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the index

The work, and what it took.

Six projects across six industries. Each one started as a business that was harder to operate than it needed to be.

Ventures first, then the client work.

In this index: The North and HoundStack, owned or led rather than advised on. Then four client engagements: Detroit Doo Disposal, Mimi's Mission, Corner 2 Corner Construction and Premier Lavatory, each already good at the thing it does, and none of them able to explain it. Every one of them is a live site you can visit today. Underneath all of it, four corporate roles.

Open to select opportunities

Detroit, Michigan

Read only the work about

Showing 6 of 6 projects.

Owned or led, not advised on

Ventures and leadership

A consultancy and a software product. These are businesses I run rather than projects I was hired into, which means the operational decisions and their consequences are both mine.

Consultancy · Ongoing

The North

Growth needs more than marketing. It needs infrastructure.

A consultancy built on the premise that most growth problems are operational problems wearing a marketing costume.

The problem
Companies buy campaigns when what they actually need is a working system underneath.
What I did
Founded and lead the business: positioning, service design, delivery model, and technical direction.

Business leadershipService designBrand positioningConsulting methodologyOperational systemsTechnical direction

Managing Director · Actively operating, currently in its startup stage

Read the case studythenorth.consulting

Software product · Ongoing

HoundStack

Start with the route, then design the business around it.

Specialized operations software for pet waste removal companies, built by working outward from the one thing the whole business depends on: the route.

The problem
An entire industry running on generic field-service tools that do not understand per-dog pricing, service frequency, or a technician standing in a fenced yard with no signal.
What I did
Product vision, industry research, workflow architecture, requirements, prioritization, and QA.

Product ownershipWorkflow architectureRequirement definitionPricing strategyUX decisionsQuality assurance

Product Owner · Pre-launch, early access

Read the case studyhoundstack.com

Engagements led directly

Four industries, one shape.

Selected client work

Businesses in unrelated industries, each already good at the thing it does and none of them able to explain it. These engagements were led by Brendan Schmidt directly. They predate The North and are not delivered through it.

Local field-service business · Client engagement

Detroit Doo Disposal

Turning a local service into a recognizable, bookable community brand.

A Downriver field-service business that needed to explain itself, earn local trust, and take bookings while the owner was in someone's back yard.

The problem
The owner was the entire sales process, and he was unreachable for most of the working day.
What I did
Built the website, the booking path, the brand graphics, and ran the local search, social, and paid advertising.

Website strategyDesign and developmentLocal SEOBooking integrationBrand and socialPaid advertising

Digital strategy, design, development, brand, and growth · Live

Read the case studydetroitdoodisposal.com

Client engagement led by Brendan Schmidt. Not delivered through The North.

Nonprofit organization · Client engagement

Mimi's Mission

Designing one digital home for an entire community ecosystem.

A Southeast Michigan nonprofit supporting autistic individuals and their families, with several programs, many audiences, and one website that had to serve all of them.

The problem
Six distinct audiences, each needing a different first step, arriving at the same front door.
What I did
Built the site, the program architecture, and the registration, donation, volunteer, and consent workflows.

Information architectureProgram organizationForms and registrationDonation experienceAccessibilityEvent promotion

Digital strategy, design, development, and content systems · Live

Read the case studymimismission.com

Client engagement led by Brendan Schmidt. Not delivered through The North.

Construction and exterior services company · Client engagement

Corner 2 Corner Construction

Translating decades of field credibility into digital trust.

A construction company whose reputation was entirely offline, and whose website had to make a homeowner comfortable enough to request an inspection.

The problem
Real credibility that existed only in person, in a category where homeowners are actively wary.
What I did
Rebuilt the service architecture, trust presentation, and the estimate-request path.

Website strategyService architectureLocal SEO structureLead generationTrust positioningConversion paths

Digital strategy, design, development, and local search structure · Live

Read the case studycorner2corner.net

Client engagement led by Brendan Schmidt. Not delivered through The North.

Event and rental services company · Client engagement

Premier Lavatory

Repositioning a practical service as a premium event experience.

Climate-controlled restroom trailers for weddings and corporate events, in a category that everyone assumes is the opposite of premium.

The problem
The product was genuinely high quality. The category's reputation was doing all the talking.
What I did
Repositioned the brand, built the site around the trailers themselves, and designed the quote qualification flow.

Brand positioningWebsite strategyProduct presentationQuote qualificationCustomer educationConversion paths

Digital strategy, design, development, and brand positioning · Live

Read the case studypremierlavatory.com

Client engagement led by Brendan Schmidt. Not delivered through The North.

Corporate experience

Where the discipline came from.

Ten years inside other people’s systems before building any of my own. It is part of the work, not a footnote to it.

  • Jun 2026 to Present

    Outcomes

    Implementation Consultant

    Taking software into live pharmacies, where the workflow, the staff, and the store all have to be ready on the same day.

  • Apr 2024 to Jun 2026

    Global Payments

    Information Technology Field Technician

    Enterprise deployments on site, on schedule, with the client's staff trained before the doors opened.

  • May 2022 to Mar 2024

    Accenture

    Senior Trust & Safety Content Analyst

    High-volume judgment calls under policy, then building the knowledge system so the whole region called them the same way.

  • Aug 2020 to Apr 2022

    Rocket Mortgage

    Document Analyst, Mortgage Loan Originator

    The foundation: regulated workflows, real client conversations, and documentation that has to be right the first time.

Read the whole path, role by role

See something close to your problem?

These projects are different industries with the same underlying shape. If yours rhymes with one of them, it is worth a conversation.

Open to select opportunities

Available for remote, hybrid, travel-based, and select on-site work.

Career and collaboration

Working with me

Full-time roles, contract work, project collaboration, speaking, and introductions. This one comes straight to me.

Start a career conversationme@brendan.business
Consulting

Hiring The North

Digital strategy, business systems, customer journeys, websites, automation, and operational infrastructure. Delivered through The North.

Start a consulting conversationthenorth.consulting