Hidden Gems: Meet Pamela of I’m a consultant

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pamela.

Hi Pamela, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I actually started my career in the hospitality industry, and from the beginning I knew I wanted to own my own business.

After managing restaurants for about ten years, I opened a coffeehouse in my hometown of Mentor, Ohio in 1997. It was very much like the one in Friends—comfy couches, oversized mugs, real espresso drinks (not the powdered stuff you’d find at a gas station), and regular Open Mic nights with local musicians. It was such a fun, creative space, and I loved every minute of it.

The challenge was… we were a little ahead of our time. Coffeehouse culture hadn’t quite made its way to the Cleveland suburbs yet. So when Borders Books & Music opened down the street, I made the decision to close the shop and joined their team as the Community Marketing Manager.

In a lot of ways, it was a perfect transition. I already had strong connections in the community. I loved planning events, and I’ve always loved books. Getting to promote authors and build a community around reading felt like a natural fit. I grew within the company and eventually moved to Ann Arbor to become the National Event Leader, planning author events across the country.

Then the digital shift in publishing hit, and Borders didn’t survive it. That led to another career reset for me.

I moved back to Ohio to work at national beauty retailer as the Event Manager. I was responsible for planning in-store events across 1,600 locations. It was a big, high-visibility role, and a huge operational challenge—making sure every store delivered a consistent experience while also hitting sales goals. We made it work, but it was expensive, and after a couple of years, the company shifted direction and eliminated the role.

So, I found myself at another crossroads. At that point, I knew I was done with retail. I needed a new path. I’d grown up in a family that consistently volunteered and gave back to the community. I volunteered often at the Columbus Museum of Art and at the Franklin County Dog Shelter. After some honest reflection, I decided to try the nonprofit sector and took a role leading marketing for a regional nonprofit social service organization. That decision really changed everything for me. The organization was more than 100 years old and their supporter base was aging. They brought me in to help shift from more traditional fundraising and marketing to something more digitally-focused and relationship-driven.

Over the seven years I was the Vice President of Engagement there, we did a full visual, voice and personality rebrand; brought 11 different websites into one cohesive, user-friendly experience that doubled digital donations; and aligned fundraising and messaging across programs while still allowing for personalization. We also made real progress in reaching and engaging younger supporters.

That’s where I started to see brand differently, not as a marketing function but as something that touches every part of an organization.

While I was there, I started my business on the side, mostly writing articles, ebooks, and other long-form content. But over time, clients started asking for more, including personas, messaging pillars, brand voice/personality profiles, and full brand frameworks.

By 2022, I had a steady stream of work coming in, and I had to make another decision.

Leaving the nonprofit was hard. I loved the work and the sense of impact. But I also knew I wanted more control over my time and the kind of work I was doing. So I made the leap and started running my business full-time in May 2022.

Today, I help nonprofits and mission-driven organizations align their brand with their mission so their marketing and fundraising work more effectively.

In a lot of ways, it felt like a full-circle moment—coming back to being a business owner, but with so much more experience and perspective behind me. I get to do work I care about, with organizations that are making a difference, and build something that reflects how I want to work and live.

In addition to my client work, I serve as Vice President of Communications for NAWBO Columbus, where I’m focused on building the chapter’s media presence and strengthening relationships with local outlets. It’s been a meaningful way to stay connected to the business community here in Central Ohio and support other women business owners.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Honestly, I don’t know many meaningful career paths that are.

If I look back, my story is really a series of pivots. And sometimes those pivots felt like failures.

Closing my coffeehouse was the first big one. I loved that business. It was creative, community-driven, and something I built from the ground up. Letting it go wasn’t easy, especially because the issue wasn’t the concept—it was timing. At first, I felt like I failed. Being a little too early can be just as hard as being wrong. It took me a while to understand that.

Then there was the collapse of Borders Books & Music. I had grown into a national role, doing work I loved, and it felt like I had real momentum. Losing that job felt like the loss of my future. I had to completely rethink what comes next.

My time at the beauty retailer brought a different kind of challenge. The scope was massive, and while we accomplished a lot, it also showed me how quickly priorities can shift at the corporate level. When the company moved away from in-store events and eliminated my role, it was another reminder that even strong performance doesn’t always equal stability.

Even the nonprofit role—which was incredibly rewarding—came with its own challenges. Leading a rebrand inside a long-standing organization means navigating a very long history and traditions, differing opinions, and real emotional investment from stakeholders. I learned that aligning teams, simplifying complexity, and building something everyone could stand behind takes time and patience.

And then there’s starting my own business. It’s been one of the most fulfilling parts of my career, but it’s also come with uncertainty. There’s no built-in structure, no guaranteed income, and no clear path. I’m making decisions in real time—what to take on, what to say no to, how to position my work, and how to insist on pricing that reflects my worth.

But looking back, those moments of challenge were also the moments that pushed me forward. They forced me to get clear about what I wanted, what I was good at, and where I could add the most value.

NAWBO Columbus represents women business owners across Central Ohio, many of us operating at the microbusiness level. Microbusinesses employ fewer than five employees and generate under $1M in revenue. These are growing businesses with real momentum, but they face a unique set of conditions when it comes to scaling.

We’re consistently seeing:

Founders delay hiring their first employee due to cost and risk
Limited access to contracts that would help them grow beyond early stages
External pressures like childcare and healthcare costs directly shaping business decisions

In Ohio, women-owned businesses generate tens of billions in annual revenue and make up more than 40% of the state’s small business community. From an economic development standpoint, microbusinesses like mine are where the next stage of regional growth will either be unlocked or stalled. Yet, barriers make it challenging for our businesses to grow.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about I’m a consultant ?
My business is focused on one thing: helping mission-driven organizations make their impact easier to understand and easier to support. Most of the organizations I work with are doing meaningful, complex work. The challenge isn’t whether the work matters. The challenge is that the way it’s explained, shared, and experienced doesn’t always reflect that. That’s where I come in.

I specialize in brand strategy and messaging—things like positioning, value propositions, brand voice, and messaging frameworks. But I approach it a little differently than a traditional “branding” engagement. I’m not only thinking about what an organization says externally. I’m looking at how the brand shows up across every aspect of an organization, including fundraising, programming, internal alignment, leadership communication, and day-to-day decision-making.

Clients come to me because campaigns aren’t performing the way they should or their messaging feels inconsistent. Their teams are describing the work in different ways. Fundraising takes more effort than expected. When we start working together, we’re not just creating new language. We build a shared framework that helps everyone communicate clearly and consistently moving forward.

What sets my work apart is how grounded it is in the organization itself. I don’t bring in a pre-built process or a “big reveal” at the end. The work is shaped through conversations, stakeholder input, and a deep understanding of the audience and goals. That way, what we create actually works in real life.

I also provide strategic storytelling. I’ve spent years writing long-form content, email and direct mail campaigns, and thought leadership. With my help, brand strategy doesn’t stay abstract. It turns into content that clients can use and stakeholders can engage with.

What I’m most proud of is the clarity my clients walk away with. Not just a new look or a new tagline, but a way to talk about their work that feels true, consistent, and easy to carry across their organization. When that happens, they see real changes, including stronger fundraising, better alignment across teams, and more confidence in how the organization shows up.

The one thing I want readers to know, it’s this: brand isn’t a logo or a flashy television ad. Brand is an organization’s reputation and public perception. I help clients shape that narrative to drive more impact.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pamgeorgiana.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pgeorgia/