Case Studies

G. Joel Hager — Portfolio Case Studies & Key Projects

Key Facts

AreaDetail
Regional scope (volunteer)Six states: VA, WV, TN, NC, SC, GA — Appalachian Region of Paizo Organized Play
Global committee scope (volunteer, 2023–July 2026)18 international regions — Onboarding Committee and VO Handbook
DragonCon growthWeighted count of reported tables up 183%, 2022 to 2024
Atlanta cancellationsDeclined as scheduling moved toward a two-week minimum lead time
DragonCon tierReturned to Tier 1 for the first time since the pandemic
Enterprise applications supported (Amtrak, shared team of six Tier 2 leads)400+ applications; 20,000+ employees
Community platform400+ member Discord server; 13-applet automation network
Thought leadership reach59,000+ LinkedIn impressions within 30 days (analytics at that time)
Production spend$0 incremental production spend: Regional Health Dashboard and Job Search Tracker
CompanyWorkers’ Rebellion LLC — first product launched August 2026; C2C/1099 IT consulting available

Progression highlights

  • 1
    Founder & CEO — Workers’ Rebellion LLC (September 2025–Present)
    Self-funded software company; first product launched August 2026
  • 2
    Regional Venture-Coordinator (Regional Operations Director equivalent) — Volunteer (September 2025–Present)
    Volunteer with the organization since 2018; top volunteer operational role for the six-state Appalachian Region; former chair of the 18-region global Onboarding Committee (2023–July 2026)
  • 3
    Senior Product Delivery Associate — JPMorgan Chase (2022–2025)
    Financial technology product delivery within regulatory requirements
  • 4
    Technical Systems Consultant — Teladoc Health (2021–2022)
    Healthcare platform documentation; HIPAA/GDPR; international incident coordination
  • 5
    Venture-Captain, Atlanta — Organized Play Foundation (Volunteer, 2021–2025)
    Built the Atlanta cancellation-tracking dashboard; DragonCon planner
  • 6
    Lead Service Management Analyst — Amtrak (2016–2020)
    One of six Tier 2 leads; ServiceNow transition (service catalog workstream, team-owned)
  • 7
    Earlier Career — Manufacturing & Telecommunications
    ISO 9001 transition (Rodel / Rohm & Haas); customer service and security assurance (Comcast, DuPont)

Strategic Leadership & Program Management

Regional Program Leadership & Large-Scale Event Operations

Role: Venture-Captain, Atlanta (2021–2025); Regional Venture-Coordinator (2025–Present) | Volunteer | Community Operations

Context
  • DragonCon is the Atlanta Pathfinder Society’s largest convention presence: a multi-day event requiring volunteer recruitment, scheduling, and ticketing coordination
  • Game cancellations were degrading the player and GM experience
  • Paizo’s standard reporting gave limited visibility into why sessions were cancelled
My Role
  • Venture-Captain, Atlanta: directly oversaw four Venture-Lieutenants and indirectly oversaw six Venture-Agents
  • Sole planner for Atlanta Pathfinder Society’s DragonCon program
  • Since September 2025, Regional Venture-Coordinator for the six-state Appalachian Region
Actions Taken
  • Built a Google Forms/Sheets/Apps Script dashboard to track Atlanta game cancellations; Paizo Organized Play leadership commended it
  • Moved Atlanta scheduling toward a two-week minimum lead time
  • Planned DragonCon operations, including volunteer recruitment and on-site coordination
  • Manage Atlanta Pathfinder Society’s relationship with the City of Marietta Department of Parks & Recreation (annual partnership since 2023 for Marietta the Gathering)
  • Went beyond the Venture-Captain requirement by also coordinating conventions, running additional quarterly games, and serving on a global committee
Results
  • DragonCon’s weighted count of reported tables grew 183% from 2022 to 2024
  • Atlanta game cancellations declined as scheduling moved toward a two-week minimum lead time
  • DragonCon returned to Tier 1 status for the first time since the pandemic
  • The dashboard concept became the basis for the regional platform (Case Study 2)
Limits of Authority & Contribution
  • Unpaid volunteer roles; no budget or P&L responsibility
  • The 183% figure covers DragonCon’s reported tables from 2022 to 2024, not the whole region; underlying counts are protected by NDA
  • The cancellation trend is an observed association with the lead-time change; I do not claim the dashboard or scheduling alone caused it
  • Venture-Captain and Regional Venture-Coordinator authority operates within Paizo Organized Play’s volunteer structure and policies
Strategic Planning Multi-State Operations Event Management Data-Informed Leadership Dashboard Development Stakeholder Relations
Operational Intelligence & Technology

