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Meet Abraham Xiong of Government Contractors Association in Chamblee

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Abraham Xiong.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
There is no record of my birth in the year 1969. I was born during the Vietnam War in the jungles of Laos. We were in constant threats from communist invasion and my early childhood had very little stability. We moved from jungle to jungle and village to village looking for food, opportunities and evading enemy troops. My father was in the guerrilla army assembled by the CIA as ground troops to stop the aggression of Communism through the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

At the age six, while most kids are playing with their GI Joe action figures, I was standing next to the GI’s in the jungles evading capture. My most vivid memories from these impressionable years were the news that we had to flee the country because Laos had fallen to Communist control. I remember grabbing what we could and rushing to a make shift airport as the US helicopters were trying to airlift people out of Laos. However, how can a family of 7 with little children and a pregnant wife fight their way into the helicopters? We knew that our only choice was fleeing by foot through the jungle. I remember some of the hardships and horrors of our escape; but mostly at the age of 6, I remember missing my dog that we left behind. We finally made it through the jungle to the Mekong River, which is the border of Laos and Thailand. After our crossing, we lived in a refugee camp where my sister was born.

During our time in the refugee camp, I remember being hungry as we stood in line to get our ration along with all the other refugees. After a year, we were fortunate enough that a Lutheran Church in Ohio sponsored our family to come to the US. As the airplane was about to land in Ohio, our new adoptive home, we were scared to death as we looked out the window and saw nothing but white sand… from horizon to horizon. We thought, how will we make a life in a land of white sand. Our host laughed at us and explained that what we thought was white sand is called “snow.”

In America, my parents went to work for minimum wage, working long hours and taking every opportunity to do over-time. As such, I was raised by my older siblings and I had to grow up fast myself, because in return, I had to take care of my younger siblings. I became very self-sufficient and started working at the age of 13 for a small business. Working at this early age taught me that one of the best ways to make it in life is through entrepreneurship.

I started my first business at the age of 20. It was a baseball card and comic book shop. I was able to live my hobby and make it my living. Since then, I have owned an office furniture company, real estate investment firm, coaching business, and have sold two businesses.

Now, I’m privileged to take all my years of entrepreneurial experiences to help other self-starters grow their businesses. I serve as the President of Government Contractors Association where we teach, train and equip business owners to obtain government contracts. We help women, veterans, minorities and other small business owners to utilize small business certifications for greater opportunities at landing contracts.

Life has taught me that we will never arrive and that it is a journey. There are lots of ups and downs, wins and losses, and good times and bad times. I life my life trying to make the most of every situation and even in the toughest of circumstances, look for the opportunities.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely road. Often, those whom you think are your allies are the naysayers. The journey is fraught with risks and pitfalls. There are usually no blueprint for success. The road is lonely when you have no money. When you have money, everyone wants to be your buddy.

I started my first business with no money. A stranger who believed in the concept was willing to use his credit cards to fund the initial little retail shop. After this venture, I sold everything I had to pursue a dream of being a missionary in Thailand.

When I came back to the USA, I didn’t have much. After a short period of working for another company, I realized that the corporate ladder wasn’t for me. I decided to jump back out there and start another business. I had $300 dollars and had to figure out a way to build a company with that and a dream. I realized that business is not about money, it is about people. It’s about relationships. So, I found people with a problem and found a solution for them. In doing that, I took $300 and parlayed that into an office furniture with millions in inventory. We went from no office and a self-storage unit as my first warehouse to a 10,000 square foot warehouse filled with furniture.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Government Contractors Association, Inc. – what should we know?
Government Contractors Association (GCA) is a professional trade association. Unlike other associations who are non-profit, we are organized as a Public Benefit Corporation. As a for benefit company, we’re a hybrid between non-profit and for-profit corporations. This allows us to not be beholden to share-holders nor locked in compromise with board members. We’re able to be flexible and nimble to meet the needs of our members and achieve our vision, which is to Create Access. We want to create access for small and disadvantaged businesses to get into the government market and to allow government buyers to have access to qualified businesses.

Each year the federal government awards over $450 billion to commercial companies. Of that, about 80% of contracts are won by large corporations. There are usually not enough qualified small businesses competing for government contracts. GCA’s goals are to educate, facilitate, and advocate for our members by teaching them how to win more government opportunities.

To achieve those goals, we’ve invested thousands of hours to create a step-by-step software, which we called GovFastTrack.com. This is a blueprint which our members use to help them to win more contracts.

We’re different from the SBA, SBDC, or local PTAC’s in that we create a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and help them to navigate the complex contracting maze. We work with these organizations to enhance their goals and also to help the small businesses to better prepare to thrive as a government contractor.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe in working hard, trusting that inner voice, and taking risks to reach my dreams. These three tenants have guided me in helping me to pursue my dreams.

1) Working hard will always be rewarded. Whether I’m working hard for someone else or for myself, it is a characteristic which will produce good results. It usually means sacrificing other things to channel time and effort into the proper vehicle.

2) Trusting that inner voice is not easy. It requires faith. Stepping out into the abyss of entrepreneurship is not easy. Sometimes all we have is a belief in that inner voice which urges us to keep moving forward. Often the inner voice is not heard from anyone else. Validation can’t come from external forces. Following that inner voice is all that we have sometimes.

3) Taking risks is scaring. Especially, when we have to use our last dollar to pave the way. I see risk taking as taking your last seeds and planting them instead of eating them. Seeds often will grow into an orchard farm where we can eat from it over and over again and have left-over to be sold or traded. Risk is the bedrock of entrepreneurship. Those who aren’t willing to take risk should seek the safety of a secure job and climb the corporate ladder.

Pricing:

  • Membership in GCA: starts at $499/year
  • GovFastTrack.com software: $1999
  • Coaching program: $1999/month
  • Small business certifications: starts at $999

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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