Sheena Parker – You Don’t Need Any Prior Experience to Do Government Contracting

Government contracting is often misunderstood due to the term “government.” Many people believe that they need extensive experience to qualify for contracts. While some contracts do require prime contractors with significant experience, there are plenty of opportunities for newcomers. Many types of contracts don’t demand seasoned expertise, and in some cases, contracts are awarded without the need to bid. Remarkably, many individuals have secured contracts on their first attempt.

Take Sheena Parker, for example. She didn’t need any prior experience in government contracting to achieve beginner’s luck and secure her first contract.

Years into that beginning, Sheena now is the Founder and CEO of 4SYT Industries, a government contracting company providing various facility support services to federal, local, and corporate agencies. She also shares her expertise as a Government Contracting Authority, teaching businesses to become 3-tier contractors through consulting, her YouTube channel “Sheenapreneur,” and her course “GovConNOW.”

Sheena Parker is now a well-seasoned player, which is why those looking to pursue government contracting opportunities should learn from her. First, let’s go all the way back and see what her early days in the contracting field looked like.

Sheena Parker and Her Initial Days in Government Contracting – She Got that Beginner’s Luck

Sheena Parker began her entrepreneurial journey in real estate in 2014 but eventually realized that it wasn’t for her, however, she really enjoyed the renovation process. At the time, she was also working full-time as a reservist in the military and as a software engineer at Accenture.

It wasn’t until a holiday party with Accenture that she first learned about the concept of government contracting.

Sheena Parker recalled, “I just randomly was at a holiday party with Accenture when someone walked up to me and said, ‘Hey, I heard you’re a vet, and you’re a Black female. Have you ever heard of government contracting?’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t even know what you’re saying.’ I was totally lost.”

She continued, “But he kept talking about it, like, ‘You can get all this money,’ you know how it sounds—it sounds juicy or whatever. That night, driving home from the holiday party, I was on YouTube University, just trying to figure out what he was even talking about.”

Intrigued, Sheena dove into research and attended various conferences to learn more. Determined to give it a shot, she decided to bid on a contract.

“And then, I just bid on a contract. And I won. And I was like, ‘That’s all I have to do?’” Sheena expressed.

However, she won by underbidding, that’s why she had to cancel it due to the associated financial challenges. After that, she submitted another bid on her birthday in 2018, this time for VCT floor repair for eight fire stations. Since she and her contractor were the only ones who showed up, they were able to secure the contract.

This is the reason why Sheena encouraged others to just jump in.

“I like to let people know that you don’t have to have all the answers. You can really almost not know what you’re doing for real—carefully, of course—not just jumping out here doing anything crazy. But if you have some sort of business acumen, you will more or less be okay. Just follow the path,” she said.

According to her, executing this six-figure contract in January 2019 was a significant learning experience. She managed to secure an advance payment of $70,000, which was crucial for buying materials and paying staff. This advance allowed her to open her first business bank account. 

After being introduced to government contracting, Sheena was still working full-time at Accenture and part-time as a soldier. Around 2017 or 2018, she returned to active duty in the Army, working a typical seven-to-four schedule while bidding on contracts. She managed her responsibilities as a mom, wife, and dog owner by getting up early, staying up late, and using her lunch breaks for business.

“So, I was working full-time, you know—I’m a mom, I’m a wife, a dog mom—all the things. Just getting up earlier, going to bed a little later, using my lunch break for business—those types of things,” Sheena shared.

What Can Other Entrepreneurs Learn from Sheena Parker?

Sheena has seen it all in the world of business; she knows all the pain points that newcomers can encounter when jumping into government contracting. That’s why her insights are so valuable!

No Cutting Corners – The More Quality You Offer, the More Opportunity You Can Get

When Sheena’s first contract ended, she won a janitorial contract for a university starting in June. This contract required a higher level of cleaning than she was accustomed to, necessitating extensive training for her team. Her subcontractor, who had previously worked with her in real estate, was good, but university cleaning demanded meticulous attention to detail, akin to hotel standards.

Despite the initial contract being small, worth around $4,200, Sheena’s team executed it flawlessly. The university had hired five contractors but fired three due to poor performance. These contractors had the mindset of “I can clean, I have a cleaning business,” but they missed the mark on quality.

In contrast, Sheena’s team took exceptional care of their assigned building, impressing the university so much that they were given additional buildings to clean.

“Yeah, they gave us a whole—kind of half of two campuses. So, half of one campus, half of the other. And it just kind of continued—went from $4,000 to like $85,000,” Sheena recalled.

DoD Civilians are Restricted from Bidding on SDVOSB Set-Aside Contracts

Sheena primarily focused on winning local contracts rather than federal ones. Even though she had her SDVOSB certification early on, she didn’t bid on federal contracts initially. By the time she needed to renew her certification, she was heavily involved in contracts.

At that point, Sheena was a DoD civilian and a reservist. When she tried to renew her SDVOSB certification, she was informed that as a DoD civilian reservist, she couldn’t bid on SDVOSB set-aside contracts. This was surprising to her, as she thought the restriction would apply more logically to active-duty soldiers. However, the FAR regulations specified that DoD civilians couldn’t bid on these set-aside contracts.

Despite this restriction, Sheena could still bid on other contracts, just not the SDVOSB or VOSB set-asides. As shared by Sheena, many federal agencies offer contracting opportunities beyond the Army and Navy, including the Interior and USDA. There are also state, local, and international contracts available, providing a wide range of opportunities for businesses.

