“I Feel So Much Better Already!”
These were the words of Deanna Taylor-Heacock, Founder of Good Bottle Refill Shop, at the end of our first, exploratory conversation.
And she followed it up with, “You hit it out of the ballpark” when I delivered on our work together.
After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley, I started my 30-year career working on Wall Street for world-class organizations including The Bank of New York, Citibank, and Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of NY.
My work has included: identifying a six-figure out-of-proof position within a financial services firm and driving its resolution; developing a disaster recovery plan; creating operating processes for a new, international investment product with risk reduction as a key goal; and building a financial plan that enabled a start-up business to refine their offerings and improve their bottom line.
In my most recent role prior to founding Sarah McNamara Solutions, LLC, I was the COO for Work and Play, a coworking space with licensed, on-site childcare. While I oversaw a wide range of business functions (Finances, HR, Sales, Member Relationship Building, Facilities Management, etc.), my real job was to ensure that the founder's vision translated seamlessly into a well run and successful reality.
When the COVID pandemic ended Work and Play’s historic five-year run (it was the longest-running coworking space with childcare in the country), I jumped at the opportunity to continue working with entrepreneurs, helping them get unstuck as they grow their businesses.
In October 2020, I launched Sarah McNamara Solutions, LLC, bringing both strategic thinking and on-the-ground implementation to growing businesses, to ensure their decision making and systems support their biggest goals.
“I initially hired Sarah as the Community Manager at Work and Play, but her competencies went well beyond that and she soon grew into Work and Play's COO. She was instrumental in helping me gain financial insights that led to restructuring for greater stability and profitability. And when it was time to renew our childcare license, a process that was very stressful the first time around, I confidently handed the entire project to her, knowing that it would be handled correctly, on time, and on budget - and it was.
Having Sarah as my associate at Work and Play helped me love the business again, lifting the burden of ongoing operations and always knowing that Work and Play and our members were in her extremely competent hands.”
-Deborah Engel, Deborah Engel Consulting & Founder, Work and Play
My Hometown
Maplewood, NJ is where I live, raised my family, and work.
It’s also the birthplace of Ultimate (frisbee).
When my son expressed interest in playing the local sport, I did what I do in business: understand the dream, identify a disconnect between a desire and reality, then build a solution. In this case, Hometown Ultimate, a co-ed intramural middle-school league.
Throughout my 11-year, 22-season tenure as Founder and Head Coach, I provided my players with knowledge, structures, skills and care, leading to their growth and success all while having fun.
When working with clients, I bring this same energy, knowing that business owners can succeed once given the appropriate structures, systems, insights, and support.
“Sarah has played a huge role in my success in ultimate and all of the life lessons I have learned through it. Sarah has proved to be a caring and wise guide that has helped so many of us.”
— Sklyar Yarter
“Sarah is the sort of coach you hope your kids get. She sets high expectations for my kid and then gives lots of encouragement and support to make it happen.”
— Alix Clyburn