How Certifications Can Help You

The government has different types of certifications to help small businesses if they fall into a category. Small Business Administration (SBA) certifications allow small businesses access to federal contracts and other benefits based on specific programs

There are different types of certifications including:

• 8(a)

• businesses participating in the 8(a) Disadvantaged Business Program

• HUBZone

• companies based in a historically underutilized area.

• Women-Owned Businesses

• 51% female-owned and operated businesses

• Minority-Owned Businesses

• 51% daily owned, operated and controlled by a minority group

• Service Disabled Veterans

• 51% Veteran Owned, Operated and Daily Controlled

• service disabled

You can view many more federal small business certifications and check which certifications are right for you by visiting the main SBA website located here.

If you can get certified, you should. Certificates open doors to win government contracts

Certifications are a Tool

If you need to cut down a tree, go find a chainsaw. Just because you have a chainsaw doesn't mean the hole is dug. And just because you get certified doesn't mean you get awarded contracts. There is still work to be done to win the contract. The tool makes the job easier.

Why Should You Get Certified?

Government entities have targets to award to different types of small businesses. They have an internal system in place to do business with you.

Data in 2021

Objetivos de la pequeña empresa Small Business goals	23%	$127 mil millones /año
Empresas propiedad de minorías 8(a) Minority Owned firms 8(a)	​5%	$28 mil millones /año
Empresas propiedad de mujer Woman Owned	​5%	​$28 mil millones /año
​Zona HUB HUB Zone	3%	​$17 mil millones /año
​Veterano de servicio discapacitado Service-Disabled Veteran	3%	$17 mil millones /año

But sometimes the government just can't meet its goals.

Many large companies have government contracts, such as Boeing, Apple, and Amazon. Sometimes the federal government passes its goals on to large companies when they award a contract.

When you get certified, be sure to target the government AND the big government contractors. Big companies WANT to do business with you. Part of your earnings is based on meeting these government outsourcing targets. If they don't make that profit, they will have to answer to their board of directors why they couldn't make the profit. They have an incentive to do business with you. No other potential customer has this kind of incentive for you to do business with them.

The government and large companies are actively looking for new certified companies to work for. They want to do business with you and that's how you differentiate yourself to stand out.

Certifications provide security

Companies want to do business with you, but they want to make sure they don't get ripped off. Sometimes a large company can start a small business and get certified and exploit the government market by posing as a small business.

Certifications assure government agencies that your business is legitimately owned by a minority or a woman. They know that it has been reviewed and certified by a certifying agency.

These certificates provide assurance to companies that want to do business with you that you are a legitimate business.

Unique approach

You always have the right to go to government agencies and respectfully request that they tell you which large contractors are not meeting their small business goals.

This is not secret information.

In fact, as an American, you deserve to know how your government spends money. In today's era, data is everything. If you have information about which large companies are not meeting their small business outsourcing goals, you can target them specifically.