ABOUT
Hi, I'm Katie.
I've spent my career being the person who steps into a mess and figures out how to make it run.
That started at Virginia Tech, where I studied Hospitality and Tourism Management, and then in the industry itself: hotels, restaurants, and events. Hospitality is essentially controlled chaos on a deadline. There's always a moving part you didn't plan for, and someone has to keep the whole thing on track without letting the guests see the seams. I got good at being that person.
From there I moved into agency project management and operations. Different industry, same job. I ended up as Director of Traffic and Operations, which is the person who makes sure every project gets where it needs to go, on time, with everyone doing their part. It also meant being the chief mess cleaner while running my own client list. I used to joke that the creative directors were spinning the plates and I was the one making sure they didn't fall, and catching them when they did.
I know a thing or two about juggling.
I started Paper Moon Consulting because small business owners need that kind of help without needing to hire someone full time. Most owners I talk to aren't struggling with strategy. They know what they want to do. They're just out of hours, and the details are piling up faster than they can get to them.
That's the whole idea. You focus on the parts of your business only you can do. I handle the rest.
WHY PAPER MOON
A few reasons, and they stacked up until the name was obvious.
I wanted something bigger than my own name. The work isn't about me, it's about the projects, and some of them are big.
I also wanted a piece of my last name in there. Mooney is too good not to use.
Then there's the paper itself. Paper seems like one thing until you start working with it, and then it becomes almost anything. It takes technique and patience. And the more you fold it, the stronger it gets. That's a fair description of most of the work I do.
And Paper Moon, the 1973 film, is one of my favorites. It's about two people who shouldn't work as a team and absolutely do, held together by quick thinking and a lot of improvising. I'll note for the record that they're con artists and I am not. But the resourcefulness, the adaptability, the making-it-work-with-what-you-have of it all felt right.
A FEW THINGS ABOUT ME
Based in Roanoke with my husband Riley and our cat Apollo.
Currently working my way through Agatha Christie, which is either a coincidence or exactly what you'd expect from someone whose job is figuring out how the pieces fit.
My house has no neutrals in it. I don't trust beige.
Best nights are a good movie, good food, and people I like.
Photography by The Oberports
Let’s Find Some Clarity
Tell me what's going on and we'll figure out if I can help.