Blue Collar Business Podcast
Welcome to the Blue Collar Business Podcast with Sy Kirby. Dive deep into the world of hands-on entrepreneurship and the gritty side of making things happen. Join us for actionable tips on scaling your blue-collar business, managing teams, and staying ahead in an ever-evolving market. We'll also discuss the latest industry trends and innovations that could impact your bottom line. If you're passionate about the blue-collar world and eager to learn from those who've thrived in it, this podcast is a must-listen. Stay tuned for engaging conversations and real-world advice that can take your blue-collar business to new heights.
Blue Collar Business Podcast
Ep. 50 - Why You Should Be Winning Federal Contracts as a Small Business
Have you ever wondered if there's a more stable revenue stream waiting for your blue collar business? In this eye-opening episode, Eric Knellinger, president of US Federal Contractor Registration, reveals the largely untapped world of federal government contracts and how they can transform small businesses in the trades.
Did you know that 23% of all federal contracts MUST be awarded to small businesses? That's billions of dollars in potential work for companies just like yours. Eric shares the inspiring story of how personal tragedy led him to create USFCR, and how his company has since helped countless contractors navigate the complex world of government procurement.
The conversation dives deep into practical strategies for blue collar businesses to access this market. Eric explains the registration process, how to market effectively to procurement officers, and the game-changing concept of "teaming" with other small businesses to bid on larger contracts. He addresses the common barriers holding contractors back, from lack of capital to fear of complex paperwork, and outlines clear solutions for each.
What sets this episode apart is the actionable advice for businesses at every stage. Whether you're a "Chuck in a truck" just starting out or an established contractor looking to diversify revenue streams, you'll gain insights into how federal contracts can provide stability and growth opportunities. Eric's passion for helping small businesses succeed shines through as he challenges listeners to ask themselves, "What's next?" and consider federal contracting as their answer.
For Blue Collar Business Podcast listeners, Eric offers an exclusive opportunity: mention this episode when contacting USFCR to receive a free market analysis and coaching session, a $1,200 value that could map out your path to federal contracts. Visit USFCR.com today to learn how your business can tap into the world of government contracting and take your operation to the next level.
Click the link above for a free marketing audit with insights to boost your blue collar business!
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Hey guys, welcome to the Blue Collar Business Podcast, where we discuss the realest, rawest, most relevant stories and strategies behind building every corner of a blue collar business. I'm your host, cy Kirby, and I want to help you in what it took me trial and error and a whole lot of money to learn the information that no one in this industry is willing to share, whether you're under that shade tree or have your hard hat on. Let's expand your toolbox, guys. Welcome back to another episode of the Blue Collar Business Podcast, brought to you and sponsored by the wonderful podcastvideoscom team sitting here in their solo pod room today with a gentleman that I'm very excited to bring to you guys has a very unique topic that can affect every single trade tradesman and woman out there, and if you're trying to either build a different avenue of your business or you're listening to this and go, hey, man, I could tell my boss about this, I've heard about this, so stay tuned for that, guys. Uh, podcast videos been with them. Uh, just a little over a year now and we have got some big things coming here heading into the winter and fall. So check out um blue collar business podcastcom for all the upcoming news and subscribe to that newsletter Every episode.
Speaker 1:Um, you may not have time to catch every episode. I really appreciate it if you do, and uh, but that newsletter will send you an email inbox basically a rundown of the show, tell you if that episode's something that would match what you're looking for, guys. Uh, also, too, just wanted to take a quick side note and tell everybody. Thank you so much for the direct messages and the emails I've received here as of late. It's been kind of overwhelming, it's been amazing. The vibes have been unreal, guys, and it's the reason I'm doing it Myself and Sarah's kind of four-part mini series at this point probably is concluding, but we really put ourselves out there and the response has been awesome. And I just wanted to take a second and tell you, guys, how much I appreciate the every week support Catching the show, whether you're on Spotify, whether you're on Apple Podcasts or just listening and watching from the website, totally free or by itself. I just wanted to say thank you.
Speaker 1:So, furthermore, guys, to the topic of the day, we're heading off into the contractual land, but we're going to be talking about government contracts and I did get some really good response. We've had one other guest on the show dealing with these kind of direct parameters. But this gentleman has over 30 years of direct experience in registration how to get your name out there, how to not just present your company. He's already picking Saigon apart and I really appreciate it because he's like, hey, you've only got this and you've only got that. This gentleman knows how to set your company up as a spotlight to get in front of some of these project managers and procurement officers that are looking for qualified sub and prime contractors. So for anymore, I have Eric Nellinger, president of US Federal Contractor Registration. Sir, thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much Cy for having me Excited.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, we're going to be walking off. He has an incredible entrepreneurial story. Absolutely, we're going to be walking off. He has an incredible entrepreneurial story. He's a founder of the company that he worked for, currently right now and still acting serving president, and it's a very moving story, and I'm going to let him have the floor. But we're also going to dive off into the world of how this can help you directly and maybe alleviate some ups and downs of the private world or the commercial world or whatever world you're chasing, maybe the resi world and you're trying to maybe step off into something different, and commercials may be not your lane. This is something you need to tune in for. So, furthermore, sir Eric, start us from the beginning.
