Lara O’Connor Hodgson, President and CEO of Now, serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Business School and is an internationally recognized speaker, leading seminars on creativity, innovation and access to capital.

Prior to Now, Lara co-founded Nourish (the manufacturing company), and Insomnia, LLC, a firm specializing in investment, development, and management of complex and innovative “world-changing” projects. Her background also includes 5 years with Dewberry Capital Corporation, an Atlanta-based commercial real estate development and investment firm, where she served as the company’s Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer.

Her product experience includes Dunk, a performance footwear and apparel manufacturing/retail company built on the concept of mass customization and founded with Shaquille O’Neal & Mike Piazza, where she served as Executive Vice President.

Lara received an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and a BS in Aerospace Engineering with highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Today, she serves as a Trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation in addition to other Boards. E&Y recognized Lara as a 2018 Finalist for the Southeast Entrepreneur of the Year.

Now was created by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs.

In 2010, we created NowAccount ® because waiting for our customers to pay their invoices was causing our business to grow out of business. Initially, we celebrated landing big contracts and getting big orders from customers, but weeks and weeks would pass before invoices would get paid. We needed working capital to pay our suppliers and our employees but our cash was tied up in our unpaid invoices. Basically we were a free bank to our customers.

Everyone told us to get a line of credit or try factoring (we call factoring the “f word”), and we thought, “Why should we have to borrow money or factor when we are the lender? There had to be a better way!”

Now there is a better way! (every pun intended). With NowAccount, businesses can get paid their actual revenue immediately without being forced to turn to risky and expensive loans or factoring.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Level Up: Rise Above the Hidden Forces Holding Your Business Back by Stacy Abrams & Lara Hodgson
Women World Leaders: Great Politicians Tell Their Stories by Laura Liswood
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https://nowcorp.com/about/lara-hodgson/

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Insight Into Entrepreneurial Successes and Failures: Lara Hodgson

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Insight Into Entrepreneurial Successes and Failures: Lara Hodgson