Find where AI pays.
Prove it. Keep it current.
95% of AI pilots fail — because they automate the wrong thing. We start by finding the constraint in your business, fix it against a number we agree on before you pay, and keep it working as the AI industry changes under everyone's feet.
Fees credit forward · judgment calls stay human · works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot
Before you buy any AI, know your number.
Ask a vendor where AI fits your business and you'll get a demo. Ask us and you'll get a diagnosis: a readiness score across 7 dimensions, the two or three narrow "wedges" where AI provably pays in your operation, and the do-nothing cost in writing. Start with the $500 Snapshot — about 3 business days. Go Strategic ($5–10K) when the stakes justify a boardroom-grade roadmap. Either way, the fee credits forward.
See the AssessmentThe 4th wave is yours.
Our founder rode three waves of technology — building out the early internet, putting components into fighter jets and satellites for the defense primes, and eleven years protecting Fortune 500 companies in cybersecurity.
AI is the fourth wave — and it's the first one where a small business can move faster than the big guys. That's why Stratum 137 exists.
- 1 Internet
- 2 Defense Tech
- 3 Cybersecurity
- 4 AI — yours
We find the constraint. Then we fix it.
Stratum 137 is an AI diagnosis and deployment firm for small businesses. We don't sell software, and we don't sell hype — we find where AI provably pays in your operation, build exactly that with a number attached, and stay accountable for it month after month.
Why Stratum 137
Stratum 137 sits where the deepest forces of nature meet the structure that makes them useful. Our name joins the two: 137, the fine-structure constant — the mysterious number that governs how light and matter interact, woven invisibly through the entire universe — and Stratum, the layer, the way every durable thing is built. AI and quantum computing are rewriting what's possible faster than almost anyone can follow, and for most business owners that frontier feels like all signal and no map. We turn it into layers you can build on: we assess where these technologies actually fit your business, then construct the systems — one solid stratum at a time — that carry you forward. The future is arriving in a rush of light. We help you give it structure.
Founded by David Jones — 30 years in enterprise sales, now building practical AI systems for the businesses that actually run on phone calls, follow-up, and trust.
Diagnose. Fix. Keep it current.
AI Business Assessment
Know exactly where AI pays for itself — before you spend real money.
- $500 Snapshot — readiness score, top 3 plays, 90-day plan, ~3 business days
- $5–10K Strategic — adds competitor audit, market roadmap, full financial model
- The 2–4 wedges where AI provably pays, quantified from your own numbers
- Honest — if AI isn't worth it for you yet, the report says so
Fees credit forward when you continue. Yours to keep either way.
Wedge Sprints
Fixed-scope builds with the success number agreed before you pay.
- Document completeness · intake triage · re-keying · follow-up · onboarding
- KPI agreed before payment — baseline measured, target in writing
- Live in weeks; operator manual + staff training included
- 30/60/90-day results, measured against baseline
We never automate a judgment call — your people keep every decision.
Fractional AI Officer
The AI industry changes weekly. That becomes our problem, not yours.
- Monthly win report — what your AI returned, baseline vs. actual
- Platform watch — systems re-pointed when the ground shifts
- AI policy, governance, and spend kept current
- Quarterly re-assessment + priority builds
Follows the assessment; assessment fee credits toward the first quarter.
Need something no product does — or just an hour of straight answers?
An AI-scored federal opportunity platform. A bid tracker watching fourteen municipal portals. Client websites with an interactive lighting visualizer built in. And when what you need first is direction, not software: a paid strategy session with David — your agenda, honest answers, written recap, credited if you continue.
Custom Work & Advisory
The risk sits on our side of the table.
We're a young firm by design — so the offer carries the risk, not you. Every engagement stands on four promises:
The number comes first
Every build gets a KPI agreed in writing before you pay — and 30/60/90-day reports against the baseline. Renewals get earned with numbers, not stories.
Low commitment to start
$300 buys an advisory session; $500 buys the Snapshot. Both credit forward in full. No big contract, no lock-in, no leap of faith.
Judgment stays human
We never automate pricing, diagnosis, or approvals. The machine checks objective rules; your people keep every call a customer would call "your judgment."
You own everything
Systems run on your accounts, documented, with an operator manual your team can use. Your business knowledge lives in files you own — portable across AI platforms.
