Shows
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Michael GravelineSharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies, and M&A SME, talks with serial entrepreneur Michael Graveline of KMRG.
Topics covered:
● Selling a small company to an industry legend
● Starting and selling a GovCon company in 3 years
● Winning your first prime contract in 9 months
● When it's time for inorganic growth
● When to sell and when to hold; work/life balance
To connect with Michael, visit his LinkedIn page here.
To learn more about KMRG, visit their webpage here.
To connect wit...
2026-01-2939 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Marty BrennanSharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies, and M&A SME, talks with Marty Brennan of the GovCon strategy group Deep Water Point:
Topics covered:
Why due diligence matters more in 2026
How uncertainty affects today's deal structuring
Shifting risk versus sharing risk
Why solution focused companies not "hour focused " companies are a magnet for buyers
To connect with Marty, visit his LinkedIn page here.
To learn more about Deep Water Point & Associates, visit their webpage here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.
To fol...
2026-01-0830 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Mike JohnsonSharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies, and M&A SME, talks with Huntsville M&A lawyer Mike Johnson of Maynard Nexsen:
Topics covered:
● M&A impact from the last shutdown
● Buyers looking at fundamentals in 2026
● Aligning with the Administration’s priorities, including hypersonics & intelligence
● Consolidations among “smalls”
To connect with Mike, visit his LinkedIn page here.
To learn more about Maynard Nexsen, visit their webpage here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.
To follow and learn more...
2025-12-1829 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Will FortierSharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies, and M&A SME, talks with veteran entrepreneur Will Fortier of the Hive Group.
Topics covered:
Acquisition with a big A and little A
The procurement life cycle
Quick revenue growth
Dealing with the death of a business partner
To connect with Will, visit his LinkedIn page here.
To learn more about Hive Group, 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.
2025-12-0428 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Kathryn FreelandSharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies, and M&A SME, talks with serial entrepreneur Kathryn Freeland of A-TEK:
Topics covered:
Founding and selling an IT GovCon company
Balancing life challenges with business challenges
Buying a GovCon platform to grow
Digital services for today’s GovCon customer
To connect with Kathryn, visit her LinkedIn page here.
To learn more about A-TEK, visit their webpage here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.
To follow and learn more about sbLiftOff, check them out her...
2025-11-2044 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Kevin HarkinsSharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies, and M&A SME, talks with veteran Kevin Harkins of Harkcon about his “hairy” management buyout.
Topics covered:
Founding and running a company with many owners
Treating multiple owners fairly in a management buyout
Choosing the right M&A advisor
Ownership control brings responsibility and freedom
To connect with Kevin, visit his LinkedIn page here.
To learn more about Harkcon, visit their webpage here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.
To follow and learn more...
2025-11-0628 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Morgan HigginsSharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies, and M&A SME, talks with Morgan Higgins of Blue Delta Capital Partners about what investors see as they survey today's GovCon M&A landscape.
Topics covered:
● Backing leadership teams who feel their best days are ahead
● The genius of founders
● Turbo charging inorganic growth
● Partnering as a minority investor
To connect with Morgan, visit her LinkedIn page here.
To learn more about Blue Delta Capital Partners, visit their webpage here.
To conn...
2025-10-1620 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Aaron MoakSharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies, and M&A SME, talks with Aaron Moak of PingWind about growing an SDVOSB company with the help of several acquisitions.
Topics covered:
How organic growth can power inorganic growth
How to look for the right strategic acquisition
Integration and people as key assets
Acquisitions as “growth vehicles”
To connect with Aaron, visit his LinkedIn page here.
To learn more about PingWind, visit their webpage here.
To connect with Sharon Heaton, visit her LinkedIn page here.
To follow and l...
2025-10-0231 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Richard ArnholtSharon Heaton, the founder of sbLiftOff and a leading small business, growth strategies, and M&A SME, talks with lawyer Richard Arnholt of Bass Berry & Sims about the future of the set-aside market and the impact the new Administration has had on M&A.
Topics covered:
● Changes to 8A and what's likely ahead
● The future of small business contracting goals
● Keeping designation talk out of your company's elevator pitch
● Small business, SDVOSB, WOSB - how to adjust to today's government customer and today's buyers
To connect with Richard...
2025-09-1829 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Dave BarberSharon 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...
2025-09-0433 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Brandon MunizSharon 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 abou...
2025-08-2126 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk with Heidi GerdingSharon 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 sb...
2025-08-0735 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk: New sbLiftOff advisor Kelly Kunkle on Software M&A, Valuation, and the Role of AISharon 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 conne...
2025-07-2437 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon Talk: GAUGE ReportSharon 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 activ...
2025-07-1027 min
GovCon M&A TalkGovCon M&A Talk: How Brad Palmer Built and Sold a Standout SDVOSB in GovConSharon 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 con...
2025-06-1933 min
GovCon M&A TalkAerospace & Defense Trends: Joseph DaltonSharon 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...
