Connect All at the
Jacobs Center
Entrepreneur in Residence · Southeast San Diego
25+
Business owners served
Fast Company
World Changing Ideas Nominee
2 Mentors
UGG Founder & Pictionary Creator
SE San Diego
Maresa's home community
The Story
Going Back to Where It All Started
Southeast San Diego is where Maresa Friedman grew up. It is also one of California's most underserved entrepreneurial ecosystems — a community rich with ambition but historically cut off from the networks, capital, and strategic guidance that founders in other zip codes take for granted.
When the Jacobs Center invited Maresa to serve as Entrepreneur in Residence for their Connect All program, she said yes immediately. This wasn't just a consulting engagement — it was personal. She came back with everything she had built: her frameworks, her network, and her belief that access to world-class strategy should not be determined by geography.
"I went back to where I came from — and brought everything I'd built with me."
— Maresa Friedman, Entrepreneur in Residence
The Challenge
Free Programs Have a Commitment Problem
When something costs nothing, showing up becomes optional. The Connect All program had the right mission — but without a structured accountability model, founders weren't doing the foundational work needed to make 1-on-1 coaching meaningful.
Low Attendance
Free access created low perceived value, leading to inconsistent participation and missed sessions.
No Foundation
Founders arrived at 1-on-1 sessions without having done the baseline work, making coaching inefficient.
Shallow Outcomes
Without accountability checkpoints, progress stalled and the program's potential impact was unrealized.
The Solution
A Layered Accountability Model That Actually Worked
Maresa redesigned the program's engagement structure from the ground up. Rather than offering open access to 1-on-1 coaching, she created a milestone-based progression: founders had to complete foundational steps before they could unlock direct access to her time. This ensured every conversation was high-leverage — and that every business owner had done the work to make it count.
The model also created natural accountability within the cohort. Founders who completed milestones faster became informal leaders, raising the standard for everyone around them.
Complete Foundational Milestones
Business owners completed structured baseline work on their offers, systems, and online presence before advancing.
Attend Group Sessions
Cohort-based learning built community accountability and surfaced shared challenges across the group.
Earn 1-on-1 Access
Only founders who completed the prerequisites unlocked direct coaching time with Maresa — making every session high-value.
Access the Mentor Network
Top performers gained access to Maresa's personal network of mentors, including the founders of UGG and Pictionary.
Implement, Measure, Grow
Data analytics coaching helped founders track their online presence growth and lead generation in real time.
The Mentor Network
World-Class Mentors for an Underserved Community
Maresa didn't just teach strategy — she opened doors. She leveraged her own client network to bring in mentors who had built iconic global brands, giving Connect All founders access they would never have had otherwise.
Brian Smith
Founder of UGG
Brian Smith founded UGG in 1978 and built it into one of the most recognized footwear brands in the world — a $1B+ global business that started with a single product and an unconventional vision. As a Maresa client, he joined the Connect All mentor network to share his story directly with Southeast San Diego founders.
Rob Angel
Creator of Pictionary
Rob Angel invented Pictionary in 1985 and turned it into one of the best-selling board games in history — a masterclass in product-market fit, licensing, and brand building. His participation in the Connect All mentor network gave founders a rare window into what it takes to build something that lasts.
Outcomes
What the Program Delivered
25+
Business owners served
Founders across Southeast San Diego completed the program and received direct strategic coaching.
↑ Leads
Lead generation growth
Participating businesses saw measurable increases in inbound leads through improved positioning and digital presence.
↑ Online
Digital presence improved
Data analytics coaching helped founders track and grow their visibility across all major digital platforms.
Strategic PR
Media strategy implemented
Select businesses received PR strategy and media positioning as part of their growth plan.
Offer Clarity
Offers and systems refined
Every founder left with a clearer offer, stronger systems, and a defined path to sustainable growth.
Fast Company
World Changing Ideas Nominee
The program was nominated for one of the most prestigious recognitions in social impact entrepreneurship.
Recognition
Fast Company World Changing Ideas Nominee
The Connect All program at the Jacobs Center was nominated for Fast Company's World Changing Ideas — one of the most prestigious recognitions in social impact and entrepreneurship. The nomination validated what the Southeast San Diego community already knew: this program was genuinely transformational.
Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Awards recognize businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged in creating a more just, more equitable, and more sustainable future. Being nominated placed Connect All among the most impactful entrepreneurship programs in the country.
Fast Company
World Changing Ideas
Nominee · Connect All / Jacobs Center
Recognizing the most impactful entrepreneurship programs creating a more just and equitable future.
Why It Matters
Strategy Shouldn't Be a Zip Code Privilege
The founders in Southeast San Diego have the same ambition, the same work ethic, and the same potential as founders anywhere else. What they have historically lacked is access — to networks, to mentors, to the kind of strategic thinking that turns a good idea into a scalable business.
Maresa's work at the Jacobs Center was a direct investment in closing that gap. By bringing the founders of UGG and Pictionary into the room — and by designing a program that demanded real commitment before delivering real access — she created something that most community programs never achieve: lasting, measurable change.
Work With Maresa
Ready to Build Something That Matters?
Maresa works with founders, executives, and organizations who want strategy that actually moves the needle — whether that's a Fortune 100 advisory engagement, a community program, or a fractional CSO retainer.