7 Reasons Why Your Company Should be a HUBZone

Below are the 7 reasons why I think your small govcon firm should consider getting HUBZone certified.

1. Separates you from the pack: In your market, there are thousands of small businesses who are all vying for the same work. Being a Hubzone-certified contractor is a clear differentiator since often only a few exist among companies of similar capabilities. It also helps people remember you, and they are often willing to give you a chance and foot in the door. Whereas, without a HUBZone certification, you’d be out in the cold, vying for a shot, with the rest of the pack.
2. Superb for growing your business as a subcontractor: All large businesses have small business subcontracting goals which include a focus on socio-economic smalls. Currently, there are not a lot of qualified HUBZones, so your opportunity to be your market’s go-to Hubzone subcontractor is high. Your ability to grow the number of contracts that you are on and that you can staff will be exponentially high compared to your similarly situated, and non-Hubzone friends.
3. No time limit: As long as you comply with rules #1 and 2, you can be Hubzone for the life of your small business.
4. Lots of training opportunities: Many agencies are hosting one-on-ones with Hubzone companies, increasing your understanding of the agency mission and how they buy. You may even get increased chances to have one-on-ones with large business primes as well.
5. Increased potential for winning a prime contract: There are a small but growing number of small business HUBZone set-aside contracts each year and with limited competition increasing your potential to win (ex: your chances are 1-in-3 versus 1-in-20). Some of these contracts are for great work too, such as DISA’s IDIQ SETI focused on IT innovation, in which they had one small business award be a HUBZone.
6. Giving back to your community: As a Hubzone business, you have a direct impact on helping to infuse dollars in economically depressed areas. You are helping to revitalize regions and you will know and hear these stories directly. It is not only a good thing to do, but also a powerful way to help give people a leg up.
7. Increased potential to become a protégé firm under the SBA’s All Small Mentor-Protégé agreement: Often these agreements lead to a joint venture (JV) with the large business mentor who comes with experience and a larger budget to achieve similar goals (such as winning a contract they couldn’t go after as a large business).

Thoughts? Questions? Please comment below. I'd love to get your feedback!