We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Abby Souffrant. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Abby below.

Hi Abby, thanks for joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

Scaling didn’t happen overnight – it happened in layers. And honestly, there were at least two different “scale-ups”: the first was scaling myself from doing everything manually, and the second was scaling the business into a repeatable engine that could serve more businesses consistently without sacrificing quality.

When I started, most of my work was high-touch and founder-led: researching opportunities, interpreting requirements, helping clients position, and building a pipeline by hand. That got results, but it wasn’t sustainable. I realized pretty quickly that in government contracting (especially in SLED), volume isn’t the advantage. Clarity, timing, and repeatable decision-making are the advantage. So the question became: How do I turn what I know into a system that other people can follow, and a platform that keeps delivering value even when I’m not in a 1:1 call?

That’s where the next phase started.

The biggest shift: building an authority engine, not just a service.

I stopped treating content like “marketing” and started treating it like infrastructure. That’s what led to This Week in Procurement™ (TWIP).

TWIP became the engine because it solved a real market problem: most businesses don’t struggle with motivation, they struggle with overwhelm. There are too many portals, too many opportunities, too much noise, and most people don’t know what’s truly worth pursuing. So I built TWIP to do what I was already doing internally: take what governments are buying across state, local, and education markets and translate it into clear moves: what’s trending, what to ignore, and how to position before the deadline panic.

Once TWIP started running weekly, something powerful happened:

It built trust faster than any sales call could.

It attracted businesses that were already aligned with how I think (strategy-first).

It created consistent top-of-funnel demand without me chasing people.

It created partnership opportunities (because agencies, chambers, and ecosystems want a reliable procurement voice).

In other words: TWIP didn’t just grow awareness, it stabilized the business.

The second shift: productizing and tiering the work.

The next level of scaling came from packaging what I do into clear lanes. Early on, I was taking every request and customizing everything. That feels like “service,” but it’s a fast track to burnout.

So I standardized the customer journey:

A readiness + fit assessment to identify where someone actually is (instead of guessing).

Clear offer tiers based on the stage: pipeline-building, opportunity tracking, capture support, bid support

SOPs for how we evaluate an opportunity, what makes it a “go/no-go,” and what documents we need to move quickly.

That’s when the business became less dependent on me being the only brain in the room.

The gritty middle: systems, mistakes, and what I had to unlearn

A lot of people think scaling is just “more clients.” For me, scaling required unlearning a few habits:

I had to stop saying yes to misaligned work.
Not every contract opportunity is a good opportunity. Not every client is a good fit. Early on, I took on projects that drained time and didn’t create repeatable wins. The lesson was expensive, but necessary: a business scales faster when it has standards.

I had to build documentation like a government agency would.
Government contracting rewards structure. So I leaned into that: workflows, checklists, templates, intake forms, tracking sheets, deadlines, and accountability. My operations started to mirror the same discipline I teach.

I had to build a cadence and protect it.
TWIP forced consistency. It also forced a production workflow: research window, review, scripting, graphics, publishing, and client delivery. That weekly cadence created momentum, and momentum is what most small businesses are missing.

I had to stop being the bottleneck.
This was the hardest part. Delegation only works when your process is clear. I had to train team members on how I evaluate contracts, what signals matter, and how we communicate opportunities. That meant writing SOPs and creating quality control steps so the output stayed sharp even as we grew.

What actually drove growth (the practical strategies)

If I had to name what truly moved the needle, it would be:

A repeatable content rhythm (TWIP) that built authority weekly

A clear point of view: we don’t chase everything, we position intentionally in SLED

A filtering method for opportunities (budget visibility, buyer behavior signals, fit, capacity)

A client journey that starts with readiness and ends with execution support

A focus on relationships and ecosystems (chambers, agencies, economic development partners) rather than one-off leads

And I’ll add this: I learned to stop selling “hope.” In this industry, people want a miracle. I sell process and positioning, because that’s what wins contracts and builds stability.

The meaningful moments and obstacles

There were moments I questioned whether it was worth it, especially when I could see how many people were being misled by the “just bid more” narrative. But every time a client gained clarity, landed a meeting, got shortlisted, or secured an award, it reinforced why the model matters.

One of the biggest obstacles was managing expectations: government contracting has long cycles, and SLED can move slower than people want. Scaling meant teaching clients to respect timing, build pipeline discipline, and prepare their capability story before the perfect opportunity appears.

The other obstacle was personal: staying consistent while running a business, serving a community, and keeping life moving. The only way I survived that was systems. Systems are what make scaling possible when motivation isn’t enough.

Where I am now

Today, the business is larger because it’s not built on random wins, it’s built on a repeatable framework and a platform. TWIP is a big part of that platform because it’s become the heartbeat of how we educate, filter, and lead in the SLED space.

