One way of growing your small business during an economic downturn and beyond is by selling to the government.  The government buys billions of dollars of goods and services from consulting services to coffee, office products and packaging. 

There are special government programs for small businesses including women and minority owned - programs such as HubZone and 8a.  When corporate America was slow in opening its doors to my contract cleaning company, we turned to government contracts, became 8a certified and won millions.  You need to do your homework to find out if there are any opportunities for your business and how to follow them.  Some helpful sources for information on selling to the government include  www.sba.gov; you can download e-guides from www.gsa.gov ; check out Win Government Contracts for Your Small Business by John DiGiacomo.