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A poor valuation doesn’t just cost you thousands—it can cost you millions $$$, along with wasted time and stress. I help entrepreneurs, private equity groups, and business owners value private small to midsize businesses for investment, partner buyouts, tax and litigation purposes. Unlike many finance freelancers on Upwork, I’ve personally invested in, operated, bought & sold—made and lost money on—private acquisitions and investments. That real-world risk taught me the stakes of an inaccurate valuation. For the past 15 years, I’ve analyzed thousands of start up, small and mid-sized businesses and have become certified across multiple SME appraisal and finance bodies. I am certified by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA) and the International Society of Business Appraisers (ISBA). I follow a structured process that documents every step, explains conclusions, and ensures credibility. Services Include: 🤝 Partner Buyouts - deliver certified, accurate and defensible valuations when an owner is considering selling to a business partner or related party. 📑 Business Acquisition Investment Review & LBO Analysis – get value of a private business you are considering acquiring or investing in. 🧾 Tax & Estate Valuation – independent certified business valuations for estate and gift tax reporting as required by the IRS. ⚖️ Litigation Valuation – lost profits and economic damage reports based on court-tested techniques that deliver accurate estimates of SME private business value. 🚀 Startup & Venture Capital Valuation – get an accurate and defensible pre-money value for your startup or investment. 📈 Strategic Planning – provides owners, leadership teams, and investors with a clear view of business value to guide growth strategies. 🚚 Equipment Valuation – Certified desktop appraisals for machinery, vehicles, and other equipment assets. 🧮 Quality of Earnings - assess the quality of reported EBITDA adjustments and discretionary earnings of the business 💵 Proof of Cash – our best defender against fraud and manipulation of financial statements 🔄 Working Capital – create accurate estimates for operating working capital needs and target PEG for negotiations. 💼 Acquisition CFO – support from post-acquisition accounting integration and cash flow forecasting. Why Work With Me: ✔️ Authoritative knowledge: thousands of businesses analyzed ✔️ Certified across multiple Institutes (CVA®, BCA®, CMEA®, FMVA®, and more) ✔️ Proven structured process that documents every step for credibility ✔️ Deliver fast turnaround (24–48 hours) when deadlines are tight ✔️ Top Rated on Upwork with 100% job satisfaction rating What Upwork Clients Say: 💬 “Josh is exceptional at what he does and provided the exact skills I needed for a potential business acquisition. Accountants might be able to review financials, but Josh knows exactly what to look for. 💬 "Josh is hands down one of the best consultants I’ve worked with on up work. He is perhaps the most professional person I’ve worked with, as well as the most talented business valuation expert I’ve ever worked with." 💬"Working with Josh has been one of the best decisions we've made. We're happy to recommend him to anyone looking to understand the value of their company." About Me: I’m Josh and 15 years ago when I got out of the military I wanted to buy a business. When I got the numbers from the business I wanted to buy, despite having a degree in finance, I could not come up with how they put the numbers together. I outsourced the analysis to different financial professionals but got conflicting information on the business’s value. The pressure mounted as I was about to put up a significant amount of my net worth, and I could not sleep. From that moment, I vowed to never be put in this position again and have been on a quest to know how these companies are valued. This past decade I’ve analyzed thousands of these businesses along with gaining multiple business appraisal institute certifications. To go along with my degrees and certifications, I have read over 400 books on private business valuation and transaction analysis. My credentials include: ✸ Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA)® ✸ Business Certified Appraiser (BCA)® ✸ Certified Machinery & Equipment Appraiser (CMEA)® ✸ Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst (FMVA)® ✸ Professional Bookkeeper (PB)® ✸ QuickBooks Specialist (QS)® ✸ Profit and Growth Expert (PGE)® ✸ Certified Turnaround Analyst (CTA)® ✸ Accredited Small Business Consultant (ASBC)® ✸ M.S. in Applied Economics (MSAE) – Johns Hopkins University ✸ M.S. in Finance (MSF) – George Washington University ✸ B.B.A. in Finance—Radford University ✸ Certificate in Forecasting in Organizations—Johns Hopkins University ✸ Certificate in Real Estate Finance and Investment—New York University I’m new to Upwork and offering introductory pricing to build client relationships here. I offer a free consultation, so send me a message.

As an economics professor and researcher, I specialize in family economics, applied econometrics, and mathematical optimization. As a journalist, I specialize in public policy; see my blog, Economics on the Silk Road (centralasianeconomy.blogspot.com). I also edit articles and books as well as review submissions for academic journals.

