Business Consultant for Small Businesses
In New York’s Hudson Valley + Beyond
Hands-On Strategy for Hospitality, Events & Creative Brands
Strategic Business Consulting & Creative Direction — For Small Businesses & Organizations Ready to Grow, Refine, or Reinvent in New York + Beyond
You’ve got a vision—a restaurant, a venue, a brand, or a small business that’s full of heart. But turning that vision into something operational, scalable, and beautifully executed? That takes support, structure, and strategy.
At Second House, we offer hands-on small business consulting in New York for creatives, entrepreneurs, hospitality teams, and founders building something that doesn’t come with a manual.
Whether you’re opening a new space, designing your guest experience, developing workflow systems, or ready to hand off that growing to-do list—we’re here to help. We blend creative strategy with practical tools to bring your business to life from the inside out.
What sets us apart?
We don’t just advise from the sidelines—we’ve built it ourselves. Our home base is The Maples Estate, an extended weekend wedding venue in upstate New York known for its elevated design, high-touch hospitality, and immersive multi-day celebrations.
As the owner, lead planner, and designer behind The Maples Estate, our founder Katie Hammon brings real-world experience in concept development, operational strategy, and guest-centered design. Her background includes producing hundreds of events, overseeing downtown revitalization initiatives, and supporting small business owners as the Executive Director of Troy’s Business Improvement District.
We’ve lived the challenges you’re facing—scaling from an idea into something sustainable, refining systems as you grow, and creating experiences that feel both intentional and unforgettable.
What We Do
From concept to customer, we support every phase of your buildout, launch, or evolution:
Business Plans & Concept Development
Restaurants, caterers, venues, vendors, retreats, and experiential businesses
Operational Systems & Workflow Strategy
Asana builds, CRM set-up, hiring plans
Project Management & Virtual Assistant Services
Done-for-you execution with real-time collaboration
Brand & Marketing Strategy
Naming, positioning, visual branding, sales materials, social content planning
Space Design & Guest Experience
Layouts, signage, staging, and intentional design for how people move, gather, and connect
Website Design & SEO Foundations
Clean, conversion-friendly builds with clear storytelling and strong discoverability
Small Business & Executive Coaching
Hands on coach for entrepreneurs, founders, and leaders who want to grow with clarity, structure, and purpose.
The First Step
Let’s Get to Know Your Vision
Every small business is different—which is why our process starts with a conversation. In your initial consultation, we’ll dive into your goals, explore what’s working (and what’s not), and talk through the areas where you’re craving clarity, structure, or support. From there, we’ll create a custom consulting proposal tailored to your needs, scope, and timeline.
Initial consultations can be scheduled as a coaching session with no obligation to move forward—just honest, strategic insight and a space to explore what’s possible. Schedule your session today!
Meet Us
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Strategist, Creative Operator and Founder
Katie Hammon is the strategist, creative operator, and founder of Second House—a studio dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, property owners, and creative founders build businesses that feel intentional, aligned, and truly capable of thriving. Her expertise sits at the intersection of vision and execution: understanding where someone wants to go, and designing the systems, structure, and guest experience that make that vision sustainable.
Katie’s background spans large-scale event production, hospitality leadership, and downtown economic development. She began her career in arts and venue management at The Palace Theatre and EMPAC at RPI, gaining hands-on experience in operations, logistics, artist services, and the kind of behind-the-scenes orchestration that makes complex events feel effortless.
She later stepped into public leadership as the Executive Director of the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District, where she produced hundreds of events, led citywide marketing initiatives, collaborated on long-term revitalization strategies, and supported small businesses in navigating growth, identity, and operational clarity. That work shaped her ability to see both the ecosystem and the individual—to understand how a single business fits into a larger community and how thoughtful strategy can create lasting impact.
Today, Katie brings that depth of experience to her consulting work at Second House. She helps clients refine or build businesses from the ground up—guiding them through business planning, operational systems development, team structure, guest experience design, and brand identity. Whether someone is launching a new venue, reimagining a hospitality concept, or seeking clarity within a growing creative business, she offers a blend of strategic insight and practical tools that bring confidence, direction, and cohesion to their work.
Katie is also the co-owner of The Maples Estate, a successful extended-weekend wedding venue in upstate New York, where she oversees operations, sales, brand development, and planning for multi-day destination weddings. Her business knowledge is grounded in lived experience—shaped by building, running, and evolving ventures that center hospitality, creativity, and care.
Her consulting is rooted in the belief that great businesses aren’t just efficient—they’re meaningful. Katie partners with clients to build spaces, experiences, and systems that feel aligned, purposeful, and capable of growing with intention.
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Louis Apicello brings more than 15 years of strategic, operational, and project leadership experience to the consulting work at Second House. His unique background bridges project and facilities management, and venue operations, giving him the perspective and skills to help organizations clarify purpose, refine systems, and build intentional offerings that resonate with clients and communities.
Before moving into hospitality and events, Louis managed complex, multimillion-dollar programs for both federal agencies and private sector organizations. He led multidisciplinary teams across time zones and industries, guiding initiatives from contract negotiation and solution design through execution, go-live, and stabilization. Across every phase, Louis was responsible for resource planning, budget oversight, timeline coordination, stakeholder reporting, and cross-functional communication — the discipline and strategic thinking that drive long-term success.
In addition, Louis served as a property and facilities manager responsible for maintenance oversight, capital project coordination, contractor relationships, and operational continuity across more than 250 residential and commercial units. This breadth of experience honed his ability to diagnose and solve unique challenges.
At The Maples Estate, where he serves as co-owner and facilities manager, Louis is the steward of both property operations and guest experience. He oversees grounds, infrastructure, vendor support, and the many technical details that keep events running smoothly — all while maintaining a hospitality-focused perspective.
Within Second House’s business consulting work, Louis applies his experience to help clients overcome challenges and bring big picture ideas into reality.
