From Concept to Classroom: Building and Launching GradRock® -
A College and Career Readiness Solution for High Schools
The Back Story
Two entrepreneurs, a seasoned educator and an experienced college admissions consultant, were developing GradRock, an app to help high school students navigate college and career planning while supporting school counselor caseloads. Though their rich content aligned with state standards, they feared the product would never reach its audience after working with agencies that failed to deliver on their vision.
At the time, I was navigating the college process with my own daughter, so their mission felt both professionally meaningful and personally relevant.
The Mission
The project faced three core challenges:
Translating the founders’ vision into visuals that would engage high school students
Securing a development partner to build a scalable platform
Launching successfully in a competitive edtech market
The Strategy
Aligning Creative and Technical Teams
I asked the founders to share cartoons that captured their style, then created a creative brief and recruited graphic artists to pitch their work. The chosen software developer’s design team nailed the vision.
Once designs were in place, I developed a detailed scope of work and vetted three firms. We selected Code Conspirators—a team that could handle development, tech, the intricacies of working with school districts, and matched the founders’ goals.
The Solution
Targeted Feedback Invitation Leads to Pilot Opportunities
To validate the platform, I proposed a focus group. The founders delivered a targeted list of school counselors in PA (later expanding to NJ, DE, and MD). I created an email campaign inviting the PA group to an in-person demo in Philadelphia, with incentives including refreshments, gift cards, and goodie bags.
Ten counselors attended—enough to gather real feedback, showcase the platform and the tech team, and begin building relationships that led to pilot opportunities.
The Results
In September 2024, GradRock launched a soft pilot with a Philly-based community charter school, whose counselors had attended the focus group. Based on their feedback, the team prepared for a full launch in Fall 2025.
Client Testimonial:
“We struggled for years trying to develop our start-up: a college and career readiness app for high schools, and while we’ve worked with other wonderful professionals, it wasn’t until we began working with Natalie that we could relax. It’s difficult to share how quickly she turned us around, expanded our message, and developed focus groups and connections as we launched into schools. Natalie is an immensely likable professional who seems to have an inexhaustible list of ways to position our app, while thinking outside the box. We can say confidently that we would not be where we are without her and are so grateful for the relationship!”
-GradRock® Founders, Sandra Thornton and Lisa Turner, EdD
More Than Legal Experts:
How Storytelling and Strategy Positioned PAX Legal for Success
The Back Story
A long-time colleague, Tim Reeder, founder of Blazon Interactive Group, invited me to serve as his marketing partner for a high-stakes venture: helping two seasoned attorneys transition from a major firm to launch their own real estate law practice in the competitive Philadelphia metro area. Beyond legal expertise, the new firm would require a distinctive brand, operational clarity, and a strategy for sustainable growth—all while managing an ethical transition and client retention.
The Mission
Create a standout brand in a saturated legal market, maintain client relationships through a respectful departure, and set the foundation for long-term expansion.
The Strategy
Lead with what lights them up.
Every successful positioning starts with listening. From my training as a journalism undergrad to my decades-long career in marketing, I’ve learned that enthusiasm reveals the core of a great brand story. What excites founders and employees alike usually resonates with their audience, too.
Through interviews, I uncovered what truly energized the founders: solving complex real estate legal matters. That insight inspired a bold brand position—problem solvers—refined through visual metaphors, including “The Fixer” clip from Pulp Fiction that perfectly captured their style: calm, strategic, and effective.
The Solution
Position, Build, Launch
I conducted a competitive audit of ten real estate law firms and then developed a clear positioning statement that highlights the firm’s strategic mindset. I provided creative direction for their website, wrote all core content, and ensured brand consistency across photography, case studies, and video. Social media and marketing emphasized what set them apart: legal agility and problem-solving as a service.
The Results
PAX Legal successfully launched on May 23, 2023, with offices in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and immediately began attracting new clients. They are growing in awareness and footprint and are preparing to launch two connected subsidiary businesses in the fall of 2025.
Client Testimonial:
“As the saying goes, you only have one opportunity to make a good first impression. In today’s competitive marketplace, doing it right the first time could not be more important! In our early meetings with Natalie, we realized that she had experience with and clearly understood that need. Branding and business identity have been critical and Natalie has met that need at every step in preparing to launch the business and now in its operation. Our work with Natalie is based on the long-term goals of the business. It is truly a pleasure, rewarding and personally satisfying to work with someone who strives daily to understand your business and effectively deliver that message of value, trust and competence.”
-PAX Legal, Inc. Founders, Neil Hilkert, Esquire, and Lida Bonner, Esquire