🏆 EXPERT-VETTED TOP 1% ON UPWORK |⭐ 5-Star Ratings | Data Analytics and Predictive Modeling|💎MASTER/PHD THESIS Help |✅Statistics, Panel Data, Time series Econometrics |✅ R, PYTHON, SAS, Tableau, Power BI | ✅Data Science, Machine Learning Models | ✅STATA Master, Large Survey Data and Regression Analysis, Economic Policy Evaluation, Predictive Financial Modeling | 🏆PhD and 20 years of experience. ABOUT ME: 🏆 EXPERT-VETTED and TOP RATED PLUS status (TOP 1% on UPWORK) 🥇20 years of working experience with large corporations and institutions (Amazon, the World Bank, International Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania) 🎓PhD/Professor in Econometrics/Statistics/Data Science 💎Provide effective help for MASTER/PHD THESIS With proven tracked records of success in Upwork (Expert Vetted Top 1% and Top Rated Plus), overwhelmingly positive feedback with 5* ratings, my PhD and 20 years of experience, I can definitely help you bring out the highest quality, great results for your project and achieve your business goals. I have over 20 years of experience in empirical research, statistical analysis, econometric modeling, data science, machine learning models, data analysis (panel data analysis and time series analysis, complex survey design and analysis), data visualization, storytelling, and project management. I enjoy creating dashboards of data analytics to provide data insights, data trend, meaningful graphs, statistical analysis, story-telling summary that serves as key benchmark to influence business decision. Moreover, I also provide robust statistical evidence, regression/correlation analysis, machine learning predictive models to provide supportive and significant results for business projects. I also help clients understand different statistical techniques, regression techniques, learn excellent statistical language including STATA, SAS, R, and Python to make your life easier. My previous projects on machine learning and econometric modeling include the followings but not limited to: - Data Analysis, Large Survey Data Analytics and Data Visualization. - Linear regression with panel data and time series data. - Forecasting model for time series analysis - Financial modeling such as stock returns, cryptocurrency price prediction, financial indices and financial performance prediction. - Machine Learning models: Random forest, decision trees, KNN, neural network,... - Logistic models, multinomial logit models, ordered logit models. - Economics research, market research, house price, mortgage default prediction, - Program evaluation using different methods such as difference in difference, propensity score matching, instrument variables, fixed effects, regression discontinuity design. I am happy to share my knowledge on machine learning modeling as well as quantitative and analytical skills to help you succeed in your project. In addition, with my experience in participating and presenting in thousands of academic and industry conferences, supervising and guiding hundreds of college and graduate students in their thesis/dissertation, I am very confident that I can help you make a difference in your project and bring out the highest quality and great results for your Master or PhD's thesis/dissertation project. I can also provide statistical advice and statistical analysis including: - Descriptive Statistics. - Bi-variate analyses such as t-tests, correlations, chi-square tests and non-parametric tests for normal and non-normal data. - Multivariate analyses such as ANOVA, MANOVA, LDA, PCA and factoring analysis, regression analysis (see econometric models above). - Review and interpret statistical output, set up the appropriate hypothesis testing and write up conclusion and policy recommendation. - Tutoring Statistics, Math and Econometric courses: including both introduction and advanced courses. I have experience with different types of data including: - Survey data (household, market research, firm/business/country data, house price, loan performance, accounting, finance, health, labor and income, etc.) - Panel data - Time series data I help clients put together and analyze different types of survey data, panel and time series data, getting the data insights, build data trend and data stories with meaningful graphs and great visualization. With proven tracked records of success in Upwork (Expert Vetted Top 1% and Top rated), overwhelmingly positive feedback with 5* ratings, my PhD and 20 years of experience, I can definitely help you bring out the highest quality, great results for your project and achieve your business goals. Looking forward to working with you soon, Dr. Victoria