Appalachian Regional Health Dashboard — Production Platform

Role: Product Owner, Specification Author, QA Lead | 2025–Present | Volunteer

Context
  • No unified operational health view across a multi-venue, six-state region
  • Operational data was spread across several platforms
  • Some data is protected by NDA, so public and private outputs had to be separated by design
  • No budget for development, and other regional coordinators needed to be able to adopt it
My Role
  • Product owner, specification author, and QA lead
  • Directed AI-assisted development; I did not write the code
  • Decision-maker for scope, priorities, and acceptance
Actions Taken
  • Authored the full product specification, including metric definitions and calculation logic
  • Specified NDA-compliant handling of protected data from the requirements stage
  • Directed development on React/JSX, Supabase, Node.js, Vercel, Cloudflare, and GitHub
  • Ran QA cycles from requirements through production and continue QA and later-phase improvements
  • Designed the platform so other regional coordinators can replicate it
Results
  • Platform is in production
  • $0 incremental production spend
  • NDA-compliant public/private separation built in from the start
  • Ongoing QA and later-phase improvements in progress
Limits of Authority & Contribution
  • Product direction and QA, not hands-on engineering
  • Some details (metrics, access, architecture) are not shown publicly
  • Future additions are in development and are not described as deployed
Product Ownership Requirements Authorship QA Leadership NDA Compliance Operational Reporting
Global Governance & Organizational Leadership

Paizo Organized Play Onboarding Committee — Global Governance

Role: Committee Chair (Volunteer) | 2023–July 2026 | Global — 18 International Regions

Context
  • Onboarding experience varied across 18 international regions
  • The VO Handbook Task Force and the Onboarding Committee had overlapping mandates
  • Published documentation needed accessibility checks before release
My Role
  • Chair of the committee, 2023 to July 2026
  • Co-author of the publicly available VO Handbook (a collaborative effort)
Actions Taken
  • Chaired quarterly meetings and project-specific sessions with international members
  • Ran the document pipeline, including accessibility verification with checking tools and a quality-control review by the organization’s accessibility reviewer
  • Managed shared project tools: Google Drive, Freedcamp, and design assets
  • Successfully petitioned to merge the VO Handbook Task Force into the Onboarding Committee
Results
  • VO Handbook publicly available
  • Overlapping task force and committee functions consolidated
  • Accessibility-verified documentation process established
  • Completed a three-year tenure as chair
Limits of Authority & Contribution
  • Unpaid volunteer role; the committee advises and produces documents and does not direct regional operations
  • The VO Handbook was co-authored, not solely authored
  • Chair role concluded July 2026
Global Committee Leadership Policy Development Change Management Accessibility Verification Document Governance
Financial Technology

Financial Technology Product Delivery — JPMorgan Chase

Role: Senior Product Delivery Associate | July 2022–October 2025 | Banking / Fintech

Context
  • Delivery of financial technology products under regulatory requirements
  • Dependencies across product, engineering, and business teams
My Role
  • Delivery associate working within product teams
Actions Taken
  • Worked with product managers, engineers, and business leaders on delivery
  • Identified and resolved delivery blockers and managed cross-team dependencies
  • Ran user acceptance testing cycles and delivered structured feedback to product teams
  • Partnered with stakeholders at all levels through proactive communication
Results
  • Delivered UAT feedback cycles and blocker resolution within regulatory requirements
  • Specific project outcomes are confidential and are not described here
Limits of Authority & Contribution
  • Contributor within product teams; no ownership of product P&L or budget
  • Project details are confidential
Product Delivery Regulatory Compliance Cross-Functional Collaboration UAT Risk Management
Healthcare Technology

