Positive Impact: Celebrating 10 Years of Success and Successful Completion of the SBA 8(a) Program
“The 8(a) program was nothing short of a blessing. It allowed us a vehicle for securing Federal contracts and growing our business.”
Our Start
Emerging after the Great Recession in 2009, Telling Your Story, LLC dba High Impact Partners (HIP) began offering services to federal agencies and corporations as a reliable partner to lead, manage, and support projects and programs. With skilled people, dynamic partners, valuable mentors, and a collaborative approach, HIP began to receive contracts and build a track record for quality work and a reputation for being a company that’s easy as well as fun to work with. HIP applied and was accepted in 2013 into the Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) Program and was certified as an 8(a) and woman-owned small business (WOSB).
"The 8(a) program was nothing short of a blessing”, said HIP President and CEO Susan Shorters. "It allowed us a vehicle for securing federal contracts and growing our business.” Looking back on first receiving the news, Shorters reflected, "Like most big moments, I remember that day in January 2013 when I saw 'Decision Letter' in the subject line. Nervousness turned to excitement when I saw the words ‘congratulations.’ It was also a split-screen moment. My dad had just had a stroke, so my excitement was split with concern. But the split screen turned to a clear picture because I decided, in that moment, that High Impact Partners would honor dad by carrying out what he'd taught me growing up: to make a difference and to leave things better than I found them. That's how "positive impact" became our motto and core value, not just our middle name. Each time our services have an impact, it benefits our clients, and for me, it pays tribute to my dad (and mom too). “
Our Growth
As a result of the 8(a) Program, HIP was able to do business with agencies such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
HIP had two contracts and two staff members in 2013. We now have over 20 active contracts and nearly 50 staff and consultants today. HIP has established a growing footprint at DOL, Treasury, and other federal agencies over the past decade, and expanded partnerships with other small businesses to secure multi-year renewal contracts, and in 2021, acquired the U.S. General Services Administration Multiple Award Schedule.
Our Impact
HIP has conducted 100+ webinars, 100+ Technical Assistance site visits, and planned and implemented over 40 national meetings and events.
We’ve helped federal clients implement new programs like the Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative for DOL’s Office of Apprenticeship (OA) and track National Apprenticeship Week activities.
HIP has helped corporate clients like Centene Corporation develop the Strong Youth Strong Communities (SYSC) Initiative and worked with Centene and its partner the Pro Football Hall of Fame to implement dozens of Youth Summits across the U.S. HIP also provides leadership training to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
HIP has also supported DOL’s Office of Grants Management's training rollout of grant management best practices, and provided coaching to dozens of DOL grantees for programs that support youth, students, farmworkers, returning citizens, the unemployed, community colleges, and other workforce populations.
Our impact has been our ability to capture the success of projects, programs, and initiatives. We’ve developed tools to help people tell their stories and methods to compile the stories for reports, online communities, and other media.
Our Partners
HIP has been fortunate to collaborate with great partners! The National Institute of Health (NIH) Path to Excellence and Innovation (PEI) 2.0, for example, has broadened HIP's scope to offer services in concert with our educational partner, the University of the Virgin Islands, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The PEI program empowers HBCUs with the knowledge, resources, and skills to effectively compete and win contracts from the NIH. HIP has also partnered with several other government contractors to support federal projects and grant programs.
“Grateful, delighted, blessed, are just three of the words that come to mind when I think about HIP over the last 10 years. From two people to nearly 50 and 1-2 projects to dozens. It has been nothing short of a blessing.”
Our People, Our Future, Diversity, and Innovation
As HIP grew over the years, so did our staff. Our staff have been recognized for their skills and expertise – several even hired by our federal clients, making HIP a reliable staffing resource for recruiting talented people. “HIP’s pool of talent is a real gift,” says CEO Susan Shorters. “We can reach out to a vast network of experts and we’ve been blessed to retain a talented, diverse, and dedicated team that provides innovative ideas and solutions for our clients and projects,” Shorters noted, and adding, “Our team and our collaborative approach are two of our greatest assets that I believe will facilitate HIP’s continued success in the future ,” Shorters added.
Capturing some final thoughts, we asked Susan what it feels like to emerge from the SBA 8a program as a solid, dependable firm with many opportunities. "Grateful, delighted, blessed, are just three of the words that come to mind when I think about HIP over the last 10 years. From two people to nearly 50 and 1-2 projects to dozens. It has been nothing short of a blessing. I'm grateful to early mentors like Performance Excellence Partners (PEP) and the SBA Business Opportunity Specialists (BOS) as well as early partners like Hartzog Consulting, who believed in and worked with us. I thank God for our team, our clients, and the projects that allowed us to make a positive impact over the past 10 years. As we look to the next decade, we see opportunities to continue to impact people, projects, and performance. Opportunities to deliver services that achieve results, support impactful programs, coach, teach and train people and organizations, capture and tell success stories, and equip the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, and contractors through mentorship and apprenticeship.”
“We look forward to having a positive impact and being a blessing in the years ahead!”
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