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Laura Ward is the president and founder of Dovetail Business Advisors, Inc. She is an accomplished entrepreneur and businesswoman with 25 years experience in corporate management, mergers and acquisitions and non-profit fundraising.

Laura began her career at Hallmark Cards, Inc., where she spent 16 years in the areas of graphic arts, printing, manufacturing, quality control, procurement, marketing and merchandising. At Hallmark, she developed and implemented a key supplier program; was responsible for negotiating contracts resulting in $7 million in annual savings for the company; facilitated and implemented a strategic plan that resulted in $5 million annual savings in the Merchandising Division and was awarded Hallmark's prestigious Minority Supplier Partnership Award in recognition of her efforts to develop and grow the Minority Supplier Program.

After leaving Hallmark, Laura spent seven years in leadership roles for several non-profit organizations. In 2002, she joined a nationwide mergers & acquisitions firm as a managing director, representing sellers of privately-owned middle market companies and corporate, private equity or entrepreneurial buyers throughout the United States.

Laura's value-added services have included strategic and tactical planning, management development, facilitation, project management, business process analysis and implementation, cost containment programs, new product development, business valuations and mergers and acquisitions. This experience has given her a practical, insider's understanding of many industries and many different types of companies, both large and small.

Laura's corporate, entrepreneurial and M&A experiences provide her with the insights into the factors necessary to create value in a business.

In her online monthly column, "Breakthrough Business Strategies," she focuses on strategies for creating value in your business. Here are the most recent articles in her series: