Best Richard C Howard Podcasts (2025)

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College Kids Choose Government Contracting (Because it Pays) 14:32

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2d ago14:32

14:32

GovClose Certification Overview: https://www.govclose.com/govclose-certification-programWhy are college-age kids choosing government contracting as a career path and succeeding at it? There is a big debate going on in this country about the price of a college education vs. what you actually get for it. Choosing a career can be difficult for young p…

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GitHub Spec Kit with Den Delimarsky 1:05:00

3d ago1:05:00

1:05:00

How do you build quality software with LLMs? Carl and Richard talk to Den Delimarsky about the GitHub Spec Kit, which uses specifications to help LLMs generate code for you. Den discusses the iterative process of refining specifications to produce better code, and then being able to add your own code without disrupting the process. The conversation…

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CSLA 9 with Rocky Lhotka 1:00:00

10d ago1:00:00

1:00:00

The next version of CSLA is out! Carl and Richard talk to Rocky Lhotka about his business objects framework that pre-dates .NET itself! Rocky discusses the surge in development that occurred for version 9, where a company heavily dependent on CSLA contracted developers to clear some of the backlog. The result is a few new long-term contributors, re…

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The First Rule of Sam.gov..... Don't Use Sam.gov 15:37

11d ago15:37

15:37

Here's a statistic that will shock you: According to SBA data, there are 34.7 million small businesses in the United States. Yet only 78,677 companies—just 0.23%—won federal contracts in FY24. That's less than a quarter of one percent competing for $774 billion in annual contract opportunities. Why is this number so low? It's not because the opport…

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Digging Deeper into .NET Aspire with Chris Klug 57:00

17d ago57:00

57:00

Aspire has been around for almost two years. How do you use it effectively? Carl and Richard talk to Chris Klug about his experience with .NET Aspire. Chris discusses thinking cloud natively, whether you are going to the cloud or not - it's not just a place, but also an architecture. The conversation digs into the role of containers and Kubernetes,…

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Gov Shutdown: What Federal Workers Should Do 19:03

19d ago19:03

19:03

At the time of this recording, the U.S. federal government is shut down and it is affecting federal employees, contractors, and even some military. In this video, I discuss how federal experience can be valuable to companies selling to the U.S. government. We also go over potential paths to bring on consulting clients that can help mitigate a shutd…

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Valuable Testing with Egil Hansen 55:00

24d ago55:00

55:00

You write tests - but are they valuable tests? Carl and Richard talk to Egil Hansen about his approach to creating tests for applications. Egil discusses the types of testing and who they impact. Testing isn't only for you! Valuable tests are also durable, being able to persist between changes where it makes sense, and help to understand when updat…

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Why Government Contract Sales Jobs Pay So Well in 2026 14:07

26d ago14:07

14:07

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Local AI Models with Joe Finney 55:00

1M ago55:00

55:00

AI in the cloud dominates, but what can you run locally? Carl and Richard speak with Joe Finney about his work in setting up local machine learning models. Joe discusses the non-LLM aspects of machine learning, including the vast array of models available at sites like Hugging Face. These models can help with image recognition, OCR, classifiers, an…

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The High Paying Job Military Veterans Never Heard Of 10:43

1M ago10:43

10:43

Start Your GovCon Career: https://www.govclose.com In this episode, I walk through One of the best-paying careers for military veterans and retirees. I go step-by-step why government contracting will pay for your military service, including: How to position yourself correctly How much an account executive working for a company selling to the govern…

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Visual Studio Code AI with James Montemagno 1:06:00

1M ago1:06:00

1:06:00

How has AI changed coding with Visual Studio Code? Carl and Richard talk to James Montemagno about his experiences using the various LLM models available today with Visual Studio Code to build applications. James talks about the differences in approaches between Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code when it comes to AI tooling, and how those tools c…

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From VR Headsets to Weapons Systems: How Anduril Cracked the Defense Market Code 9:16

1M ago9:16

9:16

Read the complete breakdown on Anduril and other companies selling to the US government at: https://federalytics.substack.com Government Contracting 101: https://www.govclose.comGovClose Certification Overview: https://www.govclose.com/govclose-certification-program Connect with Rick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/govclose/…

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The Reasons I Started a Consulting Business (and How AI Can Scale It Fast) 14:24

1M ago14:24

14:24

Government Contracting 101: https://www.govclose.comGet Free Weekly Government Contracting Business Tips: https://federalytics.substack.comGovClose Certification Overview: https://www.govclose.com/govclose-certification-programIn this video, you’ll learn the 10 biggest reasons to start your own consulting business, how to package your skills into a…

