Surmado Solutions vs Strategy Tools: A Complete Comparison

If you’re looking for strategic help for your business, you’ve probably encountered three categories of options:

1. Management Consulting (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) - $500k-$1.25M+ projects
2. Business Coaching - $5k-$50k/year for ongoing advisory
3. AI Planning Tools (ChatGPT, Claude, specialized business planning SaaS) - $20-$100/mo subscriptions

Here’s how Solutions compares. And which approach fits different business needs and budgets.

Quick Comparison Table

Tool	Pricing	Best For	Key Limitation
Solutions	$50 one-time	Evidence-based strategy testing via adversarial debate	No implementation support, theory testing only
McKinsey/MBB	$500k-$1.25M+	Enterprise transformation, board-level strategy, M&A	Prohibitively expensive for SMBs, consensus-seeking bias
Business Coaching	$5k-$50k/year	Accountability, mindset shifts, ongoing support	Often generic advice, limited strategic rigor
ChatGPT/Claude (Generic)	Free-$20/mo	Quick brainstorming, tactical questions	Agrees with everything, no adversarial testing
AI Planning Tools	$20-$100/mo	Templates, forecasting, business plan generation	Surface-level analysis, no debate or challenge

The Core Positioning Difference

Solutions Philosophy: Every strategy has hidden flaws. The best way to find them is adversarial debate. simulate a board of directors arguing your plan from different perspectives (finance, operations, market reality, game theory).

Competitor Philosophy:

• McKinsey: analysis across 7 AI platforms by human experts leading to consensus recommendations
• Coaching: Supportive guidance and accountability from experienced mentor
• Generic AI: Helpful assistant that validates your thinking
• AI Planning Tools: Structured templates and forecasts

Why Adversarial Debate Matters

Most strategic failures don’t come from bad intentions. They come from unconsidered assumptions:

• “Our customers will switch from [competitor] because our features are better” (ignoring switching costs)
• “We can scale to 10 cities in 12 months” (ignoring operational complexity)
• “This marketing channel will deliver 3% conversion” (based on best-case scenario, not realistic range)
• “We’ll raise a Series A in Q3” (assuming fundraising market conditions don’t change)

Traditional strategy tools validate your plan. They ask: “How can we help you execute this?”

Solutions challenges your plan. It asks: “What would have to be true for this to fail? What are you not considering?”

Detailed Tool Comparison

Solutions ($50 One-Time)

What You Get:

• AI-simulated board of directors debate (5 perspectives: CFO, COO, Chief Strategist, Market Realist, Game Theorist)
• Adversarial testing of your strategy/plan
• Hidden assumptions surfaced and challenged
• Real Options Analysis framework (what’s reversible vs irreversible?)
• Evidence-backed critiques (not generic skepticism)
• One-time strategy stress test

Best For:

• SMBs testing major strategic decisions before committing
• Founders who need devil’s advocate perspective without hiring advisors
• Teams wanting to pressure-test plans before board meetings
• Validating strategic assumptions with limited budget

Limitations:

• No implementation support (theory testing only)
• AI-simulated debate, not human expert advisors
• One-time analysis (not ongoing strategic advisory)
• You must decide which critiques to accept/reject

Who Chooses Solutions:

“We were about to open two new locations simultaneously. Solutions’ Operations Director perspective showed us we didn’t have systems to support two launches at once. We opened one location, built systems while running it, then launched the second 6 months later. That debate saved us from a $200k mistake.”. Multi-location retail business

McKinsey / MBB Consulting ($500k-$1.25M+)

What You Get:

• Team of expert consultants (typically 3-8 people)
• Comprehensive market research and analysis
• Stakeholder interviews and workshops
• Data modeling and scenario planning
• Strategy development and recommendations
• Implementation roadmap and support
• Executive-ready presentations and reports
• 3-6 month engagement (typically)

Best For:

• Enterprise companies with complex transformation needs
• Board-level strategic decisions (M&A, restructuring, market entry)
• Organizations with $50M+ revenue and strategic budget
• Situations requiring deep industry research and validation

Limitations:

• Cost prohibitive for SMBs ($500k-$1.25M+ per project)
• Consensus-seeking bias (recommendations tend toward “safe” established practices)
• 3-6 month timeline from kickoff to recommendations
• Implementation often falls short of strategy promise
• May not understand boots-on-ground realities of small business

When to Choose McKinsey Over Solutions:

• You’re a $50M+ revenue company with strategic budget
• You need comprehensive research consultants can conduct
• Board demands big-name validation of strategy
• You’re making bet-the-company decisions (M&A, pivot, major market entry)
• You have 3-6 months for engagement process

