Episode 8 - Every Founder is a Fundraiser: Isabel Guzman on Capital and Growth

Описание: Isabel Guzman didn’t plan on a career in policy. She planned on building businesses — starting in the front office of her father’s veterinary practice, continuing through Wharton, Penn, and a stint at Procter & Gamble, and eventually back to California to help her dad scale what had become a chain of hospitals. Government found her, not the other way around. But once she was in, she went deep — and what she learned about how capital actually flows to small businesses changed how she thinks about everything.
In this episode, Isabel joins Everett to break down the most common and costly misconceptions small business owners have about working with the government: why the grant era of COVID was an anomaly, not a baseline; why getting a “no” from one SBA lender doesn’t mean the door is closed; and why building a strong private-sector portfolio is the single most important thing a founder can do before pursuing government contracts.

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3 Takeaways:
Government capital has shifted back to loans. Founders who built on COVID-era grants need to recalibrate.
Past performance is the entry ticket to government contracting (and most small businesses skip building it).
LA’s mega-events are a rare, time-bound revenue window. The businesses that benefit will treat it as a strategy, not a backdrop.

Link & Resources:
Isabel Guzman:   / isabelcguzman  
Everett Sands:   / everettksands  
Learn more about Lendistry: https://lendistry.com
APEX Accelerators: https://www.apexaccelerators.us
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs): https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/...

Timestamps:
[05:50] Why Isabel Left Corporate for Public Service
[09:45] The LA Mega Events Opportunity
[12:00] The Funding Story That Saved a Business
[14:10] Biggest Mistakes with Government Capital
[18:55] How to Win Government Contracts