Ep 427: The BD Lie of Busyness

Ep 427: The BD Lie of Busyness

Most government contractors are measuring the wrong things. They celebrate phone calls made, emails sent, and capability statements distributed, while completely ignoring the only metrics that actually predict contract wins. In this episode, Michael breaks down why activity is one of the biggest lies in business development. He explains the difference between being busy and making progress, why meaningful conversations should be your primary KPI, how many Sources Sought and proposals you should realistically target each month, and the critical difference between P-Win and your actual win rate. If you’re tired of spinning your wheels and want a BD process that produces results instead of excuses, this episode gives you the framework to start measuring what actually matters.

Ep 426: The Biggest CMMC Mistakes Contractors Are Making

CMMC is no longer a future problem. It’s becoming a requirement for contractors that want to compete for Department of Defense work. In this episode, Michael sits down with Ed Terensky of DTS to break down what contractors need to know about cybersecurity, compliance, and protecting sensitive government information. They discuss CUI, common misconceptions about CMMC, how to evaluate cybersecurity providers, and why many companies are creating bigger problems by looking for the cheapest path to compliance. If you’re a government contractor trying to prepare for the next phase of CMMC enforcement, this conversation provides practical guidance on how to secure your business and avoid costly mistakes.

Ep 425: Founder to CEO: The Shift That Changes Everything

Most business owners never actually become CEOs. They stay stuck in founder mode, doing sales, delivery, operations, customer service, problem solving, and putting out fires every single day. The business grows, but eventually the chaos grows faster than the company. In this episode, Michael LeJeune breaks down the critical transition from founder to CEO and explains why this shift usually needs to happen around the 10 to 15 employee mark if you truly want to scale. He walks through the evolution from founder to Chief Growth Officer to CEO, how to think strategically instead of tactically, why operations leadership matters, and how to stop becoming the bottleneck inside your own company. If your business feels heavy, chaotic, or overly dependent on you, this episode will probably hit hard.

Ep 424: Why Most Government Contractors Suck at Business Development

Most government contractors are approaching business development completely backwards. They chase random opportunities, bid on contracts they have no business pursuing, overload their pipeline with garbage, and then wonder why growth feels impossible. In this episode, Michael LeJeune sits down with GovCon BD strategist Brian Long to break down what actually creates momentum in government contracting. They unpack why knowing your niche matters, how to build a pipeline that isn’t a dumpster fire, why most companies enter opportunities way too late, and how to stop wasting time on contracts you’ll probably never win. This conversation is packed with practical insights around capture strategy, qualifying opportunities, pipeline management, teaming, and the mindset required to succeed in business development. If your pipeline feels chaotic, this episode is going to hit home.

Ep 423: Your Employees Are a Mirror of Your Leadership

Your employees are a mirror of your leadership. That’s the uncomfortable reality most business owners spend years trying to avoid. In this episode, Michael sits down with Darryl Anderson, founder of Tr33 LLC, for a deep conversation about leadership, organizational culture, emotional intelligence, and the hidden “people problems” quietly damaging businesses from the inside out. They unpack why customer experience is usually a reflection of internal leadership standards, how tolerated behavior spreads through organizations, and why so many companies unknowingly create chaos while believing they have a culture problem, an operations problem, or a staffing problem. This episode is packed with practical leadership insight, real-world business examples, and honest discussion around what actually causes organizations to grow, stagnate, or slowly unravel over time. If you lead people, build teams, or own a business, this conversation will probably hit closer to home than you expect.