The Engagement
Solve a defined problem with a defined outcome.
Strategic work that ships a result, not a slide deck.
Your company has a gap. Maybe the product has stalled. Maybe there's a market opportunity you can't figure out how to capture. Maybe the AI strategy needs to be more than a boardroom talking point — and you need someone who's actually built AI-powered products to tell you what's real and what's theater.
An Engagement is a fixed-scope project built around a specific goal. I embed in the problem, drive the work, and deliver a result. This isn't advice from someone who reads about technology — it's hands-on strategic work from someone who designs, codes, and ships.
Investment typically ranges from $15,000 to $75,000 depending on scope and company size.
Two phases. One clear gate.
Every Engagement is structured in two phases with a decision point between them. The diagnosis is valuable on its own — you never have to commit to more than you need.
Phase 1 — Discovery
Define the real problem. Audit the existing product, data, and competitive landscape. The output is a strategic brief with findings and a recommended path forward. Typically 1–2 weeks.
You can take that brief and execute independently. Many clients do. The brief is built to stand on its own.
Phase 2 — Execution
If the findings point to a larger opportunity, I guide the team through implementation. This could include product strategy, roadmap definition, go-to-market planning, AI integration, customer validation, competitive positioning, UX redesign, or organizational design around the product function.
AI Strategy & Integration
Identify the 3–5 highest-leverage AI applications in your business and deliver a prioritized roadmap with build/buy/partner recommendations. Not "add AI to everything" — a disciplined evaluation of where AI creates real value and where it doesn't.
AI-Powered Product Build
Go beyond strategy into execution. I've built AI-powered software products and can guide your team through the architecture, UX, and implementation decisions that turn an AI concept into something that ships.
Product Strategy Sprint
A 4–6 week engagement to define positioning, roadmap, and go-to-market for a specific product — with AI capabilities evaluated as part of the strategic foundation, not bolted on as an afterthought.
Customer & Market Validation
Structured research and testing to validate — or kill — a product concept before committing engineering resources. Includes AI-accelerated research methods where appropriate.
UX & Product Design Overhaul
Deep expertise in user experience design applied to products that need to be rethought from the user's perspective — especially relevant as AI changes what interfaces can and should do.
Hospitality & Travel Product Strategy
For hotel groups, restaurant groups, travel tech companies, and hospitality SaaS — I bring operator experience (three restaurants, a wine bar, a luxury travel company) combined with deep product and AI expertise. Guest experience platforms, operational AI, multi-unit technology roadmaps, or go-to-market for hospitality tech.
Digital Transformation Roadmap
For established businesses moving into digital products or modernizing legacy systems. Clear priorities, realistic timelines, no hand-waving.
The cost of building the wrong thing dwarfs the cost of building the right strategy.
A bad product bet costs hundreds of thousands — sometimes millions. A botched AI strategy wastes a year. Entering the wrong market burns runway you can't get back. Companies are making massive AI bets right now, many of them informed by people who understand the technology but not the business, or the business but not the technology.
I understand both. Product strategy, UX design, software architecture, and AI — evaluated together, not in silos. That's what prevents the expensive mistakes.
Fixed scope. Fixed price. No open-ended billing. If scope changes, that's a transparent conversation — not a surprise invoice.
"J has helped us deliver amazing value to our customers time and time again. His ability to take nebulous concepts and drill down until they become quality products is second to none."
"For J, nothing is impossible. He knows how to get things done, even on ridiculously short notice. A great eye for small details but never forgets the high-level strategy."
"The concepts he teaches can be applied to any type of product or business idea. A clear and concise way to make sense of the chaos and build something people will actually buy."