The SBA recently made some changes to how small businesses can compete in the federal marketplace, leading to some false beliefs. An examination which clears up some of the false beliefs about the change in Small Business Association guidelines and how it affects businesses trying to do work with the government.Myth: Small Businesses can’t compete in the federal marketplace because large companies are getting contracts specifically written for smaller businesses.Reality: Though it is true this has happened in the past, large businesses taking contracts set aside for smaller businesses is not a real factor anymore in the federal contracting arena. A minuscule percentage of contracts get awarded to companies whose size is later challenged – the companies are almost universally on the edge of what is defined as a ‘small business’ rather than the large multi-national corporations. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has adopted regulations which keep such contracts from being considered as small business contracts, helping to make the available figures and statistics more accurately reflect reality.Myth: Large and multinational corporations are listed in the GSA’s database with small business contracts because they were awarded them.Reality: There are two explanations for this. The first is that size status is determined at the time a contract is awarded, and is retained for the duration of the contract. In recent times, agencies have increasingly been awarding long-term contracts which can extend for as much as twenty years. During that period it is quite possible that these businesses become larger and no longer fit the small business size standard for their commodities. Small businesses are becoming large businesses during the period of their contracts, making size reporting difficult to implement effectively. Secondly, many large companies have a strategy of purchasing small businesses with long-term contracts, meaning that a contract awarded to a small business may then become owned as a subsidiary of a large business. Until recently, agencies were allowed to count those contracts toward their small business goals despite this fact.Myth: Nothing has been done to stop such misrepresentation of small business awards, and the SBA has not made it more difficult for larger businesses to attain long-term small business contracts and misrepresent themselves.Reality: Many steps have been taken to resolve this issue. The SBA implemented a ruling in June that requires companies, large or small, to recertify their size status at the end of the initial contract term (generally five years) and again at every exercising of a contract term extension option, usually between one and five years. Additionally, whenever a small business is bought out by or merges with another business (of any size), it must recertify its size status for all of its contracts, regardless of where they are in the term. Thus, from now on all contracts will be reported as held by large companies if the business holding them has grown past small business size standards or has been acquired by a large company. The SBA has also taken other steps, including increasing its staff working on finding small business contracting opportunities, requiring federal agencies to review any issues or discrepancies with their reported contracting statistics, and starting a “Small Business Procurement Scorecard,” which will monitor and score agencies on their performance on a variety of small business goals.Myth: This five year recertification allows agencies to report the tens of billions of dollars set aside for small businesses for large businesses until 2012.Reality: The new SBA policy explicitly prohibits this. It forbids small businesses that merge or are acquired by large businesses from claiming small size status for all future work, even on existing contracts. This means that as soon as a business is no longer legally considered ‘small,’ all of the dollars used must be reported according to the appropriate size standard. It also limits the time that a small business that expands beyond small standards can report as small to no more than five years – and most to within one year. All of the new SBA policies apply to all existing and future contracts of any term length, so that whenever any event that triggers a recertification need occurs – merger, acquisition, end of a contract term, or exercise of a contract option – the business must recertify itself to whatever size standard is appropriate at that time.Myth: Small business can be forced to compete alongside large businesses because of the new recertification policies.Reality: A contract that is set aside for small businesses MUST be given to a business that is certifiable as small at the time of bid submission. These new policies actually protect small business owners from having to compete with larger businesses, because there is now no way for them to acquire small businesses in order to certify small business status.Myth: There is no enforcement and there are no penalties, fines, or consequences for large businesses that get small business contracts.Reality: If the SBA determines that a businesses has misrepresented itself about the size standard, they have the right to disqualify a bid and deny the contract. If a business is found to have intentionally misrepresented itself regarding size status in order to get a contract, under Section 16(d) of the Small Business Act the owners are subject to fines and imprisonment. Companies that lost out on the bid may challenge the size of the winning companies and also file civil suits under the False Claims Act. Additionally, there is proposed legislation that would delay awarding of any contracts that have size standards attached over a certain dollar amount until the size status of the winning bidder is determined and verified by the SBA.Myth: The SBA will not release information on small businesses awarded government contracts.Reality: Information and data relating to federal contract awards is readily available to the public through the Federal Procurement Data System – Next Generation. Any person – small business owner or otherwise – may request information or reports through the database operator, the General Services Administration (GSA), if they have difficult finding data or navigating the site.Myth: The recertification procedures will change the size standards for small businesses and how they are classified as ‘small,’ much like the 2004 proposal.Reality: This is simply not the case. Small businesses are still determined to be so by the same regulations. The rules regarding size standards have not changed and are still determined by industry – some are based around maximum number of employees, some are on revenues in recent years, and some are a combination of the two. The 2004 proposal, which did not go into effect, was a broad restructuring agenda that would have made all size standards determined by the number of employees.Myth: More than a dozen federal investigations in the last six years have reported finding that billions of dollars were diverted from small businesses to Fortune 1000 companies and their subsidiaries across the country.Reality: There reports almost universally raised issues regarding the accurate reporting of contract dollars that were originally awarded to small businesses – just the sort of thing the new rules were put into place to prevent. This meant that small businesses were the original winners of the contracts, but then were bought up by larger companies. Although there are a very few occasions where large businesses won federal contracts that had been set aside for small businesses, generally this was because of a misunderstanding or of a small business not realizing it had grown beyond the size standard. None of the studies suggested that large, multinational corporations competed against small businesses for contracts. The dollars went to the larger companies because the business that originally won the contract was small. The new rules and guidelines that have been put into effect as of June 30, 2007 should prevent any further such problems of misreporting.

