Jeff WahlbergIndependent AI advisory

For manufacturers & mid-sized businesses

Make your next
AI decision
a better one.

I help you find where AI belongs in your business, or check the proposal already on your desk. Independent advice before you commit.

Let's talk about your decision Explore the reviews

Start with a free 20-minute fit call. You'll work directly with me.

Your workflow, firstAI, where it earns its place

Find the bottleneck.
Then test the AI.

Where the work gets stuckAn illustrative quote process flows from request to engineering review to quote. Work queues at engineering review. This is where we ask whether AI can help. Request inQuote out Engineeringreview Work piles up here Could AI help this step?

A useful decision starts here

Will this improve the work that matters?

Real inputsReal costsA way to know it's working
Illustrative workflow. Your process and evidence shape the recommendation.
Your side of the table.30+ years in technologyHands-on production AI experienceNo software or implementation sales

Two ways to start

What's the decision
in front of you?

A focused review gives your leadership team a recommendation it can act on.

Start here if you're exploring

AI Next-Move Review

Where should we
start with AI?

You have ideas, but need a defensible first priority. We start with where your business is actually stuck.

  • Assess up to three related processes
  • Choose the strongest starting point, or wait
  • Leave with a practical 90-day next move
$1,000 fixed5 business days after complete intake

Written recommendation + 60-minute executive readout

Find our next move
What you get & what I'll need

You'll receive a written executive recommendation and a 60-minute readout. We assess business value, workflow, data, ownership, readiness, and risk, then identify the evidence or preparation needed before proceeding.

Bring up to three related processes, the business result you want, and the person who knows how the work actually runs. Your process or continuous-improvement lead joins the intake and readout where one exists.

This is a bounded review, not a company-wide strategy, exhaustive process inventory, vendor selection, legal or security review, detailed specification, or implementation.

Already have a proposal?

AI Vendor Second Opinion

Is this AI proposal
worth it?

Before you sign or expand a pilot, get an independent look at what you're buying and what still needs an answer.

  • Test the proposal against your business need
  • Understand cost, ownership, and exit risks
  • Get specific questions to take back to the vendor
$1,000 fixed5 business days after complete intake

Written recommendation + 60-minute executive readout

Get a second opinion
What you get & what I'll need

You'll receive a written executive assessment and a 60-minute readout: proceed, renegotiate, pause, or investigate further, with prioritized risks and questions to resolve.

Bring one vendor's proposal, demo materials, statement of work, or pilot plan for one decision, plus the buyer context. The review covers cost at your volume, data flow, ownership, portability, responsibilities, acceptance criteria, support, and exit.

Legal advice, contract redlining, security audits, direct vendor negotiation, competing-vendor evaluation, full specifications, implementation, project management, and ongoing support are outside this review.

Founding price for the first three clients across both reviews. Each includes a written recommendation and a 60-minute executive readout. Larger work is scoped separately.

The approach

Your team knows
where the work is stuck.
That's where we start.

Your operations people bring the process knowledge. I bring the experience of building AI systems: what they can do reliably, what they cost at real volume, and how they fail while looking right.

A project outside the bottleneck can still be worthwhile. It should be judged on its cost or quality benefit.

Here's how a review works
01 / PROCESS

Will it move
the bottleneck?

Find what limits the work. Test whether the proposed AI touches it.

02 / ECONOMICS

What will it
really cost?

Use your actual volume, including exceptions and human review.

03 / OWNERSHIP

What will
you own?

Know who controls the data and what happens if you leave.

04 / RELIABILITY

How will you
know it's working?

Define the baseline, the checks, and who responds when it fails.

From question to recommendation

A clear decision.
A manageable process.

You work directly with me throughout. Your process lead stays part of the conversation.

01

Confirm the fit

20 minutes · free

We discuss your decision, deadline, and scope. If a review isn't the right next step, I'll say so.

02

Review the evidence

5 business days after complete intake

You share the process or proposal and the context. I assess the value, costs, risks, and missing answers.

03

Decide what comes next

Written recommendation · 60-minute readout

Your leadership team gets the recommendation, the reasons behind it, and concrete next steps.

Need help beyond the review? Vendor-neutral requirements and buyer-side oversight can be scoped separately. We'll agree on the work before it begins.

Meet your advisor

I'm Jeff.
I've worked on both sides
of the proposal.

My background spans product engineering, technology sales, and hands-on AI systems. I know how proposals get written, how real processes run, and where a convincing demo can leave important questions unanswered.

Jeff Wahlberg / Independent AI advisor

The engineering perspective

Product engineering at a Fortune 500 computer maker, with training in Lean, the theory of constraints, and Six Sigma fundamentals.

The commercial perspective

Years scoping and quoting technology services. I've written the kinds of proposals you're being asked to evaluate.

The builder's perspective

I build production AI systems, including workflows that run every day. Reliability, cost, and ownership are practical questions for me.

A little more detail

Good questions.
Straight answers.

Don't see yours? Ask me directly.

What if AI isn't the right answer?

Then I'll say so. Waiting, fixing the workflow first, or using ordinary automation can be better recommendations. The review is meant to improve your decision.

Who is this a good fit for?

Manufacturing is the strongest fit. Distribution, logistics, field service, engineering, and construction companies with 60 or more employees also fit. The useful starting point is a real business decision and a team willing to share how the work runs.

Do we need an AI or technical team?

No. The most useful participant is often your operations or process lead. They know the baseline, the exceptions, and where the work gets stuck. I bring the experience of building and evaluating AI systems.

Do you sell software or build the implementation?

I don't sell software or implementation through these engagements. I work for the buyer. Detailed requirements and independent buyer-side oversight can be scoped separately; a review doesn't commit you to a larger engagement.

Can we work together remotely?

Yes. Reviews can be completed remotely. I'm based in Sioux City, Iowa, and can meet in person across the region from Kansas City to the Twin Cities and Lincoln to Des Moines, including Sioux Falls.

Agent Field Notes

Lessons from the work.

Read the newsletter

The Dangerous Bug Is the One That Passes

Read field note

I Measured My Costs Against the Wrong Customers

Read field note

I Sat Through a Demo of the Thing I'd Already Built

Read field note

Start with a conversation

What are you deciding?

Send me two or three sentences about where you're considering AI, or the proposal on your desk, and when you need to decide. I'll reply personally.

A short description is enough to start. We'll arrange how to share documents afterward.

jeff@jeffwahlberg.comRequest a free 20-minute call

Arrange by email · Meet remotely or in person

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