For multi-unit franchises, multi-location retail, and DTC operators
You run 5-7 vendor stacks that do not coordinate. The board wants the AI strategy. Pick the orchestration shape, not another tool.
Three-tier engagement ladder: $10k AI Readiness Assessment (2-3 weeks) · $25-50k AI Swarm Setup Sprint (4-8 weeks) · $15-25k/month Fractional CMO with AI Swarm (6-month minimum, 1-2 days/week embedded). Operator-grade, not pattern-matched-to-demos. Built by an operator who sits inside a multi-location specialty retailer day to day.
The recurring scene
Six vendor pitches on the calendar. The board wants the AI strategy by end of quarter. The wrong-shape vendor signature is structurally expensive.
The CEO or board asked “what is our AI strategy” in Q3. The CMO or CTO has scheduled six vendor pitches over the next six weeks. Each vendor will pitch orchestration language. Each will deliver a tool. The buyer cannot articulate the difference between the two shapes — not because they are unsophisticated but because the buyer-side procurement language has not caught up to the architectural reality.
The wrong-shape signature is $80-300k a year for a vendor stack that does not coordinate. The right shape is something else entirely. The Tier 1 diagnostic surfaces which shape your operation actually needs before the vendor that lever- hunts on your behalf signs you to the wrong-shape contract.
Three ways to engage
Enter the practice at the tier that matches your readiness
Each tier funnels naturally to the next. None requires the next. We will tell you up front which tier fits.
Tier 1 · Diagnostic
AI Readiness Assessment
$10k · 2-3 weeks
Focused diagnostic that surfaces the 3-5 levers where AI compounds in your operation. 15-30 page written plan. Single decision at the end.
Tier 2 · Build
AI Swarm Setup Sprint
$25-50k · 4-8 weeks
Architects and deploys first 2 agents in production with 5-component orchestration wired. 30-day operating support tail. Internal team operates without us by day 30.
Tier 3 · Lead offer
Fractional CMO with AI Swarm
$15-25k/month · 6-month minimum · 1-2 days/week embedded
Embedded executive who operates the swarm, governs it, evolves it across quarters. Per-quarter shape evolution + per-incident governance decisions + board reporting cadence.
Pick your shape
Three persona landings, three vendor catalogs, three lever sequences
Each persona landing names the vendor catalog you already run and the 5 levers where the orchestration shape compounds in your vertical. Cross-linked to the brand-pillar cluster for the levers you care about.
P3 · Multi-unit franchise
50-500 units across categories
Yext + Birdeye + Podium + Meta Business Suite + Marketing 360 + FranchiseSoft. Review response at per- location scale, local content + local SEO, co-op decision support, per-location social, franchise sales pipeline.
P1 · Multi-location retail
10-300 stores, 5,000+ SKUs, 5-7 channels
Shopify Plus + Amazon Seller Central + Walmart Marketplace + Target Plus + Salsify / Productsup + PIM. Per-SKU descriptions, per-channel adaptation, inventory-aware PDP + ad-gating, per-store BOPIS + CS, returns intelligence.
P2 · DTC ecommerce
$5-50M revenue, subscription + lifecycle
Klaviyo + Shopify Plus + Triple Whale + Recharge + Postscript + Octane AI + Rebuy + Crowdin / Lokalise. Klaviyo flow architecture, attribution interpretation, subscription save flows, quiz acquisition, brand-voice- gated international translation.
Recent thinking
Architectural depth, in public
We publish the architectures we operate. Each cornerstone piece walks through one vertical or surface in production- grade depth.
Brand thesis · Orthogonal
AI Orchestration vs AI Tooling
The 4-question buyer-decision flow + 5-component orchestration shape checklist that prevents the wrong- shape $80-300k vendor signature. The meta argument the rest of the practice operationalizes.
Cornerstone · Multi-unit franchise (P3)
Franchise Local SEO with an AI Agent Orchestration Layer
Why multi-location franchise SEO is an architectural problem — and what the swarm that solves it looks like in production. Five core agents, four data layers, two-model gating, editorial governance routing, telemetry.
Cornerstone · Multi-location umbrella (P1)
Multi-Location SEO Architecture for Operators Running 50-500 Locations
The same architecture configured for the four ownership models multi-location operators run: corporate-owned chains, JV-structured operators, PE roll-up multi-brand portfolios, regulated multi-state operators. Per-vertical compliance overlay across chain restaurant FTC, healthcare HIPAA, cannabis MSO, multi-state lender.
Cornerstone · DTC subscription governance (P2)
Multi-Dimensional Threshold Routing for AI Decisions
Confidence alone is not enough. The 4-axis routing matrix (confidence × risk × scope × claim-type) above every save-flow + lifecycle + quiz AI decision. The DTC subscription governance shape that prevents the lifetime-price-lock-to-2,400-customers margin disaster.
Tactical guides
The frameworks behind the templates — for operators implementing today
Each explainer names the operator-grade framework SERP- incumbent listicles skip. Live across review management, DTC ecommerce conversion, and email lifecycle clusters.
Frequently asked
- Who is this practice for?
- Multi-unit franchise brands (50-500 units), multi-location specialty retail (10-300 stores), and DTC ecommerce operators ($5-50M revenue). The orchestration shape compounds at that scale. Below those bands, vendor solutions usually cover the surface adequately; above them, enterprise vendors and in-house engineering teams typically build custom.
- How does pricing work across the three tiers?
- Tier 1 AI Readiness Assessment is $10k, 2-3 weeks (signable at director or VP level). Tier 2 AI Swarm Setup Sprint is $25-50k, 4-8 weeks (signable at VP level). Tier 3 Fractional CMO with AI Swarm is $15-25k/month, 6-month minimum, 1-2 days per week embedded (CMO or CFO level). We scope on a 30-minute consultation and send a private engagement link after.
- How is this different from generic AI consulting?
- Generic AI consulting pattern-matches to demos because the consultant does not have operating reps. The practice principal sits inside a multi-location specialty retailer day to day — the 4-question buyer-decision flow + 5-component orchestration checklist + 4-axis governance matrix were derived from operating constraints, not framework decks. The deliverable is operator-grade architecture, not vendor recommendations.
- How fast can you start?
- Tier 1 engagements typically begin within 1-3 weeks of contract signing. Tier 2 sprints begin within 2-4 weeks. Tier 3 Fractional engagements begin within 4-6 weeks. One to two engagements run in parallel — real calendar capacity, not infinite.
Pick the shape, then pick what fills it
Start with the Tier 1 diagnostic, or bring in the fractional executive. Either way, 30-minute consultation first.
Cal.com instant booking on either page. Same person reads every submission, replies within one business day.