GovCon M&A Talk

Sharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies, and M&A SME, talks with Dave Barber about what it takes to scale a GovCon business, find your unique niche, and plan that important sale.
Topics covered:
● Strategy on inorganic growth 
● Learning from your customers' pain points 
● Putting yourself in the shoes of the warfighter
● Preparing for sale and qualifying buyers
To connect with Dave, visit his LinkedIn page here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.To follow and learn more about sbLiftOff, check them out here.

Sharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies and M&A SME, talks with Brandon Muniz about what it takes for a young veteran to buy a small government contracting business in today's unsteady climate.
Topics covered:
● Developing requirements for the business you will buy
● How to handle buyers' risk and stay married
● How to cobble together financing for a business purchase
● Building on a legacy and creating your own
To connect with Brandon, visit his LinkedIn page here.To learn more about HeiTech Services, visit their webpage here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.To follow and learn more about sbLiftOff, check them out here.
If you liked listening to this episode, view our GovCon M&A page here. To view all of our podcast series, visit our podcast page.

Sharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies and M&A SME, talks with Heidi Gerding, one of the first women to graduate from the Naval Academy, about selling a service disabled veteran owned small business.
Topics covered:
● Planning your sale
● Putting senior management in place
● Coping with DOGE risks
● Choosing your M&A team
To connect with Heidi, visit his LinkedIn page here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.To follow and learn more about sbLiftOff, check them out here.
If you liked listening to this episode, view our GovCon M&A page here. To view all of our podcast series, visit our podcast page.
 

Sharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies and M&A SME, talks with Kelly Kunkle about the software industry. Kelly is a new M&A advisor at sbLiftOff focused on technology, from software to SaaS, robotics and more.
Topics covered:
● Strategic buyers and software roll-ups●Direction of the Software Industry in the future● How software companies are valued: key metrics and factors● Breaking down a techstack● Impact of AI in the Saas Industry
To connect with Kelly, visit his LinkedIn page here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.To follow and learn more about sbLiftOff, check them out here.
If you liked listening to this episode, view our GovCon M&A page here. To view all of our podcast series, visit our podcast page.

Sharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies and M&A SME, talks with Christine Williamson about the GAUGE Report (Government compliance, Accounting, Utilization, Growth, Efficiency), the annual review of government contracting put out each year by CohnReznick and Unanet. This year’s GAUGE Report,  titled “Mastering Resource Planning and Project Execution,” emphasized improving “utilization.”  This year’s report also includes a survey from February and March in which GovCon business owners and executives relay their thoughts on the significant changes to government contracting in 2025.
Topics covered: 
How DOGE was felt across sectors
M&A activity varied according to “tiers,” from sb set aside to full and open
What the authors meant by “Big Utilization”
Going forward tips on how to grow and sell
View the GAUGE report here.
 
To connect with Christine, visit her LinkedIn page here.Learn more about CohnReznick by visiting their website here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.To follow and learn more about sbLiftOff, check them out here.
 

Sharon Heaton talks with Brad Palmer about growing a GovCon company and selling it. A successful entrepreneur, Brad built B3 and planned the sale of his company in advance.
Topics covered: 
Why Brad decided to bring in a partner
Knowing the right time to sell your business
Moving from veteran, set-aside contracts to full and open contracts
Surprising components of the sales process
Brad’s advice to current government contract business owners
To connect with Brad, visit his LinkedIn page here.Learn more about Sequence Equity by visiting their website here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.To follow and learn more about sbLiftOff, check them out here.
If you liked listening to this episode, view our GovCon M&A page here. To view all of our podcast series, visit our podcast page.

Sharon Heaton talks with Joseph Dalton of Arsenal Enterprise Capital about what’s new with aerospace and defense. A successful veteran who grew a company and sold it he says GovCon isn’t going away. Today Arsenal invests in public and private lower middle market companies that offer the government new capacities to defend against evolving threats. 
Topics covered: 
Bidding for and winning full and open work
Really listening to the customer and solving actual problems
Why getting on the right vehicles matters
Selling an SDVOSB company while maintaining confidentiality
C5ISR systems and sensors, AI, cyber warfare, and augmented and virtual reality -- the high value, critical competencies strategic buyers like
To connect with Joseph, visit his LinkedIn page here.Learn more about Arsenal Enterprise Capital by visiting their website here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.To follow and learn more about sbLiftOff, check them out here.
If you liked listening to this episode, view our GovCon M&A page here. To view all of our podcast series, visit our podcast page.

Sharon Heaton talks with investor Matt Dean, the founder of Scare the Bear (STB) Capital, who is focused on non-controlling investments in lower middle market GovCon businesses. Hear what Matt thinks buyers are thinking about today’s churning GovCon M&A market.
Topics covered: 
What private equity knows and doesn’t know
Smart capital on steroids – the PE mindset
The “founder mentality” and reality
What minority investments offer owners
DOGE risks and structuring deals
To connect with Matt, visit his LinkedIn page here.Learn more about Scare the Bear by visiting their website here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.To follow and learn more about sbLiftOff, check them out here.
If you liked listening to this episode, view our GovCon M&A page here. To view all of our podcast series, visit our podcast page.

Sharon Heaton talks with legendary banker Joe Humphries of Atlantic Union, who brings decades of experience in GovCon M&A. Joe gives advice to sellers about planning and provides perspective on how today’s changes, from DOGE cuts to agency configurations, fit into a history of ever evolving federal procurement appetites. Hear what Joe has to say about what banks see as good M&A opportunities today, including “the benefit of chaos.” 
Topics covered:
How procurement is changing at DOD
Why there will be more sub contracting opportunities
What drives today’s bankers when they consider a GovCon M&A deal
Advice to GovCon sellers about smart planning
How chaos can create a buying opportunity

Sharon Heaton talks with M&A advisor and software expert Shaunna Balady – a woman who has completed over 100  transactions totaling over $20 billion in enterprise value across 5 continents. Shaunna also helped grow and recently sell a GovCon software services firm. She donates most of her earnings to favorite charities, doing good by doing well. Hear what this amazing software and SaaS expert has to say about the future of GovCon M&A.
 
Topics covered:
 
DOGE how government acquisition of software is changing; SecDevOp vs COTS
Why is the government making this pivot?
What makes a software company sellable?  
What are large strategic buyers seeking when they look for smaller software companies as targets?