Welcome to GovCon Unscripted, where we dive into the unfiltered stories and strategies from all around the world of government contracting. Join host Chelsea Roberts as she explores how to navigate, thrive, and win in this complex but rewarding industry.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/9/14/17/6d1f0387-c57d-4b76-b6a7-02e3963ec44b_ording_on_govcon_unscripted_podcast-full_audio.mp3

Most organizations think they lose performance first. They don’t. They lose capacity quietly, and performance is just the last thing to go.Robert Rivers has watched it happen from the inside of government for nearly two decades. Here is how to see it coming.Leading federal teams through budget cuts without gutting capacity is the core of this Success After Service episode of GovCon Unscripted. Host Chelsea Roberts talks with Robert Rivers, Co-Founder of QTR Foundry and author of Running With Scissors, about organizational readiness: the capacity that drains out of a team long before performance ever dips.Drawing on 19 years inside government, from the flight-test culture at Edwards to acquisition and defense healthcare at Hanscom, Robert breaks down what erodes first. He introduces TOIL, time on inefficient labor, the bureaucratic tasks that quietly consume your best people. He unpacks the structure-versus-clarity trap, where leaders reorganize when the team simply needed clarity. And he reframes culture as community intelligence: how fast a team can regenerate, fill gaps, and adapt under pressure.The through-line for anyone leading through DOGE-era change: you do not need to get smaller because the mission shifted. You need to protect readiness, separate the human work from the machine work, and rebuild capacity before the performance number forces your hand.Timestamps:00:01 — What Success After Service means and who Robert is01:30 — Running With Scissors and getting through the red-tape maze03:00 — 19 years in government and the innovation origin at Edwards05:30 — Top cover, risk, and reorganizing instead of clarifying09:00 — Resilience and the DOGE-era workforce toll16:00 — TOIL: time on inefficient labor, and human-machine integration21:00 — Right-sizing without shrinking, and second and third order effects23:00 — Inside QTR Foundry: strategy to execution, and AI is not the enemy26:00 — Why AI adoption fails on the human, not the machine29:00 — Culture as community intelligence31:00 — Where to find Robert, QTR Foundry, and the book Leading federal teams through budget cuts without gutting capacity is the core of this Success After Service episode of GovCon Unscripted. Host Chelsea Roberts talks with Robert Rivers, Co-Founder of QTR Foundry and author of Running With Scissors, about organizational readiness: the capacity that drains out of a team long before performance ever dips.Drawing on 19 years inside government, from the flight-test culture at Edwards to acquisition and defense healthcare at Hanscom, Robert breaks down what erodes first. He introduces TOIL, time on inefficient labor, the bureaucratic tasks that quietly consume your best people. He unpacks the structure-versus-clarity trap, where leaders reorganize when the team simply needed clarity. And he reframes culture as community intelligence: how fast a team can regenerate, fill gaps, and adapt under pressure.The through-line for anyone leading through DOGE-era change: you do not need to get smaller because the mission shifted. You need to protect readiness, separate the human work from the machine work, and rebuild capacity before the performance number forces your hand.Timestamps (provisional, reset in Descript)00:01 — What Success After Service means and who Robert is01:30 — Running With Scissors and getting through the red-tape maze03:00 — 19 years in government and the innovation origin at Edwards05:30 — Top cover, risk, and reorganizing instead of clarifying09:00 — Resilience and the DOGE-era workforce toll16:00 — TOIL: time on inefficient labor, and human-machine integration21:00 — Right-sizing without shrinking, and second and third order effects23:00 — Inside QTR Foundry: strategy to execution, and AI is not the enemy26:00 — Why AI adoption fails on the human, not the machine29:00 — Culture as community intelligence31:00 — Where to find Robert, QTR Foundry, and the book 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpod" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpod</a>🔹 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a>🔹 JOIN OUR #govcon #community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a> Resources: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertrivers6" rel="nofollow">Follow Robert Rivers</a> Other resources:QTR Foundry: <a href="https://qtrfoundry.com" rel="nofollow">https://qtrfoundry.com</a>Personal site: <a href="https://robertsrivers.com" rel="nofollow">https://robertsrivers.com</a>Book, Running With Scissors (Robert Rivers): <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4NQ6GMD" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4NQ6GMD</a> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpod" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpod</a>🔹 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a>🔹 JOIN OUR #govcon #community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

Leading Federal Teams Through Budget Cuts | The Capacity Cliff with Robert Rivers, MBA

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/9/7/15/3af09d3b-df7f-4cbd-b766-0afd24700c92_ording_on_govcon_unscripted_podcast-full_audio.mp3

He spent half a million dollars of his own money, put his platform inside the VA’s own cloud, and then told the government he didn’t want a pilot. In this Success After Service episode, a 100% service-disabled Marine explains why refusing the pilot is the whole strategy.In this Success After Service special episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPyFz59Pvl1igUHH2ImMOcQ" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-schmitt-6243553b/" rel="nofollow">Mike Schmitt</a> retired from the Marine Corps in 2004, spent years in medical devices at Medtronic, and then did something few small-business owners attempt: he self-funded a clinical toxicology lab, built his own laboratory information system, and stood it up inside the VA Enterprise Cloud through Syncly Direct so it could do imaging, lab, and AI in one place.As a 100% service-disabled veteran running an SDVOSB, he learned the federal market the hard way. In this conversation with host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a>, he lays out the argument at the center of his approach: the pilot-and-funding cycle rarely produces anything, so instead of asking the VA for money and two years, he arrives already built, already authorized, and sells the result. He talks through the siloed VA and its VISNs, the records gap that leaves veterans carrying binders between systems, the credibility discount a small business faces against Deloitte and Oracle, the commercial dual-use of the platform in substance-abuse testing, and why, for him, this is about veterans taking care of veterans.Timestamps:00:00 Welcome and who Mike Schmitt is01:00 From the Marine Corps and Medtronic into toxicology02:00 Going in as a 100% service-disabled veteran (2018–2019)03:00 Crossing the Rubicon: the MOU and interservice agreement05:00 Building his own lab system and moving to AWS GovCloud06:00 Syncly Direct inside the VA Enterprise Cloud07:00 The records gap: a pregnant veteran and the PACT Act09:00 The siloed VA and the VISNs11:00 An agnostic platform: “Uber healthcare”12:00 Lobbyists, the Hill, and why he walked away13:00 The credibility discount: “if I’m not a Deloitte or an Oracle”16:00 HIPAA and the compliance gap20:00 Why he refuses the pilot21:00 A nine out of ten, and the 2026 FORUM Innovation Award23:00 Commercial dual-use: substance-abuse testing, the 97-compound panel25:00 The heat map: reading opioid and health risk by region29:00 Advice for transitioning veterans31:00 Veterans taking care of veterans33:00 How to reach Mike Resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-schmitt-6243553b/" rel="nofollow">Michael Schmitt&#39;s LinkedIn profile</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts&#39; LinkedIn profile</a></li></ul> Other resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.centraltox.com" rel="nofollow">Central Tox (Semper Fi Labs) Website</a></li><li><a href="https://synclydirect.com" rel="nofollow">Syncly Direct Website</a></li><li>Email: mike@centraltox.com</li></ul> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593788076719" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593788076719</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a>🔹 JOIN OUR #govcon #community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

