Hire the Best Startup Consultants in Georgia

I am an MBA-trained (Kelley School of Business, Indiana University) strategist with 10+ years of experience, offering premium consulting services at an introductory rate to build my Upwork profile. ​While I typically consult for large enterprises and pharmaceutical firms, I am opening my schedule to help startups, small businesses, and solopreneurs get organized and execute their plans. You get the same level of rigor I provide to Fortune 500 clients, but for a fraction of the cost as I establish my reputation here. ​How I can help you: - ​Business Planning: Drafting solid business plans, pitch decks, and roadmaps. - ​Market Research: Competitor analysis, SWOT analysis, and industry trends (recent work: SWOT for a local food truck launch). - ​Financial Strategy: Modeling, pricing strategy, and budget forecasting. ​- Ad-Hoc Strategy: Acting as a sounding board or "Chief of Staff" to help you solve operational bottlenecks. ​I am US-based (Eastern Time), responsive, and ready to hit the ground running. If you are ready to professionalize your strategy or prepare for a fundraise, click 'Invite to Job' to schedule a brief introduction.

Your B2B business is growing but you don't feel in control. You want to launch a new product or startup but are unsure of the next steps. Growth is uneven. I’ve been there too. It's often about bringing Clarity to Clutter! TESTIMONIALS FROM SOME OF MY CLIENTS: “George has been an outstanding partner in developing a well thought out and effective business plan” “He has been a valuable advisor and coach for my business. George has helped me think through and put in place systems for realizing more predictable growth and managing more growth profitably.” “George was great to work with. He has great business knowledge and had awesome ideas and insights.” “Excellent business writer, very knowledgeable and extremely communicative.” NOT MANY FREELANCERS HAVE SUCH DIVERSITY OF EXPERIENCE AND ABILITY TO DELIVER VALUE... Business leaders need partners that can bring a seasoned perspective but also deliver what’s needed today. You need help to focus on what’s most important today, fix it, and then move on to the next area. My clients have built momentum for a new product or new business launch. They have turned their operations around to regain the growth and profit momentum they once had. For the last three decades, serving as an operating executive and consultant, I’ve learned that leaders know when they need help. The bigger problem can be defining the problem and identifying the right help to address it. When stuck, you need perspective and insight. Someone that has been where you are, that can quickly see what you’re facing, and offer valuable input. But, having only advice doesn’t always move the needle. You need value delivered to help regain or build momentum. Here are a few examples: •Writing a business plan –for a startup, restructuring or launching a new product begins with grasping the vision, considering all elements that contribute to or inhibit success, modeling financially, and then constructing a story that simply and realistically communicates this to investors, partners, customers or employees. •Startup plans – keep it simple, testable, and flexible until customer value is identified, with a low-cost, scalable business model. •Investor presentations – tell a compelling, understandable and emotional story that resonates. •Market research – identify the market segments and customer influence points before launching. For non-profits its developing campaigns that target all the constituencies. •Go to Market plans – taking a product or service to market needs well-designed marketing and sales programs that are cost-effective and coordinated. •Operational improvement – identifying what’s working and what needs changing, positioning for growth or stability, declaring the key metrics that indicate progress. •Financial projections - modeling change that manages cash flow and projects profits aligned with the vision. For non-profits, it’s starting from the beginning each year to identify the funds needed. Your business needs constant care and continuous change. Staying focused on what’s most important until it’s addressed is one of the biggest challenges you face. My broad perspective helps me keep you laser-focused. I could go on and on. I am a student of business and love to dig deep and share ideas. But I'd rather hear about what you’re facing today... To be candid, I stay busy and rarely have time to take on a new client. Even then, I screen very carefully to make sure it's a good fit. So if you need something in a rush, done cheap, or doesn’t require much thinking, please look elsewhere. It will save us both time and energy. Otherwise, feel free to contact me using one of the buttons at the top of the page, and I'll do my best to get back to you ASAP. Best, George

