An AI strategy consultant who sits on your side of the table.
Readiness assessment, prioritized roadmap, vendor evaluation, and governance — strategy first, software second.
Most AI spending fails before the first line of code — at the strategy layer, where the wrong problem gets picked, the wrong vendor gets trusted, and nobody owns the outcome. That layer is what I work on.
I've led 100+ AI implementations, so the advice comes from shipped systems, not analyst reports. And because I don't resell software, the recommendation you get is the one I'd act on with my own money. When you need ongoing executive ownership rather than an engagement, that's the Fractional Chief AI Officer retainer.
Four questions, answered in writing.
Readiness assessment
Where AI can actually cut cost or add revenue in your business — and where your data, processes, and team aren't ready yet. An honest baseline before any tool gets bought.
How I assess readinessPrioritized roadmap
A sequenced plan that starts with the highest-ROI, lowest-risk initiatives and compounds from there. Every item has an owner, a cost, and a measurable outcome.
My roadmap methodVendor evaluation
Vendor-neutral scoring of the proposals on your desk. I don't resell software and I don't take referral fees — the recommendation is the product.
The evaluation frameworkGovernance & risk
A right-sized AI policy for how your team uses these tools today — data handling, review, accountability — before shadow AI use becomes a liability.
Governance for SMBsBuilt for operators, not enterprises.
$1M–$30M revenue companies facing AI decisions too consequential to wing and too small to justify Big Four consulting rates.
Leaders refereeing vendor proposals who need an independent expert to score what's on the table.
Teams already using AI ad hoc that need a policy and a plan before scattered experiments harden into risk.
- What does an AI strategy consultant actually do?
- An AI strategy consultant tells you where AI will pay off in your specific business, in what order, with which vendors, and under what guardrails — before you spend on implementation. Concretely: a readiness assessment, a prioritized roadmap with ROI targets, vendor-neutral evaluation of proposals, and a governance policy your team will actually follow.
- How much does AI strategy consulting cost?
- My engagements start with a $750 Strategy Intensive — a 90-minute working session on your highest-stakes AI decision, with a written assessment delivered within 24 hours. Ongoing advisory runs through the Fractional Chief AI Officer retainer at $7,500/month. Market rates for comparable senior-level AI advisory typically run $200–$500/hour or $5,000–$30,000/month.
- How is this different from hiring an AI implementation agency?
- An implementation agency is paid to build — which makes 'what should we build?' a question they can't answer neutrally. Strategy advisory sits on your side of the table: I help you decide what's worth building and who should build it. When clients need execution, my agency AutomateNexus can take it on, but the strategy work stands alone and the recommendation is never contingent on it.
- Do I need an AI strategy before buying any tools?
- For a single low-risk tool, no — just try it. You need strategy when the decisions start compounding: multiple vendors pitching, teams adopting tools ad hoc, budget requests you can't referee, or an AI line item the board is asking about. That's the point where a wrong sequence costs six figures.
- What do I walk away with?
- Written deliverables, not slideware: an assessment of where you stand, a sequenced roadmap with owners and ROI targets, scored vendor evaluations, and a governance policy. From the Strategy Intensive specifically, a written assessment of the decision we worked through — in your hands within 24 hours.
One decision, worked through properly.
The Strategy Intensive is the front door: 90 minutes on your highest-stakes AI decision, written assessment within 24 hours, fully credited toward the retainer if we continue.