The Pilot Trap: Why an SDVOSB Founder Refuses the VA’s Favorite Word | Michael Schmitt

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/31/14/3a056345-31ce-411a-9019-c1a6e7f3683d_ording_on_govcon_unscripted_podcast-full_audio.mp3

She could have become a full-time executive years ago. She refused to stop being an engineer.Twenty-five years later, that choice still shapes the company.<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarbari-gupta/" rel="nofollow">Dr. Sarbari Gupta</a> founded <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/electrosoft" rel="nofollow">Electrosoft</a> in 2001, walking away from a steady job with nothing else lined up. Twenty-five years later the company runs around 200 employees, and she is still a technologist at heart. In this conversation with host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a>, she covers the leap that started it all, winning early contracts on relationships rather than pedigree, learning GovCon accounting from scratch, the difference between RMF/ATO and Zero Trust, pursuing CMMC Level 2 as a cybersecurity firm, learning to delegate, and the two things she has never been willing to hand off: the customer relationships, and her own connection to the technology.Timestamps:00:00 Intro00:01 From electrical engineering to cybersecurity01:00 The leap of faith: founding Electrosoft in 200102:30 Early challenges: GovCon accounting and learning to sell03:30 Why federal — PKI, NIST and NSA connections05:00 Has the compliance load grown? CMMC and FISMA08:00 RMF/ATO vs. Zero Trust, explained11:00 Barriers, focus, and growth12:30 Scaling and the mid-2025 rebound14:30 Learning to delegate at ~200 employees16:00 The two things she will never hand off18:00 Staying a technologist, and betting on AI20:30 What is next for Electrosoft22:00 Where to find Dr. Gupta and ElectrosoftResources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarbari-gupta/" rel="nofollow">Follow Dr. Sarbari Gupta</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Follow Chelsea Roberts</a></li></ul> Other resources:• <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/electrosoft" rel="nofollow">Electrosoft&#39;s LinkedIn page</a>• <a href="https://www.electrosoft-inc.com" rel="nofollow">Electrosoft&#39;s website</a>• <a href="https://www.electrosoft-inc.com/resources" rel="nofollow">Resources page on Electrosoft&#39;s website</a> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a>🔹 JOIN OUR #govcon #community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

Never Just a Business Leader | Dr. Sarbari Gupta

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/24/15/f9609ef2-bf32-44e6-a20d-1bd8976e5889_ording_on_govcon_unscripted_podcast-full_audio.mp3

Your bank account cannot tell you what next month looks like. A forecast can. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bud-mcdonald-6428b413" rel="nofollow">Bud McDonald</a> has spent 35 years proving the difference is the whole ballgame.Most small business owners manage by their bank balance. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bud-mcdonald-6428b413" rel="nofollow">Bud McDonald</a>, founder of <a href="https://www.mcmay.biz" rel="nofollow">McMay Business Services</a>, spent more than three decades leading turnarounds, managing P&amp;Ls, and running large teams before he started helping small businesses do the one thing that separates the ones that grow from the ones that stall: see their money before it arrives.In this episode, Bud and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea</a> get into the 13-week cash flow forecast, why a four-page business plan beats no plan, the receivables conversation every founder dreads, how to price the outcome instead of the hour, and the real signal that tells you when it is time to make your first hire. Practical, unglamorous, and exactly the kind of thing nobody hands you when you start a company.Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:00 35 years of turnarounds, and why Bud started McMay02:00 The business plan that fits on four pages03:00 Budget, forecast, and the 13-week cash flow04:00 The bank-balance trap06:00 Chelsea’s spreadsheet lesson07:00 Bookkeeping as the foundation08:00 QuickBooks, Wave, and picking a scalable tool10:00 The mistake behind most turnarounds: processes nobody uses13:00 A turnaround story: communication first20:00 Receivables, and the conversation nobody wants22:00 When to fire a customer25:00 Pricing: value your time, then price the outcome30:00 There is no magic number for your first hire34:00 Working on the business vs in the business36:00 Where to find Bud Resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bud-mcdonald-6428b413" rel="nofollow">Follow Bud McDonald&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Follow Chelsea Roberts&#39; LinkedIn Profile</a></li></ul> Other resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.mcmay.biz" rel="nofollow">McMay Business Services Website</a></li></ul> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a>🔹 JOIN OUR #govcon #community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

Stop Running Your Company from Your Checking Account | Bud McDonald

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/17/15/73863877-2533-4ff7-ae22-4ba7e531fc42_ording_on_govcon_unscripted_podcast-full_audio.mp3

Hard tech is hard, and the money you raise to build it can quietly decide which customers you are allowed to serve. This week on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollie-jahner/" rel="nofollow">Mollie Jahner</a> makes the case that most defense founders reach for venture capital by reflex, when a stacked strategy of non-dilutive federal, state, and local funding, plus smart teaming, gets them further with more control.Host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> sits down with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollie-jahner/" rel="nofollow">Mollie Jahner</a> (<a href="https://www.missioncultivate.com/" rel="nofollow">Mission Cultivate</a>, founder of <a href="https://www.theraiseapp.com/" rel="nofollow">Raise</a>, formerly founder/CEO of Spring &amp; Forge) on capital stacking, why the wrong investor can trip a CFIUS or foreign-ownership review and block your end customer, how teaming unlocks solicitations a single company cannot reach alone, and where Raise fits in helping founders find non-dilutive money faster.Timestamps:0:00 Intro1:00 Why working moms make great operators3:00 Getting government and industry in the same room6:00 Founding Mission Cultivate and the Raise platform10:00 Teaming and consortia: unlocking bigger contracts13:00 The capital stack: non-dilutive funding beyond VC15:00 The VC trap and the wrong kind of capital18:00 Why human relationships beat AI noise21:00 Who Mission Cultivate serves and the Raise launch26:00 Wrap-up Resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollie-jahner/" rel="nofollow">Follow Mollie Jahner</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Follow Chelsea Robert</a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">s</a></li></ul> Other resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.theraiseapp.com/" rel="nofollow">Raise Website</a></li><li><a href="https://www.missioncultivate.com/" rel="nofollow">Mission Cultivate&#39;s Website</a></li></ul> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a> 🔹 JOIN OUR #govcon #community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