Healthcare Technology Systems Operations — Teladoc Health

Role: Technical Systems Consultant (via Mission Staff) | March 2021–July 2022 | Healthcare Technology

Context
  • Platform documentation and process standardization in HIPAA/GDPR environments
  • International incident coordination for the Denmark office
  • A video codec issue was affecting physician call quality
My Role
  • Documentation owner for the TeamSupport platform and Sales Demo environment
  • Primary point of contact for Denmark office incident coordination
Actions Taken
  • Documented processes in Jira/Confluence for the TeamSupport platform and Sales Demo environment
  • Partnered with the TeamSupport team to surface and resolve system issues
  • Identified the codec issue in the Denmark office, escalated it, and coordinated with technical teams
  • Supported QA testing for demonstrations and customer onboarding
Results
  • A codec change resolved the issue and prevented broader physician service disruption
  • HIPAA/GDPR-aligned documentation and incident coordination maintained
Limits of Authority & Contribution
  • Coordinated and escalated the codec issue; the technical fix was made by other teams
  • Contract consultant role
HIPAA / GDPR Jira / Confluence International Coordination QA Participation Technical Escalation
Enterprise Service Management

Enterprise Service Management & ServiceNow Transition — Amtrak

Role: Lead Service Management Analyst | May 2016–September 2020 | Transportation

Context
  • Tier 2 support for 400+ applications serving 20,000+ employees, with 24/7 coverage
  • Enterprise-wide transition to the ServiceNow ITSM platform
My Role
  • One of six Tier 2 support leads
  • Member of the team that collectively owned the service catalog workstream
Actions Taken
  • Participated in the shared on-call rotation that supported 24/7 operations
  • Contributed to the ServiceNow transition: the team handled requirements gathering, testing coordination, and implementation discussions with IBM as platform builder
  • Partnered with service owners to redesign onboarding and operational processes
  • Mentored junior analysts and coordinated cross-team initiatives
  • Administered Active Directory in lower/non-production environments and provisioned access in SailPoint after its adoption
Results
  • Team completed the service catalog workstream within the ServiceNow transition
  • Improved service desk performance metrics through process redesign
Limits of Authority & Contribution
  • Did not lead the overall ServiceNow migration; the service catalog workstream was owned collectively by the team
  • Did not provide uninterrupted personal 24/7 coverage; on-call duty was shared among six leads
  • Active Directory work was limited to lower/non-production environments
ITIL Service Management ServiceNow Enterprise Operations Team Leadership Process Improvement
Community Platform & Communications Operations

Multi-Platform Community Communications Infrastructure

Role: Builder & Operator | 2021–Present | WordPress / IFTTT / Discord | Volunteer

Context
  • The community was spread across several platforms with no unified way to distribute information
  • Posting manually to every channel was not sustainable
  • Game scheduling announcements needed automated distribution
  • A new regional hub needed a web presence soon after the regional appointment
My Role
  • Built and operate the sites and automations; owner and administrator of the Discord server
Actions Taken
  • Built atlantapfs.org on WordPress (since 2022) and launched appaopregion.org in September 2025
  • Designed a 13-applet IFTTT automation network for multi-channel content distribution
  • Automated Atlanta game scheduling announcements to socials and Discord, and deliberately did not replicate this at regional scale because the volume would bury important posts
  • Embedded Paizo RSS feeds on both sites and piped the Paizo blog to Discord
  • Designed and implemented role-based channel access for the GeorgiaPFS Discord server (400+ members), including a phased migration plan with a rollback plan
Results
  • 13 active applets publishing from a single input to multiple channels
  • 400+ member Discord server with role-based access
  • Content updates propagate automatically across channels
Limits of Authority & Contribution
  • Volunteer community platforms, not enterprise systems
  • Automations depend on third-party services (IFTTT, Warhorn, and the social platforms)
  • $0 incremental spend is not claimed for these projects
WordPress IFTTT Automation Discord Architecture Community Operations Content Strategy RSS Integration
Entrepreneurship & Brand Strategy

