In this episode, Eric Coffie sits down with Christine Hopkins, the CEO behind ASCII Federal Services, a 4PL (fourth-party logistics) company that manages end-to-end supply chain—from procurement and tracking to warehousing, inventory optimization, deliveries, and disposal. Christine shares how an existential crisis during COVID wiped out nearly 90% of revenue, forcing a bold pivot into federal contracting through restructuring ownership, becoming a Woman-Owned Small Business, and leveraging commercial past performance to compete.
She walks through her methodical approach: getting registered, submitting "practice bids" for feedback, winning a first prime contract in 18 months, then scaling carefully to protect performance and reputation. The biggest lesson? Relationships and networking are the real differentiator—especially for agencies that avoid risk. Christine also breaks down the conferences, CEO peer network support (Vistage), and learning resources that accelerated her growth—and closes with a reminder that sustained success requires taking care of yourself so you can show up fully.
Key Takeaways
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Relationships are the strategy: Government (and primes) buy from people they know and trust—networking isn't optional, it's the edge.
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Win methodically, not emotionally: Use "practice bids" to learn, protect performance, and scale slowly so you don't overload your team or reputation.
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Resilience + restructuring wins: A smart ownership/size restructure plus strong commercial past performance can open the door to prime contracts fast—even after a major revenue hit.
If you want to learn more about the community and to join the webinars go to: https://federalhelpcenter.com/
Website: https://govcongiants.org/
Connect with Encore Funding: https://www.encore-funding.com/
Connect with Christine:
LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/
LinkedIn corporate: https://www.linkedin.com/
Website: www.asciLLC.com
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