Built by David Jones — 30 years in enterprise sales, now building the systems service businesses actually run on.
The ladder — every rung stands on its own.
Snapshot — $500
Readiness score, your top 3 plays, and the 90-day plan. About 3 business days. The fee credits forward.
Go Strategic — when it's warranted
The full 55–65 page roadmap: competitor audit, market trajectory, financial model. For decisions with real money behind them.
Sprint the wedges
Fixed-scope builds from your roadmap, each with a KPI agreed before payment. Live in weeks, measured for 90 days.
Fill the officer seat
The Fractional AI Officer keeps it all current, governed, and provably paying — month after month, as the industry moves.
Built for small businesses.
If your business runs on email, appointments, follow-up, and paperwork, the assessment will find wedges in it — service business or not. These are the operations we know best:
Home Services
HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, landscaping, pest control
Healthcare & Dental
Dental practices, medical offices, mental health providers
Legal & Accounting
Law firms, CPAs, bookkeepers, consultants
Construction & Remodel
General contractors, remodeling, flooring, painting
Manufacturing & Distribution
Machine shops, fabricators, makers, wholesale distributors
Real Estate & Property
Agents, brokers, property managers, title & escrow
Field & Inspection Services
Inspection, testing, verification, and field-service firms
Fitness & Personal Care
Gyms, studios, salons, spas, med-spas
Retail & E-Commerce
Shops, showrooms, online stores, specialty products
Defense-Supply Manufacturers →
Precision suppliers: AI adoption that respects your CMMC boundary. Dedicated page.
Honest, in writing.
The assessment tells you the truth even when the truth is "AI isn't worth it for you yet." Every build carries a KPI agreed before you pay, measured at 30, 60, and 90 days — and if the numbers miss, we work it until they don't. Fees credit forward at every rung of the ladder.
Straight answers, before you spend a dollar.
How much does the assessment cost, and what do I get?
Two tiers. The $500 Snapshot: a readiness score across 7 dimensions, a scan of your digital presence, your top 3 AI plays, and a 90-day plan — in about 3 business days. The Strategic Assessment ($5,000–$10,000): a 55–65 page boardroom-grade report adding a full competitor audit, where your market is headed, and a complete financial model — in 2–3 weeks. Both credit forward if you continue with us.
We tried AI already and it fizzled. Why would this go differently?
Because roughly 95% of AI pilots fail — and almost always for the same reason: they automated the wrong thing. Nobody found the constraint first. That's exactly what the assessment does: it finds the two or three narrow wedges where AI provably pays in your operation, and skips everything else. The Snapshot will tell you why your last attempt stalled.
What's a Fractional AI Officer, and why would I need one?
The AI platforms ship major changes monthly — features get absorbed, prices shift, better paths open. Big companies hire a Chief AI Officer to manage that. The fractional seat gives you the same coverage from $1,500/month: a monthly report proving what your AI returned, your AI policy and governance kept current, vendor changes handled, spend reviewed, and a quarterly re-assessment. The industry's churn becomes our problem instead of yours.
Will this replace my people?
No — and we put that in writing. We never automate a judgment call: pricing, diagnosis, approvals, anything a customer would call "your judgment" stays human. The machine only checks objective rules — is the packet complete, did the lead get answered, do the two systems match. Your people get their hours back for the work that actually needs them.
Can I just pay for an hour of advice first?
Yes. The AI Strategy Session is $300 for 75 minutes on your agenda — what to buy, what to skip, whether a vendor pitch is real — with a written recap after. It's paid so you get the honest version, not a sales call, and it credits in full toward a Snapshot or Assessment within 30 days. There's also a $500/month advisory retainer if you want a standing sounding board.
Which AI platform do you work with — and what about the "memory" they all have now?
All of them: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot. We're platform-agnostic on purpose — the plan fits the stack you already pay for. And built-in memory is real now, but it's vendor-locked and invisible. Your business knowledge — customers, pricing, voice, process — goes into governed files you own, portable across platforms, auditable, and correctable. That's the difference between an assistant with impressions and an operation with a manual.
Ready to know your number?
Start with the $500 Snapshot — three business days to your readiness score, your wedges, and your 90-day plan. Or book a $300 strategy session and just talk it through first.
Start the Snapshot