Blazing a New Trail for Myself.

I’ve spent a good part of my adult life working in and around government contracts. It’s crazy, the way something can start as just a job and slowly become part of who you are. Over the years, I’ve seen both sides of it, the big primes with huge teams and systems, and the smaller businesses that have all the drive in the world but keep running into brick walls trying to figure out how to even get started.

After almost two decades of learning, doing , and helping behind the scenes, I decided it was time to branch off on my own. FedTrails Consulting isn’t just a business idea to me. It’s the next chapter of my life, one that’s built on everything I’ve learned from experience, from mistakes, from long nights writing proposals, and from all the times I helped someone figure out a system that wasn’t designed with them in mind.

I’ve always had a heart for small businesses. The energy, the creativity, the way people put everything they have into something they believe in, that’s what keeps our economy alive. But when it comes to government contracting, I’ve seen a ton of small companies get stuck. Not because they’re not capable, but because the system is complicated, full of rules, portals, forms, and deadlines that seem to move on their own. It’s easy to feel lost. And I’ve been there myself, trying to make sense of what each agency actually wants.

That’s why I started FedTrails. I wanted to create a space where small and minority-owned businesses could get real help understanding federal procurement without all the noise. There’s no magic formula to it, but there is a process, one that can be learned, practiced, and improved. I want to help business owners see that they really can compete and win, even against larger organizations, as long as they have the right guidance.

Working in this field for so long, I’ve had the chance to see how the pieces fit together, from contract writing and pricing, to compliance, to vendor relationships and audits. I’ve worked with a wide range of products and services, and I’ve seen what works and unfortunately what doesn’t. Some of those lessons came easy, but most came the hard way. That’s the kind of experience you can’t learn from a course or a quick guide. You learn it when you’ve been on both sides of the process and had to make things work when the rules don’t seem to line up.

Being a U.S. Navy veteran has a lot to do with how I approach my work. The experience taught me structure, discipline, and the importance of paying attention to details, even the small ones that most people overlook. It also showed me the value of working as a team and staying calm when things don’t go as planned, as they tend to do. Those lessons still guide how I handle projects and how I work with clients today. Starting FedTrails feels like a natural step forward, a way to use what I’ve learned over the years in a way that helps others move toward their goals.

My hope for FedTrails is simple. I want to make government contracting less intimidating. I want small businesses to walk away from our conversations with clarity, with confidence, and with a clear next step. It’s not about fancy words or selling services for the sake of it. It’s about building something real, a company that stands for guidance, honesty, and results that actually matter.

I know starting over isn’t easy. There’s always some risk in stepping out on your own. But at this point in my life, I’m not chasing titles or trying to prove anything, well mabye a little to myself. I just want to take everything I’ve learned over the years and put it toward something that feels meaningful. Helping others find their way and watching them grow.

If you’re a small business owner thinking about working with the government, I hope you’ll stop by, ask questions, and see what’s possible. There’s opportunity out there, sometimes you just need someone to help light the path a bit.

This new chapter is about more than business. It’s about growth, service, and believing that the years behind me have prepared me for what’s ahead. I’ve spent my career helping others reach their goals inside the system. Now, I get to help them build their own path through it. And honestly, I can’t wait to see where that trail leads.

I’m still figuring out how I’ll set up future posts, but my plan is to share new ones about once a week. So stay tuned, there’s more to come.