Speaker 1:I understand, not everybody doesn't just jump into the registration part of the world.
Speaker 2:Well, I tell you the beginning for USFCR US Federal Contract Registration started 15 years ago and it was sort of a tragedy how our company was started. I was working in advertising and I got a phone call that my wife was rushed to the hospital and found out that she had a glioblastoma brain cancer. So I quit my job and take care of her and during the course of that time all my friends you know because it's a hard thing to get over those Goliath blast-ups and all my friends and family, everybody was coming together. And one of my great friends that I fish and hunt with his name is Stan and he was a procurement officer at McDill Federal or, I'm sorry, at McDill Air Force Base, and so he was the head of Coons Creek Marina there. He was a purchaser there and he kept coming in and telling me he said, eric, I don't know what you're going to do, you know when all this stuff ends, but you should teach people how to work with federal government. And I'm like what are you crazy? You know that I mean you want me to start a business teaching people how to get registered to work with federal government. And he said it's truly something that really needs to happen. The government doesn't have, you know, a really good, clear roadmap on how this all gets done.
Speaker 2:So we were sitting in the kitchen. We were sitting there, just two good friends talking, and my wife at that time was a wheelchair belt and she really couldn't speak. And she walked into the kitchen and leaned up against the door frame in the kitchen. We're both looking at her and I go what are you doing? She looked at me and she goes you can't save me, but you can save our family. You get to work when you start this company because people like listening to you. You make sense. No business and all your entrepreneurial experience can really help business owners all over the world like you are in advertising and if that's not a motivational speech, okay that.
Speaker 2:Second I looked at Stan and I said, okay, I'm starting the business Now, literally. I mean we were at our last leg, last dime. You know everything that we had and I started this on a hope and a prayer. But I knew that open a prayer. But I knew that small businesses I mean the key for any small business owner is they have to understand how to make money. You know they're in it to make money, so can they work for the federal government to make money One of the things I understood from all my experience the government buys everything, from staples to spaceships. They buy everything. They buy every service in between. There's nothing that the federal government doesn't buy. So once I started thinking about that, I'm like you know, this is really cool, because there's not any business in the world that I can't help.
Speaker 2:Now, 15 years ago, the process was completely different and we were a registration company only. We help people just get registered. Well, 23% of all federal contracts must be awarded to small businesses. Okay, so 23% of all federal contracts must be presented to small businesses. Now there's also what we call set-asides. So if you're a veteran, you're a set-aside. You're a disabled veteran, a woman, minority-owned business. There's all kinds of different set-asides, hump zone, etc. So depending on who you are, where you are in, even what state or what town that you're in, you can qualify for different types of programs with federal government. So through the first five years of us getting people registered, registration was only the beginning, you know, and I started realizing that the registration wasn't getting people contracts. It was giving them a driver's license to try, but the registration itself was not going to get them a federal contract.
Speaker 2:They needed to market themselves directly to the federal government. So over the last 10 years we really honed our skills in understanding how to market to the federal government. So we do all kinds of things to push our clients directly in the path of contractors and one of the most important things, like right now, today, is tuning. So if we use your excavation utility company as an example, okay, let's say I've got a large prime contractor out there that has a $10 million contract or $100 million contract, well, 23% must go to small businesses. So if you qualify for a small business, then we can fill you up, as long as you're registered, registered properly, and you have all your ducks in a row, we can go to that crime and say, hey, we have a qualified subcontractor, they love it. They love it because I'm bringing in a vetted contractor, yeah, someone that has already gone through all the paperwork, already gone through all the headaches, already gone through all that stuff to be able to work for the federal government. I'm handing them this on a platter. So those prime contractors love it.
Speaker 2:But let's say you got, okay, a bunch of small guys together. You have a landscaper, a rooster, you've got an excavation company, you've got 10 friends that have different types of businesses. What we do is get all those businesses registered to work with the federal government and then what happens is they can team with each other. And then what happens is they can team with each other. All of a sudden one wins a contract and then they're bringing in their friends, other contractors, to be able to help them throughout the project so they can actually go in and bid on a much larger contract because they have a plan, they have a subcontractor plan, so I've got all these subcontractors that'll work with me. So when you go after we bid on that contract, there might only be, you know, half of the contract that you would be going after. You would be farming out the other half, because that's not what you did.
Speaker 2:But, when you take that to the government, they see you have a team of contractors. It's a team, okay, not just your company, but you have a team.
Speaker 1:And then they see that you have us behind you, right?
Speaker 2:So all of a sudden, as a small business owner, you're able to compete in a market in which you weren't able to compete before.
Speaker 1:I really like that part.
Speaker 1:And not only that, you're right, you're not having to. You got my wheels spinning here. My gears are spinning because being able to team up with a prime a lot of these guys, especially in the commercial, you know, hey, how do you, how do you scale and grow and get into the commercial world, especially in our lane takes a lot of equipment. It takes a lot of things that you have to acquire over time. But at the same time, if you could take baby steps there and these contracts, you know a lot of guys, when they're first starting out, think that contracts are the devil. You know what I mean. And then they.
