Michael J Smith

Michael has spent the last decade building and scaling public-sector software companies. He writes about the operational systems, metrics, and decisions that actually make GovTech work.

FP&A

You're Not Overspending. You're Mis-Spending

Feb 4, 2026

•

1 min read

You're Not Overspending. You're Mis-Spending

Benchmarks tell you you're wrong. They don't tell you what to fix.

Michael J Smith

Leadership

Retired Government Execs Aren't Your Sales Strategy

Jan 21, 2026

•

5 min read

Retired Government Execs Aren't Your Sales Strategy

How GovTech startups should really structure sales, credibility, and execution

Michael J Smith

Leadership

Sequencing in GovTech: How Mission-Driven Work Actually Gets Done

Jan 13, 2026

•

5 min read

Sequencing in GovTech: How Mission-Driven Work Actually Gets Done

A sequencing playbook for mission-driven GovTech operating in high-resistance systems

Michael J Smith

Leadership

Dec 31, 2025

•

7 min read

Stop Debating Build vs Buy

A framework for vision-first expansion in GovTech

Michael J Smith

Dec 24, 2025

•

4 min read

A Quiet Reset Before January

A year-end reflection for those in GovTech who cannot fully switch off

Michael J Smith

10 Hard Lessons I Learned Building in GovTech (and frameworks to handle them)

Dec 9, 2025

•

14 min read

10 Hard Lessons I Learned Building in GovTech (and frameworks to handle them)

Hard-earned insights for anyone crazy enough to build software for government.

Michael J Smith

Sales

A Playbook for Selling AI to Public Agencies

Dec 3, 2025

•

6 min read

A Playbook for Selling AI to Public Agencies

How to navigate politics, procurement, and panic when selling AI into government.

Michael J Smith

Sales

Why Your Forecasts in GovTech are Always Bullshit

Nov 25, 2025

•

4 min read

Why Your Forecasts in GovTech are Always Bullshit

A practical breakdown of the Procurement Lag Model and how to measure real revenue timing in GovTech.

Michael J Smith

Sales

You're Probably Overstating Your ARR. Here's the Fix.

Nov 5, 2025

•

4 min read

You're Probably Overstating Your ARR. Here's the Fix.

Why “reported ARR” in GovTech often isn’t the real number, and how to correct it.

Michael J Smith

Michael J Smith

You're Not Overspending. You're Mis-Spending

Retired Government Execs Aren't Your Sales Strategy

Sequencing in GovTech: How Mission-Driven Work Actually Gets Done

Stop Debating Build vs Buy

A Quiet Reset Before January

10 Hard Lessons I Learned Building in GovTech (and frameworks to handle them)

A Playbook for Selling AI to Public Agencies

Why Your Forecasts in GovTech are Always Bullshit

You're Probably Overstating Your ARR. Here's the Fix.

The GovTech Operator

Get practical insights delivered to your inbox!