Gerri is Head of Market Education for Nav, a website that helps entrepreneurs manage and build their personal and business credit. She is also co-author of the new book Finance Your Own Business with Garrett Sutton.

Jason and Gerri have an in-depth discussion about what business credit is, how you can obtain it, how you can actually attain GOOD business credit and what you can do with it in your business.

Key Takeaways:

[6:06] Specific examples of using business credit and protecting your personal credit score

[10:37] Managing your business credit report

[12:22] How you actually get started with business credit

[13:41] Some important business credit terminology

[16:10] A tip that can help improve your credit score by simply changing the day you're paying your bills

[19:01] Looking at the time commitment that's likely required when you start getting your business credit underway

[22:36] The coming rise of equity crowdfunding

Websites Mentioned:

www.nav.com
www.corporatedirect.com
www.kiva.org

Kevin Jans is the President and Founder of Skyway Acquisition Solutions (“Skyway”). After 16 years as a Department of Defense contracting officer, he founded Skyway to help companies navigate the increasingly complex process of competing for Federal contracts. Kevin built the company on the premise that no one knows the Federal acquisition system better than contracting officers who managed it from the inside. Following this idea, he built a team of experts with actual contracting officer experience. What separates this podcast is the insight that Kevin and Paul bring from having been Contracting Officers (COs).

Kevin has held contracting officer warrants with unlimited signing authority in multiple Department of Defense agencies. He has written and reviewed over 1,000 contracts valued from $7,700 to $882 Million. In addition, Kevin has personally led or managed 143 competitive government source selections. This experience has made him a veritable expert in a series of acquisition regulations including the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS), the Air Force FAR Supplement (AFFARS), and the Special Operations Command FAR Supplement (SOFARS). He has competed, awarded and administered contracts in a wide variety of industries, from aircraft and space systems to facilities and tactical vehicles.  His collaborative style allowed him to communicate across a disparate customer base (Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Air Force and Marine Corps SOF) to create rapid, effective acquisition strategies.

In addition to his hands on experience, Kevin has extensive credentials in the contracting and source selection field. He is an active member of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), Suncoast Chapter.  Kevin also has elite training and development experience in the Federal contract market. He was competitively selected for both the US Air Force’s Copper Cap Training Program and the Career Broadener Programs. Both of these targeted Department of Defense training programs are designed to accelerate the experience and knowledge of high-performing professionals in the DOD contracting and acquisition field. He is a Certified Federal Contracts Manager (through NCMA), DOD-Certified in both Contracting and Program Management (through Defense Acquisition University) and he holds a Yellow Belt Certification in Six Sigma.

Key Takeaways:

[5:13] Kevin's new 80/20 rule

[7:07] A few places you can go to find government contracts out there and if you might be a fit

[9:48] Getting started and learning the basics of learning to get government contracts

[11:50] How to compete for government contracts with small businesses and minority owned businesses

[14:53] Comparing the government contract market to the stock market

[17:51] How long it takes to get a government contract going

[21:55] Exploring the all important topic of how much it costs to get help submitting your government contract proposal

[24:40] Looking at what the government's going to look at when they're onsidering if you'll win the contract

Websites Mentioned:

www.usaspending.gov
www.federalbusinessopporunities.gov
www.skywayacquisition.com
www.contractingofficerpodcast.com

Jane Root is a leading creative executive producer who has transformed major networks on both sides of the Atlantic, and delivered innovative, acclaimed programming to the content market worldwide in both television and digital. Previously President of Discovery Networks and controller of BBC2, Jane established herself as co-founder of Wall to Wall Television creating a number of hit programs for the British and US markets. In 2008, Jane set up Nutopia and since its launch has created international formats, won awards, achieved record-breaking ratings and pioneered a new genre of television – the mega-doc.

Key Takeaways:

[1:20] An overarching look at the peaceful beginning of the 2000s

[3:05] The flavor of the decades, the 80s created the world we now have, the 90s were peace and prosperity

[7:39] The technologies that changed society in the 2000s, starting with Napster

[9:31] A look back at the financial side of the 2000s and how it was a continuation of the 90s weakening of restrictions

[12:20] The changing speed of technological advances

[15:42] Some fun facts about the 2000s

Websites Mentioned:

www.nutopia.com

Harpreet Singh is Co-founder and Co-CEO of ExpertFi, as well as a Fellow at Harvard Innovation Lab. He is responsible for Experfy's strategy and operations. He is an entrepreneur with experience leading cross-functional teams in global execution of product development, business strategy, operations, and technology functions. With exceptional emphasis on structured governance, he managed the program management initiatives for sixty technology startups from Citigroup's e-Citi Venture Portfolio Office. In a later role as Director of Technology, also at Citigroup, he architected the infrastructure of global multi-tiered, web-based electronic exchanges. Harpreet subsequently established the Project Management Office (PMO) for FX Alliance, a global foreign exchange platform, where he was responsible for enabling project and risk management functions for New York, London and Tokyo locations. Harpreet earned Master's and PhD degrees from Harvard University, where he currently serves as a faculty member. In 2001, Harpreet co-founded the Sikh Coalition—a civil rights group—in the wake of hate crimes against Sikh-Americans after the September 11 attacks. In 2003, along with Desmond Tutu, Harpreet was honored with the James Parks Morton Interfaith Tribute by the Interfaith Center of New York for his work to help heal local communities on the grassroots level.

Key Takeaways:

[1:26] Dr. Singh breaks down the 3 characteristics of big data: volume, variety and velocity

[4:11] How big data is being used in a way that small businesses can actually use

[7:15] How big data has been used in conferences to aid in seating people, at a price that businesses can actually afford

[9:21] How Experfy has been able to recruit and retain some of the big names in the data scientist world

[10:15] Using big data can help your company automate things previously done manually, drive down your prices and help you expand

[14:34] The future of big data and analytics

[16:00] Describing the Harvard Innovation Lab