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Razor Tooling in Visual Studio 2026 with David Wengier 55:00

1M ago55:00

55:00

Razor Tooling is evolving! Carl and Richard talk to David Wengier about the changes coming for Razor Pages in the next version of Visual Studio. David talks about the realization that much of the new work in Razor ties closely to Roslyn, which has resulted in a new co-hosting model that means higher performance and reliability for your web pages! T…

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Subcontracting: How to Enter the Nuclear Supply Chain 8:31

2M ago8:31

8:31

Get the full DOE report on Substack: https://federalytics.substack.com/p/the-186-billion-small-business-roadmapGovernment Contracting 101: https://www.govclose.comFull DOE Intelligence Report (Federalytics): federalytics.substack.comDOE Contracts: Two Markets, One Oligopoly — Where Small Businesses (and Investors) Actually WinThe Department of Ener…

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How to Sell AI Agents to the Government 7:44

2M ago7:44

7:44

Get free training on breaking into government contracting: https://www.govclose.com Deep dive on the analytics behind AI in this week's edition of Federalytics: https://federalytics.substack.com/p/federal-ai-contract-intelligenceEveryone’s talking about AI agents and AI assistance – and the U.S. government is listening. In this video, a former DoD …

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Visual Studio 2026 with Mads Kristensen 1:03:00

2M ago1:03:00

1:03:00

Ready for the next version of Visual Studio? Carl and Richard talk to Mads Kristensen about the long-awaited version of Visual Studio. Needless to say, artificial intelligence sits front and center. Mads talks about the deep integration of AI across the development lifecycle, including code completion, debugging, even natural language querying. The…

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How Harold Won a $1.8M Sub-Contract With The US Army 28:40

2M ago28:40

28:40

FREE Training: https://www.govclose.comSchedule a Enrollment Consultation: https://www.govclose.com/enrollment-interviewGovClose Certification OVERVIEW: https://www.govclose.com/govclose-certification-programHow does a small cybersecurity company land a government contract with the U.S. Army worth $1.8 million? In this interview, Harold shares how …

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DevOps in 2025 with Michael Levan 59:00

2M ago59:00

59:00

How has DevOps changed in 2025? Carl and Richard talk to Michael Levan about his experiences helping teams automate their development workflows, and dealing with all the details that help the entire team focus on providing customer value. Michael digs into the role of the new AI tools in facilitating better workflows around code, testing, deploymen…

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Design at GitHub with Diana Mounter 1:09:00

2M ago1:09:00

1:09:00

How did the design of GitHub evolve? Carl and Richard speak with Diana Mounter about her experiences at GitHub, including her role as head of design. Diana discusses how she was drawn to GitHub as a designer and how her career evolved to lead design for the company. The conversation ranges over different design concepts, the Primer design language,…

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International & Foreign Military Sales 52:17

2M ago52:17

52:17

Get the GovClose Certification: https://www.govclose.com/sales-certificationZach Selch has been called the most interesting salesman in the world. He’s sold in 135 countries, closed deals with over 100 governments, and built global sales empires. In this interview, Zach breaks down what it really takes to win overseas—whether you’re selling helicop…

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Pentagon Buys Ozempic at Alarming Speed 7:17

2M ago7:17

7:17

Get the GovClose Certification: https://www.govclose.com/sales-certification Free Book Download: https://www.dodcontract.com/In this video, former Air Force acquisitions officer Richard C. Howard (Lt Col Ret) breaks down a surprising new procurement trend: the Department of Defense quietly spending millions on GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic.W…

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C# 14 with Dustin Campbell 59:00

2M ago59:00

59:00

What's coming in C#14? Carl and Richard chat with Dustin Campbell about the next version of C#, discussing what it takes to continue advancing software development in the Microsoft ecosystem. Dustin discusses how features are selected from version to version, including long-developed features like extension members, which have been in development f…

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Forrest Underwood: The Future of Defense Contracting 55:41

3M ago55:41

55:41

In the GovClose Certification Program, our students learn the government contracting skills to: Start their own consulting business that can earn up to $400k as a “solopreneur” advising businesses that sell to the government. Land high-paying sales executive jobs with companies selling to the government. From Special Ops to the Pentagon: Forrest Un…

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Thirty Years of Application Security with Michael Howard 1:03:00

3M ago1:03:00

1:03:00

How has application security evolved over the decades? Carl and Richard talk to Michael Howard about his experiences working in security at Microsoft. Michael discusses his current role as a member of the Red Team at Microsoft, which identifies security vulnerabilities within the organization by creating scenarios that black hats might employ, such…

