Melinda Colon joins me to talk about how small business owners—yes, even solopreneurs—can land government contracts without getting buried in red tape. We cover where to find the opportunities, what to expect, and why this overlooked revenue stream might be exactly what your business needs.
🔗 Connect with Melinda on LinkedIn.
Resources
USAspending.gov
A government site that shows past contract awards so you can research trends, amounts, and who’s winning work.
SAM.gov
The official site to register your business and find active government contract opportunities.
GovConMillions.com
Melinda Colon’s free masterclass that walks you through how to use government contracts to grow your business.
Listen On Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
If you’ve never considered going after government contracts for your business, you’re not alone—I hadn’t either.
Until I talked with Melinda Colon.
In this episode of Small Business Sweet Spot, Melinda shared the why and how behind landing government contracts as a small business owner. And let me tell you—this is one of those conversations that completely shifted my perspective.
Turns out, government contracts aren’t just for construction firms or billion-dollar corporations. They’re for people like us. Consultants, designers, copywriters, photographers, marketers, and other service providers.
So if you’re looking for a new revenue stream that’s more stable than social media or less sporadic than referrals, this is for you.
“Government” Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means
Let’s get this part out of the way first: when we say “government,” we’re not just talking about massive federal agencies. Melinda broke it down like this…
“Government” includes your city departments, county offices, school districts, police departments, and state-run facilities.
That mural on the side of a public building? That was likely a government contract.
The rebrand for your local school district? Government contract.
The photos for a military family wedding? Yup. Government contract.
She’s even seen RFPs (requests for proposals) for wedding photographers. Why? Because military members often need ceremonies arranged quickly—and departments like the Department of Defense or U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sometimes facilitate those.
What Stops Most People? One Word… Paperwork
We all assume government contracting is a paperwork nightmare.
Melinda compared it to buying a house—and said home buying actually involves more paperwork. In fact, one of her clients got registered with just three simple one-page online forms.
She also explained that not all projects require formal proposals. If the dollar amount is below a certain threshold (which varies by department), the agency can hire you directly without going through the public bidding process.
So if you’re imagining a 27-page bid packet printed in triplicate… that’s outdated thinking.
Two Big Reasons to Consider Government Work
Melinda gave us two very compelling reasons to explore this type of work:
1. Impact
You’re using your skills to directly support your community. Whether it’s creating a welcoming mural, designing a better website for a city department, or helping streamline a program with your consulting skills.
2. Stability
Most small business owners know the ups and downs of client work… busy one month, dry the next. But one government contract could mean one year (or more) of locked-in income, with multi-year renewal potential.
The Five-Step Strategy for Getting Started
Melinda’s system for landing contracts is called the GovCon Sales Strategy, and it’s helped her clients win over $4.4 billion in contracts… with a 74% win rate (the industry average is just 10–20%).
Here’s the breakdown:
1. Prepare
Get clear on your offers, your goals (revenue targets, types of clients), and your positioning. Just like prepping for any new marketing channel, you need a foundation.
2. Target
Instead of waiting for random contracts to show up, identify the agencies most likely to need what you do. This includes local, state, and federal levels.
You can search past contract data at usaspending.gov to see…
- Who’s buying services like yours
- When they typically post opportunities
- How much they spend
- Who won previous bids (including their pricing and service scope)
Knowing the history of contracts gives you a leg up, because 85% of contracts are repeatable.
3. Strategize
Will you go in as the primary contractor (prime)? Subcontract under someone else who already has the relationship? Form a joint venture?
Here’s a pro tip Melinda shared… subcontracting can be an amazing entry point, especially if you’re newer to this space. It’s a foot in the door without needing to carry the full burden of the proposal or relationship.
4. Submit
By this point, you’ve already done your homework. Writing the proposal becomes easier because you know what the agency wants… and what your competitors submitted in the past.
Melinda recommends building a master proposal template you can reuse and adapt. No starting from scratch every time.
5. Track
Even if you don’t win, request a debrief. Learn how your bid was scored. Compare your proposal to the winning one. Submit a FOIA request (Freedom of Information Act) to access public bid data.
And then? Iterate and improve.
“You just need one win—then repeat it again and again.” – Melinda
Wait… Can Newcomers Even Compete?
One of the best stories Melinda shared was about a solo business owner who beat out 11 larger teams to win her first six-figure contract.
She didn’t have the biggest team or fanciest website. But she had the strategy… and she showed up with a personal touch. The agency appreciated that they didn’t have to go through three layers of managers to get a decision.
This is where small business owners shine.
What If You Want to Test the Waters?
Melinda’s recommendation 👉 Start local.
Look at your city or county websites. Type “[Your City] procurement” into Google and look for sections like:
- Bids & RFPs
- Doing Business With…
- Vendor Registration
From there, you’ll find open opportunities, or at least get on their radar for smaller, unadvertised projects.
You can even call your local procurement office and ask to drop off your capability statement (basically a mini resume for your business). They can’t accept gifts or lunches, but they can meet you and remember your name when the right project comes up.
The Takeaway
If government contracts felt like something out of reach for your small business, I hope this episode changed your mind. It sure changed mine.
