[AndrewKemendo]

It's not that hard once you get used to it

That's the point though. "Getting used to it" is a serious effort that a small team doesn't have the time or bandwidth to take on. You have to stop doing other things to work on the process, which may not yield anything because it's such a complicated space to compete within.

Trolling FedBizOpps doesn't tell the whole story about prime vs subcontract vs SBIR etc...and by the way the USG is net-60 or net-180 so you need to have the runway to deliver on a contract for up to 6 months before you see any payment.

I know for a small team like ours (4 people) it's just not possible given the uncertain outcome.

[USNetizen]

I disagree. The half-dozen agencies we work with are net-15 to net-30 at most. We started out as a 4 person team just a year ago, and are now a 24 person team working in this market. So it can certainly be done if you just put in the effort to make it so.

Like I said, there are resources available to walk you through everything step-by-step FOR FREE, you just have to reach out and take advantage of them. No one can force you to do that, but you won't get anywhere if you don't start somewhere.

[fapjacks]

Agreed. With enough spare time spent looking, you can find all kinds of resources to hand-hold you through this process. Also, it is incredibly easy once you know what to do.

[USNetizen]

Absolutely. It's like learning a new language - once you have the rules and flow down pat, the rest comes a lot easier. For as hard as people think the market is to break into, there are an abundance of FREE and funded resources to help, but almost no one takes advantage of them unfortunately.

The government itself spends tens of millions of dollars trying to get small businesses to participate, basically like saying "I'll leave the front door to this massive market unlocked, you just have to walk up the stairs and open it" but these startups all turn up their nose at them because they want to ride the business escalator (e.g. whatever is low-hanging fruit/revenue), even if it only takes them up a single floor in the long run.

I personally know more than a dozen privately-held and even family-owned companies that I bet almost no-one here has ever heard of, yet each one takes in more revenue than all of Twitter. These companies used no VC or investor funds whatsoever and were "mere startups" just a few short years ago. And people continue to ignore this market?

All it takes is a little bit of effort and commitment to reach astonishing heights unparalleled in the B2B market. Add to that you also get to make your own government more efficient, cost effective and innovative over time, so what's the issue here?

[aswanson]

I'm shooting you an email. I'm in your area of the country, have worked for large defense primes in data security, and need some guidance.

[newman314]

Would you be able to share pointers to some of these resources?

I don't typically operate in this space but have run into this in the past before and would be useful to know more. Thanks.

[USNetizen]

Your local SBA office, ask for the PTAC rep: https://www.sba.gov/offices/headquarters/ogc/resources/36238...

Now, not all of them are good. Ours was incredibly supportive, even referring work to us that led to long-term contracts. If you can't find someone decent, go to another center if you have more than one in your area. The ones affiliated with larger universities seem to have the best results in my opinion.

I'd be happy to share any other insight as well. I've been working in and around this market for about a decade. Reach out through the website in my profile and mention HN (please note, I am NOT a consultant and do not seek any sort of fee for advice. I'm just willing to help get capable startups into this market that needs innovation).