Business and Compliance Expertise & Experience You Can Rely On!
Compliance from Day One to Commercial Success!
Unlock the full potential of your SBIR and STTR grants with expert compliance guidance that drives success. Accepting government funding reshapes your business, demanding a robust, compliance-focused approach to secure ongoing support. We work with you to ensure your compliance is rock-solid, empowering you to maximize ROI while staying funded.
Our proven guidance navigates the complexities of SBIR and STTR regulations so you can focus on innovation without worry. We provide clear, actionable solutions to meet federal requirements, setting you up for long-term success.
Develop Robust Operations
- Compliance Mastery: Implement systems for accurate project and cost accounting, ensuring every dollar aligns with federal guidelines.
- Documentation Excellence: Maintain auditable records to demonstrate compliance effortlessly.
- Cost Tracking Precision: Track direct and indirect costs with tailored rate development for full compliance.
- Reporting Confidence: Deliver timely, accurate technical and financial reports that meet agency standards.
- Audit Readiness: Prepare for federal audits with robust processes, eliminating stress.
Ultimately, your business has a competitive advantage when compliance becomes your strength. Our expert team offers tailored training and hands-on support, simplifying regulations and fueling your innovation. Clients praise our ability to translate complex rules into practical steps: “Their guidance ensured compliance and saved us time,” says Larry Dickinson, Founder and President, 3F, LLC.
Master Compliance, Fuel Innovation
Our expert guidance ensures your business is equipped to manage and report expenditures and deliverables accurately. From day one, we help you navigate the regulatory landscape, setting the foundation for long-term commercial success. Here’s how we support you:
- Project and Cost Accounting: Streamline direct and indirect costs tracking to align with federal guidelines.
- Documentation: Maintain accurate, auditable records to demonstrate compliance.
- Direct Cost Tracking: Ensure every dollar spent on your project is appropriately allocated.
- Indirect Rate Development and Tracking: Build and manage compliant indirect cost rates.
- Technical and Financial Reporting: Deliver clear, timely reports that meet agency expectations.
- Audit Preparation: Be ready for federal audits with robust systems and processes.
Why Choose Us for Your Compliance and Business Needs?
In addition to our compliance expertise, we specialize in helping SBIR and STTR recipients build their business operations and financial systems. Our tailored solutions provide context and training to support your day-to-day success. We translate the rules, so you can focus on driving innovation and growing your business. Finally, with FOCUS Resources, you’ll meet SBIR and STTR standards and position your company for commercial triumph.
Get Started Today: We work with you to ensure compliance from day one and help you achieve commercial success!
Ready to succeed? Contact us today at 919.234.3960 or Lea@focusresourcesinc.com to build a compliance-focused foundation that maximizes your SBIR/STTR funding and drives commercial triumph.
ARTICLES
Accounting
Audits
Budgets
Costs
Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance
Proposals
Case Studies
What our clients are saying!
“I was introduced to Lea while working on a Federal grant proposal. Thank God! She is wonderful to work with because of her unique ability to translate dry, complex budget prep/accounting “must do’s” into easy to understand concepts. Just yesterday I was a participant in one of her workshops – it was down to earth, interactive, and interesting. Lea’s focus is altruistic. She’s willing to roll up her sleeves with you, answer and work on your firm-specific questions and solutions – giving you real action steps to take home and apply. I’d recommend her to anyone needing help with bookkeeping and accounting, especially if you’re entering the Federal grant/contract arena. “
Lea’s expertise helped make sure that the “free money” from SBIR funding truly came without too much costs in terms of time, effort, and compliance. There is no substitute for the experience of a world expert like Lea & we strongly recommend her. “Lea Strickland brought the knowledge and experience we specifically needed for developing our Commercialization Plan for our Phase II SBIR proposal. This included expertise in the SBIR program, government accounting regulations, and in-depth knowledge of finance (budgets, costs, and indirect rates) and commericialization.”
“As a small and responsive high-tech company, Mi-Co’s strategy is to take advantage of government grants and contracts in order to fund R&D initiatives that will keep our technology in the forefront of the industry. Our success in winning government funding lead us to FOCUS Resources to get a handle on the regulations our business must meet as part of the process of doing business with the US government. Lea provided concrete, clear, and achievable guidance and advice on a wide range of specific issues such as policies, accounting procedures, and subcontracts. I feel confident that we now have the procedures in place to meet current requirements, but also have a plan to analyze costs and to increase the profitability of our work with all of our government customers.”
“My company has been a client of Lea’s for just over 20 years now. The breadth and depth of her expertise and experience is remarkable. From advising about SBIR/STTR and other types of Federal contracting to reworking our accounting system for easy and fast government contract accounting to finding the right level of and personnel for our accounting needs to set us up with draft policies & procedures, and keeping us on track so to be ready for DoD contract pre-audits and post audits; to advising on operations and enterprise software; to overseeing project financial management and tracking. Her advice has saved us time and money and helped us avoid common accounting, financial, and legal mistakes. I firmly believe that 15 minutes of her time is worth more than an hour by other, even reputable, service providers in her field. I highly recommend Lea, without reservation. I fully trust her with the “keys to the car,” not just because of her honesty and integrity, but because she will refuse to drive when she doesn’t know the road.”
“Lea is a great creative and strategic thinker and doer on business issues. I have used Lea as a resource on government contracting and other issues and always find her knowledgeable, helpful, and well-networked. Through her writings and workshops, Lea has made valuable resources available … her clients are lucky to have her on their side. Lea is a great creative and strategic thinker and doer on business issues. I have used Lea as a resource on government contracting and other issues and always find her to be knowledgeable, helpful, and well-networked. Through her writings and workshops, Lea has made valuable resources available … her clients are lucky to have her on their side.”
“Lea Strickland brought the knowledge and experience we specifically needed for developing our Commercialization Plan for our Phase II SBIR proposal. This included expertise in the SBIR program, government accounting regulations, and in-depth knowledge of finance (budgets, costs, and indirect rates) and commericialization.”
“FOCUS Resources has been an invaluable resource for our small business. Lea took us step-by-step through bringing our accounting system and internal policies and procedures into compliance to meet DoD SBIR/STTR audit requirements. With her expertise and years of experience to fall back on, we are now confident we have the in-house skills necessary for day-to-day compliance related to government funding. We would 100% recommend her services to anyone looking for help with their government funding compliance system.”
“Smart business people don’t just come up with ideas-they fill needs. Lea Strickland is one of those people who approaches everything she does to fill real, pressing needs for her clients. With a background ranging from accounting and financial guidance to a track record of spurring excellence in operations, customer service, marketing, and sales. Lea is the ultimate go-to resource for entrepreneurs who have incredible products and services but need that little something (or a lot) extra to make their businesses succeed in a fast-paced, ever-changing marketplace. “
“Lea has worked with us closely on conceiving and planning marketing initiatives. We are very impressed and delighted with Lea’s work. She has been a continual font of ideas and knowledge.
She brought us ideas on customizing seminars and materials, how to reach the right audience, and how to use social media.
Lea generates the ideas, forms them into actionable plans, and helps us implement them. She is with us every step of the way.
Having attended many seminars and webcasts on building our business, Lea was a complete breath of fresh air. Her ideas and thoughts were entirely new from anything we’d heard before, and she knew how to implement them.
Lea also has an extensive contact list of people and resources she brings to bear when implementing our plans and getting us the needed resources.”
