Michael "Maverick" Carlson · Marketing consultant

A clear plan to grow, from someone who's done this for 15 years.

I help business owners sharpen their strategy, sell better, build a brand people remember, and protect the reputation they've earned. Straight answers, no jargon, anywhere in the US.

See how we'd work togetherWhy "Maverick"?
15+years consulting
5areas of focus
US-wideremote or on-site
Michael Carlson and Laiala in Cooperstown, New York

Michael "Maverick" Carlson

Strategy · Sales · Coaching · Branding · Reputation

What I help with

Five things that decide whether a business grows or stalls.

01

Strategy

Where to focus, what to stop doing, and a plan your team can actually follow, built around the customers who are worth the most to you.

02

Sales

A sales process that turns more inquiries into paying work: how you follow up, what you say, and how you price.

03

Coaching

A sounding board for owners and leaders: regular check-ins, honest feedback, and help making the hard calls.

04

Branding

A name, look, and message that make you the obvious choice, so you're not competing on price alone.

05

Reputation

What people find when they look you up: reviews, search results, and how you respond when something goes wrong.

Who this is for

Owners who are ready to stop guessing.

  • You're good at what you do, but growth has flattened and you're not sure why.
  • Leads come in, but too few turn into customers.
  • Your brand looks like everyone else's, so buyers compare you on price.
  • You've tried agencies and tactics, and you want a plan that ties them together.
  • You want an experienced outside voice, not another full-time hire.

About

Why they call me Maverick.

My partner and my team started calling me "Maverick Mike." It stuck because I'd rather be right than conventional.

I'm Michael Carlson. For more than 15 years I've worked as a business marketing consultant, helping owners with strategy, sales, coaching, branding, and reputation.

Over those years I've noticed that most advice makes businesses look more alike. Everyone copies the same playbook, chases the same tactics, and wonders why buyers compare them on price. I go the other way. I start by finding what's different about you, then build the strategy, the sales process, and the brand around it.

I'm not anti-data, but I don't let the easiest thing to measure decide what matters. Sometimes the move that grows a business doesn't look logical on a spreadsheet: a sharper promise, a bolder price, a smaller and better-chosen audience. My job is to find those moves and tell you plainly which ones are worth it.

What I believe

  • Strategy is what you say no to. A plan that tries to please everyone isn't a plan.
  • If you blend in, you compete on price. Different beats better.
  • Diagnose before you prescribe. I won't sell you a fix before I understand the problem.
  • Advice is only worth what it changes. Sometimes the best advice is "don't spend money on that."

Work with me

Two ways to start.

One-time

Strategy Session

Remote or on-site

A focused working session on your business, ending with a written plan you can act on, with or without me.

  • Questionnaire and a look at your current marketing before we meet
  • A deep-dive session on strategy, sales, brand, and reputation
  • A written, prioritized action plan
  • A follow-up call to answer questions
Request a session

Ongoing

Monthly Advisory

Month to month

An experienced marketing and sales advisor in your corner, without a full-time salary.

  • Regular strategy and coaching calls
  • Reach me between calls for decisions that can't wait
  • Review of campaigns, sales scripts, brand work, and vendors
  • A quarterly plan reset
Ask about advisory

Tell me about your business

A few questions in the form below. It takes two minutes.

I reply personally

Within one business day, with whether I can help and how we'd work together.

We get to work

Book your session or start advisory. No long contracts.

Get started

Tell me where you want the business to go.

I read every message myself and reply within one business day, Monday to Friday.

Local service business in New York's Capital Region looking for done-for-you marketing? That's my agency, Local Rank Authority.