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Improving Legacy Applications with Billy Hollis 1:02:00

3M ago1:02:00

1:02:00

Can you improve a legacy application? What's the right way to go about it? Carl and Richard talk with Billy Hollis about his work updating legacy applications, starting with the most essential question: should you? Billy begins by defining what it means to be a legacy application and how, invariably, these applications are critical to the organizat…

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The AI Government Contracting Gold Rush 1:08:20

3M ago1:08:20

1:08:20

The AI gold rush is real—and the federal government is pouring billions into data-center buildouts and high-performance computing infrastructure.In this live session, former government acquisitions officer, Richard Howard, shows you exactly how the government buys these types of services, products, and technology, how to sell to the U.S. government…

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Event Sourcing with Hannes Lowette 1:05:00

3M ago1:05:00

1:05:00

How can event sourcing help your applications? Carl and Richard speak with Hannes Lowette about his work in helping developers utilize event sourcing patterns to build scalable applications. Hannes discusses moving away from the old habit of decomposing data from objects into rows, columns, and tables, as there's no reason to save that disk space a…

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Best & Worst Gov Contracting Tools in 2025 46:39

3M ago46:39

46:39

In the GovClose Certification Program our students learn the government contracting skills to:1. Start their own consulting business that can earn up to $400k as a "solopreneur" advising businesses that sell to the government.2. Land high-paying sales executive jobs with companies selling to the government.3. Build predictable pipelines and win gov…

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How to Land Your First $4K/Month Government Contracting Client 37:04

3M ago37:04

37:04

Start a consulting business in the federal contracting: https://govclose.com GovClose graduate Des Daniels shares how he went from running his own small government contracting business to landing high-ticket B2B clients and growing a consulting firm — while traveling the world.We talk about the challenges of selling to the government vs. selling B2…

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AI Concerns with Mark Seemann 54:00

3M ago54:00

54:00

Do you have AI concerns? So does Mark Seemann! Carl and Richard chat with Mark about his views on the impact that large language models are having on the development community. Mark starts with the power of ChatGPT to be perceived as a source of truth, which we know isn't true! How does this ultimately impact the development of software? You need s…

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Progressive Web Apps in 2025 with Lemon 57:00

4M ago57:00

57:00

How do you build progressive web apps in 2025? Carl and Richard talk to Lemon about his experiences building all sorts of PWAs for customers and entertainment. Lemon discusses going beyond the icon in PWAs and leveraging more powerful features, including service workers. The conversation also digs into some of the crazy talks done over the years, a…

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Why You Can't Sell To The Government 1:08:30

4M ago1:08:30

1:08:30

Join me, Rick Howard (Lt Col, Ret.), as I break down everything you need to know about government contracts for small businesses, from what they are, how to find them, and the secrets to winning. Learn how to leverage set-asides, certifications, and market research to position your business or career in this lucrative space. Get the GovClose Certif…

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A Better AI Development Assistant with Mark Miller 1:02:00

4M ago1:02:00

1:02:00

How can AI tech help you write better code? Carl and Richard talk to Mark Miller about the latest AI features coming in CodeRush. Mark talks about focusing on a fast and cost-effective AI assistant driven by voice, so you don't have to switch to a different window and type. The conversation delves into the rapid evolution of software development, u…

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SAM.gov Is a Dumpster Fire — Here’s What Smart Operators Actually Use 1:20:38

4M ago1:20:38

1:20:38

In this episode, former U.S. Air Force acquisitions officer Rick Howard walks you through a powerful strategy for uncovering pre-solicitation government contract opportunities without ever using SAM.gov. If you're relying solely on SAM, you're already behind. Rick dives into how to use Acquisition Forecasts, navigate agency procurement portals, and…

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Thinking Agentic AI with Seth Juarez 58:00

4M ago58:00

58:00

Ready for a great explanation of Agentic AI? For the last show at Build, Carl and Richard sit down with Seth Juarez to dig into what agentic AI really is - and how you can take advantage of it! Seth discusses the potential of MCP and NLWeb to enable agents to work with each other, as well as the challenges of managing these tools effectively. The c…

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GSA Contracts Step by Step in 2025 58:58

4M ago58:58

58:58

We're answering all the questions people are asking about GSA. We cover: GSA Advantage, GSA rates and GSA labor rates, e-library GSA, what is GSA? We give you the history, talk about GSA schedules, and how to apply for the schedules. Learn from GSA government officials that I have interviewed and what the GSA catalog looks like. Learn how to shape …

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The Imagine Cup Finalists from Build! 42:00