Founder & CEO — Workers’ Rebellion LLC

Role: Founder & CEO | September 2025–Present | Software & Consulting

Context
  • Build a business from personal experience and existing skills, with no outside funding
  • Create the legal, financial, and brand foundation from scratch
My Role
  • Founder and sole owner; make business spending and financial-planning decisions
  • Product owner for the first product
Actions Taken
  • Formed the Georgia LLC, obtained an EIN, and secured business licensing
  • Wrote the specifications for the first product, a job search tracking application, directed AI-assisted development, and led QA and testing
  • Launched the product commercially in August 2026 with $0 incremental production spend
  • Authored the company’s brand system and a four-phase financial transparency model
  • Filed a trademark application for the software
  • Conducting vendor research and relationship development for additional offerings planned after development milestones
  • Offer C2C and 1099 IT consulting engagements through the LLC
Results
  • First product launched commercially in August 2026
  • Company formed, licensed, and self-funded
  • Brand system and financial transparency model in place
  • Software trademark application filed
Limits of Authority & Contribution
  • Early-stage, self-funded, owner-operated company
  • Results shown are launch milestones, not revenue, customer counts, or profitability
  • Product direction and QA, not hands-on engineering
Entity Formation Brand Strategy Product Ownership Trademark Filing Financial Modeling Vendor Research

Competencies demonstrated

Product Ownership & Direction

  • Product specification authorship
  • Requirements definition
  • QA leadership through production
  • Directed AI-assisted development
  • React/JSX, Supabase, Node.js stack (directed)

Web & Automation

  • WordPress (architecture, plugins, content)
  • IFTTT (13-applet network)
  • RSS integration
  • Cross-platform content distribution
  • Google Forms/Sheets/Apps Script

Service & Project Management

  • ServiceNow ITSM
  • Jira, Jira Align, Confluence
  • Maximo
  • ITIL V3 Foundations
  • Agile methodologies

Compliance & Risk

  • HIPAA / GDPR
  • ISO 9001 (1994 & 2000)
  • Financial services regulations
  • NDA-compliant data handling
  • Audit preparation
© 2026 G. Joel Hager · Mableton, GA · your-next-hire.me
G. Joel Hager — Portfolio Case Studies & Key Projects

Key Performance Indicators

MetricAchievement
Regional Operations Scope6-state footprint (VA, WV, TN, NC, SC, GA)
International Committee Scope (Volunteer, 2023–2026)18 regions worldwide — global organized play
Convention Growth183% increase in table participation
Community Growth300% table count growth from baseline
Cancellation Rate Reduction30.41% → 20.92% (Atlanta operations)
Latest Convention Achievement41% table count increase; first post-pandemic Tier 1 status
Enterprise Applications Supported400+ mission-critical applications
Employees Served20,000+ nationwide workforce
Community Platform400+ member Discord; 13-applet automation network
Thought Leadership Reach59,000+ LinkedIn impressions within 30 days
System Availability24/7 mission-critical operations support
Compliance RecordClean outcomes across all regulated environments
Infrastructure BudgetZero incremental cost — all free-tier delivery
Company FoundedWorkers’ Rebellion LLC — Founder & CEO, first product launching Aug 2026