Speaker 1:But it's what protects you guys. It's clearly stated what needs to happen for you to get x amount of dollars and if I would have figured that out, as you guys know, earlier on, it wouldn't have been as big of an experience roller coaster. But we're very heavy on it because, honestly, we're offering clear expectations, but right up front, and that Brian's sitting there knowing that we already know the expectations that are going to be laid out because we've been vetted through this registration program and it's more than just SAMgov Talk a little bit about the actual registration process for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sam is just a little piece. Okay, sam, it used to be the whole piece, you know, a long time ago, but now it's just a very, it's a formality, okay, Like I say, it's almost like going out and getting your driver's license. It doesn't mean you can do anything and you have a car, you can't get anywhere. You just got the driver's license. You have the license to be able to at least try to work with the federal government. There's a lot of other registrations, like set-aside registrations. So if you're a veteran-owned business, there's a whole new set of paperwork that we need to do to submit in order for you to get that status. If you're a woman-owned business, it's the same thing. So, depending on who you are, what you are, there's different paperwork that we're going to have to do to make sure that you get what you deserve from the federal government. Okay, Then they just come down the pipe with new requirements and there's one new requirement that's coming out in October.
Speaker 2:It's been around forever, but the government hasn't, you know, put their foot down and said we're going to go ahead and make this. You know something that everybody has to have. It's called CMMC and it's for security purposes and every uh DOD contract starting in October will have that registration as a requirement in uh uh the bids. So if somebody is looking to work with the DOD and they have been working with them for years and they don't have that registration, they're not going to get that next contract and that's what we as a company, nobody. If you're in the business, you know that it's coming up, okay, but in most cases small to medium-sized businesses can't afford to hire somebody in their company for $100,000 a year. That's going to keep them in compliance with the federal government and keep up on all the news and all the things that come up. The government changes their programs and systems like we change our clothes every day. There are programs and systems like we change our clothes every day. So if you're not keeping up on all that stuff, all of a sudden you fall out of compliance. Okay, and if you fall out of compliance you don't get a contract.
Speaker 2:Now, I told you I looked up your company. Okay, your registration ends in November. Okay, so your SAM registration needs to be renewed before November. Now, this month you've got what? August, september, october, november. So you've got four months, all right, before your registration is enacted. Well, I hate to tell you but 90 days before your registration expires. Now you think you're good all the way through November, but you're not. It's just like a passport. Okay, you can't travel the last six months on your passport. Okay, you can't get a federal contract within 90 days of expiration so even if you you assume you don't know this, you have no idea.
Speaker 2:No, no no idea and nobody does.
Speaker 2:Everybody looks at me and says, well, my registration is good till november. And I said that doesn't do you any good, because we're going to go after this contract and the government wants to see that your registration is active, because you might not even be starting that contract until December. So they want to make sure that you are in compliance for a longer period of time. So that's what we do. We keep you in a position to always be able to win. We don't want to give the government any reason to say no to you. Okay, and that is just one little example that most contractors have no idea. And they'll call me and say we bid on this thing and we didn't win it. And we didn't win it. And I said well, did you get a contractor debrief? You know why? And when they find out they go.
Speaker 2:We were, you know, 90 days from being expired or we were two weeks from being expired, but we were still active. It doesn't matter.
Speaker 1:Doesn't matter, it's always those fine little details. Yeah, I mean Contractors Licensing Board here in Arkansas. I know of out-of-towners that come in here and they get kind of slapped around. They're not quite used to a state-level licensing board and all the hoops and the parameters that they set. It's fully involved and it's not just a oh, throw everything together. No, it takes time to approve all these documents and make sure you're legal and make sure you've got to be a month ahead on the board committee in order to get your approval to make sure.
Speaker 1:And that's the only you know minute registration, license registration that I've ever experienced with. And don't get me wrong, I, like I was telling you earlier, I've got my distribution license through the state of Arkansas health department as well and I keep active with continued education yearly. But nothing from a way to help my business with. You know, it's just the things that you have to have and I know those irregularities I guess would be the word that would come with that licensing structure. But presenting your 23% of government contracts have to go to small business, that's insane, that's kind of insane really, and it sounds like opportunity.
Speaker 1:somebody wanted to get yeah, like literally in a way to and and come, come, get to you and go.
Speaker 1:Hey, I want to present myself and say, you know, use psycon as an example. Say, if I came to you and I said, eric, I want to present myself for more waterline, federal earth moving contractors, demo contracts, whatever it may be, maybe kind of use us as an example about what you would probably step one from there to how long would you say that you're fully presentable? And then maybe a little hey, this is what we do extra to ensure that you get out in front of these right people.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's a great question, number one, on your company. All right, tremendous amount of federal and state contracts available. Okay, now, a lot of your big, large primes okay, they're the ones that eat those contracts up, but again, they've got to share, okay, which makes a huge opportunity for your company, all right. So the first thing we have to do is make sure your registration is compliant. So we go through and we look at everything and we say, hey, you know, you only got one North American industry classification code here. Maybe we should add this one or this one. Okay, maybe add it and beef up your look to your business and then make sure that your registration is not going to be expired anytime soon.
