ShaKeia Kegler, 25, knew she wanted to start a business. After serving five years in the United States Navy and working for a pharmaceutical company for one year, she was ready to strike out on her own.
Her first idea was to start a souvenir company that would make molds for the bellies of pregnant women. It didn't work.
His second idea was for a location service that would help people find space to host pop-up events. That didn't work either. She consulted with her mentor.
"She said, 'Find something you have a problem with and try to solve it, whether it's in your personal life or at work,'" Kegler explains. The first thing that came to mind was the procurement process, as she worked with him both during his time in the Navy and in the pharmaceutical company.
"That's where I decided to find a way to simplify [the procurement process] nationally and locally, and find a way to make it more inclusive and unify it,” she says.
That’s when GovLia was born. The four-person company run by Kegler helps small businesses in Florida secure contracts with state and local governments.
“It came out a long line of bad ideas, and ended up working,” explains Kegler.
A Humble Beginning
Immediately after graduating from high school in St. Petersburg, Florida, Kegler enlisted in the Navy. His first duty station was Yokosuka, Japan.
While enlisted, Kegler was primarily responsible for managing compliance and quality assurance, as well as purchasing supplies for his department. She also earned a bachelor's degree in business management in the Navy.
Quentin Hodges, who served in the Navy with Kegler, says he always admired her boldness. "She has a genuine attitude, and it's almost like a fire has been lit," he says. "Once it's on, you don't put it out. She's going. His eyes are fixed on the prize.
After being honorably discharged from the Navy and returned to Florida, Kegler took a job with a pharmaceutical company that sold medical supplies and equipment to the government. After a year there, she decided she wanted a change. She visited the Careers for Broward County website and saw a pop-up that said, "Have you ever wanted to start a business?"
"I literally had this conversation in my head and I said, Yeah you know , I have it,” she said. Kegler participated in a six-month acceleration project, Start-Up Now, which allows aspiring entrepreneurs to test different business ideas.
Here, after two failed ideas, she found GovLia.
Related: How Women Advance in Business
Simplify and Unify
Kegler wanted to provide opportunities for small businesses owned by women, veterans, and minorities to win government contracts. At present, a surprisingly small number of these contracts go to small businesses, not to mention those run by minorities, veterans and women.
Most of the time, government agencies buy in bulk , says Kegler, and therefore winning these contracts can allow small businesses to grow exponentially while gaining credibility by working with government.
GovLia – a combination of the words government and liaison – helps small businesses to get state and local contracts.
“A lot of the time, people tend to do business with the federal government,” says Kegler. “They don't realize that the city you live in and the county you live in – none of these local municipalities – they also buy products and services. If they buy them from a local business in the area, the money goes back into the economy. »
GovLia works like this:small businesses can use the cloud platform to create a profile and register with multiple government agencies to try to secure contracts. They can then use the software to track their suppliers, overall procurement process, and payment all in one place.
Kegler, who is the company's CEO, says when people think of government procurement, they often think of things like construction. But Kegler says the types of services and products government agencies seek run the gamut. It could be anything from copy paper to a yoga teacher for an event.
GovLia was officially launched in 2017 and already has four employees. A big challenge Kegler faced early on was that she didn't have the technical knowledge to build the rig.
“Because I didn't have a technical background, one of the most big challenges for me was finding a tech partner and then learning to code and develop,” she says. They solved this problem by outsourcing some of the technical work at the beginning before hiring technical employees.
Family Ties
The eldest of five daughters, Kegler did not grow up in a field that encouraged her to learn more about technology and career prospects in the field.
“Where I grew up, we didn't necessarily have these big, big ideas of technology and innovation and all that," she says. "If you grow up in a [certain] location, you're not exposed to certain things. As I was growing up, that's when I started seeing this stuff and it intrigued me. It was something I wanted to be a part of. ”
Starting her own business made Kegler feel empowered – as if she had control over her own future, as well as that of her family. “I saw that this would be my way of changing the trajectory of my family,” she says.
