The Hidden Dangers of Overseas Contracts Nobody Warns You About

On today’s Daily Windup, I sit down with Corliss Uduema—who proudly calls herself the “365 24/7 Veteran Supporter”—to hear her incredible journey from managing government contracts overseas in Italy and Japan to launching her own business back home. Corliss shares what it was like to operate with limited resources abroad, why being mission-focused is essential, and how cultural experiences shaped her approach to leadership. From cooking Thanksgiving dinner for colleagues in Japan to realizing a ham that costs $10 in the U.S. could be $250 overseas, she opens up about lessons learned across 59 countries.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Corliss admits that during 95% of her time in business in North Carolina, she wasn’t making money—and that was intentional. Instead, she dedicated herself to helping small businesses and veteran-owned companies navigate the intimidating government contracting system. Along the way, she uncovered scams where entrepreneurs were charged $5,000 for worthless “resources” they could have accessed for free. Today, she’s on a mission to expose those predatory practices and teach others how to succeed in government contracting without falling for the hype.