Speaker 2:Okay, so we can actively start going after federal contracts for you. Okay, we go through induced coaching. We're going to sit down with you and your wife, whoever is involved in the business, and do maybe an hour a week. Okay, we get on phone with you and we have Zoom calls and we take you through the initial process on how to go about setting your business up for success with the federal government. So that takes about a month, okay, and it's not bad.
Speaker 1:No, everything's 30 days in our world.
Speaker 2:It ensures that number one, your registrations are all done and done properly. If there's anything we have to to fix, it, gives us time to fix it all right. And then we start going down the path to marketing yourself to the federal government. And then what we do is we start marketing yourself to the other prime contractors. We start looking for, maybe, shows to go to.
Speaker 2:Like, there's a navy uh, you think I'm never going to sell anything to the Navy. You might, you might, and this Navy organization that we're going to be speaking at in October is all about small businesses. So how small businesses can work with the US Navy in gaining federal contracts? That's what it's all about. And it's amazing. You go to a show like that and you start meeting the procurement officers that are going to issue contracts and they say, look, these are the things that we're looking for, these are the things that we want. And then, all of a sudden, you look at us and go, wow, dude, we are right on track. Okay, we are on track. Now we need to start soliciting, we need to go, start looking and trying to find that niche that we're going to fit into a federal contract. So then we actively start searching for you, all right. And if we find something all of a sudden, I send Cy an email and say hey, buddy, take a look at this. Does this look like something that is in your wheelhouse?
Speaker 2:And you say heck, yeah it is, say, all right. Well, first of all, we need to look at all the parameters and make sure that you can handle this part of that contract and make sure that you can handle this part of that contract. And second is I'm going to look at you and say we need to get all your contractors that you currently work with now, all the people that you team up with. We need to bring all those people in and put underneath your umbrella. I need to build your company up to where it looks like a small business juggernaut for the federal government.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:That we can show that Cy has maybe 10 other contractors that he's currently working with or other contractors that we can team you up with and put it all together and submit this as your bid. So you're not just being submitted yourself in a lot of cases. Some cases you are, but some cases we want to build you up and show you in a different realm, and there's a lot of cases where you say, man, I can do that contract, but I can't do that one piece and I don't have anybody that can do that piece. All right, well, that would eliminate you from going after that contract, right?
Speaker 1:Most generally yes, sir.
Speaker 2:No, because I have the largest database of verified contractors, small businesses in the world. So now I'm going to go in there and say, hey, who can do this piece of this contract and hook them up with you teaming that teaming part that I told you about, team you and him up. And then the next thing you know you guys are talking and landing a federal contract and that happens every single day, and I'll give you an example that just happened.
Speaker 2:And it was actually a company. I didn't know if we would ever be able to help. Okay, this paint company was a painting manufacturer that manufactured paint and we knew we could get them a contract, but they couldn't put the label. They didn't have the labels. They just sold their paint in these 50 gallon drums. Well, the government couldn't buy it that way. They had to buy it in smaller packages. So we worked out a deal. They were going to buy them in these five gallon buckets, like you and I would go down and buy it at Sherwin-Williams.
Speaker 2:Well this company had no ability to put a label on the bucket. Well, we actually had a labeling company. Okay, and honestly neither one of them had ever gotten a federal contract before. Okay, and the labeling guy was a brand new client. The paint guy was probably six to eight months old in his process and we hooked them up where they were able to. The one guy supplied the labels to the federal contract, all the stuff that the federal government wanted on there, the paint for the disclosures and the paint contract. You know the manufacturer put them all together and they were able to do I think it was three or $400,000 in paint and that was the first contract. So you know what happens was the first contract. So you know what happens when the first one comes. Second, third, all of a sudden you have what we call past performance, and past performance is history. And you know when you go out and do a good job for somebody, who are they calling. They're calling Syback.
Speaker 2:You bet, because they can trust you and they realize how good you are and that you can handle the job. And that's all what federal contracting is all about. In all usfcr, it's all about teaming. Okay, you can't do this on your own, or you could, but it's a nightmare it really is, and most of my small businesses. They couldn't succeed to the level that we put them at. Now they're able to go in and compete on a level that they've never been able to compete before.
Speaker 2:Which is incredible to me it is, it is. It gets me excited. I get so excited when my guys call me up and say you won't believe this man, I just hammered a, you know, a $30 million contract and I changed people's zip code. You know, and that's cool. You know, and that's that's cool, that is.
Speaker 1:That is absolutely cool. It's mind boggling and mind blowing to a guy like me because, you know, we hear when we hear we call it public works in our local market and it's more just the municipal, local level contract Right, contract right and these cities have a very certain set of requirements, set parameters, whether it's bonding, whether it's spec, whether whatever it may be, but they're all different. But that's literally the only even a little bit of jargon that gets. Spoke about contracts at the government level for a guy like us and there may be a guy like us and there may be a concrete guy sitting out there, there may be a steel guy, it may be a data contractor, who knows what it could be but to even have the remote chance, I mean $300,000 to a guy that's just barely getting started, that's a lot of revenue to come out of nowhere, exactly, and that could jumpstart and I could only assume what these guys don't need to understand.
