Who We Are
I launched The ExtraOrdinary Standard as a working partner for the people executing their ideas and building real businesses across the South: founders, makers, and operators at every stage of growth. Most of our day-to-day work today is in The Garage, where we help small operating businesses build, from feasibility analysis, web build, or AI integration, without the overhead. Our Spark, Foundation, and Maker Partnerships programs exist alongside The Garage for founders and makers earlier in the journey: feasibility through first paying customer. Every engagement is curated one-on-one. We never run cohorts. My background is working directly with operators and founders, learning the rhythm of their businesses. We do not promise 10x growth. We do not believe every business should scale. We do believe in betting on people and their ideas, building one customer, one product, and one good decision at a time.
Evan Strickland, Founder
What we believe
We don't take venture capital, we don't promise 10x growth, and we don't believe every business should scale. Instead, we bet on AI-resistant categories like food, shelter, entertainment, identity, and craft, the fundamental components of a real economy.
How we use AI
We use AI extensively in our research, financial modeling, and operations work — that is how we deliver enterprise-grade analysis at small-business prices; we don't sell AI hype and we don't run AI-everything, we use it where it earns its place.
Where we are based
We are based in the Southeast United States and do our best work with founders who share that grounded, regional, real-economy mindset.