Veteran Business Owners Avoid $20,000 Scam

Photo Courtesy of US Department of Veterans Affairs

By: Stan Washington
Date: March 27, 2015

Imagine the excitement as the person who has served their country, returns home to open a business. They scrape their last penny together to open a business to service the government that supported them all these years, hoping to get a set aside contract. Now imagine an unscrupulous person preying on their business stating they will "teach" them how to obtain set aside contracts if the veteran business owner would only pay $20,000. Are you furious yet? I am! 

This message is not just to those who are veterans, but to anyone who is going after a government contract.

Safeguard Your Email Address. Your email is listed in public domain. Be careful of getting the eye-catching email stating “Contracting” or “Sub-Contracting” opportunities. Many unscrupulous companies poll the public lists, grabbing email addresses to send you spam. Be sure to use software like Microsoft Outlook that disables any web links or “phishing” software that may have been sent in this email.  In Outlook simply move the message to “Junk Mail”; this disables any malicious behavior in the message.

Seek Help from Government Agencies. Veterans have a wealth of information and services available to them for FREE.  Civilians can also participate in some of these conferences but not all. Look into these resources as they do make themselves available frequently.

Connect with People. Visit “Business Development Centers” in order to understand what is available to you. Some of these centers specialize in helping those who wish to do business with the government. In fact they have quota’s on how successful they are in assisting veterans and civilians. Stop wasting time at home and get out and meet people.

Small business owners who wish to pursue VA set-aside procurement opportunities must be verified as a service-disabled Veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) or Veteran-owned small business (VOSB) by the Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE). In order to get free training visit the Veterans Administration Blog:

http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/18526/training-for-veteran-small-business-owners-to-compete-for-va-set-aside-procurements/

Firms who have started the Verification process can contact CVE’s Customer Service Contact Center at (866) 584-2344, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.  For an update on your application, please contact CVE by phone or email atverificationfollowup@va.gov

Home Based Business Ideas - Veteran's Affairs

By: Stan Washington

Date: December 10, 2014

Full story on: http://www.usveteransmagazine.com/article/top-home-based-small-business-ideas-2014

Whether it is your first business venture or a new one, finding the right business to invest in is crucial. Many successful business owners started out small and then branched out to become multimillion dollar enterprises. Every successful business starts with an idea, and any idea can be worth billions of dollars.

However, before starting any type of business, it is always a good idea to check the market. What are consumers looking for? Is there a high demand for the product or service you are offering, and what kind of return can your business expect over time? These are normal concerns any business owner will have before investing in a new business.

Our "Do it Yourself" Marketing Book - Plans to Prosper is NOW available

Plans to Prosper: Strategies, Systems and Tools for Small Business Marketing Success

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Learn how to choose a marketing strategy that’s right for you. Market in a short period of time on a small budget while increasing visibility, raising buyer awareness, and growing sales using our step-by-step High Achieving Marketing Process ™. Take out the guess work and save money.

Many business owners often feel as though they’re “winging it” as they carry on day to day. They lack a plan or resources to keep them focused. Also, they aren’t reaching their financial goals.

Does that sound familiar?

Plans to Prosper: Strategies, Systems and Tools for Small Business Marketing Success is a step-by-step guide to growing businesses through effective marketing. We take the guess work out of marketing strategies in order to help save you money. In this book, you will learn how to:

Choose a marketing strategy that’s right for you.

Market in a short period of time on a small budget while increasing visibility, raising buyer awareness, and growing sales.

Profit from the marketing mistakes small business owners have made and how to avoid making the same mistakes.

We also provide examples, tips, resources, and warnings to help guide your business toward focused growth.

Victoria Cook, founder and managing director for The Center for Guilt-Free Success, helps women entrepreneurs grow their businesses through coaching and training. Known for her proprietary 7-step Guilt-Free RESULTS™ process, Victoria often is in demand as a speaker. She was named a "Business Brick Builder" by the International Coach Federation Chicago Chapter in 2013. Her innovative approach reflects her commitment to building the strengths of her clients as she helps them market their businesses more confidently and easily.

Stan Washington, a McDonald’s executive turned entrepreneur is founder and president of Honor Services Office, software that helps small business grow sales, market businesses, and process invoices easily. He has helped thousands of small businesses achieve sales into the millions. His leadership of operations and technology enabled multi-billion dollar corporations to increase sales and he is ready to share their tips. Stan also is the co-author of Peaceful Selling: Easy Sales Techniques to Grow Your Small Business.

Victoria and Stan met while serving on a local board of the International Coach Federation, an organization with 22,000 members. After discovering they shared a similar approach and mindset to marketing, they became passionate about working together to create a tool business owners like you could use to save money and grow a business simultaneously. The result is this resource.