The Capital Stacking Playbook: How Defense Founders Fund Hard Tech Without Losing Equity | Mollie Jahner

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/10/17/f2d1128b-a77b-4a38-942c-9f865e825db8_ording_on_govcon_unscripted_podcast-full_audio.mp3

Everyone reaches for the free federal databases. Almost nobody reads them correctly, and the wrong read sends a whole pursuit in the wrong direction.In this week&#39;s episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> sat with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileenkent/" rel="nofollow">Eileen Kent</a>, the <a href="https://www.federalsalesguide.com/" rel="nofollow">Federal Sales Guide</a> and President of <a href="https://customkeynotes.com/" rel="nofollow">Custom Keynotes, LLC</a>, who has pulled the SAM ad hoc report thousands of times over twenty years. She walks through the free public data that most contractors misread: why “place of performance” often shows the vendor’s address or the manufacturer’s plant instead of where the work lands, why “dollars obligated” is the only money figure worth trusting, why a string of negatives is usually an adjustment rather than a vendor being pushed out, and how to hunt for patterns of who buys what you sell from whom. She makes the case that AI and paid aggregators can accelerate a bad decision because they cannot interpret dirty data, and that the deal is still closed in the field, through relationships. She closes on the discipline she cares about most: a real bid/no-bid process, and the strength to walk away when there is no relationship.Timestamps: 00:00 Intro · 01:00 The Three-Step Program 02:30 Early tools (FPDS, USASpending, FedBizOpps, CCR)06:30 Free vs paid · 07:30 The place-of-performance problem 12:00 Inside the SAM ad hoc report 15:00 Reading patterns (DHA, VA VISNs, CMOPs) 20:00 The 2025 shift of commodities to GSA 23:00 Why outreach bots fail 28:30 Dollars obligated and negative adjustments 33:00 Bid/no-bid discipline.Resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileenkent/" rel="nofollow">Follow Eileen Kent&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Follow Chelsea Roberts&#39; LinkedIn Profile</a></li></ul> Other Resource:<ul><li><a href="https://federalsalesguide.com" rel="nofollow">https://federalsalesguide.com</a> </li></ul> 🎧 Listen now on: 🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a> 🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us: 🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a> 🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a> 🔹 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/govconunscriptedpod/</a> 🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a> 🔹 JOIN OUR #govcon #community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

The Money Isn’t Where You Think: How to Read Federal Contract Data | Eileen Kent

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/8/3/12/fa01bb8a-fd18-4e09-b6e6-335a1be08c19_robert_jones_on_govcon_unscripted-full_audio.mp3

A $50 million company with 600 employees almost fell out of its own sale. Not because of revenue, but because every decision still ran through two people.Most owners think exit planning starts when they call an M&amp;A advisor. In this episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPyFz59Pvl1igUHH2ImMOcQ" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> talks with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjones330/" rel="nofollow">Robert E. Jones</a>, CPA and Principal Advisor at <a href="https://www.meetcorvata.com/" rel="nofollow">Corvata</a>, who has spent 20+ years in government contracting, and says that by then the value of the business is already fixed. The real work happens two to five years earlier, left of the transaction, where structure, discipline, and decision flow still can be changed. In this conversation, Robert breaks down his Enterprise Readiness Operating Model, the seven decision failure modes that stall companies, why owner-dependency scares off buyers, and how tightening operations can move an EBITDA multiple from the low end of a 6 to 9x range to the high end. He also shows how tools most contractors already pay for can cut a 12-hour payroll run to two or three hours. Timestamps:00:00 Does anyone actually plan the exit?01:00 “You will exit your business”: on your terms or not02:00 Left of the transaction: where value is still changeable03:00 The Enterprise Readiness Operating Model (structure, discipline, decision flow)06:00 The seven decision failure modes11:00 Due diligence: documents that “magically appear”13:00 The $50M company that almost couldn’t be sold20:00 Policy vs procedure vs work instructions21:00 Getting off paper: SharePoint, Planner, and the tools you already own25:00 Value growth: profitability, the multiplier, and the multiple29:00 The 10-year math: working backward from the day you want out33:00 The three kinds of optionality this work buys you Resources:Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjones330/" rel="nofollow">Robert E. Jones</a>Follow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> Other resources:<a href="https://www.meetcorvata.com" rel="nofollow">Corvata&#39;s Website</a><a href="https://meetcorvata.com/schedule" rel="nofollow">Schedule a consultation</a> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/🔹 JOIN OUR #govcon #community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/ #govconunscripted #exitplanning #federalcontracting #enterprisereadiness #govcon

The $50M Company That Almost Couldn’t Be Sold | Robert E. Jones

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/27/15/7497391e-0cd4-48d7-8c25-d226255a6f24_ording_on_govcon_unscripted_podcast-full_audio.mp3

Your AI pilot probably isn&#39;t failing because the model is weak. It&#39;s failing because you pointed it at the wrong end of the process.<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dbaverill/" rel="nofollow">Doug Averill</a> has spent half his career in government and half in technology, and now serves as Vice President, Global Industry Market Leader, Government at <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/pegasystems/" rel="nofollow">Pega</a>. In this episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, he draws a line most modernization teams never think to draw: the difference between runtime AI (burning tokens to execute the process you already run) and design-time AI (reimagining the process from the source policy before you build anything). Apply AI at runtime to a broken workflow, Doug argues, and you pave the cow path: you carry the skipped steps, the noncompliance, and the suboptimal outcomes straight into the new system, only faster. He and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea</a> get into why the fix starts with the source policy document rather than the current application, why the power users have to be in the room from the first pilot, why procurement belongs at ideation and not at the end, and why speed, from OTAs to fast pilots, is never the same thing as the outcome you actually needed.Timestamps:<ul><li>00:01 — Why the US is now leading on AI uptake while process and policy slow everyone down</li><li>00:04 — Context is the ceiling: why the smallest gap derails an AI tool</li><li>00:11 — Blueprint for Government, source policy, and paving the cow path</li><li>00:13 — Design-time AI vs. token-maxing runtime AI</li><li>00:16 — Local models, warrants, and where a contracting officer should focus</li><li>00:24 — Dropping point solutions on the front porch of IT</li><li>00:25 — Getting procurement, CISO, and ISOs in the room to go idea-to-live in 90 days</li></ul> Resources:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dbaverill/" rel="nofollow">Doug Averill&#39;s LinkedIn profile </a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts&#39; LinkedIn profile</a> Other resources:<a href="https://www.pega.com/industries/government/blueprint" rel="nofollow">Pega Blueprint for Government</a><a href="https://www.pega.com/industries/government" rel="nofollow">Pega Government Website</a> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a>🔹 JOIN OUR #govcon #community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

