“ VETERAN OWNED BUSINESS ROUNTABLE” By Peter Vazquez The  U.S. Small Business Administration  Veteran Certification offers a unique advantage for veteran-owned businesses, enabling them to tap into government and corporate contracting opportunities. _________________________________________________________________________________ Understanding the SBA Veteran Certification The Small Business Administration (#SBA) offers a Veteran Certification program to recognize businesses

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Personal, professional and business branding is occurring regularly, whether or not we are aware of it. From our web site presence to our postings on the sites of others, from our credit ratings to our cell phone records and application navigation, we are tracking others and being tracked ourselves. Deciding to become active in social networking is really a matter of managing personal, professional and business images/brands or having them manage

“WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY By Nick Wakeman “ IT security procedural guide for contractors implements the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s 800-171 standard, as well as certain 800-172 controls on systems in new contracts that handle CUI . “ ________________________________________________________________________________ “The General Services Administration is quietly placing new cybersecurity requirements on contracts that parallel the Defense Department’s CMMC pro

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Relevant information for future source selection purposes, regarding a contractor’s actions under previously awarded contracts. “ ______________________________________________________________________________ “It includes, for example, the contractor’s record of conforming to contract requirements and to standards of good workmanship; the contractor’s record of forecasting and controlling costs; the contractor’s adherence to contract schedules, in

“NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE” By Stew Magnuson   “ The strategy outlines 38 initiatives in five pillars: rebuild the industrial base; empower the acquisition workforce; streamline brittle processes; prioritize technical excellence; and resource system sustainment. “ ________________________________________________________________________________ “The Pentagon in its campaign to eliminate red tape has excised thousands of Federal Acquisition Regulation rules from its books, a se

“SMALLTOFEDS “ By Kayleigh Alexandra “It isn’t easy to acquire a government contract, especially if your business is just getting started, but it isn’t impossible, and the benefits can be substantial. If it’s an option you’d like to pursue in the future, make an effort to begin preparing your organizational structure to meet federal requirements, and seek out subcontracting work to help you establish the connections that could help you in the right direction.” ______________

What do we put in the place of bureaucracies gone afoul to manage things as important and expensive as our national defense, international affairs and the environment, while shepherding our economic system? ________________________________________________________________________________ I had an interesting discussion with a fellow veteran recently about the word “Tyranny”, using it to describe what is happening in the world today. That train of thought may be reasonably accu

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“ HIRING OUR HEROES . ORG ” “ The  Hiring Our Heroes Small Business Grant Program  awards veteran or military spouse entrepreneurs with a one-time $10,000 grant to grow and support their business. This program honors the leadership, resilience, and dedication that veterans and military spouses bring to business.   “From a coffee shop transformed into a mission-driven community hub to an auction house that has raised $2 million for charity, the 2025 Small Business Awardees dem

“ WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY ” By Elizabeth Harr “ At its core, an effective marketing budget focuses on reaching strategic business goals. So before you start trying to estimate costs, it pays to set goals for exactly what you are trying to accomplish with your marketing. “ _________________________________________________________________________________ “As we rapidly move [into 2026] it is critical to build your marketing budget and plan for the year ahead. Here’s a step-by-ste

During January 2026 National Mentoring Month, my thanks to the SCORE and MicroMentor organization teams with whom I have worked for 20 Years . _______________________________________________________________________________ Small business volunteering has kept me active in retirement, in touch with my profession and engaged in a continuous learning mode. The SCORE and MicroMentor platforms have been my “Windows On The World” in pursuing those objectives. I believe we are growi

“ NATIONAL DEFENSE MAGAZINE” By Steve Priest “ Grounding compliance in ethics requires integration. This integration is most effectively accomplished by emphasizing a culture of integrity. Bringing compliance, ethics and integrity together as the foundation of a company’s culture strengthens the company in all ways — including in compliance. “ _______________________________________________________________________________ “Compliance is not working; or at the very least, it i

“SMALL TO FEDS” By Ken Larson “Most small businesses, particularly those selling services, will encounter the need to team with industry partners in small business federal government contracting. Be prepared for challenges and the risks. Exclusivity is the practical way to go on any given program. Team early and exclusively by opportunity, then give it your all and be a winner. Your reputation is key, ethics count and your customers as well as your industry are observing you.

“DEFENSE NEWS” By Rudy Ruitenberg “Investors are keen to finance autonomous systems and artificial intelligence for the battlefield, according to data from business-intelligence providers that track venture capital funding. The number of firms actively investing in defense tech increased 41% last year” _______________________________________________________________________________ “The value of venture capital deals in d technology jumped to a record $49.1 billion last year f

By Ken Larson Having dealt with the funding process in the government contracting industry (both large and small business) for over 40 years, I can discuss with some credibility a major weakness in the huge machine we call the US  Federal  Government — the one year budget cycle.    A huge reason for much of the largess in the National Debt is the fiscal year funding agony in which the US Government is entrenched. Shutdowns, delays and spoon feeding funds to areas as vital as

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SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY – D’Aniello Institute for Veterans &Military Families “V-WISE is a two-part program, starting with a 4-week online course that teaches fundamental business skills to women serving, who have served, or serve as military spouses/partners. Students attend a three-day capstone conference in-person and meet with fellow participants. ”  _______________________________________________________________________________ “Details Who V-WISE is for women with a new ide

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “ The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15-204-1 specifies a uniform contract format for federal government contracts. Your contract is divided into four parts, with various sections within each part. It behooves your small business to examine the contents, research the appropriate sections of the FAR that may govern them and review them as commitments to which your organization can conform and perform before you sign your contract.” ___________

“FEDERAL TIMES” By Jere Glover  “Incentivizing the major primes to incorporate small business technological solutions needs to be the first step in fully harnessing America’s small business innovative power” ________________________________________________________________________________ “It is no secret that U.S. Department of Defense has long struggled with getting advanced technology into the hands of military end users quickly. Under Secretary Heidi Shyu, the DoD’s Chief

‘NEXTGOV/FCW” By John Breeden II  “2026 looks like a year when government technology settles into its next phase of maturity. None of that will generate much hype, but it will quietly change how agencies make decisions, manage risk and deliver services. And in government, the most meaningful technology shifts are often the ones that work so well they stop being remarkable at all.” ________________________________________________________________________________ “As the governm