Speaker 1:They hear federal government and they hear our local government or state government contract and they just feel like they're going to get took immediately. I mean, honestly, it's that stigma, but what they need to learn and lean on and I think that's probably where you struggle with the small guy and you would know more than I would, eric, but honestly, it's the stigma of it going. Well, if I sign up for this, how are they going to? You know, how is it going to get me? But lean into these contracts would lean into these contracts and I'm hoping that you know, say, we did land a contract with you know, usfcr, that we could turn around and go, hey, let's walk through this contract together and understand what you're signing, and go, hey, you're signing to this scope of work. If you can't do all of these items, speak now and we can do something before we sign up on the dotted line.
Speaker 2:That's right, and and if you're just honest with us and we walk you through all that stuff, it doesn't matter if you can do it or you can't either way is fine because we have options to be able to go in there and fill that with other contractors and you still get that credit.
Speaker 2:It's still your contract where you're just subbing a piece out, or you are a subcontractor to a prime that's getting this piece. So if you can't handle the whole piece, you handle what you can handle and we'll get somebody else to handle the other. The idea is working together to reach the goal. The primes want to work with you. They do because they have to hit their 23%. It's called their set-aside goal. If they don't meet it, they can lose revenue for the following year. So they're always trying to push these contracts out to small businesses. Always trying to push these contracts out to small businesses. It's imperative that you get registered, and registered properly. Every small business has issues when they start.
Speaker 2:Think about the day you started your company. I think about the day I started mine and one of the first things that come to mind is capital. My God, I got to have money. I got to start this thing someplace. I got to buy equipment. I mean, just think of all the equipment you had to buy. I had to buy some computers and phones. You had hundreds of thousands of dollars in outlay and equipment and things of that nature. But in the federal market space, if you can land that contract, those outlays are nothing, absolutely nothing. The return on investment on a government contract is there is no. I mean, the return on investment is stupid, you know, for the time and effort that you put into it. By winning it you're thrilled.
Speaker 1:That's the hardest part. It seems like Absolutely thrilled.
Speaker 2:But I know that capital was one of my biggest problems that I had when I opened up and I hear that all the time from small businesses. You know that, hey, I just don't have enough capital to do all these registrations. You know, I like getting a manufacturer that I know can sell a lot of stuff on the federal government level but he needs to be on GSA Well, gsa to do that and to do it right, to market it, all those things they're going to make him successful. I got to make him successful. I don't want to just do it and him not be successful. I want to do it and have him actually make money from the federal government. So that might end up costing him a capital of, say, 10 or $15,000, you know, for all the registrations and all the stuff that we have to do to get everything prepared. But the small business hell, he just opened up, he doesn't have $15,000. So what I did is I said you know what, we've got to come up with a way to be able to help all these companies with their capital. Now what we do is I've worked out a deal with my bank that I actually finance all these small businesses that come in.
Speaker 2:So if that business doesn't have I mean most businesses that really want to be successful with the federal government they've got to have capital. So they have to have all the registrations Okay. They have to have a government formatted website and a website for their commercial residential business, right, okay. If you don't have a website, you know they look at you as a non-factor. So we have to make sure that you look good in all those lights. And in most cases, a lot of the businesses that come to us don't have any of that. So they're a startup landscape company, you know, and the guy's got we call him Chuck in a truck.
Speaker 2:He's got a chainsaw and he's got a pickup truck and he's got a trailer and they're out there cutting down trees after storms or whatever you know, doing land clearing, and he's really just trying to make it work. Well, with this program. He doesn't have $10,000 or $15,000 to lay out. Well, I finance him and do all his stuff with just a little down payment and I'm able to help build this credit because I report everything to Dun Bradstreet.
Speaker 2:This is so important to small businesses. Okay, no way can they build a good credit profile to be able to work with anybody local, state municipalities or the federal government without having a good credit report for their business. Okay, and we ensure not only do they have that but they have all their registrations and everything in line. So when they do go after a contract and win, it's easy. It's easy, it's not hard and it's not putting the burden on them. I've given them the credit that they deserve as a small business today to get started. It's a way for me to give back, just like you give back on your podcast. Okay, after 15 years, the number one thing that holds small businesses back is capital. You know, oh, I do.
Speaker 2:I do brother, I'm far away, far away, you know. And then let's say you win that hundred thousand dollar or five hundred thousand dollar contract and you call me up and say I won that thing. I said all right way to go. And you say I need this piece of equipment to do that contract. You don't have that? No, I don't, and we gotta have it, no problem, we're gonna do that contract. You don't have that? No, I don't, and we got to have it, no problem. We're going to take that contract to our lenders, walk in and use that as collateral, as a government contract, and get you the equipment you need to be able to be successful.
Speaker 1:My God one-stop shop sir.