Design-Time vs. Runtime AI in Government: Why Most Agencies Get It Backwards | Doug Averill

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/20/11/a68e97a3-ed3f-4a06-9fe1-17243c9299f3_arlan_and_rick_on_govcon_unscripted-full_audio.mp3

Kodak&#39;s own engineers built the first digital camera, and its executives shelved it to protect film. The gap between having ideas and managing innovation is where organizations quietly die. In this special episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> sits down with two of the people writing the international playbook for innovation management. Rick Fernandez is President of the <a href="https://americannetwork4innovation.org" rel="nofollow">American Network for Innovation</a>, chairman of the US technical advisory group to ISO TC 279, and a veteran of Florida Power &amp; Light&#39;s Deming Prize win, the first awarded outside Japan. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/harlan-bennett/" rel="nofollow">Harlan Bennett</a> is CEO of <a href="https://everevolving.biz" rel="nofollow">Ever Evolving, Inc</a>., VP of the <a href="https://americannetwork4innovation.org" rel="nofollow">American Network for Innovation</a>, and vice chair of the same US advisory group. Together they take apart the most common misreads in federal innovation: that innovation equals technology, that more ideas mean more innovation, and that a standard is just another compliance flow-down. Rick contrasts idea-driven programs (14,000 employee ideas collected, roughly 100 developed, 13,900 contributors alienated) with value-driven innovation that starts from strategic intent. Harlan shows SBIR performers how to escape the one-lane trap by validating adjacent customers before the build starts. And both make the case that ISO 56001, built on the same harmonized structure as ISO 9001, is a management system, not a control system. They also preview what&#39;s next: innovation ecosystem management, IP-sharing contracts between primes and subs, and why innovation is no longer an individual game. TIMESTAMPS00:00 Welcome and guest introductions01:00 Harlan Bennett: Ever Evolving, Inc. and the American Network for Innovation02:30 Rick Fernandez: from FPL&#39;s Deming Prize to ISO TC 27904:00 Why innovation needs standards now: the three S&#39;s07:00 Innovation is not a technology: something new that creates value09:30 The garage tinkerer problem and the one hit wonder11:00 Managing innovation vs controlling it12:00 Idea-driven vs value-driven innovation: the 14,000 ideas story14:30 Innovation portfolio management18:45 SBIR: escaping the one-lane trap23:30 The recipe: maximize value, minimize risk, resources, and time24:45 Ambidextrous organizations: innovating without dropping daily operations25:30 Case study: an innovation management office, 100 projects narrowed to 329:00 Ecosystems: innovation is no longer an individual game31:00 Primes, flow-downs, CMMC, and fair negotiations37:45 Standards as enablers, not regulations39:30 The harmonized structure: why ISO 9001 shops are halfway there42:15 Where to find Harlan and Rick Resources:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/harlan-bennett/" rel="nofollow">Harlan Bennett&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-fernandez-b66a123/" rel="nofollow">Rick Fernandez&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a><a href="https://americannetwork4innovation.org" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts&#39; LinkedIn Profile</a> Other resources:<a href="https://everevolving.biz" rel="nofollow">Ever Evolving Inc. Website</a><a href="https://2020-innovation.com" rel="nofollow">2020 Innovation Website</a><a href="https://americannetwork4innovation.org" rel="nofollow">American Network For Innovation Website</a> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a> 🔹 Join our #govcon community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/

You Don't Control Innovation. You Manage It. | Harlan Bennett & Rick Fernandez

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/15/12/39eac8de-3456-4fea-b176-5bbda3756e67_ci_s_recording_on_govcon_unscripted-full_audio.mp3

Say the word manufacturing and a lot of people picture something old and dirty. For rural communities, Chrissy Marucci argues, it is something else entirely: jobs and the federal dollars that come with them.On this Special Episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> continues the #RoadtoHUBZone series with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissy-marucci/" rel="nofollow">Chrissy Marucci</a>, President and CEO of Elevated Consulting &amp; Development. Chrissy lives in an entire HUBZone county in the mountains of Appalachia and has spent years connecting rural residents to real federal contracting careers. She and Chelsea talks about what HUBZone was designed to do (bring federal spending back into the communities that need it), why the program is about the place and the people rather than the owner, how the 35% employee-residency rule actually works, and why manufacturing deserves a serious rethink as a source of rural jobs. She also lays out the community development corporation she is building to keep that money at home. 2026 National HUBZone Conference, July 21 and 22 (golf outing July 20) at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia. Timestamps00:00 Welcome and who Chrissy is01:00 Elevated Consulting and Council back-office support02:00 An entire HUBZone county in Appalachia03:00 Building the HUBZone Workforce Program05:00 What HUBZone does for rural areas06:00 Manufacturing and construction in rural HUBZones09:00 Advocacy, land use, and changing the narrative10:00 Manufacturing is not a dirty word15:30 Place-based and employee-based: the 35% rule18:00 Remote work and unlocking rural talent19:00 The community development corporation21:00 Conference mode and see you in Chantilly Resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissy-marucci/" rel="nofollow">Chrissy Marucci&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Robert&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a></li><li><a href="https://theelevatedconsultant.com/" rel="nofollow">Elevated Consulting &amp; Development&#39;s Website</a></li></ul> Other resources:<ul><li><a href="https://hollertohilltop.org/" rel="nofollow">Holler to Hilltop (community development)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.hubzonecouncil.org/" rel="nofollow">HUBZone Contractors National Council</a></li><li><a href="https://www.hubzonecouncil.org/2026-National-HUBZone-Conference" rel="nofollow">2026 National HUBZone Conference (register)</a></li></ul> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a> 🔹 Join our #govcon community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

Manufacturing Is Not a Dirty Word: Reframing the Jobs Rural Communities Need | Chrissy Marrucci

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/13/13/cf518915-f20e-45fd-b390-683c8c441b2d_ording_on_govcon_unscripted_podcast-full_audio.mp3

