I’ve spent the majority of my career trying to find my true purpose. It’s always been there, lurking in the background, but I don’t think I ever really gave it the attention it deserved.

​

Today, I think I’ve finally figured out why I was given the talents and experiences I’ve accumulated over my career.

​

I’ve worked as a GSA subject matter expert, in one capacity or another, for about 30 years. During that time, I’ve helped with hundreds—maybe thousands—of GSA proposals, modifications, contract actions, trainings, reviews, presentations, and more.

​

I’ve worked on GSA proposal projects where clients paid $1,000 and I wrote the proposal and won them their contract. I’ve also worked on projects where clients paid more than $20,000 for essentially the same service. That $1,000 project still bothers me, because—boy—did my self-confidence falter and cost me there.

​

The $20,000 projects usually came through proficient government registration service marketers who had a subset of clients needing a GSA MAS. I worked with them as a white-label consultant, and they subcontracted the proposal work to me for a small portion of that $20,000 fee.

​

Throughout those high-cost projects for small businesses, one thought kept running through my mind: These companies don’t need to pay this much. But if they were willing to pay it, someone had to help them through the process, and it might as well be me.

​

To be clear, there are companies that don’t have the internal personnel or expertise to write their own proposals, and for especially complex cases, $20,000 may be a fair deal. But for most small businesses, there’s simply no reason to pay more than $6,000–$7,000 to win a GSA Schedule. (That said, I’d also be a little concerned about any consultant quoting less than $5,000—but that’s a topic for another day.)

As I continued providing GSA guidance, I worked to refine my process. Back in the early 2000s, I developed a six-step approach to guide my own proposal writing. Over time, I refined it for clients and used it extensively while helping the clients of a nearby Procurement Technical Assistance Center write their own proposals over a structured period. We’d meet for instruction, then they’d take what they learned and work through their proposals on their own, coming back for review and submission at prescribed intervals.

​

It wasn’t easy—but many were successful in securing this critical government contract. Some went on to win business through their schedules. Others eventually faded from the GSA eLibrary without ever earning a dime.

​

For more than a decade, I’ve had a full-color GSA Proposal Guide available on Amazon. It’s had limited success—mostly because I never felt comfortable heavily marketing it while actively writing proposals, and because I was so busy with client work that marketing simply fell by the wayside.

As I edged closer to traditional retirement age, I was caught up in contract cuts that rolled down through DOGE, and I was laid off for the first time in my career. I regrouped with a few former team members and created Do-It-Your-Way GSA (DIY GSA).

​

I thought this might finally be my chance to use my guide and my 30-day, on-demand GSA proposal writing workshop to help companies that didn’t want to pay hefty fees—but did want the option to write their own proposals with as much (or as little) guidance as they needed.

​

Around mid-year last year, I got serious about putting DIY GSA out into the world. Progress was slow, and social media intimidating. The idea of retirement kept creeping in—first quietly, then more insistently—until I was honestly considering closing up shop and heading permanently to a very inexpensive sunny beach somewhere.

​

Then, earlier this month, I registered for a free GSA training hosted by a GSA SME I’d been following on LinkedIn. They looked like the real deal. They had even purchased my guides, which made me a little nervous—I assumed they’d dissect them and point out everything I’d done wrong.

​

Instead, I was excited to attend. I’ve enjoyed events hosted by other GSA consultants before, and even when they weren’t proposal-focused, I usually walked away having learned something new. The GSA MAS program evolves quickly, and there’s always more to understand.

​

Going into this training, I had a quiet thought in the back of my mind: If this is good—if this genuinely helps contractors save money and complete their proposals—maybe I really could retire, knowing someone else was stepping up to serve businesses that just need guidance, not a full-blown turnkey proposal.

​

Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.

​

Once the webinar began, concern quickly turned into alarm. The presenter didn’t know which solicitation refresh was current, used incorrect terminology for the GSAR, misunderstood which elements were required, and even claimed that if GSA cancels your contract for low sales, you can never reapply.

Then came the statement that truly made my stomach drop: attendees were told that Pathways to Success was no longer required—even though it’s still referenced in the solicitation—and that they could safely skip it.

​

At that moment, I felt physically ill.

​

These attendees had no way of knowing what was accurate and what wasn’t. And here I was, ready to walk into retirement after more than 40 years of work (possibly more, but let’s not dwell on that). I was ready to rest.

​

And that’s when my purpose made itself very clear.

​

My purpose is to spend the next two to five years making sure that small businesses have access to accurate, current, and practical information about the GSA MAS—at a reasonable cost. I want contractors who want to write their own proposals to have access to a clear, organized, and trustworthy process that walks them through what actually needs to be done to win a GSA Schedule.

​

To support that mission, I’m making an electronic copy of my GSA Proposal Guide available—at no cost—to legitimate prospective contractors through my website for the rest of February 2026.

I don’t believe it’s right (or ethical) for other GSA consultants—or their friends—to pose as prospective contractors, something we’ve unfortunately seen from time to time, but if you’re a legitimate company exploring a GSA MAS, click DIY GSA Proposal Guide, tell me a bit about your business, and if everything checks out, you’ll receive a link to the guide.

​

We use Digify to deliver our digital assets, so you may need to re-enter some information when you log in, but rest assured, we won’t call or email you unless you specifically ask us to. This is not a marketing ploy.

​

For better or worse, this is the work I need to do right now—to fulfill my calling before the decade is out.