SBAF
SBAF (The Small Business Advisory Firm) is a privately-held U.S. consultancy founded in 1995 that helps small businesses obtain GSA Schedules, federal set-aside certifications (8(a), HubZone, VOSB/SDVOSB, WOSB), and ISO/CMMI quality management certifications, monetizing via membership subscriptions and fee-for-service consulting.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersAldie, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SBAF does
SBAF (The Small Business Advisory Firm) is a privately-held management consultancy headquartered in Aldie, Virginia, that advises small businesses on entering and competing in the U.S. federal contracting market. Founded in 1995 and operating with 1-10 employees, the firm delivers a portfolio of professional services spanning the federal contracting lifecycle: turn-key GSA Schedule applications and modifications, set-aside certification support (8(a), HubZone, VOSB/SDVOSB, WOSB/EDWOSB), ISO 9001/14001/20000/22301/27001 and CMMI quality management consulting, and backend contractor support covering finances, facility security clearance (FSO), IT, HR, and contract management. SBAF also runs a structured five-stage contractor development framework (Pathway to Success: GovLaunch through GovVanguard) and operates a separate SBAF Training Academy sub-brand.
The firm monetizes through two streams: (1) a self-serve membership product (Contractor's Zone) priced at $25/month or $200/year that provides training, networking, and community resources, and (2) fee-for-service consulting engagements for higher-value regulatory and certification work, with free certification support offered as a lead-generation funnel for VOSB/SDVOSB and WOSB/EDWOSB clients. Marketing is executed through a content-led and community-led motion — blog, Government Relations Weekly Updates newsletter, webinars, training academy, and networking events — combined with direct phone and contact-form sales for enterprise consulting work.
Operationally, SBAF is a services firm with no software platform or proprietary technology beyond its Kajabi-hosted website and training portal. Distribution is entirely domestic (United States), with go-to-market executed through digital self-serve membership signups, direct consultant outreach (866-519-1465), and educational content featuring senior consultant Arnold Punaro's political and policy analysis. No parent company, institutional investors, subsidiaries, or funding rounds are disclosed.
SBAF firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SBAF
- Legal name
- Small Business Advisory Firm
- Website
- https://smallbusinessadvisoryfirm.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SBAF (The Small Business Advisory Firm) is a privately-held U.S. consultancy founded in 1995 that helps small businesses obtain GSA Schedules, federal set-aside certifications (8(a), HubZone, VOSB/SDVOSB, WOSB), and ISO/CMMI quality management certifications, monetizing via membership subscriptions and fee-for-service consulting.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where SBAF is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aldie
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SBAF business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Subscriptions: SBAF generates recurring revenue through monthly ($25/month) and annual ($200/year) membership subscriptions. Members gain access to the SBAF Contracting Zone platform, which includes expert-led training, networking opportunities, exclusive tools and resources, community support, and monthly agency drill-down analyses.
- Professional Consulting Services: Fee-for-service consulting engagements for specialized government contracting needs including turn-key GSA Schedule applications, ISO certification support, CMMI consulting, 8(a) certification support, HubZone certification, and contractor back-end support services (finances, security, IT, HR, contract management).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Small Business Monthly Membership at $25/month for flexible access to membership benefits |
| Subscription | Annual | Small Business Annual Membership at $200/year for full-year membership benefits |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
SBAF product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SBAF is a management consultancy that helps small businesses navigate federal government contracting. It provides turn-key GSA Schedule application support, set-aside certification assistance (8(a), HubZone, VOSB/SDVOSB, WOSB/EDWOSB), ISO and CMMI quality management consulting, and backend contractor support (finance, security, IT, HR, contract management). The firm also operates a paid membership community (SBAF Contracting Zone) and an online training academy.
Product overview
SBAF (The Small Business Advisory Firm) is a consulting and advisory services firm that helps small businesses navigate government contracting. The company offers a portfolio of professional services organized around federal contracting compliance and growth, including GSA Schedule acquisition and management, small business set-aside certifications (8(a), HubZone, VOSB/SDVOSB, WOSB/EDWOSB), ISO/CMMI quality management consulting, and backend contractor support services. The firm also operates the SBAF Training Academy for specialized contracting education and maintains a membership program (Contractor's Zone) providing ongoing training, networking, and resources. The Pathway to Success program provides a structured five-stage framework for contractor development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- GSA Schedules Service Turn-key GSA Schedule application service for small businesses, including qualification assessment, market research, strategy advising, proposal writing, and contract negotiation. Includes GSA Schedule MODs support and GSA Task Order Writing Support for e-buy opportunities.
- Set-Aside Certification Services (8(a), HubZone, VOSB/SDVOSB, WOSB/EDWOSB) Comprehensive set-aside certification support for small businesses, including 8(a) certification (turn-key solution, 1010c business plan writing, application repair, annual maintenance), HubZone certification (turn-key solution, rejected application repair, annual maintenance), VOSB/SDVOSB CVE certification (free of charge), and WOSB/EDWOSB certification (free of charge for qualifying businesses).