A multimillion-dollar services contract, awarded in two weeks, with every I dotted and every T crossed. It was not federal, and that is exactly the point.This week on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/?skipRedirect=true" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> sits down with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsantana/" rel="nofollow">Jonathan Santana</a>, founder and lead consultant of <a href="https://excelsiorcs.com" rel="nofollow">Excelsior Consulting Services, LLC</a>, an SBA HUBZone and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small business supporting federal, state, local, nonprofit, and commercial clients. Jonathan earned his contracting warrant in the Air Force in 2003, bought through hurricane prep at Langley Air Force Base, deployed to Balad Air Base in Iraq in 2005 as a contingency contracting officer, and later worked procurement at Miami-Dade County before founding his own firm. The conversation covers the translation problem between federal, state, and local buying (acquisition becomes procurement becomes purchasing, while the terms and conditions stay nearly one to one), how <a href="https://www.naspovaluepoint.org/" rel="nofollow">NASPO ValuePoint</a> works as a state-level analog to a GWAC or federal supply schedule, what it means to compete with Big Four consultancies that have pivoted to state and local, creative contracting inside the <a href="https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far" rel="nofollow">FAR</a> (performance work statements over statements of work, FAR 13.5 procedures), why state and local can award in weeks when the incentive exists, and forensic governance, Jonathan&#39;s discipline of getting adversarial with program data before leadership bets on it. Chapters:00:00 Intro and Excelsior Consulting Services00:02 The verbiage gap: federal vs state and local00:03 NASPO ValuePoint and entering state markets through a multi-contractor alliance00:07 Competing with the Big Four at the state and local level00:10 A contracting warrant at Langley: hurricane prep on the clock00:11 Deployed at Balad Air Base: contingency contracting in Iraq00:14 SF-44s, purchase cards, and buying under pressure00:19 Creative contracting inside the FAR: PWS vs SOW, FAR 13.500:23 How fast state, local, and nonprofit buying really moves00:27 What is forensic governance?00:31 AI, governance, and decision risk00:35 Where to find Jonathan Resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsantana/" rel="nofollow">Jonathan Santana&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/?skipRedirect=true" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts&#39; LinkedIn Profile</a></li></ul> Other resources:<ul><li><a href="https://excelsiorcs.com" rel="nofollow">Excelsior Consulting Services&#39; Website</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/excelsior_cs" rel="nofollow">Excelsior Consulting Services&#39; Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/excelsior-consulting-services" rel="nofollow">Excelsior Consulting Services&#39; Company LinkedIn Profile</a></li></ul> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a>🔹 Join our #govcon community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

Same Work, Different Words: Why Federal Contractors Misread State and Local | Jonathan Santana

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/9/13/7c48c55e-64e6-4b9a-be5f-b7207daf7e73_ie_s_recording_on_govcon_unscripted-full_audio.mp3

In federal contracting, most conferences give you a polished keynote you could have read in a press release. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecoffie/" rel="nofollow">Eric Coffie</a> goes to a lot of them, and he keeps coming back to HUBZone for a different reason.On this Special Episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> continues the #RoadtoHUBZone series with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecoffie/" rel="nofollow">Eric Coffie</a>, founder and CEO of <a href="https://govcongiants.com/" rel="nofollow">GovCon Giants</a>.Eric attends a lot of federal contracting events, and his read on this one is blunt: most conferences are more glitter than substance, and HUBZone is where he actually gets the real deal. He and Chelsea talk about keeping perspective when set-aside programs come under scrutiny, why the value of a conference is in the room rather than the brochure, and the funding and scale panel he is hosting. The conversation lands on a simple message for anyone weighing the trip: come prepared, extract everything, and make the connections that carry the rest of your year.<a href="https://www.hubzonecouncil.org/2026-National-HUBZone-Conference" rel="nofollow">2026 National HUBZone Conference</a>, July 21 and 22 (golf outing July 20) at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia. Timestamps00:00 Welcome and who Eric is01:00 Nothing new under the sun: perspective on program challenges03:00 Why HUBZone weathers the discourse08:00 Substance over glitter: what makes HUBZone different11:00 The exhibitors and primes in the room12:00 The Building for Scale funding panel16:00 Extract everything: prep and make the most of it18:00 Boots on the ground, fourth quarter, and connections18:30 Manufacturing and made in USA19:00 See you in Chantilly 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a>🔹 Join our #govcon community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecoffie/" rel="nofollow">Eric Coffie&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Robert&#39;s Linkedin Profile</a><a href="https://www.hubzonecouncil.org/2026-National-HUBZone-Conference" rel="nofollow">2026 National HUBZone Conference (register)</a> Other resources:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@EricCoffie" rel="nofollow">Eric Coffie&#39;s YouTube Account</a><a href="https://x.com/ecoffie" rel="nofollow">Eric Coffie&#39;s Twitter Account</a><a href="https://govcongiants.com/" rel="nofollow">GovCon Giants&#39; Website</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/govcongiants/" rel="nofollow">GovCon Giant&#39;s Instagram Account</a>

Substance Over Glitter: What Makes the HUBZone Conference Worth the Trip | Eric Coffie

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/6/12/68174d2e-0572-4a47-94b9-62045fce1489_teven_koprince_on_govcon_unscripted-full_audio.mp3

The <a href="https://www.sba.gov/" rel="nofollow">SBA</a> hasn&#39;t let a single new company into the <a href="https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/8a-business-development-program" rel="nofollow">8(a) Program</a> in over 250 days. Federal contracts attorney and educator <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenkoprince/" rel="nofollow">Steven Koprince</a> explains what that means for the program&#39;s future and for the small businesses waiting at the door.Steven Koprince spent more than 20 years as a federal government contracts attorney, founding <a href="https://www.koprince.com/" rel="nofollow">Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC</a> before moving into education, writing, and board service. In this conversation with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a>, Steven walks through the Revolutionary <a href="https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far" rel="nofollow">FAR </a>Overhaul, the shifting culture around contracting officer discretion and bid protests, why AI-drafted GAO protests keep getting thrown out for hallucinated case law, and the slow-motion contraction of the 8(a) Program: SBA has approved only a fraction of its usual annual admissions and has not processed a new application since August 2025. Koprince also breaks down a common and costly <a href="https://sam.gov/" rel="nofollow">SAM</a> self-certification misconception that catches contractors off guard.Timestamps:<ul><li>00:03:00 — Legal environment shifts and the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul</li><li>00:07:00 – 00:13:00 — Contracting officer discretion, bid protest strategy, and relationships with agencies</li><li>00:15:00 – 00:19:00 — AI-drafted protests and hallucinated case law at GAO</li><li>00:20:00 – 00:25:00 — The 8(a) Program&#39;s admissions freeze and sole-source pressure</li><li>00:25:00 – 00:31:00 — Small business self-certification, affiliation rules, and the SAM misconception</li></ul> Resource Links:<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenkoprince/" rel="nofollow">Steven Koprince&#39;s LinkedIn profile</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a></li><li><a href="https://fedlift.substack.com/" rel="nofollow">The FedLift Launchpad</a></li></ul> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a> 🔹 Join our #govcon community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