“Where I grew up, we didn't necessarily have these big, big ideas of technology and innovation and all that. »
Kegler's family lacked stability. Some members of her family struggled to find their place in life, and she wanted to provide them with a sense of economic opportunity. She hoped the growth of her business would also help the community behind it. "I just wanted to be able to provide something more transparent and a real opportunity.
Kegler says his family's support has been crucial to the growth of his business. "They're 100% behind me, even though they have absolutely no idea what I'm doing," she laughs.
Early on, Kegler's family raised funds for the help fund GovLia, which still brings her to tears to this day. “They gave me a gift to start my business,” she says. “More than anything, it was great because we didn't always have the financial opportunities to do it. Everyone got together…they raised $20 here, $30 there. I think it's just the effort it took that made it so impactful. ”
Upward trajectory
Although only a few years old, GovLia has already made impressive progress. In October 2018, the company won first place in the AnitaB.org PitcHER competition. AnitaB.org is an organization that helps women in technology thrive. Ten finalists were selected to enter the competition, with GovLia taking first place.
The company also won several other awards, including the pitch competition at the Women Empower Expo hosted by PS27 Ventures and the award of Impact Innovation at the Military Impact Awards.
GovLia currently operates out of Florida, but Kegler expects national growth in the future. “Over the next two years, we want to operate in at least six different states,” she says. " That's the point. ”
Jessica Tabbert, founder and CEO of J. Gisele, a South Florida events and entertainment agency, had heard of Kegler before they met. “Her name came up whenever people were talking about women in tech in South Florida,” says Tabbert, who is also a veteran. "I was like, 'I gotta meet her, I gotta meet her. ""
"It's a unicorn. She is a woman, a minority, a seasoned entrepreneur. I don't know how many we are in the country, I just know there aren't enough. »
In early 2018, Tabbert founded a cohort that provided co-working space for veteran and military entrepreneurs, which eventually brought her into contact with Kegler. The two clicked and have remained close ever since.
"She just embodies the type of toughness that people like to see," says Tabbert. "It's a unicorn. She is a woman, a minority, a seasoned entrepreneur. I don't know how many we are in the country, I just know there aren't enough. To be affiliated with someone like her has been a blessing to me because she reminds me why I keep doing what I do.
Tabbert says she foresees Kegler doing great things in the years to come. "It's very small in size, but it's huge in possibilities, potential and opportunity," says Tabbert. "I think he's definitely someone you want to pay attention to over the next few years.
Hodges agrees, going so far as to say he thinks ShaKeia Kegler will be a name everyone knows. “Going forward, I see her at the top,” he says. "In fact, I see her being a household name that we see every day.
Kegler attributes part of her success to never letting anyone tell her who she might be.
“There is no version of who you have to be to be successful,” says Kegler.
Being in the military for five years could have set her back. "But I still do," she says.
Being a woman in a male-dominated field might have scared her. "But I still do," she says.
Being a founder of color and knowing that funding opportunities are low might have stopped her. But, she says, “I still do. »
Related: Women, own your dreams
Best Practices:Perfecting the Pivot
After her first two business ideas failed, ShaKeia Kegler earned the nickname “Pivot Queen” from colleagues in her entrepreneur program.
Kegler has learned the importance of pivoting during his time in the Navy. If something didn't work out on his post – for example, the power suddenly went out – sailors still had to figure out how to do it
Things happen.
“I would say the hardships and struggle you help better prepare you to pivot or find a way in unfortunate or unpredictable circumstances,” says Kegler.
This knack for adjusting his sails has also given Kegler a unique perspective on failure. For her, it's all about perspective. The day before the interview for this story, Kegler had entered a pitch competition. She didn’t win.
“Even though I didn’t win the pitch competition, 900 people applied and selected nine companies,” she explains. “It is a victory. Take failures with successes, no matter how big or small. »
Sideways:Hustle When You Can
ShaKeia Kegler is no stranger to sideways hustle. While in the United States Navy, she started her own side business. Every time someone gets a rank in the Navy, she says, they change the buckles (which sit on the shoulder) on their uniform.
Kegler decided to start a side business sewing those buckles to her colleagues.
“I went out and bought a filler and in my barracks I was taking orders,” she says. “I always had this ambition to really start something on my own. »
