- July 30, 2026
- 4:18 PM
By Katie Helwig, CEO, Mild Red LLC
I didn’t start in BD and sales.
I actually started in marketing—back in the 90s—focused on promotional literature and early messaging. But early in my career, I moved into business development and sales, where I spent the majority of my time focused on relationships, pipeline, and closing business.
Even then, the importance of marketing was always there.
I understood its value. I believed in it.
But I didn’t fully understand how to operationalize it in GovCon—how to translate that belief into tactical execution that aligned with BD, capture, and overall growth strategy.
That’s what led me to lean in more intentionally.
What I found—over the last 3+ years—was that the real value wasn’t just in the information.
It was in the environment.
It was in showing up consistently.
In becoming a familiar face.
In moving from attendee to participant.
The Shift: From Attending to Belonging
At first, I approached it like most people do:
But over time, something changed.
As I kept showing up, I started to recognize people—and they started to recognize me.
Conversations became easier.
Introductions became warmer.
Opportunities became more natural.
That’s when it clicked:
The value isn’t just what you learn—it’s how you become part of the ecosystem.
What Active Participation Gave Me
By leaning in—attending, participating, and engaging—I didn’t just gain knowledge.
I built a stronger, more meaningful foundation for how I operate in GovCon.
A Real Network
Not just contacts—but relationships:
Broader Market Awareness
Instead of seeing the market through a single lens, I began to understand:
A More Informed Game Plan
This was the biggest shift.
As a BD/sales professional, I used to approach growth through:
Now, I approach it with a much more complete perspective:
A 360° View of Growth
I didn’t set out to “learn marketing.”
I set out to round out my understanding of how growth actually works in GovCon.
What I gained was much bigger:
The Power of Being a Familiar Face
There’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough in GovCon:
Familiarity drives trust.
And trust drives opportunity.
By consistently showing up, contributing, and engaging, I became more than just another company or vendor.
I became:
That didn’t come from a single meeting or strategy.
It came from active participation over time.
Where AI Fit Into This Journey
One of the most impactful areas of growth for me during this time has been around AI.
Like many in GovCon, I was hearing about it everywhere—but understanding how to actually apply it to business development, marketing, and operations was a different challenge.
What made the difference wasn’t reading articles or watching webinars.
It was the conversations.
Through GovCon Ideators, I learned:
That gave me something you can’t get from static content:
context.
AI didn’t become valuable to me because I learned about it.
It became valuable because I learned how others were using it in practice.
And that learning came from being part of a community—not just consuming information.
The Value of Contributing, Not Just Learning
An important part of this experience wasn’t just what I gained—it’s what I contributed.
Coming from a BD and sales background—with roots in marketing—I had a different lens to offer.
I had the opportunity to present on BD and sales topics, helping others in the group round out their own perspectives, just as I was doing with marketing, AI, and strategy.
That exchange is what makes this community different.
It’s not just about learning—it’s about contributing to each other’s growth.
What I’ve appreciated most is the openness of this group to step outside of their comfort zones:
That willingness to learn across disciplines is where real growth happens.
What is GovCon Ideators?
GovCon Ideators is built around a simple idea:
Perspective is built through participation.
We meet twice per week, creating both structure and flexibility for how professionals engage:
This combination is intentional.
The presentations provide depth and learning.
The open mic sessions create dialogue and shared experience.
From my experience, both are critical.
The presentations helped me understand new concepts, tools, and approaches—especially in areas like AI.
But the real magic often happened in the open mic sessions:
That’s where information turned into insight.
Why GovCon Ideators Exists
GovCon Ideators was created to be more than a place to exchange information.
It’s a space where professionals can:
While marketing is the foundation, the reality is that no single discipline operates in isolation in GovCon.
The most effective professionals understand how it all connects:
GovCon Ideators brings those perspectives together.
Final Thought
The biggest shift in my career didn’t come from a single strategy, program, or tool.
It came from showing up.
From engaging consistently.
From contributing as much as I learned.
From becoming part of the ecosystem.
What started as an effort to better understand how to operationalize marketing turned into something much broader—how I see the market, how I build relationships, and how I shape growth.
You can find information anywhere.
But perspective is built through participation.
And that’s what GovCon Ideators is all about.
