The Reimagined Classroom
Doing business with the government is different from working with the private sector. Winning government contracts – whether at the federal, state, or local level – requires learning a new vocabulary, adopting particular strategies, and applying specialized processes and procedures. Though it can be a complex process, selling to the government can open doors to a huge new market and growth opportunity for small businesses, offering a path to new customers and fresh revenue streams.
For Michael Heyman and Brett Meyers, co-founders of The Reimagined Classroom, a one-stop shop for custom educational content, the potential to win a Department of Defense Educational Activity (DoDEA) contract looked promising. They even had the request-for-proposal (RFP) writers on staff to prepare a bid. What they did not have was experience with the government as their customer. It was then that they turned for assistance to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida’s (FSBDC at UCF) government contracting affiliate, the Florida APEX Accelerator at UCF.
The Reimagined Classroom has built a very successful business serving the corporate community. “We can take a concept from ideation and brainstorming and bring it all the way to print and web ready content,” Heyman explains. The team at The Reimagined Classroom subcontracts and works with large companies by producing and bringing to life engaging textbooks and educational resources for K-thru-12 students. Interestingly, before starting the company, Heyman and Meyers were third grade teachers and this background informs their corporate strategy, with every one of their content creators being or having been an educator. “We are a people-first organization creating things with a teacher’s mindset considering all learners and all educators,” Heyman highlights proudly.
“We first reached out to the APEX Accelerator and the FSBDC because we were interested in government contracting,” Heyman recalls. They had identified the DoDEA contract and had begun writing up their bid. “We were already about 75% of the way through when we realized that we could contact Steve South, the APEX Accelerator at UCF program manager, for assistance. Our RFP specialist worked with him and the APEX Accelerator to help us really go after our first contract. We learned so much through the process, even though we lost that one. We took APEX’s feedback and applied it to our next opportunity and wound up winning the very next DoD contract we bid on.” And that $400,000 contact was just the beginning.
“Our journey with APEX has been incredible. We’re just thrilled to be multi-award winners now and we attribute that, not solely but largely to our work with APEX and our SBDC here in Florida,” Heyman continued. “It’s been an amazing learning experience. When my co-founder Brett and I had the opportunity to initially meet Steve South we were just blown away at the value of the free resources offered, and the value of the experience and insight. It was almost like Government Contracting for Dummies but working with an insider who would explain it like you were five. It was incredibly valuable.”
Though pursuing government contracts may not be like chasing commercial business opportunities, as Heyman and The Reimagined Classroom will attest, the APEX Accelerator at the University of Central Florida can help a company learn the ropes and be successful.
For information about The Reimagined Classroom, please visit https://www.reimaginedclassroom.com.
