SBA SUCCESS STORY
MARC GOLDSCHMITT, CEO
GOLDSCHMITT AND ASSOCIATES, LLC
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From Vision to Victory
Retired Naval Reservist Marc Goldschmitt served as a flight instructor, staff officer, Organizational CIO, among other key roles during his military career. He later gained important commercial experience with several large IT firms, where he learned about financing, pricing, and automated manufacturing. Marc decided to start his own IT company, Goldschmitt and Associates, to leverage the knowledge he had gained to help other organizations achieve their missions. Although Marc had a grasp of his own technical and management capabilities ? alongside his certification as a newly minted Project Management Professional (PMP) ? he also knew that running a successful small business would be another matter entirely. Where could he turn for the entrepreneurial guidance he needed?
Marc learned that he could benefit from the SBA?s business development training and certifications programs, which would help him access specially designated contracting opportunities with the federal government. As a service-disabled veteran, he applied to the SBA?s 8(a) Business Development Program and was accepted in March 2015. Since then, Marc has left no stone unturned. He also registered his firm as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, opening the door for him to pursue additional contracting opportunities ?set aside? for companies with SDVOSB certification. In addition, because his small business is located in an Historically Underutilized Business Zone, Marc now qualifies for HUBZone-designated contracts.
Marc found particular value in the SBA?s Emerging Leaders Initiative, an intensive executive training program for small business owners looking to enhance their professional networks and improve their marketing strategies, while maximizing their company?s long-term growth and bottom line. As a Class of 2016 Emerging Leaders alumnus, Marc Goldschmitt recalls his biggest challenge going into the program was convincing qualified technicians to join his company. ?The hiring methods I was using at the time were grossly inefficient and counterproductive,? he said. ?What was I going to do?? The Emerging Leaders curriculum taught him how to develop a strategic plan to build key relationships and acquire the resources he would need to attract top talent in the IT field. Emerging Leaders also helped Marc realize that he didn?t need to be the technical expert on every project. He could hire the expertise needed while focusing on his company?s direction and growth strategies. ?The biggest obstacle was me trying to be everything to everybody,? he recounts.?
Powerful insights like these led Marc to make critical marketing and operational changes. As a result of these refinements, combined with the above-mentioned contracting certifications, Goldschmitt and Associates saw its revenues increase 1,000% within a few short months ? going from $100,000 in annual sales to $1 million. In 2020, the company generated revenues of $5 million. Sales for 2021 are expected to top $11 million, with projections for 2022 approaching $20 million. Meanwhile, Marc expects to more than double his employee count (from 60 to 128) over the next year.
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