- ISO Certification and CMMI Consulting Quality management system consulting covering ISO 9001, 14001, 20000, 22301, and 27001 certifications, plus CMMI process improvement consulting with implementation support through a structured 4-step certification process.
- Contractor Support and Business Development Backend support services for government contractors covering finances (accounting, compliance, payroll), security (facility security clearance, FSO support), IT (websites, hosting, CRM), human resources, contract/project management, and business development consulting.
- SBAF Membership - Contractor's Zone Subscription membership program offering expert-led training, networking opportunities, exclusive tools and resources, community support, and monthly agency drill-down analyses for federal contractors. Available as monthly ($25/month) or annual ($200/year) subscription.
- SBAF Training Academy Online training portal (sbaftrainingacademy.com) providing specialized courses on federal government contracting for small businesses, covering both basic and advanced topics, with free online seminars for qualifying certification support and premium member-only content.
- Pathway to Success Program Staged contractor development program guiding federal contractors through five maturity stages: GovLaunch (Foundation), GovEvolve (Momentum Builder), GovMastery (Apex Advancement), GovElite (Summit Mastery), and GovVanguard (Masterclass Mastery).
Quantifiable outcome
- Become certified within 6 months or less with ISO certification support
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use SBAF
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SBAF technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SBAF partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Arnold PunarominorArnold Punaro serves as a consultant to SBAF, providing comprehensive political and policy analysis on congressional activities, appropriations, NDAA updates, and executive branch matters affecting government contractors. His analysis is featured in SBAF's Government Relations Weekly Updates and blog content.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SBAF competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- SCORE: SCORE is an SBA resource partner network offering free small business mentoring and training, including on federal contracting topics, functioning as a free substitute for SBAF's training academy offerings.
- APEX Accelerators: APEX Accelerators (formerly PTACs) are federally funded centers providing free procurement technical assistance to small businesses — a free public-sector alternative for the same federal contracting education SBAF sells.
Direct peers
- FedBiz Access: FedBiz Access is a federal contracting services firm offering GSA Schedule, SBIR/STTR, and set-aside certification support — overlapping almost directly with SBAF's core service stack and SMB federal contractor target market.
- Winvale: Winvale specializes in GSA Schedule consulting, government contract management, and federal market entry services for SMBs, directly competing with SBAF's GSA Schedule and certification offerings.
- Lohfeld Consulting Group: Lohfeld provides capture management, proposal consulting, and training for government contractors — a closely adjacent service mix to SBAF's proposal, certification, and business development practice.
- US Federal Contractor Registration (USFCR): USFCR provides SAM registration, GSA Schedule, and bid-matching services for small businesses entering federal contracting, mirroring SBAF's onboarding and registration support offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Deltek (GovWin): Deltek is a large, established provider of federal market intelligence (GovWin) and ERP software for government contractors; it competes at a broader, more enterprise scale but its market intelligence overlaps with SBAF's research-driven advisory.
- HigherGov: HigherGov is a federal contract opportunity and award data platform that SMBs use alongside consultants like SBAF to identify and pursue set-aside opportunities.
- GovSpend: GovSpend provides federal, state, and local spending data and market intelligence; while it does not deliver consulting, it competes for the same SMB contractor attention and budget as SBAF's data-driven advisory services.
Emerging players
- Capture2Proposal: Capture2Proposal is a focused proposal-writing and capture service targeting small government contractors, overlapping with SBAF's business development and proposal support lines.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SBAF social profiles
Digital presenceSBAF financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SBAF leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
SBAF funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SBAF M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SBAF
What does SBAF do?
SBAF is a management consultancy that helps small businesses navigate federal government contracting. It provides turn-key GSA Schedule application support, set-aside certification assistance (8(a), HubZone, VOSB/SDVOSB, WOSB/EDWOSB), ISO and CMMI quality management consulting, and backend contractor support (finance, security, IT, HR, contract management). The firm also operates a paid membership community (SBAF Contracting Zone) and an online training academy.
Is SBAF a public or private company?
SBAF is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SBAF founded?
SBAF was founded in 1995. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SBAF based?
SBAF is headquartered in Aldie, United States, in the North America region.
How does SBAF make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are professional Consulting Services.
Who are SBAF's main competitors?
Others on record are SCORE and APEX Accelerators. Direct peers are FedBiz Access, Winvale, Lohfeld Consulting Group and US Federal Contractor Registration (USFCR). Broad incumbents are Deltek (GovWin), HigherGov and GovSpend. Capture2Proposal is listed as an emerging player.
Does SBAF have an API?
No public API is recorded for SBAF.