4M ago42:00

42:00

It's the Imagine Cup Finalists! While at Build, Carl and Richard sat down with Daniel Kim, Matt Steele, and Gheida Omar to talk about their projects in the Imagine Cup. Gheida discussed Signvrse, a mobile app that enables real-time translation of speech, text, and sign language. Matt tells the story of Hairmatch, a mobile app for women with texture…

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Frictionless Development with Nicole Forsgren 1:00:00

5M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

How do you eliminate the friction of development? Carl and Richard talk to Nicole Forsgren about her upcoming book on eliminating the friction from software development. Building on her earlier book, Accelerate, Nicole discusses the role of AI technologies in software development, along with more traditional DevOps elements, such as automating test…

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Death of The Middleman: GSA Just Made It's Move 9:23

5M ago9:23

9:23

GSA just changed the game. On May 28th, a letter went out to major value-added resellers—and it wasn’t good news for the middlemen. The government is moving toward direct deals with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and that means major changes are coming for federal sales.Train with UsLearn how to shape deals, work directly with federal age…

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This Veteran Business Closed $42M In 5 Years 49:22

5M ago49:22

49:22

Want to know how real small businesses actually win government contracts? In this live session, I’ll reverse engineer the exact moves one federal contractor made to break into the market—and how you can apply the same strategy. We’re not just talking theory. You’ll see: How to find and study real contract award data The key actions that led to thei…

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Linkedin Can Win (or Lose) Your Government Contract! 37:47

5M ago37:47

37:47

Establishing a #linkedin profile that builds credibility and trust in the government contracting community os essential!! Former DoD Program Manager Rick Howard reveals his 3-step LinkedIn system used by 175+ GovClose students to build trust, attract federal buyers, and grow revenue—without spamming anyone.Learn more at: https://www.govclose.comFre…

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How to Win Government Contracts: Federal Sales Blueprint 9:15

5M ago9:15

9:15

How to Win Government Contracts: Federal Sales Blueprint That Even a 10-Year-Old Can Master (My Kid Did!)"This is the blueprint for winning government contracts" - Former Air Force Lt Col Richard Howard breaks down the exact 4-step federal sales process he used to manage $82 BILLION in contracts. So simple, he taught his own 10-year-old (and his 6-…

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3 Hidden SAM.gov Features Can Replace $1,000 GovCon Tools 10:56

5M ago10:56

10:56

Before you spend another dollar on third-party GovCon tools, watch this. SAM.gov has powerful built-in features that most people ignore—but they can completely change how you find and win federal contracts. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through 3 hidden features in SAM.gov that will: • Automate your market research• Save your searches • Send you …

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Proposal Writing: 5 Fatal Errors To Avoid 33:25

6M ago33:25

33:25

If you're submitting government proposals in 2025, this Government Contract Proposal Checklist could be the difference between winning and losing. In this exclusive interview, GovClose graduate Desmond Daniels breaks down the 5 biggest mistakes companies make on federal RFPs — and how to avoid them. Whether you're new to government contracting or l…

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High Salary BD Job In 3 Steps 14:23

6M ago14:23

14:23

Most people think the only way to get a government contracting job is by applying online. But that’s exactly why they never hear back.In this video, former DoD acquisitions officer Richard C. Howard reveals a step-by-step strategy for how to get a government contracting job in 2025 — without filling out a single application. Get My Free Training On…

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CMMC in 2025 – What Small Businesses Need to Know Before Bidding on Federal Contracts 53:16

6M ago53:16

53:16

GovClose is the fastest way to break into federal sales — or scale it. Whether you're starting out or already selling, our certification gives you the system, tools, and training to win contracts now.Start here: ⁠https://www.govclose.com/sales-certification⁠ The federal government is about to enforce CMMC at scale, and most businesses aren't ready.…

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How to Work Remotely After the Military | Lessons from a Veteran CEO 32:08

6M ago32:08

32:08

Start a remote consulting business: https://www.govclose.com/sales-certificationIn this video, we break down step-by-step how veterans and transitioning service members can build remote careers, consulting businesses, and financial freedom after leaving active duty. Learn from Marine Corps veteran and entrepreneur David Pere --he shares real lesson…

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The GSA Contract Wave Is Here: Why Most Companies Will Get Wiped Out 54:03

6M ago54:03

54:03

GovClose is the fastest way to break into federal sales — or scale it. Whether you're starting out or already selling, our certification gives you the system, tools, and training to win contracts now. Start here: https://www.govclose.com/sales-certification The federal government is overhauling how it buys from businesses — and GSA Schedules are be…