Andy Main is a former UFC fighter, the youngest person to appear on The Ultimate Fighter -at the time, an MMA champion, a serial entrepreneur, and the CEO of ROE Defense. Rick talks to Andy about why he started a defense tech company, his amazing career in mixed martial arts, and his philosophy on business and life. Andy's a member of the GovClose certification program. If you'd like to check that out, you can do so at the following link: https://www.govclose.comWatch Next:The 15 Rules of Government Contracting. https://youtu.be/gdh8dNBT46MConnect with Rick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/govclose/Connect With Andy on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andymain1/#ufc #mma #veteran #defensetechnology

These are the 15 rules we teach in the GovClose certification program on how to consistently win contracts with the U.S. federal government.

If you have rules or formulas that you use for government contracting that are not in this video, please share them in the comments.

Start Your GovCon Career: https://www.govclose.comGovClose Certification Overview: https://www.govclose.com/govclose-certification-programConnect with Rick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/govclose/

From 8(a) reviews and HUBZone audits to new verification standards for woman-owned and veteran-owned businesses, there’s a clear message coming from Washington: these programs are being watched more closely than ever.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

It’s a reminder that certifications were never meant to replace value — they were designed to highlight it.

In government contracting, the sequence matters:

1. Start with value. Build a business that solves a real problem for an agency.

2. Learn the mission. Work with the government during market research and pre-solicitation to shape requirements.

3. Position early. Once you’ve established credibility, then a certification can help move the needle — slightly.

Used the right way, certifications can still be a force multiplier.
Used too early, they can become a crutch that hides a weak value proposition.

As I mention in this week’s video, contracting officers don’t award contracts because you’re certified — they award them because you deliver results.
The businesses that focus on solving mission problems first will be the ones that benefit most from these programs in the long run.

Interested in selling to the US government? Watch our free training to understand how to build a government contracting business profitably: https://www.govclose.com/watch-sales-certification

Start Your GovCon Career: https://www.govclose.com

In this special podcast episode, I go over the step-by-step process we teach in the GovClose certification program for winning government contracts. GovClose Certification Overview: https://www.govclose.com/govclose-certification-programConnect with Rick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/govclose/FREE Federal Sales Training: https://www.govclose.com

If you are a veteran or federal worker and have a security clearance, you may qualify for very high-paying job.

Companies pay a premium for people that have been through the security clearance process.

It saves time, and you're already vetted. But there's one job most people don't think about when leveraging a clearance.

This is unfortunate because it's one of the highest paying jobs that you can get.

This episode, we break down how to leverage your security clearance and look at actual job postings to compare and contrast different pathways.

Start Your GovCon Career: https://www.govclose.comGovClose Certification Overview: https://www.govclose.com/govclose-certification-programConnect with Rick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/govclose/FREE Federal Sales Training: https://www.govclose.com

GovClose Certification Overview: https://www.govclose.com/govclose-certification-programWhy are college-age kids choosing government contracting as a career path and succeeding at it? There is a big debate going on in this country about the price of a college education vs. what you actually get for it. Choosing a career can be difficult for young people, never mind paying off a huge amount of debt for an education that may not actually help you get a job! In this video, I interview a college sophomore who went through the GovClose certification program, learned government contracting, and was immediately offered a paid internship with an aerospace defense company.Next I interview Jack, a young man in his early 20s, no bachelor's degree, but went through the GovClose certification program and now has multiple high-paying clients. Government contracting is not for everybody. It's hard. Some would say it's boring (not me, of course). But there is enormous amounts of funding that the federal government spends in almost all industries each year. There are very few people that actually understand how the government buys. Because of this, salaries and consulting fees tend to be very high, and there's not a lot of competition because so few people even know about government contracting as a profession, and even less actually understand the process. I also want to make a disclaimer. I am not advising people to skip college. But, I do want to make people aware that there is an alternative. Also in Lindsey's case, you'll see combining college with government contracting can actually be a really great option as well. I hope this video helps. And if you liked it, and/or if you would like to see a program dedicated to helping college-age kids get into government contracting, let me know in the comments. Government Contracting 101: https://www.govclose.comConnect with Rick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/govclose/#careeradvice #collegestudent #certification

Here's a statistic that will shock you: According to SBA data, there are 34.7 million small businesses in the United States.

Yet only 78,677 companies—just 0.23%—won federal contracts in FY24. That's less than a quarter of one percent competing for $774 billion in annual contract opportunities.

Why is this number so low?

It's not because the opportunity is small. It's because most businesses don't understand how the system actually works.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the three rules of SAM that nobody talks about—the realities that separate the 0.23% who win from the 99.77% who struggle.

Rule #1: Don't Use SAM (Yet)

Before you even register on the System for Award Management, you need to validate that the government actually buys what you sell. I'll show you how to use USAspending to research federal buying patterns and save yourself months of wasted effort.

I'll also address a critical warning: the "middleman" or "broker" model being promoted on social media. Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.219-14 requires small business prime contractors to perform at least 50% of services work themselves. Without past performance and in-house capabilities, this model fails—both legally and practically.

Rule #2: Know Who Buys What You Sell—And How

It's not enough to know that agencies buy what you sell. You need to understand which offices, what procurement methods they use (GSA Schedules, GWACs, IDIQs), and what barriers to entry exist. Some contract vehicles take years to access.

Rule #3: Always Start with Sources Sought

Here's what most people miss: there's an entire phase of contracting that happens before the solicitation is ever published. It's called the market research phase, and this is where contracts are actually won.

When agencies post Sources Sought notices or Requests for Information, they're inviting you to shape requirements, demonstrate capabilities, and build relationships. The companies that win consistently are the ones who engage 6-8 months before the RFP drops—attending meetings, providing demonstrations, and establishing trust with program offices.

Writing "cold" proposals to solicitations you found online? That's starting at the end. Your competitors started at the beginning.

I'll explain why the system isn't rigged—it's just that most people don't know about the pre-solicitation engagement phase where the real work happens.

Industry experience suggests it takes 12-24 months to win your first federal contract, and the SBA reports that some businesses spend $80,000 to $130,000 in the process. This is a long-term strategy, not a quick win. But for businesses with proven capabilities and the patience to build properly, federal contracting provides stable, recurring revenue at scale.

Ready to Learn More?

If you want to learn how to use government contracting to win contracts, start a consulting business, or launch a career as an account executive, visit govclose.com. We offer comprehensive training and implementation programs to help you navigate the federal marketplace successfully.

Rick Howard is a former Air Force acquisition officer who managed over $82 billion in defense contracts. He founded GovClose in 2019 to help companies and consultants succeed in the federal marketplace.

At the time of this recording, the U.S. federal government is shut down and it is affecting federal employees, contractors, and even some military.

In this video, I discuss how federal experience can be valuable to companies selling to the U.S. government. We also go over potential paths to bring on consulting clients that can help mitigate a shutdown, bring in an extra stream of income, and for some, give them a career pivot that's entrepreneurial and can be very rewarding.

Start Your Consulting Business: https://www.govclose.comGovClose Certification Overview: https://www.govclose.com/govclose-certification-program