Speaker 2:When I tell you I have fun. Okay, I have righted 100 employees. Our company grew from three to righted 100 employees and all we do every day is fight for the little guys, help the big guys and teach everyone in between on how to be successful. You know, I tell everybody businesses are around for three piece Okay, they purchase and buy Okay. One is profit Okay, if they're going to do anything, one's got to be profit. The next is prestige Okay. And the other one is protection.
Speaker 2:And companies go through these three phases. The first phase if you're a brand new business, you don't care about prestige, you're not protecting anything, you just need to make money. So we know how to do that, that's easy. Well, then, all of a sudden, you become a $20 million company, $10 million company, and now you're trying to expand your reach Okay, and now you're a federal contractor. Now you walk into a residential or a commercial job and you're competing against other contractors that aren't registered with the federal government and you show them, say, well, Mr and Mrs Jones or ABC company, we're registered to be able to work with the federal government. Yeah, we are a little bit more expensive, but we have been verified and we can work on military bases. We can do things. You can trust us. And I tell you what that is amazing how strong a statement that is that allows contractors. I've had guys call me up and say I was 10% higher than anyone else but because I was registered to work with the federal government I got the job.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, I can see. I mean vetting subcontractors is everything yes. And to the major prime contract holders yeah, vetted subcontractors, because it costs them money to go. Vet you it costs them money.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean, so you're not just saving their time wagon, but you're also saving the money wagon and you're saving the labor wagon and you're bringing them to them and go look, they can do the job. And here's why that's right. And so it really sounds like if you guys are sitting there and you're wondering how to start getting with you, Mr Eric, how would be the best way? What's your website? What are some ways we can find more?
Speaker 2:What's usfcrcom? And I tell everybody you need to do your homework before you branch into anything. Okay, go on to USFCRcom. The website's pretty intense. Okay, it has a lot of information to it. Also, go on to governmentcontractingtipscom. Okay, it's a free website that has tips for contracting with the federal government. I always tell everyone to go there. It's free and it's a lot of information. But they can always call us. They go onto the website, they can click the call or email us. Anyway, we're more than happy to help anyone with questions and guide them, uh, to where they need to go, but every company is different. Every company is on a different journey. You know, and I guess that's what is so exciting about working in this field is I can take anyone from a Chuck in a truck to a $600 million business Amazon. You know we do registrations for the federal government for their own people. You know it doesn't matter who you are. If you want to work for the federal government, you have to be registered and register properly. That's the first step, you know.
Speaker 1:Well, I'll be. Uh, I will be sending an email over shortly after you're here.
Speaker 2:I've already got the guys working on you. I've already got the guys working on you. I said, hey, let's all, let's blow size mind. Let's, let's show them what's out there, and, uh, and and and, and just open your eyes to something that may not be there. You know that. You just never had experience. That's all you know. You don't know what you don't know.
Speaker 1:I say it on the show all the time. But the other thing that I, before we close out here, that I also, literally you hit it nail on the head about the procurement officers and putting yourself, just putting yourself out there. Yeah, you're right, you would be. Eric calls you up and goes hey, man, you know, you just got registered. But the Navy over here and it may sound like what in the hell is he talking? I ain't going to go work for the daggum old Navy. It's not about the Navy, it's about the people that are in the room working for the Navy. It's not about the Navy, it's about the people that are in the room working for the Navy.
Speaker 1:And once you start shaking James and Joe and all these recruitment officers and you put a name to face and you go hey, I'm Cy Kirby with CyCon. Yeah, we handle all, basically everything civil infrastructure and below underground earthwork, whatever you need. And they go really, because I've been. How far will you go? Where are you at You're you need? And they go really, cause I've been. How far will you go? I'm where you at You're in Arkan, and they'll just update. They've already got three problems waiting just to meet you and shake your hand. So I talk about on the show, I think just about every episode, but truly how important relationships and nurturing those relationships, um getting in front of the right people. But yeah, man, mr Eric, we have. Most of us have no idea about your world and so.
Speaker 1:I appreciate your time jumping on here. And number one, I think you've done her very proud because the motivation you've had is very similar in mind where my wife was. We were pregnant and it was do it. It was I had to go, I had no option of failing and she entrusted in me fully. And here we are today and truly I appreciate you, sarah, and that personal story with how the business got started and just to see what you're doing and just your continued passion 15 years in, and you can tell through this lens that you're passionate about helping the you know, the psychons of the world, the Chuck and the trucks of the world trying to level up their understanding of their game. Yeah, you got to have a few ducks in a row, yes, you got to have the basic business understandings out of the way.
Speaker 1:But if you're coming in from that approach and you don't want to go down this commercial railroad local market that you hear the horror stories about not getting paid on and chasing your money down, maybe start over here with mr eric and keep this residential cash flow rocking and rolling. But you want to take a look at something else. It sounds like this is the place to be, and then it's really cool that you've even gone a little step further and gone okay, five hundred thousand contract. You don't have the $150,000 piece of equipment. Well, you got a $500,000 piece of paper worth of revenue. Let's go over here to this guy that deals with this and it's all about those relationships and knowing about. He knows the federal government's going to pay, that lender knows the federal government's going to pay, you know that lender's going to pay and you guys know how to get the money. So it's kind of a real safe stop shop. I am kind of kicking myself and going why have I not registered more yet?
