Hi, My name is Lawrence Pede, the founder of SmallPond VentureCo. I have small business in my DNA, dating back to my great grandfather’s carpentry business, my grandfather’s bakery and painting businesses, and my mom’s coffee shop which I worked in throughout school and ran after graduating from college.

I have been working in the corporate world for 20 years in growth strategy and mergers & acquisitions roles. These roles have been focused on small business verticals…developing, commercializing, & acquiring new products and services designed primarily for small business owners.

Over the past 20 years I have developed a strategic growth toolkit which combines the skills of a chief financial officer, chief marketing officer, investment banker, and strategy consultant. Those titles are fit for people who live in so-called “big ponds”; however, I have realized that I strive to build a “small pond” of my own and to help owners of their own small ponds become more profitable and to achieve their growth goals, whatever those goals may be.

I have worked for large private equity owned enterprises and venture capital backed start-ups alike…bringing discipline and scalability to “energetic” start-ups and the principles of innovation, growth, and velocity to “sleepy” enterprises. As an employee and with my consulting practice, I have helped a wide range of businesses find growth, from a few million in revenue to double digit billions.

But I have always gravitated to local business and I hope to bring some of the tools I have honed over the years to local business owners who don’t have time to do everything they hope to do to grow their business and become more profitable. Whether your goal is to build a legacy for your family or to generate more cash so you can retire early…or both…I can help!