Even Lewis and Clark Needed a Guide: The Real Value of Business Coaching and Consulting

One thing we have learned over the years in business and government contracting is this: experience matters.

There is a mindset many business owners, entrepreneurs, and contractors have that says, “We’ll figure it out ourselves.” We understand that mindset because we have lived it ourselves. Independence, hard work, and persistence are important traits in business. But there is a difference between being independent and making the journey harder than it needs to be.

Even Lewis and Clark needed a guide.

When Lewis and Clark set out to explore the American frontier, they were capable leaders. They were disciplined, intelligent, and determined. Yet despite all of that, they still relied on Sacagawea, a person who knew the terrain, understood the people, spoke the language, and had already traveled parts of the path ahead of them.

That same principle applies in business today.

Whether a company is trying to navigate government contracting, SBA compliance, CPARS evaluations, audits, teaming relationships, or growth strategy, there is tremendous value in working with people who have already been through those situations before.

At SCM Consulting, a division of Glory to the Lord Investments, Inc. dba Supply Chain Management (SCM), we believe consulting should come from real-world operational experience, not just theory. Our perspective comes not only from advising companies, but from actively performing multi-year, multi-million dollar government contracts ourselves.

That distinction matters.

A Consultant Has Been There Before

One of the greatest values a consultant brings is practical experience.

Not textbook experience. Not “watched a webinar” experience. Real-world experience earned through years of operating contracts, managing employees, solving problems, handling audits, responding to government personnel, and adapting to changing requirements.

Over the years, we have seen contractors struggle not because they lacked effort, but because they lacked guidance. Many business owners simply do not know what they do not know yet.

Government contracting especially can be unforgiving in that way.

A company may misunderstand wage determinations, misread contract requirements, fail to document performance properly, or respond incorrectly during an SBA audit.

We have also seen many contractors assume that strong operational performance alone guarantees strong CPARS ratings. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Understanding how evaluations are interpreted, documented, and challenged is just as important as performing the work itself. In fact, we discussed this in greater detail in our article, “Why Strong Performance Still Leads to Satisfactory CPARS.”

That is why experience matters.

An experienced consultant understands the landscape. We know the common pitfalls, the warning signs, and the places where businesses can unintentionally create risk for themselves.

More importantly, we know how to help companies avoid wasting years learning expensive lessons the hard way.

Knowing the Pitfalls Before You Reach Them

One thing we often tell contractors is this: effort alone does not guarantee success.

A company can work extremely hard and still head in the wrong direction if they are operating from incorrect assumptions.

We recently discussed an example involving an SBA 8(a) audit where a contractor submitted information incorrectly because he did not fully understand what the SBA was truly requesting. He believed he was handling the situation correctly, but because he lacked experienced guidance, he placed his standing in the program at risk.

We see similar situations regularly:

• Contractors underbidding projects
• Companies using incorrect wage classifications
• Businesses failing to document outstanding performance
• Contractors misunderstanding CPARS evaluation standards
• Teams operating from outdated scopes of work
• Owners assuming “good work speaks for itself” without properly communicating and documenting that work

The reality is that many government systems are complex, and even government personnel themselves do not always fully understand every regulation or evaluation standard.

That means contractors must understand the rules thoroughly enough to protect themselves professionally and financially.

A Consultant Knows the Right People and the Right Approach

Business is not just about technical performance. It is also about communication, relationships, and understanding people.

One of the lessons from the Lewis and Clark story is that Sacagawea did more than guide the expedition geographically. She understood the people they would encounter. She could communicate. She knew the culture and the language.

Government contracting works similarly.

Over time, we learn how agencies operate, how contracting officers think, how CORs approach evaluations, and how different organizations communicate. We also learn that personalities matter.

Some people are highly process-driven. Some rely heavily on precedent. Others are collaborative but informal. Understanding how to communicate effectively within those environments can make a major difference in outcomes.

This is especially important because documentation and communication often become part of the official contract record.

Many contractors assume that if they are doing excellent work, everyone will automatically recognize it. Unfortunately, that is not always how the system works.

Part of consulting is helping businesses tell their story properly.

A Consultant Speaks the Language

Every industry has its own language. Government contracting may have one of the most complicated.

Government contracting is filled with acronyms, regulations, evaluation systems, and terminology that can feel overwhelming to newcomers. FAR, DFARS, CPARS, wage determinations, option years, SBA regulations, NAICS codes — understanding the language is often the first major hurdle. We discussed this concept further in our article, “Government Contracting Speaks Its Own Language.”

To someone entering the industry, it can feel overwhelming very quickly.

I remember early in my own career spending countless hours reading contracts line by line, studying regulations, and learning how the system actually functioned. That process taught me something important: when you walk into a meeting, you need to understand the subject matter at least as well as the people across the table, and preferably better.

That level of understanding protects businesses.

A consultant helps translate complexity into clarity:

• What does the contract actually require?
• What are the evaluation standards?
• What documentation should be maintained?
• What risks exist in the current operation?
• What rights does the contractor have?
• What should be challenged or appealed?

Those are critical questions, especially in federal contracting where misunderstandings can impact profitability, compliance, and future awards.

Current Experience Matters More Than Ever

One thing that makes government contracting unique is how quickly things can change.

New administrations bring new priorities. Regulations evolve. Agency leadership changes. Evaluation standards shift. Funding priorities move. Compliance expectations expand.

That is why current experience matters.

At SCM, we are not simply looking back on what worked twenty years ago. We are actively managing contracts today. We are actively dealing with current regulations, audits, workforce issues, CPARS evaluations, pricing challenges, and agency expectations in real time.

That active operational experience helps us stay current with what is happening now — not just historically. Historical experience gives perspective. Current experience keeps that perspective relevant.

In our view, strong consulting requires both.

Sometimes You Need Someone to See What You Cannot

Another major advantage of consulting is outside perspective.

Over time, businesses naturally become accustomed to their routines. Inefficiencies and blind spots can slowly become normalized simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it.”

We have seen situations where contractors were cleaning significantly more square footage than the contract required because outdated records had never been corrected. We have seen wage classifications applied incorrectly for years. We have seen agencies continue using old maps and outdated performance requirements copied from previous contracts.

These kinds of problems quietly affect profitability and performance every day.

An experienced outside perspective can uncover:

• Revenue leakage
• Compliance risks
• Documentation gaps
• Operational inefficiencies
• Contract interpretation issues
• Opportunities for negotiation or adjustment

Sometimes consulting is not about adding something new. Sometimes it is about identifying what should have been corrected long ago.

Coaching Is Not a Sign of Weakness

The best organizations in the world use advisors, consultants, and coaches.

Professional athletes use coaches. Military leaders rely on intelligence and strategy teams. Large corporations hire consultants constantly.

Strong leaders understand the value of experience.

One mistake we occasionally see is businesses choosing the cheapest possible guidance simply because the upfront cost feels safer. But inexpensive advice can become very expensive later if the guidance is incomplete or incorrect.

Good consulting is not simply selling information.

It is providing insight developed through years — sometimes decades — of navigating real situations, solving real problems, and adapting to changing environments.

That kind of experience compounds over time.

The Frontier Still Exists

The frontier did not disappear. It simply changed forms.

Today’s businesses navigate regulations, audits, compliance requirements, workforce challenges, competition, changing administrations, and increasingly complex contracts.

The terrain looks different than it did during the Lewis and Clark expedition, but the need for experienced guides remains the same.

Even Lewis and Clark understood they could not navigate unfamiliar territory alone. Smart businesses understand the same thing.

You do not have to learn every lesson the hard way.