Journey to $1M as a New GovCon - Day 1 (What will I sell? 1/2)

[@aliesshaq6141]

Day one. I have a feeling that this is going to be a wild ride. See you tomorrow.

[@neilmcdonnell]

Thanks for engaging! I'm looking forward to see this play out. :)

[@SavannaSaltsgaver]

🎉 This will encourage many entrepreneurs! I’m excited to watch NancyCo go! Outside of the box teaching Neil 😊

[@neilmcdonnell]

That's what I'm hoping for going into 2025. Thanks for engaging!

[@charlesoparah3178]

Thank you Neil for your selflessness.

[@neilmcdonnell]

You're welcome. It's one of those 'do what you love' things. :) Thanks for engaging!

[@seyer8896]

This is really encouraging. I will follow along each step of the way and follow your lead. Thank you for what you are doing in helping us get there.

[@neilmcdonnell]

Awesome. Thanks for engaging! Make sure to follow me on LinkedIn as well.

[@raffaelagibbard5471]

This promises to be an amazing journey. I love that you are showing us you walk the walk. Thank you.

[@neilmcdonnell]

That's what I'm doing. I hadn't remembered the line. Not just talk the talk but walk the talk. :)

[@clintondouglasiv603]

Love content I'm inspired looking forward to seeing what's coming up next

[@neilmcdonnell]

Thanks for engaging! I hope it guides you and others to follow the same path and process.

[@MajorT32]

Looking forward to learning the ropes!

[@neilmcdonnell]

Glad to have you join me on this journey!

[@bacharacherif8256]

Thank you, Neil for sharing with all these clarifications.

[@neilmcdonnell]

You're welcome. It will be a fun journey.

[@Zigr-Inc]

Lets go Neil! Looking forward to 2025. I've been following you for 2+ years and we still use your advice on one of our portfolio companies doing $12m+ gross revenue a year. A great topic would be were the money is shifting post CR.

[@neilmcdonnell]

That's so great to hear. Hopefully you're following me on LinkedIn as well. Post CR? Like continuing resolution? I wouldn't see any shifting... that is a yearly occurrence, the use of CRs. I can't recall the last time a budget passed on time.

[@RP-lh4si]

Thank you, Neil and your team

[@neilmcdonnell]

You're welcome. Thanks for engaging!

[@g-imichellegardner-ince4045]

Love it❣️ I'm a student ready to learn. The student is ready.

[@neilmcdonnell]

When the student appears, the teacher... :) Great to see you on this journey.

[@Iaintbrokenomo]

This is exciting. I’m going to follow you

[@neilmcdonnell]

Glad to have you join the journey. Thanks for engaging!

[@nolapropertybuyer9732]

Great. I'm here for this.

[@neilmcdonnell]

Welcome aboard!

[@MIDE..]

This is great - thank you and looking forward to growing with you

[@neilmcdonnell]

You're welcome. Thanks for engaging and the support!

[@angelatoler7972]

I'm on the train! Ready for the journey. Thank you for sharing and leading.

[@neilmcdonnell]

Do just be a passenger, be an active participant. :) Seriously, if you're building your own business, make sure you're seeing similar steps forward as NancyCo.

[@RP-lh4si]

Happy New Year

[@neilmcdonnell]

Excited to be heading into 2025. Happy new year's to you too!

[@JayJohnson-ec8lw]

This is dope and I’m here for it 🙌🏾

[@neilmcdonnell]

Glad to have you join, Jay.

[@GenerativeAIConsulting1]

Loved this training! Looking forward to following this journey.

[@neilmcdonnell]

Just make sure you don't have you AI do the watching. ;) Glad to have you along for the journey!

[@qutaibabs1]

Your videos are far superior than all gurus.

[@neilmcdonnell]

Very kind of you to say. Are you building a firm? Where are you in the journey. Want to see you succeeding while I'm demonstrating. :)

[@qutaibabs1]

@@neilmcdonnell at the start-up phase, found my client and having conversations to know the keywrods and problems. how do we contact you?

[@neilmcdonnell]

Engage here or connect on LinkedIn. But I generally just don't have time to talk with everyone... not being snooty. Even today, a Sunday, I'm responding to over 250 people who are working with me on a new tool we're building. But, not selling, if you're a subscriber to GovCon in a Box, we have weekly community hour which we're thinking about turning into dailies. I'm there on Zoom.

[@IsaacTrinidadLLC]

I wished that I saw this video 3 years ago. I started a insurance business, spent a lot of money building in, submitted several bids, but haven't won anything yet...looking forward to make $1million in 2025!!

[@neilmcdonnell]

It's just a process, Isaac. :) I'm with you. I struggled for 20 years to do it on my own; I just happened to be good at sales. :) Binge watch the first 11 days. Day 12 coming soon. Glad to have you following.

[@danielcovington6786]

🔥🔥

[@neilmcdonnell]

Watch for a playlist to come soon.

[@qutaibabs1]

Your channels is great.