Anyone can become successful outside the college walls; after all, most of what you go to read our hypotheses documented by someone who happened to come across it first, which is then passed down to upcoming generations as knowledge.

We can see how this has limited the thinking capacity of man, boxed them into a small field, leaving the world filled with problems.

Anyone can become successful with or without a college degree the most successful people on the face of the earth did not have a college degree.

Invest in yourself.
The best way to get started in life without getting a college degree is to invest in yourself, and one way to do this is to acquire soft skills that can be monetised.

Nowadays, things have become more accessible because technology has become more viable than ever; fields in IT such as Web developers, and Digital marketing, have become high in demand with attractive compensations attached to them.

The good news is that you don’t need a college degree to get started; just anyone with the right state of mind accompanied by dedicated self-tutoring and mentorship can kickstart a career in tech.

Another option available is content creation; we have seen various individuals who built a massive following on social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram and can monetise them by creating content.

Try out careers that don’t require degrees.
When attempting to succeed without a college degree, you often get offers for menial jobs that require no qualification; sometimes, these jobs are often derogatory and offer you a small paycheck.

Are you seeking a high-paying job but don’t want to invest in a four-year or graduate degree? You don’t need to have a college degree to get a good job.

A new kind of job emphasises skills over education and work experience.

These jobs are known as middle-skill jobs because they do not necessarily require a four-year college degree (or an extensive work history).

Often, anyone can get the skills they need for the job through vocational training, a certificate program, an apprenticeship, or a two-year degree program.

Anyone can get started with this career and get paid well; all you need is to prove that you know the job.

Learn how to sell and negotiate.
Like I always tell people, the world is a marketplace, and it’s either you are sold to, or you sell to others.

Like a football pitch, there are two kinds of people, the spectator and the performers; one gets value, while the other gets entertained.

You have to decide where you want to be; those who become celebrated in life are sales-oriented and have been able to convince many people to buy from them.

Learning to be a good salesperson is essential because it improves your listening skills.

You become a much better communicator who is critical in all aspects of life. It’s not just about selling a product for your job or company.

When you’re in a sales role, every person you speak with will be different. So as you have those conversations, you’ll learn about your communication style and see where you need to improve and learn to communicate with various people.

Selling is a skill that everyone should learn; sales are everything; as said earlier, it’s either you are selling or sold to.

There are various ways to acquire skills in sales; it all starts with understanding human psychology and is accompanied by the use of technology such as social media, search engine optimisation and many more.

Expand your network.
Starting life without a degree causes so many things to happen to you, one of which involves the kind of connection you already have.

You did not go to school for one reason or the other; bear in mind that it will impact your existing network.

The secret to networking is not to attend a networking event and pass out as many business cards as possible.

It’s not meeting as many people as possible in hopes something will work out. Instead, you need to concentrate on the people you know will be able to make a difference in your career.

It would help if you built relationships with people in the same industry as you. Also, you don’t always have to gain something in a networking relationship.

In networking situations, people expect you to ask them for help. If you turn that around and offer some support, your networking partner will be grateful and want to return the favour.

LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are tools that you can use to connect personally to different people in your industry.

Find a mentor.
To be successful in life, you need to link up with someone who has done what you intend to do now.

A mentor acts as an advisor and support person for someone less experienced.

Traditionally, the association is between an older team member and a younger one for career and business development.

When trying to figure things out on your own, you tend to make lots of mistakes, and without feedback, you become frustrated.

For that reason, having a mentor who’s both an objective third party and an advocate for your growth and development is crucial.

Mentorships can develop leadership skills such as listening, compassion and giving and receiving feedback. Participants develop these skills by using them in the relationship. These soft skills are essential for career success.