Progression highlights

  • 1
    Founder & CEO — Workers’ Rebellion LLC (September 2025–Present)
    Values-driven consumer products and software company; first product launching August 2026
  • 2
    Regional Operations Director (Regional Venture-Coordinator) — Volunteer, Current
    Continuous volunteer relationship with this organization since 2018; promoted to this role September 2025, unrelated to JPMorgan Chase departure. Top authority across 6-state organized play region; formerly chaired 18-region global onboarding committee (2023–July 2026)
  • 3
    Senior Product Delivery Associate — JPMorgan Chase (2022–2025)
    Financial technology product delivery; cross-functional compliance operations
  • 4
    Technical Systems Consultant — Teladoc Health (2021–2022)
    Healthcare platform operations; HIPAA/GDPR compliance; international incident coordination
  • 5
    Venture-Captain, Atlanta — Organized Play Foundation (Volunteer, 2021–2025)
    Built Atlanta operational dashboard; 30.41% → 20.92% cancellation rate reduction
  • 6
    Lead Service Management Analyst — Amtrak (2016–2020)
    Tier 2 support lead; ServiceNow migration service catalog workstream
  • 7
    Earlier Career — Manufacturing & Telecommunications
    ISO 9001 zero-nonconformity transition (Rodel/Rohm & Haas); international customer service (DuPont, Comcast)

Strategic Leadership & Program Management

Regional Program Transformation & Large-Scale Event Operations

Role: Regional Operations Director & Venture-Captain, Atlanta (Volunteer)  |  2021–Present  |  Community Operations

Challenge
  • Post-pandemic program decline across multi-state region
  • Insufficient operational visibility — existing reporting was 7 aggregate numbers with no health context
  • High cancellation rates degrading player and GM experience
  • Complex multi-system convention operations with no consolidated management view
Actions Taken
  • Built custom Google Forms/Sheets/Apps Script dashboard as VC — commended by Paizo OP leadership
  • Advanced to Regional Operations Director; expanded dashboard concept to production platform
  • Directed product specification and deployment of Appalachian Regional Health Dashboard
  • Implemented systematic scheduling and engagement strategies across all venues
  • Sole planner for Paizo Organized Play at DragonCon (Atlanta)
  • Established municipal partnership with City of Marietta — annual since 2022
Results
  • 183% increase in convention table participation
  • 300% growth in table count from baseline
  • 41% table count increase at latest major convention
  • 30.41% → 20.92% cancellation rate reduction
  • First post-pandemic Tier 1 convention in Appalachian Region
  • Zero major operational failures across multi-day events
Strategic Planning Multi-State Operations Event Management Data-Driven Leadership Dashboard Development Stakeholder Relations
Operational Intelligence & Technology

Appalachian Regional Health Dashboard — Production Platform Development

Role: Product Owner, Requirements Author, QA Lead  |  2025–Present  |  React / Supabase / Vercel

Challenge
  • No unified operational health view across a multi-venue 6-state region
  • Data scattered across multiple platforms with no aggregation layer
  • NDA constraints requiring public/private output separation by design
  • Zero incremental budget — required free-tier production stack
  • Needed to be replicable by other regional coordinators
Actions Taken
  • Authored full product specification with 40+ defined metrics and calculation logic
  • Designed role-based access architecture — VO-only dashboard, public regional hub
  • Directed development on React/JSX frontend with Supabase PostgreSQL backend
  • Configured Vercel deployment, Cloudflare CDN/security, GitHub version control
  • Led QA cycles from requirements through production — ongoing iterative improvement
  • Built for replication — architecture documented for other RVC adoption
Results
  • Production deployment at zero incremental budget
  • NDA-compliant data architecture from requirements stage
  • Role-based access — dashboard invisible to non-credentialed users
  • Multi-source ingestion — Warhorn GraphQL, MeetUp iCal, custom scrapers
  • Replicable platform — designed for adoption by other RVCs
  • Active QA — continuous improvement cycle in progress
Product Ownership Requirements Authorship QA Leadership React / Supabase / Node.js Vercel / Cloudflare / GitHub NDA Compliance Zero-Budget Delivery
Global Governance & Organizational Leadership

Paizo Organized Play Onboarding Committee — Global Governance Leadership

Role: Committee Chair (Volunteer)  |  2023–July 2026  |  Global — 18 International Regions

