Hi, I’m Marika
I help small businesses get their operations and online presence working together.
I also really like travel, forests, mountains, and cats.
I didn't plan on becoming an operations consultant and web designer. But after 17 years of international work, including 15 years at USAID managing development programs worth up to $250M across four continents, I got really good at one thing: walking into complex situations and building systems that work.
Now I do the same thing for small businesses.
I started Marika Olson Consulting because I kept meeting founders who were incredible at their craft but drowning in the operational side. Their websites didn't reflect the quality of their work. Their client processes were held together with good intentions and Gmail. They knew something had to change but couldn't step back far enough to see what.
I can see what. That's the skill. Fifteen years of managing programs in some of the hardest operating environments on earth taught me how to find the signal in the noise, build systems that survive contact with reality, and keep things running when the plan inevitably changes.
I bring that same thinking to your business. Smaller scale, same rigor, same care. Whether you're growing it, getting it ready to sell, or just trying to take a vacation without everything catching fire.
How I think About The Work
I think of this work as a practice, not a service. That might sound like semantics, but it changes everything.
A service is something you buy, use, and you're done. A practice is something you tend. It evolves. It responds to what's actually happening instead of what you planned six months ago. It values steady progress over dramatic overhaul.
I named my approach after a Japanese word, komorebi (木漏れ日), which describes the dappled light that filters through tree leaves. It's about finding clarity through complexity. About noticing what's already working and building from there. About accepting that some things will be messy, and that's fine, because the goal was never perfection. The goal is a business that works and a life that has room to breathe.
That philosophy shapes everything I do. When I audit your operations, I'm not looking for what's wrong. I'm looking for what's real. When I build your website, I'm not chasing trends. I'm building something that tells the truth about who you are.
Who I work with
I work with small business owners and founders, typically teams of 1-15 people. Service-based businesses, e-commerce brands, consultancies, retail shops. The industry matters less than the attitude: you care about doing good work, you're honest about where things stand, and you're ready to build something that lasts. Most of my clients share a few things in common: - They've outgrown their current setup and know it. - They're spending too much time on the backend and not enough on the work itself. - They're thinking about what happens next — whether that's growth, a partner, or an eventual exit. - They want a partner, not a vendor. - They value clarity over flash. If that sounds like you, we should talk.
My Background
15 years at USAID managing international development programs
2 years in the Peace Corps
Portfolio management up to $250M across four continents
Program design, monitoring and evaluation, operational systems
Experience across sectors: economic growth & diversification, access to finance, agriculture, renewable energy, workforce development, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation & mitigation, tourism & hospitality, artisanal production.
Country experience spanning Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America
I bring all of this to the table when we work together. Not because your small business is the same as a USAID program in sub-Saharan Africa, but because the fundamentals are the same: understand the context, build systems that fit, keep adjusting, and never assume the plan will survive contact with reality unchanged.
Outside the Work
I live in Hoodsport, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. My office looks out at trees, and on a good day all I hear is the wind in them. I share the cabin with three cats who have strong opinions about my meeting schedule.
When I'm not working, I'm hiking, designing logic puzzles, solving immersive puzzle boxes, or trying to convince myself that the garden will survive the deer this year…
Let’s Work Together
Now that you know my story, let’s work together to build the next chapter in ours. Book a free, 30-minute call. No pitch, no obligation. We’ll talk about your business and figure out if there’s a good fit for my practice.
I had been struggling with website development for over a year until I met Marika Olson Consulting. She had me up and running within a week. I highly recommend her.
— Cari Hug, Jersey Girl Soap LLC
Selected Credentials
Selected credentials reflecting formal training in systems analysis, organizational design, and implementation.
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IBM Business Analyst
IBM Generative AI for Business Analysis
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COR/AOR II (Contracting/Agreements Officer Representative)
Federal Project Manager - Since 2008
Google Project Management
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Native English speaker
Proficient in French (FSI 3/3)
Basic Hausa (FSI 2+/1)
Sectors I’ve Supported