Without goals, a mentee has no direction and no plan to get where they want to go. A mentor helps keep them on track and responsible for reaching their goals. In addition, it provides the motivation needed for mentees to work at attaining their goals.

Along with developing leadership skills, having a mentor to advise and guide you can increase your confidence and help develop problem-solving skills.

Read, read and become well-read.
You have to figure out when you want to be successful; even after acquiring a college degree, you still have to figure out those things yourself.

There is no other way to figure out these things without becoming an addictive reader of books.

One of the most obvious benefits of reading every day is learning.

Since the beginning of civilisation, we have grown and developed mentally.

The importance of reading books is now more than ever since. But unfortunately, not everything is available in digitalised form.

If you are not convinced about why reading books is essential, this might interest you.

When you develop the habit of reading, you enhance your vocabulary. Reading any book can improve your speech to an impressive extent.

Having excellent command over the language is known to help many in their professional and academic life.

Moreover, with better vocabulary knowledge, you get to fill yourself with self-confidence when sitting in a group with a knowledgeable audience.

And unlike a YouTube video or podcast, books provide access to in-depth knowledge.

Success-driven books such as Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hills).

Leverage the power of the internet.
The internet holds a wealth of information and unending opportunities for everyone to access; you can be in an underdeveloped country and still have access to such opportunities.

The evolution of the internet was dramatic and continues to evolve, with more people spending more time on the internet every year.

Levering the internet for your business and career is no longer an inexpensive option to reach a highly targeted customer base but a necessity for businesses of all sizes and market niches.

With the combination of traditional marketing efforts with newer digital marketing options in the right way, any business optimises performance.

A website can also serve as a great marketing tool. It gives you a platform to showcase knowledge in your niche, allowing you to become an expert and an advantage over the competition.

A website will also allow you to educate your visitors on your products and services and build a reputation for your business.

Get a certification.
Certificate programs are short-term training programs that often take less time than a degree; you can earn some certificates in as little time as a couple of weeks or a month.

They also tend to cost less money; some even come for free. Certificate programs can help you develop the skills and experiences necessary for a particular job.

Certifications provide people with the proper knowledge and skills to land a job. As a result, employers increasingly demand professional accreditation and a degree from college graduates.

Also, more certified professionals with only a high school diploma are entering the job market and successfully filling the need for skilled labour in high-income industries like IT and other industries that require skilled labour.

Most certifications are in-depth and niche-specific. All of the attention is on one field, and so is what you learn; this makes certification more effective than getting an actual college degree.

Conclusion.

Somehow, most people had fallen for the conditioning that you cannot succeed without a university degree.

This has been proven wrong by the high level of successful people today, with the majority without a college degree. Generally speaking, many people who go to school are literate but not educated.

Both are two different things. Education means to train and to mould. If we are to take it a step further, it is the process of knowing yourself and your environment.

If everyone who went to school were educated, we would have fewer people in the global labour market today.

Finally, like I always say, it takes courage to conquer the world, you can’t sit in your comfort zone and expect the world to bow at your feet.

You have to make moves too. I challenge you not to be discouraged and take the bull by the horn; success is yours for the taking.

Should you join an Online Advertising Agency. This post tells the truth. MyBusinessAd has helped thousands of Online Business owners get more sales. Let’s get right to it! What is an Online Advertising agency? Online Advertising agencies promote their clients’ brands, products, and services, using digital marketing tactics such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, content marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO).

MyBusinessAd is a leading industry Online Advertising Agency. It’s not just about Business Ad creation, improving your SEO or doubling your Site Traffic overnight. When you partner with an agency like MyBusinessAd, you become invested in the process. All resources available are used to promote your business and increase your reach beyond your wildest dreams.

The Agency becomes hyper focused on your business and instantly gains interest in your success.. MyBusinessAd has been around for years, creating exclusive Advertising strategies. You get the invaluable experience of learning from a team of people who have a vested interest in your business.

Instant access to our personal notes that has allowed us to grow multiple 6 figure Online businesses. You learn everthing we know about Advertising, SEO, Web Traffic & Lead Generation. We use this website to promote your unique Business ad. Your Business ad will include a direct link to your website or Landing page. MyBusinessAd will put your business opportunity in front of thousands of potential leads daily. Joining us is how you always stay one step above your competitors.

Here are a few advantages of joining an Online Advertising Agency

Your earn more income

Proven (Case Study) Advertising Strategies that have worked over a period of time.

Increase your sales conversion rate

Your business gets featured in worldwide Ad campaigns

Advertising on multiple Social Media platforms

Stay ahead of your competition

Learn to overcome any sales objections

Increase your SEO

Improve your Google Search Ranking

Massive Web Traffic

Instant access to targeted high quality leads and training