💼 I help early-stage startups fix their numbers, streamline operations, and build systems that actually scale. I’ve worked with startups across fintech, insurtech, and adjacent sectors to solve the problems that quietly kill growth, broken unit economics, unclear pricing, messy operations, and disconnected data. One example: I helped a Series A startup uncover a pricing and cost structure issue that was driving an unsustainable loss ratio. After rebuilding their financial model and pricing strategy, they improved margins and entered their next fundraise with a much stronger story. That kind of work sits at the core of what I do. 🚀 What I Actually Help You Solve Most founders don’t fail because of the product, they fail because the business behind the product isn’t built properly. I help you fix that by working across: 💰 Financial Modeling & Unit Economics • Build clear, investor-ready financial models • Diagnose margin leaks and cost inefficiencies • Design dynamic pricing strategies that balance growth and profitability • Support fundraising with clean, defensible numbers ⚙️ Startup Operations & Systems • Design scalable startup operations from early stage to growth • Build and structure finance, ops, and analytics functions • Identify what to automate vs what to keep lean • Create workflows that reduce chaos as you scale 📊 Data, Analytics & Business Intelligence • Turn raw data into actionable insights • Build dashboards and reporting systems for decision-making • Improve visibility across revenue, costs, and performance • Implement business intelligence systems that leadership can rely on 🤖 AI & Workflow Automation • Automate reporting, operations, and repetitive workflows • Implement AI/workflow automation using tools like Make, Zapier, and AI agents • Reduce manual work and improve operational efficiency • Help small teams operate like much larger ones 📈 Revenue Optimization & GTM Strategy • Improve unit economics modeling and revenue structure • Design B2B2C and partnership-driven GTM strategies • Align pricing, acquisition, and retention with profitability • Optimize funnels and revenue operations 🧠 My Advantage: Strategy + Execution A lot of advisors stay high-level. A lot of operators stay tactical. I work in both layers. I’ve sat in roles across: • Fractional CFO • Head of Strategy • Operations and Analytics Lead Which means I don’t just tell you what to do, I help build and implement it. 🏗️ What You Get Working With Me ✔ Clear financials you can actually trust ✔ Pricing and revenue models that hold up under scrutiny ✔ Scalable operations without unnecessary complexity ✔ Automated workflows that save time and cost ✔ Better visibility into what’s really driving your business 🎯 Who I Work Best With I work with: ✔ Early-stage startups (pre-seed to Series B) ✔ Founders preparing for fundraising ✔ Teams with strong products but weak financial or operational structure ✔ Startups scaling fast and starting to feel operational strain While I have deep experience in fintech and insurtech, the systems I build apply to any startup that needs better financial clarity, operations, and scalable infrastructure. 🚀 Bottom Line If your numbers are unclear, your operations feel messy, or your growth isn’t translating into profit, those aren’t separate problems. They’re system problems. And that’s exactly what I fix. 💬 If you need a fractional executive who can step in, diagnose issues quickly, and help you build a business that actually scales, send me a message and let’s talk.

Expert-Vetted and Top Rated on Upwork. 100% Job Success. What I do: - Financial models, pitch decks, and business plans built for investor diligence - Acquisition assessments and feasibility studies with defensible numbers - Anomaly detection and predictive systems on operational and financial data - Strategic analysis and second-opinion reviews for high-stakes decisions Expert-Vetted on Upwork. 100% Job Success. I work with founders, owners, and executives on business problems where the question is hard, the data is incomplete or scattered, and the answer must be defensible to investors, boards, regulators, or counterparties. Most engagements start at a specific moment: an investor meeting on the calendar, a board deck due Friday, a lease about to be signed, an acquisition that has to be priced before the LOI expires, a fraud loss showing up in the books with no clear source. The current state is not working, the deadline is real, and the stakes do not allow for a hedged answer. Recent work: - A SaaS founder closed a Series A after the model was rebuilt and assumptions were restructured around investor objections - A bank identified $2.85M in annual revenue leakage through anomaly detection on five categories of transactional data - An operator received a defensible go or no-go on an acquisition before the diligence window closed - A startup secured next-round meetings after the deck was reconstructed around credible unit economics - A federal agency cut cloud spend by 40 percent following an architecture and cost review - A wellness business avoided a capital commitment after a feasibility study revealed unit economics could not support the lease How I work: I scope before I price. I document assumptions before I build. I recommend simpler approaches when they are available, and I will tell you when a project should not move forward. That candor is part of the engagement. Background: - Over ten years across federal agencies, enterprises, and startups - Co-founder and CTO of a tech consultancy focused on anomaly detection and program integrity - Georgetown Master's in Technology Management - GWU BBA in Finance and Economics - CFA Level 1 - AWS Solutions Architect - Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect - Google Cloud Digital Leader Stack when relevant: Python, SQL, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, GCP (BigQuery, Vertex AI), AWS (SageMaker, Redshift), Tableau, Power BI, Looker, Excel. If you have a problem where the answer must be right, send the details and I will provide an honest assessment of fit, scope, and timing.

I'm an experienced QA Tester and developer with a strong background in testing websites, web applications, and mobile apps. While I’m new to Upwork, I’ve helped clients and teams deliver smooth, reliable, and user-friendly software by catching bugs, improving performance, and making sure everything works exactly as it should. I blend a developer’s technical knowledge with a tester’s eye for detail, which helps me quickly spot issues and communicate clearly. What I Can Help With ✅ Website Testing – Check functionality, layout, and responsiveness ✅ Web Application Testing – Test flows, forms, and APIs ✅ Mobile App Testing – iOS & Android real-device testing ✅ Bug Reports – Clear steps with screenshots or video ✅ Test Cases & Checklists – Organized and easy to follow ✅ Basic Automation – Familiar with tools like Selenium and Postman Why Work With Me? 🔹 Real Hands-On Experience – I’ve tested real apps and built them too 🔹 Reliable & Fast – I meet deadlines and communicate clearly 🔹 Detail-Oriented – I don’t just skim—I go deep 🔹 Easy to Work With – Friendly, honest, and always professional I’m here to build great client relationships through excellent work. If you're looking for someone who can test your website, app, or software with care and precision, let’s connect—I’d love to help.