Positioning means deciding how your company presents itself to government buyers before you start bidding — because you cannot credibly be two things at once.
Government systems are transparent: your registrations, finances, filings, and history are all visible to agencies. So you either position as a capable, established business going after substantial contracts, or as a small business seeking support programs, set-asides, and smaller awards. Mixing the two undermines you. The analogy used by the mentors: applying for a large mortgage right after filing for financial assistance — everything shows in the system, and the conflicting signals destroy credibility.
Many people fail in government contracting simply because they position themselves wrong. Bidding on large contracts while your profile says startup reads as a risk to contracting officers; conversely, truly capable firms leave money on the table by presenting too small.
That is why the program runs dedicated positioning and strategy calls at the start of membership. Your mentor learns your background, capabilities, certifications, and goals, then sets a coherent posture and roadmap — for most new members, starting with supportive and smaller opportunities and scaling up as past performance builds.