In this episode of GovCon Unscripted, Chelsea Roberts sits down with Guy Timberlake, Co-Founder of The American Small Business Coalition, to talk about the myths, misunderstandings, and bad habits that keep government contractors stuck in the messy middle.

Guy shares lessons from nearly four decades in federal contracting, including why most companies chase the wrong opportunities, why RFIs aren’t the starting point, and why contract ceilings don’t mean what most people think they mean. The conversation dives into Ethical Stalking for Government Contractors, the importance of real customer intelligence, and how expectations have changed between primes, subs, and agencies.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone trying to move from reactive bidding to intentional strategy in the federal market.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:00 Guy’s background in federal contracting

05:00 From doing to teaching GovCon strategy

07:30 Why teaming expectations changed

10:00 RFIs, competition, and market shifts

14:00 Iceberg blindness explained

17:00 Easy-button myths in GovCon

20:00 Ethical Stalking framework

23:00 Intelligence vs tools

30:00 Contract ceilings vs real value

33:00 Why context matters in GovCon data

36:00 Always be learning

37:30 How to connect with Guy

Resources

Go-To-Guy Timberlake's LinkedIn Profile

The American Small Business Coalition

Chelsea Roberts's LinkedIn Profile

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