This segment is a Veteran-focused talk show that showcases individuals and companies in the community and is focused on Veteran leadership, service, stories and transition. Our Veteran host highlights other Veterans who serve, have served and who are doing great things in their business and in their community. Today our host, Chris Budihas spoke with Scott Hayford.
SCOTT HAYFORD
Founder of BlackHays Group
Website Address: https://blackhaysgroup.com
Short company description:
We are with you for the long haul. We are designed to flex with your capital runway. Our affordable advisory and consulting services are tailored for start-up and small businesses looking to engage with the US government. We help companies focus on delivering their technology to the customer by offering guidance on SBIR, BAA, RFP editing, strategy, timing, and teaming engagements. Our expert team is dedicated to providing assistance in a cost-effective model, no %-win on awards, minimal retainer, and flexible surge support ensures we are there 24/7 to help you succeed in the competitive government procurement landscape. Stop paying $5K or $10K a month plus a percentage of an award… paying for months where government isn’t even there. Smarter runway employment to get you across the valley of death.
What is one question you would like the host to ask you?
How to get in touch would be fine
What’s one thing we should know that makes your company unique?
Low cost, no % award fee, diverse bench across the US.
How do you define success?
Delivering opportunities for clients and for our advisors
How did you get started in your field of work?
Former Director for Industry and Innovation for US Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.
Transcript:
Chris:
Hold on for five minutes. I’m your host, Chris Budihas. Today’s segment is sponsored by the Military Affairs and Veterans Department of City of Jacksonville. Here’s a team scoring all our veterans with the benefits they earned through their military service. Talking about veterans, I got Scott Hayford with BlackHays Group. Scott, how are you?
Scott:
I have great. Down here in Saint Augustine. It’s warm.
Chris:
It’s not too bad. I just left D.C., and that whole statement, when hell freezes over, or maybe it did. It was like nine inches of snow and ice on the ground. So, Scott, before we start, a little bit of background on you. Where are you originally from and what did you do in the military?
Scott:
So I’m originally from—it’s a trick question because obviously, you know, military most of my life, my career, my father also, we moved around a lot. So Cooperstown, New York is where I call home now as far as where I came from, Baseball Hall of Fame. And now we’re down here in Saint Augustine. That’s great. I was in the Army for six and a half years, enlisted, and then became an officer in the Air Force. And I married Navy. My wife’s marine flight deck.
Chris:
Wow. That’s great, man. Well, thank you for your service. And thank you for her service. It’s amazing—if you guys didn’t do what you did, obviously we can’t do this here today. So let’s talk about the BlackHays Group. You retired. You could have probably sat around while your wife still works and done nothing. But you chose to create your own company. Can you talk to us about BlackHays?
Scott:
Sure. So I actually created two companies, but BlackHays was a result of my frustration with advisors that charge a lot of money for early stage tech companies. So I was the director for industry innovation for the secretary, USD. I got to see a lot of that, worked a lot with In-Q-Tel, De Kessel Run, and I kept seeing the advisors come in charging a lot of money. Early stage companies can’t afford five, $10,000 a month. So I wanted to create a company around that. So that’s where BlackHays came from. We’re now 40 advisors, mainly retired military and government, that help early stage companies.
Chris:
That’s wonderful. I do some part time consulting with a company that’s in the space. We help medium to small companies, as you stated, and our price point is, in my words, a cheap date. Because as I tell folks around here, we’ve got a lot of great Americans that served and others that have been in the business world here in Northeast Florida. I explain to them, if you have a company and you want to pursue defense or federal contracts, unless you know the system, you can hire people or get a consulting company. They will take your money and charge you a lot of money. But if you’re looking for a partnership, you’ve got to find the right group. And what you’ve created, what BlackHays is, in my opinion, is the right answer. You win, we win. So let’s work with you to move you along. You’ve got 40 folks in the group. That’s pretty—and growing. What areas are you servicing? Is it across all the joint services?
Scott:
Correct. And not just the services. Department of Transportation, Energy, NASA. A lot of people don’t realize the government is such a massive organization, and every single one of those organizations needs transportation, support, technology, mobility, logistics, intelligence information. All of them need support. So we’re subsidies space. All of our advisors are just like you. They want to still have purpose. They’ve already served their career. They may or may not need additional finances. Everyone’s financial situation is different. So this allows them to flex their hours. I’ll do two hours to help this company, or I’ll help one with 30 hours. It depends on the client. Their success helps us. We just issued our bonus. You can think of BlackHays as being like an ESOP, employee owned. Whatever money we have at the end of the year, we distribute amongst everyone. It’s kind of a fair distribution to help everyone. Rising tide lifts all boats—that’s the concept.
Chris:
Yeah, the whole rising tide lifts all boats. Very appropriate considering you’re in Saint Augustine.
Scott:
Yeah.
Chris:
We talked about the value proposition. Obviously you bring a lot of value to your clients. Is there any specific case where you saw a big success or win as an example?
Scott:
The best example is Ghost Robotics so far. They sold, they exited. A South Korean company bought them for over 400 million. That’s the best example of someone that started and then ramped as they went. They leveraged us a few years ago to help navigate government challenges. A lot of military folks that exit and become advisors may not have been exposed to the legislative affairs component. There’s a formula, an algorithm. It’s not one plus one. Having a general that loves your stuff does not mean you’re going to get a program of record. So we help them navigate that aspect. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The story of the company that got a $10 million contract in 90 days—that’s rare. The typical company is three plus years, and an SBIR award, less than 1% convert into phase threes. Even fewer become programs of record.
Chris:
I’ve told folks looking at SBIRs that there are zero guarantees. You get exposure, but that’s about it. I like what you stated on the lobbying front. It’s multi-angled. You can’t just go in and expect it to happen. Your network is your net worth. If you’re new to the game and don’t know anybody, it can be very frustrating and expensive.
Scott:
Exactly. A lot of consultants, after their second or third year out of the military, their network declines. Generals get tired of 30 minute phone calls. So we teach CEOs how to fish. We could spend hours discussing strategy. We’re adding events, innovation centers, a geographic map to plot them out so companies know where events are geographically and can prioritize strategy to drive costs down. All of our advisors travel at government per diem rate. It’s funny when companies aren’t familiar with that. You tell them it’s only $54 a day to eat, and they say you can’t eat in the city for $54. And you’re like, yes you can.
Chris:
Yes you can. You figure it out. I love that you’re being good stewards of their money. For startups, every dollar matters. When you have a consultant, you want to be aligned with the right ones. With your background, you’re showing there’s a world of opportunity, and you need someone to help path find on your behalf. Scott, how do folks find BlackHays Group?
Scott:
BlackHayesGroup.com is the easiest place. If you’re an advisor, we welcome you to apply and join the ecosystem. I believe it’s a way to still have purpose. I don’t golf, that’s what I tell people. This is a way to still have purpose because you get to help a CEO and see that success when they get a contract. You feel like you helped deliver something to the warfighter. Big companies have different objectives. We’re seeing administration emphasis on building infrastructure in the country. That’s real.
Chris:
There’s a lot of opportunity right now. Scott, I encourage folks to reach out to you and take a look at BlackHays Group. Whether you’re going to be a consultant or a client, it’s a great opportunity to have a conversation with you and your team. Thanks again for coming on.
Scott:
Appreciate it. And strategic partners too, because we recommend HR, finance, all of that.
Chris:
Amen. Reach out to Scott. Continue the conversation. See what BlackHays Group is doing. Whether you want to be a client or part of the team and do great things for companies working with the federal government. Folks, we’ll see you on our next segment. Live with gratitude.
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