The Summit Explorer BLOG

Most go/no-go forms fail because the conversation around them is broken. Here's how to fix your form, run the meeting, and walk away from bad pursuits.

Firms consistently winning work aren't winning at proposal time. They're winning six, twelve, sometimes eighteen months earlier, when they're inside the account while their competitors are still on the outside looking for the solicitation.

For decades, Shipley has been the default methodology for running capture and proposal operations inside federal contractors. From color team reviews to structured pursuit stages, it brought discipline and consistency to an industry that desperately needed it. But here’s the real question most companies don’t ask: Is the Shipley process enough to drive modern growth?

If you don’t have a clear North Star strategy, every opportunity looks attractive. Every pursuit feels urgent. Every hire seems justified. You stay busy… but you don’t necessarily move in a consistent direction.

Someone told me recently that I’m “prolific” on LinkedIn. After I LOLd, I took it as a compliment… but it’s not intentional. I’m just consistent about sharing how I think, what I’m seeing, and where I disagree with the status quo. That habit has paid off in ways I didn’t expect.

The government is moving toward a commercial-first mindset, and if you’re still treating that like marketing spin instead of an acquisition strategy shift, you’re already behind.

Building a growth team isn’t about hiring a proposal manager, a BD person, and calling it done. It’s about sequencing, clarity, and not pretending this is still a Shipley flowchart from the late ’90s.

In the Lunar calendar, each year is tied to an animal and an element. The Horse represents movement, stamina, independence, and forward motion. Fire adds urgency and intensity. Put them together and you get a year that rewards momentum and punishes hesitation.