Speaker 2:It's okay, you didn't know it. You were doing exactly what you knew to be successful and you've been successful. Okay, now maybe you take another step and say, hey, I want to go down this rabbit hole and it's all about learning something new. You know, you and I have to learn every single day. We don't know it all, and if you're not in a room that you're uncomfortable in, you're in the wrong room. Okay, if you're in a room that you know everything, you're in the wrong room. You need to get into rooms and into situations that make you uncomfortable as a business owner and as an entrepreneur. If you do that, you will be successful. If you don't, you're only going to be trapped in the little segment that you're in. You know you can be safe in that little pond and swim around and have your white picket fence and a little house. Okay, Is that what you want? Is that where you really want to be? I mean entrepreneurs like yourself and like me, we don't want that. Okay, we would rather do everything we can to be able to fight the establishment and make our own way. Okay, and we're going to fight through it and we're going to do it, and that's what being an entrepreneur is and I give people with that want an opportunity to get there. Okay, we coach them, we train them and we have fun with them. And I tell everybody come to the boot camps. And we have business boot camps all the time.
Speaker 2:I got people flying in from all over the world that just want to come in and get some business strategies. You know and understand what P they're in profit, prestige or protection. What mode are they in? What do they need to do to take their business to that next level? And you know what is exciting? Because I get to go on with you and that's what you bring to entrepreneurs every single podcast. You bring other things that they get to think about and that's why I was really excited about coming on with you today and having this great friendship and it's something that you know. It's not what you know, it's who you know and uh no truer statement in business.
Speaker 1:Let's just go have fun every single day.
Speaker 2:If we do the right thing every day, we never have to worry about our job or our pay. You know we're honest in our approach and do that right thing, You're going to be successful and just bringing those opportunities like you bring every day we try to do the same thing, the challenge you have laid before us, sir, is.
Speaker 1:I really appreciate the challenge you just laid out. For everybody in the audience listening today, it sounds like if you could be a brand new startup in three to six months, you could be in the one to three year realm figuring out okay, winter's coming, what's my strategy to grow through winter and maybe you take the time through winter and navigate and get and get registered. But no, Mr Eric, I appreciate the kind words for sure, and that is the whole design of the podcast is I'm sitting here learning with this audience?
Speaker 1:You know I don't know half of the crap that we start talking about on the show.
Speaker 1:But if I'm going to sit here and listen and take an hour or two of our time, let's, let's broadcast this and let's have others learn along the way, and hopefully they. You know I can't wait, it's already happened but I can't wait for the two or three years down the road with this show and go, man, you affected me because of this one episode about how Mr Eric said and it's just crazy the entire perception that we just haven't perceived yet.
Speaker 2:Well, I have something that I want to put out there to everyone. Okay, anybody who's listening, don't listen to these podcasts and not do anything. Okay, ask yourself every single time, every single day what's next? What can I do? What is the next step that I need to take? I mean, get out a pad of paper. If you're an entrepreneur, get out a pad of paper and sit down and write out what you're doing well, what you're not doing well and what's next. You better have something of what's next. What is next? Is next buying a new truck? Is next going out and trying to hire more people? What is next for you? And I get excited when they call me and go well, what's next? And it's fun to walk through that and find out that answer. So I ask all your people what's next for you?
Speaker 1:guys out there, Eric, I think what's next for you is you need your own podcast, sir. I think we need this vibrance, this go-getter attitude once a week, talking about, you know, maybe diving a little bit more into detail about government contracts weekly, and maybe all these things that you know, we don't know, that are changing and you want to bring awareness to, to guys like me. You know we're we're looking for podcasts always. So, uh, it sounds like Mr Eric needs to have a podcast.
Speaker 2:I'm learning from the very best. I don't know, I tell you everything. I started watching all your podcasts and I'm like what an awesome platform and an honest platform. One thing I can say is you just lay it out there and I love that. You just say it the way it is and whether they like it or they don't like it, it's the truth, you know.
Speaker 1:Man. I couldn't. When I started on this marketing campaign, brother, I couldn't try and be something that I'm not, and you know what A lot of times I kind of kick myself, you know, and I'm like man, you've got to put on a better smile, you have got to. You know, live a little bit. A lot of times, 15 minutes before here, I'm either getting yelled at on the phone or it could be a. It could be a great conversation when, whatever it could be, you know, um, but sometimes you know, running a business, being a family man, it's, it's. And then trying to keep up with with all of this, and and it's, it's so easy to just throw a face on and but no, I have tried to be very.
Speaker 1:A lot of folks would tell me I'm transparent to a fault, but you know at the same time um, honesty has usually been the best policy to get to get where I'm at, and if I'm honest and open, I know if I can do this. I know there's probably thousands of folks that are listening and going man, I wish I could do that, but I'm so glad he is and they are trying to go find the resource, like I was a couple of years ago. If we don't have a resource like this show, we're in big trouble in five to 10 years from now with our, with my generation and below, like we, if we don't get in front of them on YouTube or TikTok or podcast or social media in general. We've got to go speak their language Everybody's like. Well, I just can't keep nobody. These new guys, these new generations well, maybe it's not how you're talking, maybe it's how they listen and maybe we need to change it up a little bit. If you want to go get the right people, you got to get in front of the right people.
