Meet IFAS’s CEO

Eleven years ago, Ms. Tabatha Turman quit her job to start her own business, Integrated Finance and Accounting Solutions (IFAS), a woman-owned and service-disabled, veteran-owned small business. Within three years, her company earned more than $1 million in annual revenue. Year over year, IFAS has experienced exponential growth. In 2018, IFAS’s revenue is expected to increase by more than 30 percent.
We spoke to Ms. Turman, an Army veteran, to learn how she navigated her path to success. We hope her story inspires more women and veterans to become entrepreneurs.
What did you do before you founded IFAS?
I enlisted in the Army straight out of high school. After 10 years, I was commissioned as a Finance Officer. I served for 20 years. My last deployment was in Iraq in 2005. After that, I worked for the Army Human Resources Command as a civil servant for 18 months.
What leadership skills did you develop in the military?
I learned the importance of taking care of your employees. You need to be decisive. When you don’t have 100 percent of the information required to make a decision, but you have 80 percent, you move forward. I learned how to communicate a vision and strategic plan to my staff. People want to know where you are leading them.

How did you win your first federal-government contract?
I attended an outreach event sponsored by the Army Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). I was providing tax and accounting services from my home, but my long-term goal was to provide accounting services to the federal government. At the outreach event, the person sitting next to me took my business card. She called me the following week and awarded me my first subcontract. I was able to leverage the subcontract’s past performance to get a facility clearance and win my first prime contract.
What do you enjoy the most about being an entrepreneur?
I enjoy developing and implementing IFAS’s strategic plans.
What do you wish you had known when you started seeking federal-government contracts?
I wish I had invested more in the capture process. A lot of small companies will look at 20 solicitations on FedBizOpps where they have the required capabilities and start bidding. You have to be strategic. You need to have an intimate understanding of a potential customer before you start competing against companies with past performance that you lack. IFAS has a very rigorous bid/no-bid process. We conduct in-depth competitive and customer analyses before we decide to bid.
Is there anything about government contracting that surprised you?
The acquisition cycle can be very long. On some opportunities, we waited two years before a contract was awarded. You can spend a lot of money developing a proposal and the return on investment is two years away.
If you had to do it over, would you do anything differently?
There is a lesson to learn in every setback. People say your banker, attorney and accountant are your best friends in business. I would have had a more solid banking relationship in the beginning. If you don’t have the right line of credit starting out, that can set you back. That’s a lesson I learned the hard way.
How should small businesses market to the federal government?
Do your homework. If you want to meet with a Small Business Office or a Program Office, be prepared to discuss specific opportunities. Don’t go to a meeting with a broad capabilities statement. Be specific. Ask the Small Business Professional who supports your target customer: “Can you introduce me to the Program Manager and let them know that I can do A, B and C to support X, Y and Z?”
Have any Small Business Professionals helped you win work?
Yes. Tracey Pinson in the Army OSBP, Maria Kersey in the Defense Intelligence Agency OSBP, Kevin Boshears in the Department of Homeland Security Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization and Jackie Robinson-Burnette in the Small Business Administration.
Did you receive assistance from your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)?
Yes. The PTAC at George Mason University helped me prepare my 8(a) application and provided training on indirect rates and proposal development.
Do you have any other advice for small businesses seeking government contracts?
Don’t try to be everything to everybody. Be focused. Don’t pivot before you have grown in your core capability.

What’s the best advice you received from a mentor?
You have to listen, but at the end of the day you make the decision. What worked for one person may not work for you. Use your best judgment as a leader to decide what will work for your business.
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