CASH OUT. - Minority Enterprise Executive Council

Among its Core Corporate offerings,specifically, are:o Systems Planning and Designo Software Developmento Infrastructure Planningo Integration and Implementationo Emerging Technologieso Service Continuity and AvailabilityMonitoringo Performance Reportingo Systems Supporto Configuration Managemento Change and Release Managemento Architecture and Designo Development and Migrationo Performance Tuningo Data Mining and Warehousingo Business Intelligenceo Applications and Data Baseso Help Desko User Support and Trainingo Network and Securityo Collaboration Serviceso Federal Financial Systemso Budgetary Systemso Grants Managemento Accounting and Financeo Reporting and ComplianceAlthough Sharda has plans to expandMiracle Systems, LLC globally,he likes the idea of a manageablecorporate headquarters. Its home isin an Arlington, VA office tower with aview of some of the most recognizedscenery in the world.“I want to remain established in onesingle location,” he says. “Even as wegrow and expand, and may need anentire office tower; we will still operateout of one central office location.”Perhaps his proclivity for operationalcontrol is born out of the very experiencesof building a business from the groundup. Small business CEO’s are forced tobe multi faceted with varying skill setsthat they can call upon simultaneously.Most manage, not only operations, butfinance, marketing, human resources,accounting, information technology,development and administration.A belief in the virtue of giving back to thenext generation is a core value for Sharda.Among the community involvementprojects, sponsored by Miracle Systems,consist of internship programs that provideopportunities forcollege students toreceive the supportthey need in orderto complete theirdegree.“We are proudof our efforts tobring young peoplealong,” he said.We typically hostat least six internsin the office overthe Summer. ThisMiracle Systems Teamprovides valuableinsights and trainingfor them as they grow and become theleaders of the future.”He continued by saying that MiracleSystems, LLC support initiatives forchildren who are under privileged inIndia, as well.“We work with the AKANSHA nationalorganization. AKANSHA means “Hope,”and that is what we are tasked with.I want to ensure that children in Indiaunderstand that they can achieve andsucceed anywhere on the globe. Wealso support an orphanage in Bhopal,India, my home town. We haveworked with the National Institutes ofHealth here in the US to assist in thevaccination of the underprivileged inthe metropolitan area.”The greatest challenge for small businessesworking in the federal space isattempting to sift through the myriadof opportunities and threats thatloom large over your survival. Mostimportant, according to Sharda, is theability to identify the right people.“Finding the right talent who can not onlybring business to your organization butwho also possess the skill sets to helpeffectively manage new projects,” he says.“With many small companies, we wind uphiring people based solely upon a resumeand references. That is a huge mistake. Youfind yourself in a constant training modewith staff with virtually zero return fromthe investment. In many cases, you feel asthough you work for your staff instead ofthe other way around. The right businessdevelopment team is a must.”He asserts that Miracle Systems, LLCis a very good 8(a) company that bringsintegrity to every project. His methodsinclude hiring former SES (SeniorExecutive Service) level governmentofficials with a high degree of ethicsand who can deliver.“With that level of talent, you feelconfident you have the skills to besuccessful,” he said.The biggest problem that smallcompanies face in working with thefederal government is that largebusinesses attempt to eat from thesame plate by manipulating the system.“It is unfair for smaller players who aretrying to grow in the market space. Largebusinesses are able to undercut us. Theyrepresent themselves as a small firm towin contracts through partnerships andother collaborations. For us, spendingtime on a proposal, assigning a staffmember to searching for opportunities,and the financial expenditure to simplybid on work is a daunting thing forsmaller players. The long term impact isthat smaller companies cannot grow.”He suggests that most innovationscome from smaller firms and whenthe small cannot get through, thegovernment misses out on talent,efficiency and cost savings.For too many of us, if we are not able toeffectively pursue certain opportunitieswhere we are a good fit, it becomesnearly impossible to compete, Shardasays. As a result, many of us don’twaste our time. That has an overallnet negative impact upon the wholeprocess of procuring the critical goodsand services the government needs.Although the challenges are everywhere,Sharda remains convinced thatMiracle Systems, LLC will continue tomake a significant impact as it growsto meet the exacting projections of itsaggressive young CEO.He and his wife, Anu, have beenmarried for 14 years. They have twochildren, a son Sahaj, 13, and a 9 yearold daughter, Disha.n