AI discovery & readiness audit

The problem I keep seeing

Most organisations approach AI the wrong way round. They start with tools - which LLM, which platform, which vendor - and work backwards to a use case. That’s like choosing the kitchen equipment before you’ve decided what restaurant you’re opening.

The real question isn’t “which AI should we use?” It’s “what does our operating model look like when the cost of producing content, analysis, and communication approaches zero?”

That’s a structural question, not a technology one. And it’s the one I help answer.

What I actually do

I work with SME founders, agency MDs, and enterprise boards to integrate AI into their operations in a way that’s sustainable, governed, and commercially useful.

Discovery & audit - I start by mapping where AI can genuinely add value across your content, production, and operational workflows. This is a specific look at your business rather than a generic maturity assessment.

Operating model design - Once we know where the opportunities are, I help restructure roles, workflows, and decision-making to take advantage of them. This usually means some jobs change shape. I help you navigate that.

Governance & ethics - The real commercial advantage in AI will come from organisations that build proper governance early. I help establish AI policies, accountability structures, and risk frameworks that scale.

Vendor & tool selection - I’m agnostic on tools. I’ll recommend whatever works best for your specific situation rather than what’s trending on LinkedIn this week.

Implementation support - I don’t just hand over a strategy deck and disappear. I stay involved through implementation, adjusting as we learn what actually works in your context.

Who this is for

• SME founders who know AI matters but don’t know where to start (or have started and it’s gone sideways)
• Agency MDs facing client pressure to integrate AI without cannibalising existing services
• Enterprise boards who need a strategic framework instead of another pilot that goes nowhere
• In-house teams building AI capability for the first time

What you won’t get from me

I don’t sell software licences. I don’t have affiliate deals with AI vendors. I don’t run “prompt engineering workshops” and call it strategy.

I also won’t tell you AI can do everything. There are things it’s genuinely bad at, and I’ll be direct about where the limits are.

Common questions

How long does a typical engagement last? Discovery audits are usually 4-6 weeks. Operating model work is typically 3-6 months. Ongoing advisory is open-ended - I work on a retained basis with a guaranteed number of days per month.

Do you work with specific AI platforms? I’m platform-agnostic. I work with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, open-source models - whatever fits your needs. The strategy comes first and the tool follows.

What size of organisation do you work with? From 10-person SMEs to enterprise teams of 500+. The approach scales - the principles are the same, the complexity of implementation varies.

We’ve already started with AI and it’s not working. Can you help? Yes - and this is increasingly common. Most AI pilots fail not because of technology but because nobody translated the capability into operational change. I help diagnose what went wrong and restructure the approach.