Services ยท Tempe, AZ
Fractional AI Advisor in Tempe, AZ
Home to Arizona State University, with a young workforce, an active startup scene, and established employers built around that talent pipeline.
The Tempe landscape
You've been told to "experiment with AI," so you have: a chatbot pilot here, an automation tool there, a subscription finance never asked for. None of it is tied to a plan, and MIT found that 95% of corporate AI projects like this return nothing. The tools aren't the problem. The absence of business judgment pointing them is.
Tempe's economy is shaped by Arizona State University: a young, high-turnover workforce, an active startup and small-business scene, and established employers that draw on that talent pipeline. Companies here often move fast and experiment constantly, which produces a lot of activity but rarely a coherent strategy behind it. The gap is usually leadership, not effort: someone senior enough to turn constant experimentation into a plan that compounds instead of resetting every quarter.
Common symptoms
- AI initiatives exist in pockets, marketing, ops, support, with no one connecting them to a strategy
- Leadership feels pressure to "do something with AI" without a clear read on where it actually pays off
- Tools get purchased before the problem they're solving is fully understood
- No one senior enough is accountable for whether AI spend produces a return
- The business relies on hype and vendor pitches instead of operating experience
What's included
What this engagement covers.
Business-wide AI opportunity mapping
A full read of your business, finance, operations, marketing, sales, HR, to find the one or two places AI can actually move profit, instead of a scattershot pilot with no plan behind it.
Practical implementation, not slide decks
I put the tools to work myself and stay until they're earning their keep. You get an operator in the work, not a strategy deck and a goodbye.
Measurable return, not hype
Clear before-and-after numbers on cost, time, and output, so you know exactly what AI is worth to the business, not just that it's "in use."
How it works
The engagement, step by step.
- 01
Start with a full read of your business, finance, operations, marketing, sales, HR, to find where AI can actually move profit.
- 02
Get a focused starting point and a plan within the first weeks, not a 40-page roadmap.
- 03
I put the tools to work directly and prove the return before we expand further.
- 04
Scale to the next highest-payoff area once the first one is earning its keep.
Outcomes
What changes for your Tempe business.
- AI pointed at the part of the business where it actually pays off
- A senior operator doing the work, not just advising from the sidelines
- Proof of return before further investment, not another pilot that quietly dies
- Judgment across the whole business, not a single-function view of what AI should touch
- No more spend on tools chosen by hype instead of fit
Who it's for
- Companies generating $5M to $50M in annual revenue
- Leadership teams that know AI matters but don't know where to point it first
- Businesses that have already tried a pilot or two without seeing a return
- Owners who want an operator doing the work, not a slide deck and a consultant who disappears
Who it's not for
- Very early-stage businesses without existing operations to apply AI to
- Companies looking for a pure technologist to build custom software, not senior business judgment
FAQ
Common questions.
What types of Tempe businesses are a good fit?
Established Tempe businesses, usually $5M to $50M in revenue, that already run significant activity but need senior leadership to turn that activity into a consistent, accountable strategy.
How is this different from a Fractional CMO or Fractional Marketing Director?
Those two are marketing-specific. A Fractional AI Advisor engagement looks across the whole business, finance, operations, marketing, sales, HR, to find where AI belongs, not just inside the marketing function.
How is this different from hiring an AI consultant or technologist?
A technologist tells you what's technically possible. I bring the business judgment to decide what's actually worth doing, then put it to work and prove the return, not just the technical build.
Do I need to already have AI initiatives underway?
No. Most clients start here because they don't know where to begin, or already tried something that didn't return anything.
What size company is this built for?
Established businesses generating $5M to $50M in annual revenue with real operations to apply AI to.
Can this convert to a full-time hire or a different engagement later?
Yes. Many clients start here, then bring me on for broader Fractional CMO or Marketing Director leadership once the AI work proves out, or vice versa.