Forming New Federal Contracting Peer to Peer Group, Starts July 12th

Peer to Peer Federal Contacting Program (Fed P2P)
Loudoun Small Business Development Center (Loudoun SBDC)

Researchers have identified peer-to-peer mentoring and coaching as a “best practice” because it has proven to be especially effective in aiding the successful growth and development of small businesses. The goal of the Fed P2P Program is to create jobs and sales within the overall category of federal contracting. 

We are in the process of forming our second Peer-to-Peer Federal Contracting Group.  Our first group graduated last year, and members of that group have started businesses and won contracts.  We will encourage those from Fed P2P Group 1 to join us and help mentor Group 2 when possible!  The group will be limited to no more than 16 members.

Target Participants: 

Individuals (or businesses) who:

·         Live in and/or base their business in Loudoun County

·         Are currently either federal contractors who want to take their business to the next level OR are well-positioned to enter the federal contracting arena

·         Participants are expected to have the time and appropriate resources to commit to making their business a success

Commitment:

·         Those accepted as participants must commit to attending the group meetings and to complete agreed-upon “homework” or “assignments” as set by the group as a whole. This level of commitment is critical to the Program’s success.

Format:

·         The Pilot Program is offered free of charge

·         The group will meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the three months of July-September (with a possible extension into October, as determined by the Loudoun SBDC with group input)

·         Each session will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the office of the Loudoun SBDC:

202 Church Street, Suite 100, Leesburg, VA  20175

·         To the extent possible, no direct competitors will participate in the same group

·         Only one person per company may participate in the group

·         All participants must maintain confidentiality 

·         A Loudoun SBDC facilitator will lead the group

·         At the initial session, participants will introduce themselves, and the group as a whole will establish its goals and the categories of speakers they would like to hear during the Program

·         Participants will form into teams for working on some projects

·         Each participant will present at least one time. The other participants will help by brainstorming solutions and best practices for any challenges addressed by the presenter.

The Loudoun SBDC is a member of the Virginia SBDC Network, a statewide service network funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. Additional Loudoun SBDC funding sources include George Mason University-Mason Enterprise Center at the School of Public Policy, the County of Loudoun, Loudoun County Industrial Development Authority and Town of Leesburg.