How I Turned AI Into ROI: Building WADL
When I founded WADL in 2024, I made every mistake you can make with an AI startup. Here's how I fixed it—and what I learned about turning AI into actual business value.
The Original Mistake
"We do AI consulting" is not a value proposition. It's vague, forgettable, and forces clients to figure out what you're actually useful for. Every AI consultancy says the same thing.
I needed to be specific. Not "we can do anything with AI," but "here's exactly what we solve."
The Pivot: Fractional Chief AI Officer
The breakthrough came from a simple question: what would a Chief AI Officer do?
- Understand where AI creates value (strategy)
- Build the right solutions (implementation)
- Manage deployment and results (execution)
Most SMBs can't hire a full-time Chief AI Officer. But they need one. That's the gap WADL fills.
Building the Product Stack
Once the positioning was clear, the product architecture followed naturally:
1. Monitoring Agent
Watches client systems and data for opportunities where AI can improve efficiency or revenue.
2. Escalation Agent
When something needs human attention, it surfaces the right information to the right person at the right time.
3. Dashboard
Built with Next.js 14 and Supabase. Real-time visibility into AI system performance, ROI tracking, and actionable insights.
The Tech Stack That Actually Works
I chose tools based on speed and reliability, not hype:
- Next.js 14 for the frontend (App Router is genuinely good)
- Supabase for database, auth, and real-time updates
- Vercel AI SDK for consistent LLM integration
- Drizzle for type-safe database queries
- Inngest for background jobs and workflows
Each tool solves a specific problem. No complexity for complexity's sake.
What I'd Do Differently
If I started over, I'd launch with one specific use case instead of trying to be everything to everyone. The Deal Triage Assistant should have been the MVP, not a later addition.
But the core lesson stands: clarity beats capability. Tell people exactly what you solve, build it well, and deliver measurable results.
What's Next
I'm expanding WADL's toolkit with recruiting AI and improving the Deal Triage system. Each new feature follows the same principle: solve one problem exceptionally well.
If you're building an AI business, make sure you can finish this sentence: "We help [specific people] achieve [specific outcome] by [specific method]." If you can't, keep iterating.