Be a Boss

"Everyone at Harvard is inventing something. Harvard graduates believe that inventing a job is better than finding a job."

-Social Network

Well, apparently, so do UNA Honors Forum students. Our last speaker, Mr. Phillip Marks, talked to our class about making our own jobs, but more specifically on Understanding Government Contracting. He explained that the government spends hundreds of billions of dollars on contracting businesses, and at least 23% of that money spent is reserved for small businesses. The federal government awards a contract every 20 seconds of every business day- it is the world's largest market. Phillip Marks says that there is a lot of opportunity for small businesses with the government.

We go to school to graduate to get our dream job. Then when we graduate, we can't get a job. That's right... the economy is down, so no one is hiring. Bummer. But here's a crazy idea: Go forth with a brilliant idea and make your own company! Be your own boss.

Small businesses are great! And there are some incentives to the founder of the company such as an opportunity for great success and an early retirement and freedom to work when and how you want to. But it is also a huge risk to start your own company. You can't just be an expert on the service or product you want your company to give, but you also need to be able to handle the paperwork and financials of the company.

Mr. Marks made government contracting sound easy. And as an employee currently working on a government contract, it is anything but easy. The government must have at least 23% of contracting done with small businesses, but this past year, only 20% of government contracting was with small businesses. The process of making a contract with the government is rather tedious. First, the small business must be founded 2 years prior to application for a bid. Second, the small business must give 2 examples of every service they are offering in the contract. These examples must answer several questions in detail explaining exactly how the work is done, problems during the job and how they were solved, major milestones reached by the company during the project, and the list goes on. Third, you have to make a separate marketing plan just for the government along with almost a book of information on the founding of your company and other information. Lastly, you have someone walking you through the entire process who may or may not be competent. And P.S., all of this work doesn't gaurantee your company a contract. You very well could be wasting a whole lot of time if the government chooses to use another company for your service. The government does not work hard to work with small businesses; small businesses work hard to work with the government. Making a government contract can be beneficial, but it takes a lot of time and patience to complete. There is work that the government will give you, but nothing that a small business can rely on to stay in the black.

That being said, I do believe that starting your own business or working for a small business is a great opportunity to take! It gives you more freedom than a corporal environment and is an opportunity to grow your own ideas and improve your skills. So if you want to start a small business, be a risk-taker, be driven, don't quit, and most importantly, do something you love. But remember that while the US government is the world's largest market, it's not small businesses' largest market.