profile

I'm Dale, the author of Going 1099

Can the small business office help you?

Published 19 days ago • 1 min read

I've spoken with a few government small business offices over the years.

They're a mixed bag.

The office I talked to yesterday was pretty helpful.

https://www.dcsa.mil/Contact-Us/Office-of-Small-Business-Programs/

I reached out to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency's Office of Small Business Programs (DCSA OSBP) and set up a call with the POC there.

She explained to me what the office does and offered to help in a few ways.

Basically, she:

  • Offered to collect my company's information and put it in her small biz data base (probably a spreadsheet)
  • Send me the acquisition forecast (basically a list of services/products DCSA wants to acquire in the next year)
  • Explained how she engages with DCSA's contracting officers and makes sure to pair up small business with the right opportunity
  • Offered to put her small biz vendors in touch with the right DCSA government SMEs who would be managing the work
  • Answered questions about what contract vehicles they use, plans to grow her small business outreach effort, etc

Now, I don't know if this will lead to an opportunity in the near future, but it was good to meet her and get a sense of what she is trying to do.

My strategy now is to stay in touch with her with the goal of getting intros to the government folks who will actually be doing the acquisition and managing the contract work.

There are a lot of duds working in the government who go out of their way to be unhelpful, so it's refreshing when you encounter someone who is actually enthusiastic about their job and helps you.


If you're interested in learning how to get your first solo 1099 federal sub-contract, check out my book:

Going 1099: How to become a solo federal sub-contractor and gain control of your working life, earn more money and unlock more free time


I'm Dale, the author of Going 1099

Going 1099 is a book that teaches you how to become a solo federal sub-contractor and gain control of your working life, earn more money and unlock more free time. I wrote it because quite a few people have asked me how they can become a 1099. I figured it was best to write a single book that I can send them and that I can share with others who are interested. This newsletter goes out Monday - Friday and covers topics that will help you succeed in starting and maintaining successful 1099 career.

Read more from I'm Dale, the author of Going 1099

Ahh non-diverse workplace friendships.... The Wall Street Journal published an article that made the claim that Gen-Z are negatively impacted by remote work because they don't get to make friends. What Gen Z Will Lose if They Don’t Have Friendships at Work -- "The rise of remote work has upended all that; the less time we are in the office, the less time we have to form and cement the bonds of friendship. That’s true for all remote or hybrid workers. But the impact is being felt most strongly...

2 days ago • 2 min read

From Art of Gig Volume 1: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Gig-1-Foundations/dp/1959228005 You can only prepare so much. You've done all the research. You have savings. You know you can get a back up job offer. You have great client relationships and technical skills. At some point you're going to have make your move. This might mean telling your boss you can only stay if they keep you on as a 1099. It could mean asking a potential client if they'd like to work with you, and if so, ask for an...

3 days ago • 1 min read

Sherlock Holmes was a 1099 I'm always surprised how few of my friends, who are all smart and educated, don't read on a regular basis. I'm not even a heavy reader, but I probably go through a book per month. This helps me with my writing and thinking and also gives me the fun party trick of being able to annoy others with miscellaneous facts that challenge their world view. Similarly, I'm always a bit surprised by how little research government employees and contractors put into solving work...

4 days ago • 1 min read
Share this post