The 8(a) Program Isn't Being Killed. It's Being Starved. | Steven Koprince

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/7/2/12/48611eb5-b45b-4d53-bde3-df12b2e7c474_hy_s_recording_on_govcon_unscripted-full_audio.mp3

In federal contracting, your network is your net worth, and most small businesses are working with one far too small to win what they are capable of winning.On this Special Episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> continues the #RoadtoHUBZone series with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hagertytim/" rel="nofollow">Tim Hagerty</a>, founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.teamingpro.com/" rel="nofollow">TeamingPro</a> and a board member of the HUBZone Contractors National Council.Tim started TeamingPro after a lesson every small business learns the hard way: capability is rarely what holds you back, your network is. He breaks down what actually makes a strong teaming partner (past performance with the specific buyer, not just a matching capability), why teaming wins a larger slice of a bigger contract rather than a smaller slice of the same one, and how technology can take the friction out of finding and reaching the right partners. The conversation widens into the fragility of the domestic manufacturing supply chain and the reshoring opportunity, then lands on the 2026 National HUBZone Conference, where TeamingPro is powering the matchmaking so attendees arrive already knowing who they should meet.2026 National HUBZone Conference, July 21 and 22 (golf outing July 20) at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia. Timestamps00:00 Welcome and who Tim is01:00 What TeamingPro is and why he built it02:00 The convention problem: 4,000 people, no blinking arrows06:00 What makes a strong teaming partner10:00 The network is the bottleneck, not capability14:00 The bigger pie: small businesses winning together17:00 TeamingPro’s role in the HUBZone Conference matchmaking25:00 Manufacturing supply chain risk and reshoring33:00 SBA momentum and opening up competition36:00 How to reach Tim and TeamingPro Resources:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hagertytim/" rel="nofollow">Tim Hagerty&#39;s LinkedIn Profile </a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a> Other resources:<a href="https://www.teamingpro.com/" rel="nofollow">TeamingPro Website</a><a href="https://www.teamingpro.com/" rel="nofollow">HUBZone Contractors National Council</a><a href="https://www.teamingpro.com/" rel="nofollow">2026 National HUBZone Conference (register)</a> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a>🔹 Join our #govcon community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

Your Network Is Your Net Worth: Why Nobody Wins Federal Work Alone | Tim Hagerty

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/6/29/13/754763a1-6b7d-4829-a4c5-1722288b0fab_ording_on_govcon_unscripted_podcast-full_audio.mp3

A federal workforce leader recently told a room of executives they would be the last generation to manage an all-human team. Paul Serotkin has spent 40 years watching this industry change, and he thinks that one line explains most of what is coming next.On today&#39;s episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPyFz59Pvl1igUHH2ImMOcQ" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-serotkin-1823649/" rel="nofollow">Paul Serotkin</a>, CEO and founder of the <a href="https://serotkingroup.com/" rel="nofollow">Serotkin Group</a>, joins <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> for a wide-ranging conversation on adapting your federal business while the ground keeps moving. Paul began his career fighting for what became the <a href="https://www.sbir.gov/about" rel="nofollow">Small Business Innovation Research Act</a> and was in the Rose Garden when it was signed in 1982. Since then he has run a mergers and acquisitions practice, founded the boutique investment bank Minuteman Ventures, operated small and socio-economic government contractors, and mentored founders through <a href="https://www.score.org/" rel="nofollow">SCORE</a> and <a href="https://bbmentors.org/" rel="nofollow">Boston Business Mentors</a>.In this episode, Paul and Chelsea get into the difference between change that lasts and change that is just the pendulum swinging back, why a business plan is now a quarterly discipline rather than an annual ritual, when a subcontractor should stop being afraid to prime, how to build business development into every role in the company, and why the leaders managing teams today may be the last to manage an all-human workforce. Chapters:00:00 Welcome and Paul&#39;s 40-year GovCon arc02:00 Excitement or dread: what is really changing03:00 Pendulum swing versus permanent change: commerciality, AI, SBIR05:00 Contracting-officer discretion, fixed-price default, a roughly $1 trillion DoD request08:00 Write it down: a business plan that survives the quarter11:00 Focus versus shiny-object syndrome13:00 The subcontracting pathway, and when to stop being afraid to prime18:00 BD as a team sport: aligning the front office and the back office21:00 Everyone is a salesperson26:00 Aligning incentives with what the company wants27:30 The last all-human workforce30:00 The proposal that bans AI: a double-edged sword30:30 SCORE and Boston Business Mentors: free expertise most never use34:30 How to reach Paul Resources:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-serotkin-1823649/" rel="nofollow">Paul Serotkin&#39;s LinkedIn profile </a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Robert&#39;s LinkedIn profile</a><a href="https://serotkingroup.com/" rel="nofollow">Serotkin Group&#39;s Website</a> Other resources:<a href="https://bbmentors.org/" rel="nofollow">Boston Business Mentors&#39; Website</a><a href="https://www.score.org/" rel="nofollow">SCORE Organization&#39;s website</a> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a>

The Last All-Human Workforce | Paul Serotkin

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/6/24/12/c0c2df56-1b4b-4513-b12e-760c9f6444ca___chelsea_on_govcon_unscripted-rthz_full_audio.mp3

