reprinted from the Fall 2003 edition
of Enterprising Women magazine. Copyright
2003, Enterprising Women Inc. Reproduction in whole
or part is prohibited, except by permission of the
publisher.)
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