09/01/2026
✨ Client Spotlight - Leslie ✨
Meet Leslie, a woman who knows a thing or two about showing up, putting in the work, and sticking with what she believes in. For more than 28 years, Leslie has been part of Small GovCon Solutions, helping small business owners navigate the world of federal contracting. That kind of longevity doesn’t happen by accident. It takes knowledge, dedication, confidence, and a whole lot of heart.
Swipe to read her story ➡️
“This year has been one of transformation for me. In March, I made the decision to leave my federal government job after being a civil servant for 28 years to take a leap of faith and launch my own consulting business. The mindset shift that needed to occur for this to happen was no small feat.
I have always been risk-averse and financially responsible; I am THAT person. Upon my college graduation with a shiny new degree in Marketing, I immediately shied away from all of the entry-level commission-only sales jobs. Nope, that was not going to work for me - I needed a dependable salary with benefits and a retirement plan! Fresh out of University of Central Florida, I immediately found a federal service position working for the Department of Defense. My absolute favorite assignment during my federal career was when I was the Director of Small Business Programs for the Navy office here in Orlando. I held that particular position for over 9 years. During the course of my time in that position, I met so many incredible small business leaders in the military training and simulation ecosystem - it is like a huge extended family.
But after gaining so much incredible experience over the years in my federal job, it began to feel suffocating when I had to return to the office 100% of the time after being able to work from home most days since 2020, not to mention the looming dark cloud of cuts to the federal workforce. It was impossible to remain positive or productive. After a few short weeks, I made the decision to leave the comfort of what had been a largely familiar, steady, and stable career to become the captain of my own ship. I cashed in my guaranteed paycheck and paid time off for freedom to do things on my own