I LAUNCH ventures. I’m a Strategist, Impact Innovator, Thought Partner and Coach. I'm agile, both a thinker and doer, and seamlessly flow among levels to fill the gaps between vision and execution: • 30,000 feet: innovative strategy and tenacious creativity • 10,000 feet: management planning and tactical leadership • Boots on the ground: tangible, iterative action; bring it to life. -- My Super Powers: I unlock potential (in people and ideas) by harnessing the power of the two F's: FINANCE + FEELINGS. I joke that I’m a cross between BRENÉ BROWN... • Sharp, relatable (and sometimes comedic) analysis of our social psychological dynamics at play in any interaction, individually and collectively in our organizations, for the purpose of empowering, coaching, and journeying WITH you. AND SHARK TANK... • Business savvy and tenacious strategic creativity to bring entrepreneurial and financial solutions to life through innovative early-stage investment, business development, and landscape analysis. -- CORE INDUSTRIES: • Impact Investing (values-aligned investment strategy) • Social Enterprise (entrepreneurship, new initiative launch) • Catalytic Philanthropy (creative funding models for social impact) • Financial Sustainability (business modeling, development strategy) -- HOW I CAN HELP YOU: An overview of the hats I can wear to take you from idea through launch, from concept to tangibility, or from good to even better. I serve those DEPLOYING ASSETS (impact investors, foundations, family offices, etc.) and those BUILDING SOLUTIONS (start-up entrepreneurs, social enterprises, non-profit executives, visionary individuals, etc.). 1) EXECUTIVE STRATEGY COUNSEL Leadership can be lonely. With C-Suite expertise and being an innovative entrepreneurial thinker, I can be your executive sounding board and coach. 2) LAUNCH STRATEGIST Starting something new (program, initiative, venture)? I can turn that idea into action, and get the ball rolling. Now. 3) FINANCIAL IMPACT & INVESTMENT STRATEGIST Do you have capital that you want to activate toward a cause? I can help you get started or navigate the menu of creative financial structures. 4) PITCH COACH I’ve been a seed stage investor and vetted over 600 global enterprises across sectors in one year alone. I can demystify behind the curtain in investors’ and funders’ minds. -- Some of my NOTABLE VENTURES: • Currently building a community venture accelerator and funding platform in my hometown of Atlanta with an intentional focus on low-income entrepreneurs, especially single mothers. • Co-founded a $5.5 Million global impact investment portfolio with a focus on empowering underserved women--including the investment thesis, social impact thesis, global pipeline across 5 continents, virtual due diligence process, and post-investment advisory for a private foundation seeking to deploy direct private investments of up to $250,000 USD across multiple sectors and emerging markets. In one year alone, I recruited and vetted over 600 global ventures for investment consideration. This portfolio continues running today by my co-founder and makes early-stage investments across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. • Founding team and program creator for a high-profile public-private partnership between the U.S. and Japanese governments and private industry following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake to revitalize the region hit by the devastating tsunami. This partnership and its programs continue today with high-level access on Capitol Hill, the Japanese Parliament, and among Fortune 500 companies. -- MORE ABOUT ME: I’m committed to empowering human potential, my own included. I’m a natural connector and catalyst, of people and ideas. From my own journey, I can relate to the deep satisfaction, self-confidence, and societal good that arises when you can remove the blockers (whether emotional, logistical, or financial) to being able to express the compassion that lives in your heart tangibly out in the world. Whether struggling to scale your business, tackling a need you see in your community, or aligning your financial capital with your personal values and interests, all these paths begin with caring about something enough to want to try to help. I can help you convert that feeling of CARE into effective ACTION. I thrive in navigating the ambiguity and risk (and exciting possibility) at the early stages of launching new programs, product lines, businesses, investment deals, and career/industry pivots. With my deep compassion for helping others (Enneagram #2) and tenacious strategic creativity, I want to journey with you to catalyze your ideas and impact in the world. -- MY VALUES: My relationships with clients are like all relationships I cherish in my personal life, built on trust. I value integrity, authenticity, transparency, deep listening, and self-awareness. If I’m not the right person to help you, I’ll do my best to point you elsewhere.