Scaling, for me, wasn’t “blowing up.” It was becoming more intentional, more structured, and more consistent, and building something that can outlive a single season of hustle.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Abby Souffrant, a Senior SLED government contracting strategist and the host of This Week in Procurement™ (TWIP). My work sits at the intersection of data, procurement strategy, and business readiness, helping mid-market and enterprises understand how state, local, and education buyers actually purchase services so they can pursue the right opportunities with confidence.

I got into this industry because I saw a consistent gap: capable businesses were either overwhelmed by procurement portals and jargon, or they were being taught to “just bid more” without a real strategy. In practice, that approach wastes time, money, and momentum. Government contracting isn’t only about submitting responses. It’s about understanding timing, fit, compliance, capacity, and how to position before the rush. Once I understood that, I knew I could help businesses stop guessing and start building a pipeline they can actually execute.

Through A&L Business Solutions and my platform, I provide services across the SLED lifecycle, including data reporting, pipeline development and capture management. That can look like helping a company identify which agencies are buying what they sell, selecting the best-fit opportunities based on budget and scope, building an organized pursuit plan, and guiding teams through the process so they’re not reacting at the last minute.

TWIP is an important part of what I do because it’s not just content, it’s a weekly procurement breakdown that translates what’s happening across state, local, and education markets into clear moves. It helps businesses see trends, understand what buyers are prioritizing, and take action without feeling overwhelmed. My goal is always to turn “information” into “direction,” because clarity is what creates consistency.

What sets me apart is that I’m strategy-first and execution-aware. I don’t tell businesses to chase everything. I help them filter, focus, and move intentionally. I pay attention to buyer signals, budget visibility, procurement cycles, and what it takes to realistically perform once you win. That combination is what helps clients build a pipeline that matches their capacity, not just their ambition.

I’m most proud of building a framework and a platform that makes government contracting feel accessible without oversimplifying it. I care about helping businesses build sustainable government revenue, not one-off wins. The main thing I want potential clients and followers to know is this: you don’t need more opportunities, you need better decisions. My work is designed to help you choose the right lane, prepare correctly, and show up to procurement with discipline, confidence, and a strategy you can repeat.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the clearest pivots in my journey happened with This Week in Procurement™ (TWIP). TWIP started about a year ago as a simple newsletter. It was my way of sharing what I was already seeing in the GovCon space: what agencies were buying, what trends were showing up, and which opportunities were actually worth a business owner’s time. It was practical and consistent, and it helped people feel less overwhelmed by procurement.

But as it grew, I realized something important. People weren’t just looking for links, they were looking for interpretation. They wanted the context behind the opportunity, what it signaled about buyer priorities, and how to position before the deadline pressure hit. I knew the newsletter format alone couldn’t deliver the clarity and guidance the audience needed at the level I wanted to provide.

That’s when I made a hard decision. I took a six-month pause on the TWIP newsletter, not because I was quitting, but because I was building. I used that time to develop TWIP into a full broadcast. I mapped the segments, refined the format, built the production workflow, created the visual structure, and started putting the right support in place so it wouldn’t depend on me doing everything alone.

That pause taught me a lot emotionally and operationally. Pausing something that’s working can feel risky, especially when consistency is what people tell you to protect. But I knew I was making a long-term move. I wasn’t pivoting away from the mission, I was upgrading the delivery method.

When TWIP returned as a broadcast, it wasn’t just a newsletter on camera. It became a platform with a team behind it, a weekly cadence, and a clearer promise to the audience: we are going to take what’s happening in state, local, and education procurement and translate it into actionable direction. That pivot changed everything for me, because it confirmed a lesson I carry into every part of business: sometimes growth requires a strategic pause so you can rebuild what you’re creating at the level it truly deserves.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What helped me build my reputation is consistency, clarity, and results, without overcomplicating the message. Procurement can feel intimidating, and a lot of the information out there is either too generic to be useful or too technical to apply. Plus, those that are too promising which taint the industry. I built trust by being the person who can translate what buyers are doing into plain language and practical next steps.

I’ve also been intentional about having a point of view. I don’t teach businesses to chase everything or rely on luck. I focus on fit, timing, readiness, and execution, because winning a contract is only valuable if you can perform it successfully. That strategy-first approach has made my work stand out and has led to strong word-of-mouth referrals and repeat clients.

TWIP has also played a major role, even as we continue to grow the audience. Starting as a newsletter and evolving into a broadcast with a team showed people that I’m committed to the craft and to the community. It’s not content for attention, it’s a weekly public record of how we think about SLED procurement and how we help businesses move with discipline instead of panic.

The main thing I want people to know is that my brand is built on substance. I care about helping businesses make better decisions, build a pipeline they can actually execute, and approach government contracting with confidence and structure. That’s what has built my reputation, and that’s what continues to expand it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.albizsolutions.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbysouffrant/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@abbysouffrant
• Other: Substack: https://substack.com/@abbysouffrant

Image Credits
Breana Isbell Photography