2025-06-0532 min
GovCon M&A TalkScare The Bear: Matt DeanSharon 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 co...
2025-05-1531 min
GovCon M&A TalkChaos Creates Opportunity: Joe HumphriesSharon 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...
2025-05-0131 min
GovCon M&A TalkDoing Good By Doing Well: Shaunna BaladySharon 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...
2025-04-1731 min
GovCon M&A TalkVeterans Mean Business: Bob EisimingerSharon Heaton talks with GovCon leader Bob Eisminger who founded Knight Point Systems and sold it for an impressive sum. A graduate of West Point, Bob used his knowledge of the military to grow his GovCon company. Realizing that as a VAR, Knight Point systems wouldn’t be worth more than a low multiple of profits, Bob pivoted. As a managed services provider with a $1.2 billion backlog on its books, the company looked very different. Hear what this successful veteran entrepreneur says about the journey from business idea to growth through sale:
Topics covered:
Ingredients to gr...
2025-04-0331 min
GovCon M&A TalkInorganic Growth is No Secret with Gautam IjoorA serial entrepreneur since his boyhood in India, Gautam Ijoor founded AlphaOmega in 2016. An agile supplier of DevSecOps, cloud engineering and cybersecurity solutions, the company has grown 40% year after year. In 2020 Gautam decided to bolt on a robotics firm, Confiance Group. This January, 2025, he closed two new acquisitions on the same day. Hear what a successful tech entrepreneur says about smart buys in the GovCon sector.
Topics covered:
Inorganic growth - your company plan
Looking for the right match in M&A
What the government needs now from technology
Buying for strategy not revenue
Happy integrations p...
2025-03-2032 min
GovCon M&A TalkFinding Unicorns: Cos DiMaggio M&A JourneyWinning at GovCon M&A requires providing unique value to government agencies. Cos DiMaggio, a successful serial entrepreneur, shares his tips on science, technology and disruption. Cos founded The Tauri Group with two colleagues and focused on critical areas of homeland security, national defense, resilience, and rapid capability development. Cos’s growth strategy? Compressing the distance between developers and users. Tauri was acquired by LMI. Hear what a successful tech entrepreneur says about his M&A journey:
Topics covered:
Unicorns—finding visionary scientists, engineers, acquisition specialists, and former operators
How solving threat challenges advances your GovCon
What...
2025-03-0626 min
GovCon M&A TalkSBA Reg Shakeups: Brad Reeves of Reeves GovCon GroupSBA regs dropped last December are still roiling the set-aside GovCon market. Some experts disagree on the regulation's impact with most already in effect and certain M&A provisions set to take effect on January 17, 2026. Hear the experts decode the debate.
Topics covered:
Overview of new rules – defining a disqualifying recertification and discussion of impact
Differences in treatment for single-award and multiple-award contracts
Discussion of GSA schedule as a multiple award vehicle and immediate implementation
How M&A for set-aside companies will be affected
Small buying small opportunities
Whether task orders will be t...
2025-02-2025 min
GovCon M&A TalkBuyer's Eyes: David Troung of PSI on M&ADeal value is in the eye of the beholder. What are large companies looking for when they eye small GovCon for acquisition? David Troung of PSI shares his experience on what he as a larger entity looks for when he shops for acquisitions of set-aside companies.
Learn more about OrangeSlices AI here.
2025-02-0728 min
GovCon M&A TalkM&A to Retirement: Merry Korn's Successful JourneyIn Episode 3 Sharon interviews Merry Korn, a GovCon owner who started her Ohio company after she was fired from a job. After years of growth it was time to hand off the baton. Merry shares the ups and downs of her recent sale process and the secrets to a successful GovCon M&A transaction.
2025-01-3021 min
GovCon M&A TalkSBA Earthquake: New Regulations Affecting M&A with Cy Alba, PilieroMazzaIn Episode 2, Sharon Heaton interviews Cy Alba of PilieroMazza about a set of new regulations from the SBA that will shake up GovCon M&A for years to come. The new SBA regulations will significantly affect the value of many set-aside small businesses companies, decreasing the amount owners may be able to get for their entities after January 17, 2026, the date the new SBA regulations take effect.
PilieroMazza is known for its deep GovCon law expertise and Cy is just the guy to explain it all to us.
2025-01-1629 min
GovCon M&A Talk2025 Market Forecast: M&A Overview with Bob Kipps, Founder of KippsDeSantoIn our first episode, Sharon interviews Bob Kipps, the legendary dealmaker and founder of the GovCon M&A firm KippsDeSanto. Not only does Bob tell his own story of being a client in an M&A process, he talks about what is coming down the pike in aerospace, defense, and intelligence this year. Bob reviews market trends over the last few years, assesses the impact of the new Trump Administration on the M&A market and valuations, and gives practical advice for owners eying an exit in 2025.
2025-01-0926 min