How One Woman Left Defence Tech to Build a Government Contracting Empire with Amy Coppola

In this episode of ChoinqueCast, host Jim Emerick sits down with Amy Coppola to explore her journey from corporate leadership to building her own company, Alfa Zula Professionals Inc. The conversation focuses on leadership growth, navigating large-scale government projects, and the realities of starting a small business in the defense and federal space. Amy shares how her mindset shifted from task management to people-centered leadership, and how purpose, resilience, and mentorship shaped her career path.Amy Coppola is a seasoned leader with deep experience in federal systems integration, program management, and government contracting. She spent many years at Motorola Solutions supporting law enforcement and Homeland Security projects before rising to director level. Amy is now the founder of Alfa Zula Professionals, a small business focused on program management, technical services, and helping other companies navigate government contracting. Her work blends leadership, operational expertise, and a strong commitment to supporting people and teams.Expect to LearnHow Amy transitioned from project manager to a people focused leaderWhat it takes to manage and recover large government projectsThe realities and challenges of starting a small businessWhy mentorship and perspective are critical for long term growthHow small businesses can partner and succeed in federal contractingEpisode Breakdown with Timestamps[00:00] – Teaser[01:04] – Welcome & Introduction of Amy Coppola[05:11] – The “draw the U.S.” exercise that changed her perspective[10:55] – Overview of Motorola’s federal systems integration work[16:30] – Being the first woman director and facing DEI assumptions[22:02] – Alfa Zula’s services: helping small businesses with SBA certifications[27:47] – The meaning behind “Alfa Zula” (phonetic alphabet, woman-owned)[29:01] – Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: “do it scared”[30:17] – Challenges as a woman-owned small business in defense[35:40] – Closing remarks and gratitudeConnect with the Guest, Amy Coppola:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-coppola-mba-pmp/ 👉 Company’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alfa-zula-professionals-inc/👉 Company’s Website: https://www.alfa-zula.com/🔗 Connect with the Host, Jim Emerick:👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimemerick/🔗 More from Choinque:👉 Website: https://www.choinque.com/blog👉 Facebook: https://facebook.com/918903204639744👉 Instagram: https://instagram.com/choinquecast👉 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@choinque👉 X: https://x.com/choinque👉 Email: [email protected]🔗 More about Leadership Courses: 👉 Schedule: https://www.academyleadership.com/Emerick/🔗 Follow the Podcast:👉 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/choinquecast/id1290927745👉 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/56oY3glVaoTXmmcWWGQGry?si=69f1cd525a5d4be5👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAA4czS4aI7V5g3i2Sd4bUQ