For small and mid-sized contractors ready to build a strategic pipeline, sharpen their account plans, and win the opportunities that matter most.
Business development operations
Build a disciplined approach to strategic growth.
EB Growth Strategies helps organizations build scalable growth operations across capture, proposals, marketing, and business development.
Built for teams that need structure, clarity, and discipline beyond ad hoc growth efforts.
Who EBGS Serves
For organizations ready for the next stage of growth.
For professional services and IT firms ready to break into government contracting and build the structure and strategy needed to win federal, state, and local contracts.
For business leaders who need a strategic partner to shape growth decisions, run targeted campaigns, align teams, and navigate the federal market with confidence.
Services
How EBGS can help your organization.
Build the structure behind sustainable growth.
A strategic partnership designed to help organizations establish clear growth priorities, evaluate opportunities more effectively, and create a practical roadmap for business development.
Small and mid-sized contractors, including commercial companies looking to expand into the public sector, that need more structure and discipline to drive BD efforts. Through strategic planning, pipeline reviews, and pursuit coaching, clients can focus resources on the right opportunities and make smarter bid decisions.
Deliverables
- Strategic opportunity pipeline
- Teaming partner landscape
- Opportunity qualification
- Tailored BD action plan
Engagement Model
- Monthly retainer
- 3-month minimum commitment
- Rate confirmed after discovery
The Roadmap
01
Establish the Baseline
Before building a plan, we get clear on what's working, what's slowing you down, and what needs to change. This phase sets the strategic foundation for everything that follows.
Result
Shared clarity on priorities
Submit a sharper, more competitive proposal.
A focused engagement where a senior proposal expert runs the full execution of your pursuit, resulting in a compliant and compelling proposal built on your strengths.
Organizations with a live or upcoming pursuit that can't afford missed deadlines, inconsistent messaging, or a last-minute scramble, especially teams short on senior bandwidth right when it matters most.
Deliverables
- Solicitation review and proposal strategy
- Win themes, discriminators, and key messaging
- Writing, editing, and content integration
- QA and submission readiness
Engagement Model
- Fixed fee per pursuit
- Paced to the proposal timeline
- Priced to scope and complexity
What Sets EBGS Apart
AI isn't just a buzzword, it's built into how EBGS works.
Most firms are experimenting with AI. Few use it meaningfully to improve growth outcomes. As a value add, EBGS bridges that gap – embedding practical AI-enabled workflows into proven BD strategies so you can move faster without losing the human judgement that wins the work.
Market Research
Know where to compete before you commit
EBGS uses AI-enabled analysis to map the landscape: emerging opportunities, active players, and teaming partners. You prioritize the pursuits worth your time and engage earlier than the competition.
Case Studies
Growth in Action
A rolling view of selected experience supporting strategic growth operations.
Company
SAGC
Challenge
SAGC, an SDVOSB with deep federal experience, needed a stronger way to communicate its capabilities to partners and government buyers. The team had strong past performance and evolving offerings but its marketing materials did not reflect the sophistication of their work or the value it could bring to federal clients.
Impact
Ellen reimagined the company's capabilities statement with clearer positioning and a more polished design for RFI submissions, partner introductions, and bid support. The refreshed statement received strong feedback from VA clients and continues to support new pursuit conversations and submissions.
Company
Ruder Finn
Challenge
Ruder Finn, a global creative and strategic communications agency, had established strong commercial success but had not secured a federal contract since 2011. There was no active pipeline, capture operations, or centralized growth operation supporting federal growth.
Impact
Ellen rebuilt the federal public sector practice from the ground up, creating pipeline visibility, developing strategic partnerships, and leading end-to-end proposal and pitch efforts. Within the first few years, the team secured multiple federal contract awards, won a multimillion-dollar energy pursuit, and expanded growth opportunities across new business areas.
Company
The Hatcher Group
Challenge
At The Hatcher Group, a small business woman-owned marketing firm, pursuits were spread across teams, processes varied by opportunity, and the agency needed a more focused operating model to support growth.
Impact
Ellen established the agency's first dedicated new business and proposal function, serving as strategic pursuit lead across a 10-member senior leadership team. She created a scalable proposal function that increased bid speed and volume and supported wins across government, public health, nonprofit, and foundation clients.
Company
AbleVets
Challenge
During a period of rapid growth, AbleVets, a small business health IT and engineering firm, needed more structure and coordination across its federal growth operations as capture activity and proposal volume grew.
Impact
Ellen worked closely with the leadership and capture team to build scalable processes and pipeline operations, including developing a bid board framework to guide pursuit decisions. She supported numerous bids across major health and defense pursuits and improved collaboration, knowledge sharing, and visibility across key decision makers.
10+
Years across proposal, capture, growth operations, public sector, and agency environments.
$198M
Federal contract awards led.
56+
Competitive pursuits managed.
About EBGS
Proven in complex growth environments.
Founded by Ellen Back, EB Growth Strategies helps organizations strengthen how they identify, pursue, and win new business. Ellen brings more than a decade of experience in business development, capture management, and proposal strategy across nonprofit, state and local, and federal markets.
She works closely with executive leadership to improve pipeline visibility, shape high-value opportunities, and lead strategic pursuits from early positioning through bid submission and contract execution. Shipley-trained and experienced in federal compliance, Ellen brings a strong background in CRM and pipeline reporting, visual design, and executive-level messaging.
Her work includes building a global communications firm's public sector practice, leading multimillion-dollar pursuits in highly regulated markets, and developing AI-enabled workflows across Claude, ChatGPT, and custom platforms. At its core, EBGS brings clarity and discipline to growth – helping organizations build stronger teams, win better work, and deliver impact for clients and the communities they serve.
Connect with Ellen on LinkedInTestimonials
Ellen is truly one of those rare people who makes everything - and everyone - better. She was unbelievably organized, thoughtful, and the kind of person who kept everything moving seamlessly no matter how busy things got.
Beyond her talent and work ethic, Ellen is also an amazing friend. She brings such warmth, positivity, and genuine care to the people around her. Any team would be lucky to have her, both professionally and personally. I can't recommend her highly enough.
Wanda Bautista
Strategic Communications & Project Management ProfessionalHow EBGS Drives Results
The principles that drive every engagement.
With EBGS, you work directly with Ellen from strategy through execution.
Partnership
Growth starts with trust and shared commitment. I help leaders build strategies that reflect where the business is today and where it's ready to go.
Discipline
Growth requires structure, consistency, and follow-through. I help teams build repeatable processes that drive strong execution.
Clarity
Growth accelerates when teams know what matters most. I work with organizations to set clear priorities so the right opportunities move first.
Momentum
Growth gains traction when strategy is built into the way organizations work. I turn ideas into repeatable playbooks teams can actually run.
Start here
Ready to build a stronger growth operation?
Prefer email? ellen@ebgrowthstrategies.com You can also reach me at (619) 354-0920.