Challenge
  • Fragmented onboarding experience across 18 international regions
  • VO Handbook Task Force and Onboarding Committee operating with overlapping mandates
  • Documentation pipeline lacking accessibility compliance standards
  • International committee coordination spanning US, Australia, UK, and online regions
Actions Taken
  • Accepted chair role — structured quarterly meetings and project-specific sessions
  • Co-authored the VO Handbook — foundational governance document for VOs globally
  • Implemented accessibility compliance pipeline using PAVE checker and Affinity design tools
  • Managed multi-tool project infrastructure: Google Drive, Freedcamp, design assets
  • Petitioned successfully to merge VO Handbook Task Force into Onboarding Committee
Results
  • VO Handbook publicly available — foundational global governance document
  • Task force consolidation — organizational redundancy eliminated
  • Accessibility-compliant documentation pipeline established
  • International membership — US, Australia, UK, online regions represented
  • Sustained cadence — quarterly meetings plus project sessions maintained
  • Completed a three-year tenure as chair, stepping down in July 2026
Global Committee Leadership Policy Development Change Management Accessibility Compliance International Coordination Document Governance
Financial Technology

Financial Technology Product Delivery — JPMorgan Chase

Role: Senior Product Delivery Associate  |  July 2022–October 2025  |  Banking / Fintech

Challenge
  • Stable delivery of complex financial technology products under regulatory scrutiny
  • Cross-functional dependencies across product, engineering, and business stakeholders
  • Evolving compliance requirements requiring consistent delivery outcomes
Actions Taken
  • Collaborated across product managers, engineers, and business leaders for stable delivery
  • Identified and resolved delivery blockers; managed complex cross-team dependencies
  • Participated in UAT cycles; provided structured product feedback to address issues
  • Built strategic relationships across all organizational levels
Results
  • Clean compliance outcomes maintained throughout tenure
  • Consistent delivery timelines across complex product initiatives
  • Improved stakeholder satisfaction through proactive communication
Product Delivery Regulatory Compliance Cross-Functional Collaboration UAT Participation Risk Management
Healthcare Technology

Healthcare Technology Systems Operations — Teladoc Health

Role: Technical Systems Consultant  |  March 2021–July 2022  |  Healthcare Technology

Challenge
  • Platform documentation and process standardization across HIPAA/GDPR environments
  • International incident coordination including direct responsibility for Denmark office issues
  • Unresolved video codec issue affecting physician call quality — initially deprioritized by IT
Actions Taken
  • Documented processes in Jira/Confluence for TeamSupport platform and Sales Demo environment
  • Collaborated directly with TeamSupport team to surface and address system issues
  • Served as primary international incident coordinator for Denmark office
  • Identified video codec issue in Denmark affecting physician calls; escalated and coordinated resolution
  • Participated in QA testing initiatives for system stability and product demonstrations
Results
  • Codec issue resolved — codec change prevented broader physician service disruption
  • HIPAA/GDPR compliant documentation and operations throughout
  • International coordination — Denmark office issues managed end-to-end
  • Stable platform supported successful customer onboarding
HIPAA / GDPR Compliance Jira / Confluence International Coordination QA Participation Technical Escalation
Enterprise Service Management

Enterprise Service Management & Technology Transformation — Amtrak

Role: Lead Service Management Analyst  |  May 2016–September 2020  |  Transportation

Challenge
  • 24/7 Tier 2 support for 400+ mission-critical applications serving 20,000+ employees
  • Legacy ticket management workflows requiring modernization
  • Enterprise-wide migration to ServiceNow ITSM platform
Actions Taken
  • Served as one of six Tier 2 support leads — maintained 24/7 operational availability
  • Contributed to ServiceNow migration — team owned service catalog workstream
  • Participated in requirements gathering, testing, and IBM implementation discussions
  • Partnered with service owners to redesign onboarding and operational processes
  • Mentored junior analysts; coordinated cross-team service delivery initiatives
Results
  • 24/7 availability maintained for 400+ critical applications
  • 20,000+ employees supported nationwide
  • ServiceNow migration completed — service catalog workstream delivered
  • Improved service desk performance metrics through process redesign
ITIL Service Management ServiceNow Enterprise Operations Team Leadership Process Improvement
Community Platform & Communications Operations