“That was the only thing that mattered. It didn’t matter that I was a soldier, it didn’t matter if I was active-duty Army—it mattered that I was a DoD civilian. I could still bid on contracts, just not the SDVOSB set-aside or probably the VOSB set-aside contracts,” she articulated.

Being a Veteran Won’t Automatically Lead to Winning Contracts

Sheena mentioned that many veterans, both active duty and retired, often asked her about government contracting, especially after obtaining their certifications. They tended to believe that being a veteran would automatically lead to winning contracts, but Sheena explained that this was not the case.

“People ask me because they feel like being a veteran means contracts will just rain down. But we know that’s not how it works. It’s not happening at all,” she said.

Instead, Sheena advised veterans to concentrate on developing a quality product, establishing a strong business foundation, understanding the process, and maintaining persistence.

“The focus should be ensuring you have a good product, a solid business, understanding what you’re doing, and not giving up,” Sheena insisted.

The Advantage of Small Business Classification Over Set-Aside Certifications

Sheena explained that while certifications like SDVOSB (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business) could be beneficial, they were not always the key to winning contracts. She pointed out that 20% of contracts were designated for small businesses, but “small” could mean anything from $2,000 to $35 million.

Simply being classified as a small business can sometimes be more advantageous than having a specific set-aside certification.

Sheena claimed, “You’ll probably win even more contracts compared to a set-aside in some cases.”

Sheena has observed regional differences in the importance of certifications. For example, SDVOSB set-asides are more valued in the Northeast, whereas in Georgia and the Southeast, 8(a) certifications are more influential. She advises considering whether obtaining a certification is worthwhile if it isn’t highly regarded in your area. 

Stop Going Into Industries You Know Nothing About

Sheena wished people would avoid diving into industries they knew nothing about because it can lead to significant challenges and inefficiencies. She emphasized that it’s better to start in a field you understand and then branch out once you have a solid grasp of the process.

She explained, “I feel like if people start where they are, then they can branch out. Once you find this process works, you can be like DoD or whomever, and they have different departments. But when you get into all that, you’re going to be learning about something instead of executing these contracts and getting money. You’re taking up time learning instead of taking up that time bidding on stuff.”

The Pitfalls of Having too Many NAICS Codes

According to the serial entrepreneur, having too many NAICS codes can be detrimental. The government might question how a small, unknown company can handle multiple industries, leading them to skip over your company without explanation. She advised limiting the number of industries you pursue to avoid pricing yourself out of opportunities.

“Once the government sees you have all these NAICS codes, especially on the federal side, they’re going to say, ‘How is this small company able to do all these things when they are an itty-bitty company I’ve never heard of?’ So now you’re pricing yourself out of something, and you didn’t even know. They’re not going to say, ‘Hey, why do you have all these NAICS?’ You’ll never know. They’ll just skip right over your company and go to the next one and give you some frivolous reason why you didn’t win,” she articulated.

Find the Industries that You Can Jump in With Minimal Investment

As shared by Sheena, there are unique opportunities in certain industries, like government contracting, where you can start with little to no money and quickly build a substantial business. 

She recalled, “There are people who were at the residential level, doing pressure washing and carpet cleaning, and you know, I’m able to give them in 3 months, they make $300,000. That’s their cut for carpet cleaning. Like, that’s insane! You’re not doing that on a residential level.”

This is why she encourages people to find industries where you can start with minimal investment and still build something substantial.

She points out that once you get a contract, you can start making money in about 60 days, unless something goes wrong. Sheena finds it surprising when people don’t know where to get money while you have available resources to tap into such as 401(k), credit cards, savings accounts.

“There are people that have a million-dollar 401(k), and they’re like, “I don’t know where I’m getting the money from.” I’m like, “Yourself! What do you mean?” Like, if you don’t believe in yourself enough to use your own million-dollar 401(k), why are you going to other people and paying high interest?” She questioned.

Pay Your Subcontractors and Employees Handsomely

Sheena believed in taking care of her people, ensuring they were well-compensated for their hard work. She knew that when people were paid well, they felt valued and motivated. Sheena often made personal sacrifices to ensure her team was happy and financially secure.

She said, “Because the truth is, I take care of my people. Sometimes, even to my own detriment. I make sure you get paid well, and then we move on to another contract that works out even better.”

She added, “At the end of the day, I want you to be happy—because you’re the driving force. I’m at home while you’re out there doing the work, so of course you need to be paid handsomely.”

Get Someone to Do the things that You’re Terrible at

It’s very important to delegate tasks that you dislike or aren’t good at to others who excel in those areas, as shared by Sheena. By doing this, you can focus on what you’re good at and enjoy, while ensuring that all aspects of the work are handled effectively. This approach helps create a more efficient and successful team, where everyone is playing to their strengths.

“I know their superpower, and they know mine,” Sheena expressed.

Just Bid!

According to Sheena, many people often overthink the process, but it will stop you from achieving. Many business owners hesitate, believing the paperwork and formalities make it too complex, but in reality, they are already engaging in similar transactions in their daily business.

As she puts it, “Some people have won contracts without ever bidding. They were subs or just provided a product, almost like an Amazon transaction.” The key message is simple: “If you have a business, you can do this. Just bid.”

Sheena stresses that small businesses, especially minority- and women-owned companies, must participate. If they don’t, large corporations will continue to dominate, and eventually, the government might eliminate small business set-asides altogether.

Sheena warns against the trap of waiting for the right time. Many people delay bidding for personal reasons, but those who succeed are the ones who show up and do the work.

“You got to do the thing,” she claimed.