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Business Growth First.

AI Where It Creates Value.

I work with business owners and leadership teams to identify what's holding their business back, uncover opportunities for growth, and turn strategic priorities into practical action.

Book a Discovery CallExplore Ways to Work Together

 

From business diagnostics and growth planning to leadership, operations and AI adoption, my focus is helping businesses make smarter decisions and achieve measurable results.

 

 

"What I've learned will save me thousands of hours and $10's of thousands in consulting fees."

Sinclair Macdonald, Owner/ Managing Partner  Milford Bay Smokehaus

What's keeping your business from performing at its best, and do you know what to do about it?

Find What Matters

Understand what's helping or limiting growth, where the gaps are and what deserves attention first.

Put Structure in Place

Establish clearer processes, responsibilities, AI guardrails and practical ways of working.

Turn Strategy Into Action

Build a focused plan that connects business priorities, people, workflows and AI to measurable outcomes.

Choose the Right Starting Place.

Where you begin depends on where your business is today.

Not sure what's holding your business back? Get an experienced perspective on your business performance, growth opportunities and priorities.
Ready to improve how your business uses AI? Get practical guidance on AI strategy, guardrails, workflows and implementation.

Not sure where to start?

Book a discovery call. We'll discuss your business priorities, identify where support could create value and determine whether working together makes sense.

book and laptop - vitual Sara Phealn Strategic Ai Advisor

Why Work with Sara

I've been on both sides of the table.

I've spent more than 20 years as an entrepreneur and business owner and more than 25 years working with small and growing businesses.

I've built and scaled my own business, worked as a Business Broker evaluating what creates transferable business value, supported companies through growth and commercialization, helped businesses enter new markets, coached leaders, and designed and delivered business skills programming for entrepreneurs across Canada.

That experience shaped the Evalu8 Framework and my approach today.

I don't start with AI. I start with the business.

What are you trying to accomplish? What's getting in the way? What aren't we seeing? What aren't we talking about? Where should you invest limited time, money and capacity?

Because we don't know what we don't know. And we don't talk about it enough.

Once we understand the business, we can determine where strategy, people, process and AI can create the greatest value.

Better questions. Better decisions. Stronger businesses.

Learn More About Me
Buy my Book
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A Proven Diagnostic Framework.

The Evalu8 Framework was developed from Sara’s work evaluating businesses for growth, market positioning and exit planning.

It looks across eight areas of the business including leadership, revenue, operations, team, customer experience, marketing and sales, financials and strategic opportunities.

The result is a practical view of what is working, where the gaps are and what should be prioritized next.

That same business context also provides the foundation for smarter AI adoption, helping you identify where AI can create value without adding unnecessary tools, complexity or risk.

Evalu8 Framework

AI Resources

Train Your AI to Understand Your Business

Download the AI Personalization Master Prompt to help your AI tool give more specific, practical, business-aware answers.

 Start Here! 

As a foundational piece of the AI puzzle, use this master prompt to help your AI understand your business, boundaries, priorities, proof, and preferred way of working.  
 
It's Easy. copy and paste the Prompt into your AI and have it interview you.
 

Most AI output sounds generic because the tool does not have enough business context.

This prompt helps you capture the key details AI needs to understand your business, including your audience, offers, tone, proof points, tools, boundaries, and priority use cases.

Use it to build a stronger AI starting point for planning, content, operations, outreach, and decision-making.

  • Clarify what your business does and who you serve
  • Capture your offers, proof points, and voice
  • Set privacy, risk, and human-only decision boundaries
  • Identify where AI can support your work
  • Create a reusable business context profile

Download your Free AI Business Context Builder

Ready to make smarter decisions about your business?

Let's discuss your priorities and next steps

Supporting a Small Business Community?

I partner with economic development organizations, innovation centres, industry associations and business support organizations to deliver practical business and AI skills programming for entrepreneurs and SMEs.

Programs are designed around the challenges businesses are facing now, from growth and strategic decision-making to AI adoption, guardrails, workflow improvement, team implementation and measuring business value.

Delivery can range from focused workshops to multi-session programs and customized learning series.

The goal is simple: give business owners practical skills they can apply inside their businesses, not more information they don't know what to do with.

Explore Workshops & Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does Evalu8-Evolve actually help businesses with?

I help business owners and leadership teams identify what's limiting performance, uncover growth opportunities and make better strategic decisions.

That can include business growth, revenue, operations, profitability, leadership, market development and AI adoption.

The goal is simple: understand what matters most, make informed decisions and turn those decisions into practical action.

2. How do I know if my business needs a strategic advisor?

If your business is growing but becoming harder to manage, results aren't meeting expectations, or you're unsure what to prioritize next, an outside perspective can help.

You don't need to be in trouble to benefit from advisory support. Sometimes the greatest value comes from identifying opportunities or risks before making your next big decision.

3. What types of businesses do you work with?

I primarily work with Canadian small and medium-sized businesses, particularly owner-led companies and leadership teams navigating growth, change or operational challenges.

I also work with nonprofits, industry associations and organizations that support business development through advisory services and practical training.

4. What makes Evalu8-Evolve different from traditional business consulting?

I bring more than 25 years of experience across business ownership, business brokerage, leadership, training and strategic advisory.

I've experienced the realities of running a business and evaluated hundreds of businesses through a growth, performance and risk lens.

Using my Evalu8 Framework, we examine the business as a whole rather than treating symptoms in isolation. Recommendations are grounded in your priorities, resources and capacity to execute.

5. How does the Evalu8 Framework work?

Evalu8 examines eight interconnected areas of business performance, including leadership, revenue, operations, people, customer experience, marketing and sales, financials and strategic opportunities.

This helps identify what's working, where performance gaps exist and which improvements could deliver the greatest value.

The result is a clearer understanding of your business and where to focus your efforts.

6. What can I expect to gain from working with you?

You can expect greater clarity about your business challenges and opportunities, stronger priorities and practical recommendations you can act on.

Depending on the engagement, this may include a business diagnostic, strategic growth plan, implementation priorities, improved workflows or leadership guidance.

We'll also establish ways to measure progress so you can evaluate the value of the work.

7. Do you help implement recommendations, or just develop the strategy?

Both, depending on your needs and the agreed scope.

I help businesses move beyond identifying problems to establishing practical priorities, responsibilities, processes and implementation plans.

My role is to provide strategic guidance and help your team move forward, not create unnecessary dependence on an outside consultant.

8. Where does AI fit into your business advisory services?

AI is one of the tools we may use to improve business performance, decision-making and efficiency.

I start by understanding your business challenges and objectives. Then we assess whether AI, improved processes, stronger systems or another approach will create the most value.

You don't need to be using AI, or even considering it, to work with me.

9. How much does it cost to work with Evalu8-Evolve?

There are several ways to get started, depending on the level of support you need.

A focused 90-minute Strategy Session starts at $495 CAD. More comprehensive business diagnostics, strategic advisory and customized programs are scoped and priced according to your objectives.

We'll discuss the appropriate approach and investment before you make a commitment.

10. What's the easiest way to get started?

Book a discovery call.

We'll discuss where your business is today, what you're trying to accomplish and where you may need support.

From there, I can recommend an appropriate next step, whether that's a focused Strategy Session, a business diagnostic or a more comprehensive advisory engagement.

There's no need to have everything figured out before we talk.