Multi-Platform Community Communications Infrastructure

Role: Architect & Operator  |  2021–Present  |  WordPress / IFTTT / Discord

Challenge
  • Community spread across multiple platforms with no unified information distribution
  • Manual posting to each channel was unsustainable at regional scale
  • Game scheduling announcements needed automated distribution to players
  • Regional hub required immediate web and social presence upon RVC promotion
Actions Taken
  • Built atlantapfs.org on WordPress — architecture, plugins, content — since 2022
  • Launched appaopregion.org regional hub in September 2025 within weeks of RVC promotion
  • Designed 13-applet IFTTT automation network for multi-channel content distribution
  • Automated Warhorn game scheduling → socials and Discord for Atlanta (deliberate decision not to replicate at regional scale due to volume)
  • Embedded Paizo RSS feeds on both sites; piped Paizo blog to Discord via IFTTT
  • Designed and implemented GeorgiaPFS Discord role-based architecture for 400+ members
Results
  • 13 active applets — single-input, multi-channel distribution
  • 400+ member Discord with role-based access across Georgia lodges
  • Zero manual duplication — content updates propagate automatically
  • Paizo content aggregation — community stays current without leaving Discord
  • Zero incremental budget — all free-tier infrastructure
WordPress IFTTT Automation Discord Architecture Community Operations Content Strategy RSS Integration
Entrepreneurship & Brand Strategy

Founder & CEO — Workers’ Rebellion LLC

Role: Founder & CEO  |  September 2025–Present  |  Consumer Products & Software

Challenge
  • Identify a viable business built entirely from personal experience and existing skills, with no outside funding
  • Design a product roadmap sequenced to generate revenue before incurring major production cost
  • Build legal, financial, and brand infrastructure from zero — entity formation, trademarks, vendor relationships
  • Establish a transparent, phased financial model rather than making commitments the business couldn’t yet back
Actions Taken
  • Formed the Georgia LLC, obtained an EIN, and secured a business license
  • Built and readied the company’s first product — a proprietary job search tracking application — for launch at zero incremental production cost
  • Designed a four-line product roadmap spanning software and consumer goods, sequenced from lowest to highest cost-to-market
  • Advancing trademark protection for the brand and building vendor relationships ahead of upcoming product launches
  • Filed Intent-to-Use trademark applications across three USPTO classes (software, apparel, food products)
  • Authored the company’s brand system and a four-phase financial transparency model governing how revenue is allocated as the business grows
  • Launched C2C and 1099 IT consulting services as an additional revenue line alongside the software product
Results
  • First product launch-ready for August 2026 at zero production cost
  • Full four-line roadmap defined and sequenced for lowest-risk rollout
  • Vendor relationships secured for future production lines ahead of need
  • Self-funded — no outside capital raised
  • Trademark protection filed across all active and planned product categories
Entity Formation Brand Strategy Product Roadmapping Vendor & Co-Packer Negotiation Trademark Filing Financial Modeling

Competencies demonstrated

Product Ownership & Direction

  • Full product specification authorship
  • Requirements gathering and definition
  • QA leadership through production
  • Vendor/developer direction
  • React/JSX, Supabase, Node.js stack

Web & Automation

  • WordPress (architecture, plugins, content)
  • IFTTT (13-applet production network)
  • RSS feed integration and aggregation
  • Cross-platform content distribution
  • Warhorn GraphQL data ingestion

Service & Project Management

  • ServiceNow ITSM
  • Jira, Jira Align, Confluence
  • Maximo
  • ITIL V3 Foundations
  • Agile methodologies

Compliance & Risk

  • HIPAA / GDPR
  • ISO 9001 (1994 & 2000)
  • Financial services regulations
  • NDA-compliant data architecture
  • Audit preparation
© 2026 G. Joel Hager · Mableton, GA · your-next-hire.me