AI STRATEGY · CLOUD PARTNERSHIPS · AGENTIC SYSTEMS
Implement AI tools in your existing business to increase profits, improve customer retention and enhance your products through tailored audits, boutique consultation and hands-on training in implementation.
Free consultation ↗GET THE EDGE ON YOUR COMPETITORS
The term “AI” gets thrown around too loosely. Many people immediately think of LLM tools like Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini. The large language models behind them are only part of the picture. Putting AI to work can involve connecting your business data, integrating software, automating workflows and coordinating AI agents with security, testing and human oversight built in. I break that complexity down into plain language, help you identify what your business actually needs and turn it into practical systems that support revenue growth.
I define your ideal business outcome, then work backwards using a structured methodology with proven results across large enterprises.
Tell me what you want to achieve ↗Start with an in-depth AI Deep Research report on your market, customer demographics, competitors and product-market fit. Use those insights to identify opportunities to gain a competitive edge. Then monitor your business metrics, learn from the results and continually refine your approach.
Find repetitive steps and bottlenecks. Use AI to enhance your current employees’ productivity, not replace them. Greater productivity and efficiency mean more revenue.
You started your business to create something people need and do work you love. Managing your presence on Google Maps, marketing and advertising can pull your attention away from that. Let me help you build an AI system that handles routine marketing tasks and keeps your business visible, even while you sleep. You set the direction, approve the content and stay in control.
These are possible starting points. The right fit depends on your systems, information and budget.
Four stages turn the audit into action: assess, implement, train and review.
I map your current workflows, systems and pain points. Together with you, I set priorities and establish a baseline for measuring progress.
I select tools that fit your budget, define responsibilities and build the agreed workflow. Testing and human review are part of implementation.
Your employees practice with tasks from their own work. They learn how to use the tools, check results and recognize when to step in.
I review adoption and results against the baseline, identify gaps and agree on the next improvements.
Project scope, service fees and any third-party tool costs are discussed before you commit.
BUSINESS OWNER / AI BUSINESS IMPLEMENTATION ENGINEER03 / MEET THOMAS
Independent Consultant & Founder, Obsidian Echo
I believe SMEs will drive the next wave of wealth creation with AI. My focus is bringing the tools and expertise used by large enterprises within reach of smaller companies, with a budget and approach tailored to their goals.
I built my first computer with my father when I was five. My first job, at age fifteen, was as a computer information systems designer for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. At twenty-five, I founded an IT consulting firm focused on the financial services sector. My work in that sector has included Leonard Green & Partners, Redwood Capital and other investment firms.
From business ownership, I moved into sales engineering and systems integration, then commercial and partnership leadership at IBM and MongoDB, followed by vice president and advisory roles with Silicon Valley and international startups. That path has kept me close to both the technology and the business decisions behind it.
The fundamentals are familiar at every scale: connect the right systems, equip the people using them and measure what improves. Today, I help SMEs put those principles to work with AI. Same tools. Smaller budget. Tailored outcome.
Client list available upon request.
Request a free consultation ↗To me, economic empowerment means giving more people the tools to find customers, run a business and decide what comes next, successfully and on their own terms.
I understand why AI can feel intimidating. I believe the best response is practical experience: learn what it can do, see where it fails and develop the judgment to use it well.
My vision is that AI brings some of the execution capacity of a much larger organization within reach of an individual owner or small team. It opens possibilities without making every task suitable for automation.
AI needs direction and oversight. People decide what matters, protect business and customer information, check the output and take responsibility for the result.
“Shit in, shit out.”
I say this because the quality of the answer follows the quality of the prompt. The more detail and context you give an AI model, the better the result. Give it a bad prompt and you get a bad answer.
THOMAS BURLINGIndependent Consultant & Founder, Obsidian Echo
Your free consultation is directly with Thomas Burling.
Tell me about your business and what you want to achieve. I’ll review your request and follow up to arrange a conversation.
thomas@obsidianecho.com