Speaker 1:Blue Collar Performance Marketing's passion is to bring attention to the honest work done in blue collar industries through effective, results-driven marketing tactics. They specialize in comprehensive digital marketing services, from paid advertising on Google and Facebook to website development and content strategy. I started working with Ike and the team earlier this year and they've had a huge impact on our specific marketing campaign and trajectory of our overall company. Their expertise in digital ad management, website development, social media and overall marketing strategy has been an absolute game changer for our sales and marketing at Sycon. To work with a marketing team who does what they say, does it well and is always looking for ways to help your company grow.
Speaker 1:Book a discovery call with Ike by going to bcperformancemarketingcom backslash bcbpodcast, or click the link in the show notes slash description below. Thanks, guys. Anyways, the one big takeaway that I, if you've been watching the show, I ask everybody and you've kind of already has set us some challenges out there. But I ask everybody that comes on the show, what's the takeaway for that blue collar worker who is sick and tired of being stuck in the mud, and it may be that guy physically sitting there stuck in a water ditch and it's 112 degrees, but it also could be that emotionally and that metal guy that needs a check.
Speaker 2:You know again what's next? Yeah, what's next in my life, what's next in his life and their life? You know, do you want to make a change? You know, I ask all my entrepreneurs. I said look, man, you want to be right where you are. If you want to be right where you are, then continue to do the same thing. But if you're sick and tired of being sick and tired and you want some opportunity and you want a better life for yourself and your family, do something. Pick up the phone, call us, ask us to do some research for you. You know, just damn it, do something. Do something. It's what's next. You know, and that's. I ask every single one of my entrepreneurs when they walk in the door and they go through our boot camps. I say what's next for you?
Speaker 2:So my takeaway to all your people is to ask what's next for them and if you're sick and tired of being sick and tired, pick up the phone, give us a call, do something that's going to change their life forever. And federal contracting is something that I can tell you. I've seen it change lives every single day, because the government checks don't bounce and the government is getting. Regardless of what party you're on or anything else you know, they're always spending money. They always buy everything from staples to spaceships every single day, and if you're anywhere in between, guess what? There's a job out there waiting for you and all you have to do is go get it. It will help you do it.
Speaker 1:Well, one more time on your website, brother.
Speaker 2:USFCRcom the best way to get ahold of us.
Speaker 1:It sounds like the place to be and I'm excited to start getting our profile built.
Speaker 2:I'm working on it, buddy. You just wait, I'll give you about a week and you're, you're gonna go. What the hell's all this?
Speaker 1:no, it's exciting I am truly it is exciting. It's exciting for me to sit here and go. I just learned of a whole nother business market uh, that's not, you know, maybe outside of my local and it kind of, yeah, pinged me a little bit. But I truly hope that you see a few. Let them know if you're coming from the show, let them know. You heard them here, heard it here first and truly hope that's the start of something new. It sounds like they're there to help you. I can't wait to be the first guest on Mr Eric's first podcast show after going through the whole product of it. But I got a feeling, mr Eric, that's my challenge to you. People need to hear your vibrancy and to spread this word. And yeah, it may get a little redundant about government contracts, but it's for that guy that tunes in for the first time every single time and it changes his life. And so I appreciate you and what you've built and how you've gone about it, sir, and I can tell you care I actively care about the customers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, my people care and if anybody calls up and they say they heard this on this show, okay, I will give them a free market research, which is actually so vital because it is an absolute roadmap for them to follow. We sell that in our services, for I think it was $1,200. Okay, I'll give it to them for free and all it is is a free roadmap to where they can go in the federal marketplace, state, local. It really breaks down their business and everyone should have one because it's a roadmap. So you have that. They call in. You just tell them that you know we heard it on the show and I'll make sure that they get their market analysis and a free coaching and get these guys moving in the right direction man.
Speaker 1:what an exclusive way to end the show here. Guys, you heard it here first. I wanted to give you guys something.
Speaker 2:I wanted to give you something so they have no dang excuse about what's next. Okay, pick up the blasted phone call and get started. That's right, get started, don't sit on your butt. Get out and start. Whatever you do, let's do more of it, okay, yeah, spread the wealth, spread the knowledge. Thank you so much, cy, for all that you do for all of the blue collar businesses out there, and I'm just excited to be on your show.
Speaker 1:Thank you so so much. Thank you, brother. Thank you so much for spreading the knowledge and the wealth and the awareness for everybody here on the show and man. I learned a lot today too, and look forward to the future. Till then, we'll see you, guys, next time you got it. Have a great day. If you've enjoyed this episode, be sure to give it a like, share it with the fellers. Check out our website to send us any questions and comments about your experience in the blue collar business. Who do you want to hear from? Send them our way and we'll do our best to answer any questions you may have. Till next time, guys.