Podcast: The Trigger and The Truth

Host: Tina White

In this episode of The Trigger and The Truth, Tina White continues the September Money Moves series by taking listeners deeper into The Contract Code—her blueprint for navigating government, state and city contracts. She explains why the last quarter of the fiscal year presents such a critical window for small businesses and why early preparation is essential. Tina also delves into the three pillars of The Contract Code—Foundational Readiness, Mental Wealth & Mindset, and Smart Systems & Strategy—offering a blend of practical steps and mindset shifts designed to help you compete without burning out or breaking the bank.

• The Q4 Spending Surge: Why more than 30% of federal discretionary funds are spent in the fourth quarter and how to position your business to take advantage of the surge sam.gov.
• Pillar Breakdown: A deeper look at The Contract Code’s three pillars:
• Foundational Readiness—from forming your business entity and keeping corporate documents current to registering for a Unique Entity Identifier and SAM, and aligning your services with the correct NAICS codes naics.com.
• Mental Wealth & Mindset—why psychological resilience, hope and optimism are linked to better business performance and why scarcity thinking will block your success pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
• Smart Systems & Strategy—building checklists, automating outreach and making the call on when to prime versus subcontract, all without costly consultants.
• Mental & Emotional Readiness: The importance of self‑care, clear boundaries and building a trustworthy team. Tina shares personal experiences about vetting collaborators and protecting your peace in high‑stakes situations.
• Closing Out Q3 and Preparing for Q4: Practical steps to update paperwork, obtain certifications, connect with contracting officers and choose your role wisely.
• What’s Coming Next: A teaser for the next installment in the Money Moves series, focusing on how to stay visible and ready as agencies rush to award contracts before year’s end.

• Early preparation and registration (UEI, SAM, NAICS) are non‑negotiable if you want to bid on federal work.
• Mental health is a business strategy; building psychological resilience and adopting an abundance mindset will boost your entrepreneurial performance pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
• Delegate where you’re weak and vet your team members carefully—trust and alignment matter when stakes are high.
• Understand Q4’s spending habits and align your marketing and outreach to capture opportunities before budgets...