Most people file HUBZone under “niche set-aside.” It was designed as an economic development engine for the communities America left behind, and it is sitting at an inflection point right now.On this Special Episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> opens the #RoadtoHUBZone series with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-burnett-21737771/" rel="nofollow">Michelle Burnett</a>, Vice Chair of the <a href="https://www.hubzonecouncil.org/" rel="nofollow">HUBZone Contractors National Council</a>, ahead of the <a href="https://www.hubzonecouncil.org/2026-National-HUBZone-Conference" rel="nofollow">2026 National HUBZone Conference.</a>Michelle has worked with the HUBZone program since she was 20. She walks through its original intent as a place-based economic development tool, the multiplier effect it was built to create, and why its biggest challenges today are problems of execution and acquisition alignment rather than flaws in the program itself. The conversation covers the 2019 regulatory overhaul and the changes the Council fought for, what aligning the program with domestic manufacturing and reshoring could unlock, and why teaming has become a survival strategy for small firms that feel like the rug is being pulled out from under them.It closes with a direct call: show up, advocate, and be at the table. The 2026 National HUBZone Conference runs July 21 and 22 (with a golf outing July 20) at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia. Timestamps00:00 Welcome and who Michelle is01:00 The 2026 National HUBZone Conference and what is new this year03:00 Who should come, and why large business turnout is so high04:00 Where the program’s execution falls short06:00 Advocacy, the FAR overhaul, and why your voice matters09:00 The program is not broken, the execution is10:00 The multiplier effect, a hand up rather than a handout13:00 HUBZone On The Rise and the manufacturing consortium17:00 How to get involved and where to find the conference ﻿Resources:Michelle Burnett&#39;s LinkedIn Profile: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-burnett-21737771/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-burnett-21737771/</a>Chelsea&#39;s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/ Other resources:HUBZone Contractors National Council: <a href="https://www.hubzonecouncil.org/" rel="nofollow">https://www.hubzonecouncil.org/</a>2026 National HUBZone Conference (register): <a href="https://www.hubzonecouncil.org/2026-National-HUBZone-Conference" rel="nofollow">https://www.hubzonecouncil.org/2026-National-HUBZone-Conference</a>HUBZone Council LinkedIn group: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2992361/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2992361/</a> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a> 🔹 Join our #govcon community: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

Show Up or Stay Invisible: Why HUBZone Advocacy Can’t Wait in 2026 | Michelle Burnett

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/6/22/16/886252f9-f0b8-4081-8e55-529ca9f67534_ording_on_govcon_unscripted_podcast-full_audio.mp3

Everyone has a CSO now. Almost nobody runs one the way the people who built the first ones did.<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamchristophergrant/" rel="nofollow">Adam C. Grant</a> was in the room when some of the first commercial ones went live, and he has thoughts on why the speed never matched the promise.<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamchristophergrant/" rel="nofollow">Adam C. Grant</a> went from enlisted <a href="https://www.af.mil/" rel="nofollow">Air Force</a> to commissioned officer to contracting officer managing a large air and space portfolio at <a href="https://www.spaceforce.com/bases/patrick-sfb" rel="nofollow">Patrick Space Force Base</a>, where his team launched some of the first commercial Commercial Solutions Openings in the country, coast to coast across both launch ranges. Then he crossed the table: early-stage venture investing, and now business development and capture at Core4ce. In this Success After Service episode he and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> get into why owning a contracting vehicle is not the same as knowing how to run it, what the consolidation of vehicles into places like the GSA Schedules is doing to competition, and the unglamorous discipline behind a successful transition out of service. Practical, direct, and built for practitioners who want to move faster without pretending the failures do not happen.Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome and who is Adam C. Grant01:00 From enlisted Air Force to commissioned officer to acquisition03:00 Running the first commercial CSOs at Patrick Space Force Base05:00 Why six months is not enough to prepare for transition06:00 LinkedIn Premium as an intelligence tool for service members08:00 Reframing your skillsets beyond the obvious career path09:00 Why you need two or three champions who will not blow smoke10:00 Shoot or shoot: the follow-up discipline that builds a network12:00 Breaking into early-stage investing from outside the major markets17:00 Reading founders in the first three minutes20:00 Why a no is not a no forever24:00 What is changing in business development and capture today26:00 Vehicle consolidation, GSA MAS, and the competition it creates27:00 From pitch days to CSOs everywhere28:00 Why owning the vehicle is not the same as knowing how to run it31:00 How to reach Adam (search Adam C. Grant) and the 15-minute rule Resource links: <a href="https://www.core4ce.com/" rel="nofollow">Core4ce Website</a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamchristophergrant/" rel="nofollow">Adam C. Grant&#39;s LinkedIn profile</a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts&#39; LinkedIn profile</a> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a> Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a> Join our #govcon #community:https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/

The CSO Before CSOs Were Everywhere | Adam C. Grant

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/6/16/16/748918d4-71f2-4d0f-8545-2e8f539f96cb_dore___chelsea_on_govcon_unscripted-full_audio.mp3

Landing a spot on a GSA schedule feels like the win. It is really just permission to start competing, and the clock starts the day you sign.Most small businesses treat a contract vehicle as the goal. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shenecommodore/" rel="nofollow">Shenê Commodore</a>, CPCM, founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.commodoreconsulting.com" rel="nofollow">Commodore Consulting</a>, has been on both sides of that assumption, as a former government contracts professional and now as the consultant companies call when they need to actually use the vehicle they fought to get.In this conversation, Shenê and host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> get into the real state of <a href="https://www.gsa.gov/" rel="nofollow">GSA</a> in a year of fast-moving change: the largest FAR revision in more than 40 years, GSA&#39;s move toward centralized procurement, and the compliance math that decides whether you keep your schedule or lose it. Shenê explains why a BPA, a schedule, or a spot on OASIS+ is access rather than revenue, what actually counts as past performance, and how to map your project scope to the right NAICS code so you pass GSA&#39;s scope review, which is now partly run by AI. She also walks through where AI genuinely helps a small contractor, from market research to oral presentation prep, and the data-verification discipline that keeps you out of trouble.If you are weighing whether you need a GSA schedule, or you have one and it is not producing, this episode is the practitioner&#39;s map.Timestamps00:00 Intro00:50 Meet Shenê Commodore and Commodore Consulting01:20 From a DCAA internship to TRICARE, both sides of the table03:30 Losing a job, finding NCMA, and going out on her own06:30 Turbulent times and the pace of change07:00 The FAR revisions, the biggest in 40-plus years08:40 The qualification myth, it was always required09:50 GSA as the centralized procurement agency11:00 Do you actually need a GSA schedule?12:30 GSA teaming, credit as a sub and MAS JV schedules17:00 Compliance, sales thresholds and transactional data reporting19:00 BPAs, OASIS+, and what counts as a real sale20:00 The car you cannot drive, a vehicle is not a sale22:00 Scope review, NAICS mapping, and GSA&#39;s use of AI25:00 Where AI fits, automations, research, oral presentations28:00 Guardrails, hallucinations, and the C.R.A.P. test33:00 How to reach Shene and her closing advice Resource links:Shene Commodore on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shenecommodore/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/shenecommodore/</a>Commodore Consulting: <a href="https://www.commodoreconsulting.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.commodoreconsulting.com</a>Shene&#39;s Stan store: <a href="https://stan.store/SheneCommodore" rel="nofollow">https://stan.store/SheneCommodore</a>Chelsea Roberts on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/</a> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482" rel="nofollow">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482</a>🔹 Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy</a>Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS</a>🔹 Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/</a>🔹 LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/</a> Join our #govcon #community:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/</a>

