The Person Behind The Midnight Garden
About
Blue-collar roots. Research rigor. Psychology-first strategy. Here's who you're actually working with.
Troy Richard Carr
Founder & AEO Consultant
Troy Richard Carr is the founder of The Midnight Garden and Wisconsin's leading AI Engine Optimization consultant. Based in Waukesha, he combines Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training with hands-on application across manufacturing and operations environments, behavioral psychology expertise, and 15 years of blue-collar operations experience to help local businesses become visible to AI search engines.
I've been the guy loading the truck at 6am and the guy running the shift meeting at midnight. Both teach you things. Neither lets you hide behind jargon.
Fifteen years on floors that don't forgive mistakes. I've seen what happens when systems fail and people get hurt. That's not a metaphor. You don't unsee certain things.
I'm not the consultant who shows up with a framework and leaves you with a PDF. I've inherited broken teams, hostile environments, and impossible timelines—and walked out with systems that actually worked.
My background is weird on paper. Behavioral psychology. Lean Six Sigma Black Belt trained in real manufacturing environments. Inmate kitchens. Youth mentoring. Manufacturing supervision. It all connects: humans are complicated, systems should be simple, and most problems are behavior problems wearing a process mask.
I've reported an abuser. I've walked away from money that didn't sit right. Not for the brand—because it's who I am when nobody's watching.
If you want polished, I'm not your guy. If you want real—let's talk.
Core Philosophy
What I Believe
Troy Carr's consulting philosophy centers on truth over polish, execution over ideas, and psychology-first strategy. Every business problem is ultimately a human problem, and understanding behavior changes everything about how you solve it.
Truth Over Polish
I'd rather give you an uncomfortable truth than a comfortable lie. You can't fix what you won't acknowledge. My job is to show you reality, then help you change it.
Execution Over Ideas
Ideas are cheap. The world is full of people who know what to do but never do it. I bias toward action. Ship fast, learn fast, iterate fast.
Psychology Is Everything
Every business problem is a human problem. Customers, employees, competitors—they're all making decisions based on emotions dressed up as logic. Understanding that changes everything.
Ethics as Competitive Advantage
I've walked away from money that didn't align. I won't sell you services you don't need. In a world of hustlers and hacks, integrity is a differentiator. I intend to keep it.
Background
Where I Come From
Troy Carr's background includes Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training with hands-on application across manufacturing and operations environments, a decade of blue-collar operations in manufacturing and logistics, supervisory experience building and training teams, and daily use of AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Perplexity for client work.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Training
Process optimization, waste elimination, data-driven decision making. The framework that keeps operations tight.
Decade of Blue-Collar Operations
Manufacturing, trades, moving & logistics. Hands-on experience with the problems local businesses actually face.
Supervisory & Management Experience
Building teams, training staff, managing the chaos of real operations. I know what it takes to lead.
AI-Augmented Consulting
Force-multiplying research and execution with Claude, GPT-4, Perplexity, and Gemini. 10x the output, same attention to detail.