[@neilmcdonnell]

I appreciate that. I aim to bring value and tactical advice in my content.

[@qutaibabs1]

@@neilmcdonnell Tactical thing is the best thing ever. we are tired of abstraction without real time tactical level.

[@RosalbaFlorez-o4d]

Great video! I just realized my mistake was forming an LLC with all these ideas on my head. How many out there doing the same mistake? Thank you Sir!

[@neilmcdonnell]

We pretty much all do. If you look at the advice coming from all these government funded entities, they jump right in year 3. But starting a business means you need to feed your family first. Right. So, I start with basically getting a job but as a subcontractor with a niche. :)

[@Tommysotomayorsmomma]

I’m actually doing this now! This year I will bill out $2 million (my first ever contract and I’m the prime) but the goal is to have 10 million in revenue by the end of 2025. I sub out the work but I will take back the reigns and be the prime. I think I will stand out more, I will let a staffing agency handle the admin work.

[@neilmcdonnell]

Sounds good. Let me know if you need a good staffing firm - I can make a referral to one of my customers. Good luck.

[@WirelessGus]

Thanks Neil! How can we leverage AI to accelerate the fastest path to cash?

[@neilmcdonnell]

You're welcome. First start with what problem you want to solve. Federal agencies are no different than any other business... they have problems that need to be addressed. Then align that problem to what you sell. I don't look at AI accelerating the journey to 'cash' so much as optimizing our efforts. The journey to federal revenue is very predictable. For me on this journey, I'll be doing it exclusively through subcontracting which is the fastest. Remember, I don't teach hacks or secrets. I teach that government contracting is not a secret, it's just a process. When followed that process will lead to success.

[@marionhood1861]

May you be filles with loving kindness.Peace

[@neilmcdonnell]

Thanks!

[@teachanansi7078]

I'm definitely looking forward to this. My professional experience is in SaaS technical support and in education (all levels). Are those things that I could actually sell to the government, assuming I niche down?

[@neilmcdonnell]

Glad to have you join me on this journey. Yes, for sure the government needs Saas support, etc. Depending on which platforms you support, you'd align with different agencies. For example, when I supported the White House they used Salesforce as do several other agencies. SaaS is pretty much how anything is delivered now a days, so you'll be good. But niche down like you're saying.

[@ephronj]

Why do you say that I should not start my business by creating an LLC? What manor of corporate governance do you recommend?

[@neilmcdonnell]

I'm saying don't waste the time forming an LLC before locking down what you sell and who will buy it. A lot of us focus on anything but selling. Steven Covey calls this putting first thing first. And forming an LLC is not the first step to forming a business... it's figuring out what niche down product or service I sell and who buys it. Then go form the LLC.

[@HIM_MAN]

What do i do to become a government contracting expert how do i obtain the knowledge? What courses should i take. Im a truck driver with loads of time to think i just want to be put on the right path

[@neilmcdonnell]

You want to be a government contracting expert, or learn how to start your own firm and grow it?

[@HIM_MAN]

@neilmcdonnell the first one

[@neilmcdonnell]

Do the second one. And then become the first one. You don't need to be Michael Jordan to teach basketball, but you do need to have been on the court in high school and college to teach in the pro's. Imagine how well your business would grow when you can point to 2025 and say you built a million-dollar business in 12 months. :)

[@HIM_MAN]

@neilmcdonnell while the million dollars sounds nice I just want to be able to live comfortably with my family and set something aside for next gen.

[@HIM_MAN]

@neilmcdonnell and I don't want to teach , I want to know it to understand it like a scholar , where do I start

[@qutaibabs1]

Can I provide cyber security consulting services implementing cyber security frameworks? sgtarting from zero by leveraging other consutlatns.

[@neilmcdonnell]

You 'can' do anything. Right. But if you're thinking cyber in the federal market, you should probably be a cyber person yourself. If you're not, I'd focus on niche offerings closer to what you have expertise in already and then grow into cyber.

[@qutaibabs1]

@ I am a cyber professional for 12 years

[@neilmcdonnell]

@@qutaibabs1 Well that's awesome. You're the perfect one to build a cyber business in the federal market. When you say leveraging other consultants, do you mean 1099s or W2s working for you? Either way, yes. I would pursue contracts together with other firms already selling into federal agencies. You'll be able to help them win contracts and place your staff on the contracts as a subcontractor. Cyber is one of the biggest IT spends going on for the next 10+ years.

[@qutaibabs1]

@@neilmcdonnell I do have lots of friends of mine who used to work with me internationally and we used to work internationally for Dubai's government. That's the challenge of letting them do the work remotely without visiting the agency. Can I start like with 0$ get 1st payment from the Gov then pay the Consultants based on that on monthly basis.

[@neilmcdonnell]

You can do anything you want with consultants on 1099 as long as they agree. Basically they'd do a month's worth of work and submit an invoice with a 30 day due date. Just collect from the agency before then.