We were lucky to catch up with Eric Coffie recently and have shared our conversation below.
Eric, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I am Eric Coffie and here at Govcon Giants we teach companies how to win government contracts. This was just an idea before 2017. Before I started Govcon Giants in 2008, my life was turned upside down by the financial crisis. I had challenges, too. My construction company was weeks away from going under. I was scared. It was only with the help of a very good friend and his knowledge of working with the government that my company survived. We got back on our feet, but it came with doors closed and people keeping the secret of how to do business with the government. This made me realize that so many others didn’t know how to break in either. Before I knew enough to help others, some of my closest friends lost their businesses, and I vowed I wouldn’t let that happen to any more people. When I won a $4 million contract, I quit traveling and started sharing everything I learned about winning U.S. government contracts on YouTube, and I haven’t stopped. I started developing courses to give others a structured environment to learn this. My latest course is designed for anyone who runs a successful business but wants more. If you’re a contractor ready to take things to the next level, I want to hear from you and I want you in this course. In 2019, I launched my podcast Govcon Giants. Through his podcast Govcon Giants, Mr. Coffie interviews some of the world’s most notable federal contracting experts, SBA award winners, contracting officers, procurement specialists, and top DOD firms. His one goal is to provide listeners with benchmarks and actionable steps on how to break through this seemingly impenetrable market to win government contracts.
This idea of simply sharing the information has made me widely regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on federal contracting. Companies and organizations regularly seek Mr. Coffie for advice, consultation, speaking and matchmaking opportunities to increase their chances of successfully landing a piece of the multi-billion dollar behemoth.
Eric, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Eric Coffie is the host of Govcon Giants, the #1 YouTube channel and podcast teaching federal procurement, also known as government contracting. His students are winning contracts around the world every day and growing their small businesses into middle market companies. He has helped tens of thousands of companies register and navigate the world of federal contracting. Across dozens of industries, he has worked with agencies such as FEMA, VA, DHS, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Navy, Air Force, DLA, Dept. of State, and more. We currently have 30,750 subscribers and over 1,500 videos.
Eric’s motto, “Teaching everyday people how to win extraordinary contracts,” is the mantra that guides everything he does. Eric would like to help 500 companies achieve $5 million in revenue from government contracts, resulting in a $2.5 billion impact for underrepresented founders.
We have created a free beginner’s course that will teach you all the basics of selling to the government. We have also created an advanced course that will take you from registration to winning your first contract and beyond. We offer our members webinars and members-only meetings to help build a stronger community.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
The funding for Govcon Giants came from my sweat, tears, hard work and dedication.
I had no investors, no loans, no profits from the content. I simply won a large government contract that will allow me to be comfortable. So I decided to spend my time wisely and keep creating content. In the first year, everything was paid from the profits of the contract. Then the courses started to bring in some money. But from the beginning it was just me.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
After the market crashed in 2007, I left real estate and went and learned government contracting. After leaving my first client, I thought I was prepared for the commercial sector, believing it would be easier. Those private contracts ended up suing my company and me for over a quarter of a million dollars. The first company I was able to use the Bonding Company through the advice of a colleague, the second I was not so lucky. This could have derailed me, but instead I knew I had to go back into government contracting and win a bigger contract. That actually pushed me to become Govcon Eric.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://govcongiants.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecoffie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eric.coffie.35
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecoffie/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ecoffie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ericcoffie
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/govcongiants/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/govcongiants/
Image Credits
Branden Coffie