StrategistDoctorate-level rigor
A Doctorate, Master’s, and Bachelor’s in Clinical Psychology, with coursework in law and business — a foundation for sharp critical thinking applied to growth.
Piedmont Avenue · San Francisco
Marketing & business consulting in San Francisco.
37.7749° N, 122.4194° W · San Francisco, CA
From SoMa startups to Mission restaurants and Financial District firms, Piedmont Avenue Consulting helps San Francisco owners cut through a crowded, fast-moving market — with strategy that generates clients, not just impressions.
Strategy that wins clients — predictably
20+
Years starting, growing & expanding firms
200+
Businesses advised
100+
Workshops & keynotes delivered
7+
Companies founded & co-founded
Quick answer
Piedmont Avenue Consulting is a San Francisco marketing and business consulting firm led by David Mitroff, Ph.D. We help SF startups, restaurants and hospitality groups, and professional-service firms generate qualified leads, sharpen brand and reputation, and turn customers into loyal advocates.
Why San Francisco
Cut through a crowded San Francisco market.
San Francisco rewards speed and clarity. In a city dense with startups, agencies, and venture-backed competitors, the businesses that win are the ones with sharp positioning and a repeatable way to reach the right buyers. We've worked across the SF landscape — from Hayes Valley storefronts to SoMa software teams — and David has shared these strategies on stage at Yelp's San Francisco headquarters.
Our approach blends brand, digital, and referral systems with hands-on operations help, so growth is durable rather than dependent on a single channel. SF restaurants and hospitality groups often pair location strategy with our restaurant marketing and public relations work to stand out across the Bay.
What we do
Marketing services for San Francisco businesses.
Senior strategy and hands-on implementation across the channels that actually move revenue — built around your goals, not a one-size template.
Brand awareness
Sharpen positioning, identity, and reputation so the right clients recognize and remember you.
Explore →Lead generation
Predictable pipelines from search, referrals, content, and social — not one-off campaigns.
Explore →Customer loyalty
Turn first-time clients into repeat business and referrals with retention systems that compound.
Explore →Public relations
Real media relationships and earned coverage — placement, not press-release blasts.
Explore →Event marketing
Use events, workshops, and partnerships to build pipeline, authority, and community.
Explore →Business consulting
Strategy, operations, and growth planning for owners who want to scale with confidence.
Explore →
Who we help
Industries we serve in San Francisco.
Areas served across San Francisco
SoMaFinancial DistrictMissionHayes ValleyMarinaUnion SquareNorth BeachNob HillCastroPacific Heights
Watch
See David in action.
Keynotes, panels, and on-camera appearances — a sampler of the strategy San Francisco clients get.
Growing Your Brand, Fast — Yelp HQ San Francisco
David Mitroff, Ph.D. on NBC News
Business Keynote Speaker
Leveraging Technology for Brand Building
Your consultant
Meet David Mitroff, Ph.D.
For more than 20 years, David has helped start, grow, and expand businesses — from solo owners to international firms. He founded Piedmont Avenue Consulting, Inc. and is an Instructor at University of California, Berkeley and recognized by TEDx, and a mentor for Google for Startups.
Media ExpertFeatured nationwide
A go-to business and marketing expert featured by NBC, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, and many more national and regional outlets.
Keynote SpeakerOn stages worldwide
A 2× TEDx speaker who has delivered keynotes across the U.S. and internationally — from Berlin and Barcelona to Dubai and Bangalore.
Founder & MentorBuilt businesses, not just plans
Founder and co-founder of 7+ companies and a mentor to founders — David has lived the operating challenges San Francisco owners face.
Trust & recognition
Trusted by businesses — and featured by national media.
As featured in
Questions
San Francisco consulting FAQs.
Do you work with San Francisco startups?
Yes. We help early- and growth-stage SF companies build brand, generate demand, and stand up repeatable marketing systems. The goal is to reduce reliance on any single founder doing everything by hand and to make marketing measurable. David has shared these approaches on stage at Yelp's San Francisco headquarters. Whether you are pre-launch or scaling, we tailor the plan to your runway and goals.
Can you help San Francisco restaurants and bars?
Absolutely; restaurant and hospitality strategy is a core specialty. We work on concept and brand, local visibility, events, reviews, and customer-loyalty systems that bring guests back. SF is a crowded dining market, so we focus on what makes your spot genuinely different and easy to find. Many restaurants pair this with our broader restaurant marketing and public relations work.
Do you offer in-person consulting in San Francisco?
Yes. We meet SF clients on-site and over video, and our headquarters is just across the Bay in Oakland, so in-person sessions are easy to arrange. Many engagements blend on-site workshops with remote execution between meetings. That keeps senior strategy hands-on without the overhead of a full agency on retainer.
Which San Francisco industries do you specialize in?
Tech and startups, restaurants and hospitality, law firms, hotels, professional services, and retail or DTC brands. We are equally comfortable with consumer brands that live and die by reviews and B2B firms that win through reputation and referrals. The common thread is helping you stand out in one of the most competitive markets in the country. If your niche is not listed, a quick call will confirm whether we are a fit.
How quickly can we expect results?
It depends on your starting point, market, and the channels involved, so we avoid one-size promises. Early wins like sharper positioning and improved local visibility can appear quickly, while compounding channels such as content and referrals build over months. We set clear milestones up front so progress is visible at each stage. Our focus is durable growth rather than short-lived spikes.
What makes Piedmont Avenue different from an agency?
You work directly with David Mitroff, Ph.D. and a senior team, not a rotating cast of junior account managers. We combine brand, digital, PR, and operations rather than selling a single channel. Because we have founded and grown companies ourselves, the advice is grounded in operating reality. The result is strategy you can actually implement.
Get started
Ready to grow your San Francisco business?
Book a free consultation call. We’ll talk through your goals and challenges and show how to win clients predictably, build your brand, and keep customers coming back.
