The Strategy Room Podcast - Jim Blizzard, Founder Origamic Solutions

Meeting Purpose Record a podcast on Origamic Solutions' AI consulting approach. Key Takeaways Operational Focus: Origamic Solutions views AI as an operational tool, not a tech project. Its goal is to solve business problems (e.g., growth, competition) by improving people and processes, not just implementing software. Data Governance is Foundational: The firm's top priority is establishing Enterprise Content Management (ECM). This operational process creates a "source of truth" for unstructured data, preventing AI "hallucinations" and ensuring reliable outputs. Evolving Business Model: The firm is shifting from project-based work to advisory services, offering flexible hourly engagements (4–20 hrs/wk) to help clients define their AI roadmaps. Controlled Growth Strategy: To avoid the pitfalls of previous rapid growth, Origamic Solutions uses contractors to scale capacity without increasing fixed costs. This allows for selective hiring of full-time staff as business stabilizes. Topics The Problem: AI Adoption Challenges Primary Pain Points: Staff Fluency: Lack of clear instructions and goals for using new AI tools. Cultural Misalignment: A culture that doesn't support the experimentation and failure required for successful AI adoption. Core Principle: AI adoption must be driven by operational goals (solving problems, growth) and not by technology for its own sake. The Solution: Origamic's Operational Approach Engagement Process: Identify Pain Points: Initial conversations to understand client goals. Friction Analysis: Workshops to find operational bottlenecks. Iterative Improvement: A "one fold at a time" approach to ensure each change has a measurable impact. Key Service: Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Rationale: AI's reliance on unstructured data (documents) makes a "source of truth" critical. Approach: Establish a continuous operational process, not a one-time cleanup project. Benefit: Prevents AI "hallucinations" and ensures reliable outputs. Differentiator: Practical Experience The entire team has C-level experience running small-to-medium businesses (SMBs), providing a practical, peer-level perspective. Internal Application: "Eating Our Own Dog Food" Research Automation: Uses Claude to summarize AI market news, reducing daily research time from 2–3 hours to ~1.5 hours. AI Helper App: An upcoming Apple app for leaders with curated AI content and a bot based on the firm's practical AI framework. Custom Operating System: Built a holistic CRM-to-project-execution system in ~3 days using Claude Code to replace disparate spreadsheets and an oversized HubSpot instance. Future Vision: Controlled Growth & Advisory Services Business Model Shift: Moving from project-based work to advisory services. Rationale: Provides a lower-friction entry point for clients who need help defining their AI strategy. Structure: Flexible hourly engagements (4–20 hrs/wk) for roadmapping. Growth Strategy: Controlled and selective, using contractors to scale capacity without increasing fixed costs. Rationale: Avoids the financial risks of rapid growth experienced at a previous firm (Impact Makers). Method: Convert successful contractors to full-time staff as business stabilizes.