About Me

I was born into a military family on a now decommissioned airfield in the Bay Area, and spent most of my childhood between California with stints in New England and the DC area.

My first brush with business started at home with my dad’s hay hauling company. Daily I saw how much it takes to own your own small business, and the demands on his time, and how it affected our family. What a balancing act by my parents to raise three kids, work, and a run his company!

As a young teenager I took on the responsibility of computerizing his business, and moving everything from receipts kept in manilla envelopes and bankers boxes to Quickbooks Desktop. One thing led to another, and next thing you know I was helping our dairy farm neighbors, family friends, and church community with their bookkeeping and business needs. I began to learn website design, graphic design, and became a certifed bookkeeper in 1999.

I attended Boston University earning degrees in Business Management, Sociology, and Cultural Anthropology. After college I was delighted to join the Marketing Analytics team at BCG (Boston Consulting Group), and entered a fast-track management program. Within the program at BCG, I worked across many departments and industries, including Insurance and Financial Institutions, Consumer Products, Tourism and Hospitality, Entertainment, and Healthcare. The experience at BCG developed a wide-range of skills, and provided an unparalleled opportunity to work with the top consultants and business development leaders in the country.

I moved back to California in the mid-2000’s and began working as a consultant. Pairing my sociology background with my business management and development experience, I soon became a leader in business efficiency solutions that focused on company culture and employee satisfaction. One of my core tenants is that the most successful strategy for profitability and longevity starts with a satisfied and secure workforce.

Over the years, the demand for services and project management extended beyond my solo capabilities, and I launched my own consulting company, partnering with talented individuals to expand the company offerings, creating a more robust portfolio of services. This also allowed me to delegate and shift focus, and to indulge in projects in the Food & Beverage industry . In almost 25 years of experience, I have been part of over 50 opening teams of new or relaunched restaurants, bars, breweries, and distilleries, developed hundreds of recipes and menus, and created untold cocktails and beverage programs.

In 2013 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and everything came to a screeching halt. After 22 months of intensive treatment, I had to reassess and figure out what my next steps were going to be. I began the task of “rehoming” my staff, making sure they were secure in new positions before beginning the heartbreaking process of shuttering my company. It officially closed in 2016.

Just prior to the “dark times” (Covid shutdowns), I had moved to a small coastal town in the PNW. It was an amazing place to hunker down and reengage with myself, and when all was clear, the community. In 2022 I created Escape Astoria, the first escape room in Astoria, Oregon. It was a great exercise in creativity and small business ownership after several years off. I loved it!

Now I have settled in So. City St Louis with my husband and senior pup, Lt Dan. In some ways it feels like a homecoming: my husband was born just over the river in Alton, Il, and for me, I feel like I’m coming home again to who I am: a direct leader, a supportive resource, a knowledgeable consultant. It feels right to offer my over 30 years of small business experience to my new community, and to continue my journey of reaching my dreams by assisting others in theirs.

I look forward to meeting and working with you!

When not in the office or working with clients, you can find Caitlin exploring her new hometown of St Louis, enjoying brunch with the STL Ladies Brunch Group, creating wearable & quirky fine art in her home studio, and planning travel at Follow the Goose Travel.