To do the right thing in the professional world takes courage. When one dares to say NO to the things that don’t align with the ethics of the business, one implies a strong voice that is bound to make a disruptive change. Varetta Huggins faced a similar situation, took a stand against it, and eventually became her own champion and founded V-Project Management Consulting LLC (V-PMC). She is the Chief Executive Officer, President, and one of the billable Consultants for Federal Government clients such as FAA, ED, USDA, and USAID, to bring in Government Contracting revenue for V-PMC. She now conducts consulting work on her terms as the prime contractor or subcontractor working with Government clients.
The woman whose journey started on a guitar-shaped island of St. Kitts, who dreamed of owning a software consulting company, is now one of the most admired business leaders in the world. Varetta is a remarkable example of how woman leaders are disrupting the business world, making a dent in the universe, making their voice heard, and listening to the concerns that need the most attention.
When Varetta graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, she began her consulting career working with Government Contractors to provide consulting services to Federal Agencies such as NASA, NOAA, and FAA. During that time, she earned her Master of Science degree in Information Systems Technology concentrating in Management Information Systems then her Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificate.
The Voice for All
Varetta’s contributions to impact the consulting solution niche are unmatched. She tailored and developed new consulting and coaching services for small business owners who hunger for authentic, professional, Government Contracting Coaching services.
Varetta notes, “Most small business owners that came to us had paid for services they did not receive or overpaid for services and did not get the value they were seeking. As a result, they lost trust in hiring Consultants to help them with their business needs, and in most cases, we were their last resort.” V-PMC took on customers wounded by the Consulting system, then provided them with the services they needed and added more value than they were seeking. Once customers realized the values they received from its Consulting services, they trusted V-PMC with their consulting needs and recommended them to their family, friends, and colleagues.
Varetta spoke on stages to the small business community and sent out email campaigns during the Pandemic with content they could use. The COVID-19 Pandemic allowed her to meet small business owners across the U.S. virtually and hear their stories to cope and keep their businesses afloat. V-PMC’s email campaigns provided critical PPP, EIDL, and other financial information to small businesses seeking ways to keep their business operations going, open their businesses safely, and find new technologies to operate lean businesses. Varetta had many small businesses who called or emailed during the Pandemic for help with filling out PPP, EIDL, grants, and other programs and for advice and guidance on gaining government contracts and grants. She says, “Many did not trust the government but reached out to us, a familiar, trusted source for the small business community, to verify SBA information and gain the clarification they needed on small business assistance.”
Consulting Making Difference
V-Project Management Consulting (V-PMC), LLC is an SBA certified 8(a), woman-owned, disadvantaged-owned, and minority-owned small business that provides Enterprise Project, Program, and Portfolio Management Office (E-PMO) services to Federal, State, and Commercial clients. Its Consultants aim to become the E-PMO Trusted Advisor for the clients they serve.
In 2018 Varetta started the V-Government Contracting Success Program. She helps small business owners, entrepreneurs, independent consultants, and non-profit owners become Government Contractors and be ready for Government contracts and grants. Today, V-PMC provides Enterprise PMO, Executive Business Coaching, Government Contracting Coaching, and Government Grants Coaching services to Government and non-Government clients.
The vision of V-PMC is to serve the U.S. Government as the #1 Enterprise PMO Service Provider.
The mission of V-PMC is to develop best practice approach solutions using innovative technology to support Government and Non-Government Clients.
The Solidary Pillars
For 2022, V-PMC’s core values are to have integrity, deliver excellence, and be loyal.
Varetta believes that having personnel who aim to have uncompromising integrity in all they do will foster a company with honest, respectable, responsible, trustworthy, and hardworking people. She asserts, “Our people are the ones working directly with our Government and non-Government clients, and their integrity will drive them to deliver excellence on all submissions and interactions with team members and clients. Our company’s work culture of delivering excellence ensures that our staff is loyal to the V-PMC brand and our clients and customers.”
V-PMC provides a work environment with continuous opportunities for growth, where personnel is challenged, and where dreams are achieved. It provides personnel development by constantly improving every member of its V-PMC team through certification, training, lessons learned, and providing the right tools. It also fosters a caring company culture where each member is treated as a family member, where teamwork overrides individuality, and where compassion is employed when addressing personal and family needs.
Adapting Technology
Varetta states that V-PMC embraces technology so much that it is a part of its culture and mission. For Government clients, it recommends using innovative technologies to solve business challenges and support strategic objectives. It shows its small business customers how to use new tools to manage their business and business processes with less staff efficiently.
As a Consulting Company, V-PMC takes pride in gaining the latest training on new and existing technologies and their enhancements, to develop best practice approach solutions for each Government client and small business customer. Varetta and her staff attend webinars, seminars, expos, e-conferences, and zoom sessions to learn about the latest technologies and their use for Government and non-Government clients. The company has adopted some of these technologies and recommended and showcased its service to its small business customers. During the Pandemic, V-PMC reduced its staff but still kept business operations going by using tools such as Monday, Stripe, Calendly, Constant Contact, Docusign, Zoom, Loom, QuickBooks, Google Suite, Wrike, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Recruiter, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, OneNote, Microsoft Office, and others to complete work virtually.
Potential Entrepreneurial Drive
Varetta expects the following significant change in the consulting industry: the regular 9to5 job is less enticing, and more people becoming entrepreneurs and independent consultants. The U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) reported that in 2019 there were over 30 million small businesses in the U.S. Today, over 32 million small businesses are being reported. People are taking the next step to becoming entrepreneurs and starting their businesses.
V-PMC is ready to educate more entrepreneurs and independent consultants on starting their new company. V-PMC has already created training for entrepreneurs and is updating its Training Program in 2022 to include a dedicated Training website. Varetta is currently working with partners to start a Program to train small business owners from the cradle to the grave on what they need to know to start and operate a successful business.
What Comes Next?
Varetta’s purpose is to empower business owners to achieve personal, spiritual, financial, and professional growth. She knows that getting her story out there to business owners and equipping them with the tools, techniques, services, and partnerships needed will provide them with the access they need to grow their business exponentially. Her ultimate goal is to grow V-PMC into the #1 Business Management Consulting Government Contracting Company by partnering with business owners through the V-GovCon Program.
Varetta envisions being on the stages across the U.S. and worldwide, sharing content with business owners on how they can grow their businesses with Government Contracting. How they can speak to sell their goods and services and how they can set goals then work on action plans daily to achieve them. She hopes to inspire and empower more women and minority business owners to take the leap to build their businesses and impact millions daily.
Bequeathing Excellence
Varetta advises budding entrepreneurs to take the leap NOW. “Opportunities are waiting for you NOW. You don’t want to keep putting it off and find out two years from now how far you could have been if you had just leaped in 2022,” concludes Varetta.