The Vehicle Is Not the Sale | Shene Commodore

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/6/8/12/76999790-210c-424d-b169-65e2f4f95a14_ording_on_govcon_unscripted_podcast-full_audio.mp3

Twenty-four years in, retired as a sergeant major out of JSOC, and the hardest part of leaving wasn&#39;t the job market. It was turning in the badge and trusting the mission would carry forward without him.In this Success After Service episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>, host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> talks with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshbrandt30/" rel="nofollow">Josh Brandt</a>, Technology Director for C5 Systems at<a href="https://www.mantech.com/" rel="nofollow"> ManTech</a>, about what military transition actually demands once the uniform comes off. Josh spent 24 years in the Army, served at NATO, instructed, deployed to Iraq, and finished his career as the J6R sergeant major at JSOC before moving into industry. He&#39;s candid about the myths that trip people up: that your value automatically translates, that the biggest offer is the best one, and that you can do this alone. The conversation covers building marketability before you separate, running a job search like a target package, choosing a company on culture rather than comp, and using DoD SkillBridge to test-drive an employer. Josh also points listeners to the programs that carried him through: The Honor Foundation, Warriors Ethos, and Home Base. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome and the Success After Service series 01:00 Meet Josh Brandt 06:30 Be comfortable being uncomfortable 12:00 The myth of automatic recognition 14:00 Same mission, different uniform 24:00 Run your job search like a target package 28:00 It doesn&#39;t have to be the forever place 29:00 SkillBridge and time pressure 31:30 Resources and how to reach Josh Resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshbrandt30/" rel="nofollow">Josh Brandt&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a></li><li><a href="https://www.mantech.com/" rel="nofollow">ManTech&#39;s Website</a></li></ul> Other resources: <ul><li><a href="https://www.honor.org/" rel="nofollow">The Honor Foundation</a>: </li><li><a href="https://www.warriorsethos.org/" rel="nofollow">Warriors Ethos</a></li><li><a href="https://homebase.org/" rel="nofollow">Home Base</a></li></ul> 🎧 Listen now on: 🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy  Like and follow us: 🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS 🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/ 🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/

Same Mission, Different Uniform: Why a 24-Year Sergeant Major Chose GovCon | Josh Brandt

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/6/1/14/24f0bda5-f479-4c15-9a27-addef3319f43_ie__discussion_with_chelsea_meggitt-full_audio.mp3

A cleared-defense billet drew 350 applications in 24 hours. Every resume looked perfect. Most of them weren&#39;t real.That&#39;s where the federal hiring market actually is right now, and it&#39;s the conversation <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea Roberts</a> has with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/richielampani/" rel="nofollow">Richie Lampani</a> in this episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS" rel="nofollow">GovCon Unscripted</a>.Richie is a Fractional Head of Talent who has built recruiting infrastructure from zero for <a href="https://www.earthdailyfederal.com/" rel="nofollow">EarthDaily Federal</a> (geospatial intelligence, cleared defense) and runs his own firm, <a href="https://rebeltalentsystems.com/" rel="nofollow">Rebel Talent Systems</a>. His path is not traditional. He came up in the music industry, booked Wu-Tang Clan and Marilyn Manson, and learned to act as an agent for both sides of every deal. He brought that instinct into 14 years of recruiting and now applies it to one of the toughest cleared-talent markets in recent memory.In this conversation, Richie and Chelsea walk through the structural shifts every federal contractor and every job seeker needs to understand right now. They cover why the resume has stopped working as a screening signal, why job boards now flood roles with 150 to 350 applications inside hours, and why AI-tailored resumes have collapsed the differentiation any candidate can claim on paper. Richie shares his frontline experience with fraudulent applicants, suspected overseas operators using AI and stolen profiles to bid on US technical and even cleared roles, and walks through the specific tells that catch them, including a memorable Chicago subway question that broke one candidate. He explains why TS/SCI full-scope-poly roles are paradoxically the safest hiring ground in the current environment, and why networking has reclaimed its position as the only durable channel for sales and capture hires in a 12-to-18-month federal sales cycle.Practitioners on the job-search side will hear specific tactics: how to construct a LinkedIn profile that actually surfaces in recruiter back-end SEO, why your About section and tagline matter more than your headline, why political content on LinkedIn is shrinking your opportunity set, and why Richie himself took a third-shift stocking job at Walmart during his last search rather than burn cash chasing roles he hadn&#39;t networked into.Timestamps:00:00 — Open · Richie introduces himself and his three current fractional engagements 00:50 — The music-industry-to-recruiting path · why booking bands taught him to agent both sides 03:20 — What Richie is hiring for now · AI/ML and all levels of sales 04:30 — The fraudulent candidate problem · who is doing it and why it is so hard to catch 07:50 — The Chicago subway tell · how a single geography question broke a fraudulent applicant 10:30 — Why cleared roles are the safest place to hire right now 11:30 — 350 applications in 24 hours · why the job board model has broken 13:30 — &#34;The resume is probably dead&#34; · why AI-tailored resumes have collapsed differentiation 14:45 — Why sales hires now come almost entirely from networking, not applications 15:30 — Richie&#39;s own job search · 30 interviews from referrals, one callback from an application 16:15 — Walking into Walmart for third-shift stocking work mid-search · the case against shame 17:20 — Drop the resume off in person · why the hybrid candidate has the edge 19:30 — LinkedIn hygiene · why open-networking is hurting your algorithm 22:00 — The Rebel Talent Systems free LinkedIn SEO tool 23:45 — Top two pieces of advice: clean resume, and keep politics off your profile 28:00 — How to actually stand out · build something useful and show your work 29:30 — How to find Richie · Rebel Talent Systems and Rachel Tyrell, his autonomous AI assistant Resource links:<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/richielampani/" rel="nofollow">Richie&#39;s LinkedIn Profile</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseadroberts/" rel="nofollow">Chelsea&#39;s LinkedIn profile</a></li><li>Rebel Talent Systems (free LinkedIn SEO tool): https://rebeltalentsystems.com</li><li>Richie&#39;s books: Head and Heart: Winning the AI Recruiting War · Unfinished Rooms: Why Great Employees Keep One Foot Out the Door</li></ul>Other resources:<ul><li>https://rebeltalentsystems.com</li><li>richie@rebeltalentsystems.com</li></ul> 🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy Like and follow us:🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/ Join our #govcon #communityhttps://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/

The Resume Is Dead. So Are Job Boards. Here's What Federal Hiring Looks Like Now. | Richie Lampani

Welcome to GovCon Unscripted, where we dive into the unfiltered stories and strategies from all around the world of government contracting. Join host Chelsea Roberts as she explores how to navigate, thrive, and win in this complex but rewarding industry.