I do the work that turns ideas into outcomes.
Phoenix Strategic exists because great operators keep hitting the same wall: a brilliant idea and no time for the unglamorous work that makes it real. I'm the person they call.
Hi, I'm Amy.
I started Phoenix Strategic because the founders I admire most — the ones building real things in food, agriculture, and community — kept hitting the same wall: a great idea, no time for the unglamorous work that turns it into a business.
My background runs through contracts, compliance, and operations. Years of Master Service Agreements, KYC and AML reviews at a regional bank, and a stint running contracts and compliance for a multi-event hospitality portfolio taught me how to read the fine print and build the systems behind it. I pair that with a master's in Conflict Analysis & Dispute Resolution from Salisbury University — which, in practice, means I'm comfortable in the room when partners disagree and the deal still needs to close.
I've also built things from scratch. I launched Veggie Graffiti, a hydroponic microgreens operation, from concept to $3K+ in monthly recurring revenue and ten recurring restaurant clients — writing the SOPs, designing the pricing, and walking the deliveries. It's where my conviction about CEA, food systems, and the operators in between got real.
What I actually do is show up. I write the brief, run the meeting, send the follow-up, track the deliverable, and close the loop. I'm drawn to founders who are serious and scrappy in equal measure — people who've built something real and need an operator to help it grow.
CEA, food systems, and the operators in between.
Most of my clients are in controlled environment agriculture, food systems, and community-facing organizations — from a public educational farm in the School District of Philadelphia to a publishing house, a hospitality group, and the multi-organization initiatives I help coordinate for Harry G. Hayman Enterprises. I work with small businesses and creative organizations too, when the problem is the kind I can actually move.
Phoenix Strategic is named after my Australian Shepherd, Phoenix — the most reliable project partner I've ever had. He doesn't take meetings, but he does take walks, and that's where most of my best ideas show up.
Six things I believe about the work.
- Start with the brief, even if it's bad
A bad brief is better than no brief. It gives us something to argue with.
- Default to writing things down
If it's not written, it didn't happen. I document everything.
- One owner per outcome
Shared responsibility is no responsibility. Every deliverable has a name on it.
- Speed over polish in week one; polish over speed by week six
In the beginning, move fast. By the end, get it right.
- Disagreements get a calendar invite
I'd rather have a hard conversation than a slow drift.
- Show up, even when the work is unsexy
The follow-up email, the status report, the vendor call. That's where momentum lives.
Phoenix, the original project partner.
The name came from my Australian Shepherd, Phoenix. He's been with me through every phase of building this business — from the early mornings figuring out what kind of firm I was building, to the late evenings before a big client call.
He's eight years old now and shares my anxiety disorder, which means he firmly believes approximately ten people on earth are his personal friends, and treats every other visitor as suspicious until proven otherwise. We're working on it.
Phoenix — Chief Morale Officer, Phoenix Strategic Consulting. Currently available for walks and stand-up meetings.