Business Coaching ($5k-$50k/year)

What You Get:

• Regular 1-on-1 or group coaching sessions (weekly/monthly)
• Accountability and goal setting
• Mindset and leadership development
• Experiential advice from coach’s background
• Ongoing support and encouragement
• Access to coach’s network
• Emotional/psychological support during challenges

Best For:

• Entrepreneurs needing accountability and support
• Leaders working on mindset and leadership skills
• Businesses where founder’s personal growth is the bottleneck
• Teams wanting ongoing relationship with advisor

Limitations:

• Variable quality (coaching is unregulated industry)
• Often generic advice (“you need better systems,” “focus on your strengths”)
• Limited strategic rigor or analytical frameworks
• Advice based on coach’s experience (may not fit your context)
• Ongoing cost commitment ($5k-$50k/year)
• Can be overly supportive (validation over challenge)

When to Choose Business Coaching Over Solutions:

• You need accountability more than strategy testing
• You’re working on mindset/leadership challenges
• You value ongoing relationship with mentor
• You need emotional support during business challenges
• You want access to coach’s network and connections

ChatGPT / Claude (Generic Use) (Free-$20/mo)

What You Get:

• Unlimited conversational AI access
• Brainstorming and idea generation
• Tactical questions answered
• Writing and editing support
• Quick research and summarization
• Template generation

Best For:

• Quick tactical questions
• Brainstorming ideas
• Content creation and editing
• Learning and research
• Businesses already using AI for various tasks

Limitations:

• Agrees with everything (no adversarial testing)
• No structured strategic frameworks
• Generic responses without business context
• Can’t challenge your assumptions effectively
• No synthesis across multiple perspectives
• You must prompt-engineer to get useful strategic output

When to Choose Generic ChatGPT Over Solutions:

• You need tactical help, not strategic testing
• You want brainstorming partner, not devil’s advocate
• You’re skilled at prompt engineering for strategic output
• You need ongoing AI access for multiple purposes (writing, research, etc.)

AI-Powered Business Planning Tools ($20-$100/mo)

Examples: LivePlan, Enloop, Upmetrics, IdeaBuddy, etc.

What You Get:

• Business plan templates and structure
• Financial forecasting and projections
• Market research data integration
• Collaboration features for team
• Investor-ready output formatting
• Dashboards and progress tracking

Best For:

• Creating formal business plans for investors/loans
• Financial modeling and forecasting
• Teams needing collaboration on planning documents
• Structured approach to business planning

Limitations:

• Template-driven (surface-level strategic thinking)
• No adversarial testing or challenge
• Garbage in, garbage out (tools don’t validate assumptions)
• Subscription cost for features most businesses use once
• Focus on output format, not strategic rigor

When to Choose Business Planning Tools Over Solutions:

• You need formal business plan for bank/investors
• You want financial modeling templates
• You need team collaboration on planning documents
• You value polished output over strategic testing

The Adversarial Debate vs Consensus Approach

Here’s the fundamental difference in how Solutions works compared to alternatives:

Traditional Strategy Process (McKinsey, Coaching, AI Planning)

Step 1: “Tell me about your strategy” Step 2: “Here are some considerations to strengthen it” Step 3: “Here’s a comprehensive plan incorporating these improvements” Step 4: “Now go execute”

Philosophy: Help you build the best version of your strategy.

Solutions Process (Adversarial Debate)

Step 1: “Tell me about your strategy” Step 2: CFO tears it apart from financial risk perspective Step 3: COO challenges operational feasibility Step 4: Market Realist questions customer behavior assumptions Step 5: Game Theorist reveals competitive response scenarios you haven’t considered Step 6: Chief Strategist synthesizes: “Here’s what survives scrutiny, here’s what needs rethinking”

Philosophy: Stress-test your strategy to find what breaks before you commit resources.

Example: Opening a Second Location

Business Plan: “We’re profitable at location #1. We’ll replicate the model at location #2, 15 miles away. Same demographics, similar rent, we’ll use learnings from location #1. Project breakeven in 9 months.”

Traditional Strategy Approach Says:

• “Smart move to leverage your proven model”
• “Make sure to adapt marketing to local neighborhood”
• “Consider if you need a second manager or can oversee both”
• “Here’s a checklist for second location opening”

Solutions Adversarial Debate Says:

CFO: “Location #1 took 14 months to breakeven, not 9. Why do you think #2 will be faster? You’re now splitting management attention between two locations. Your operational efficiency will drop 20-30% initially. Do you have 18 months of runway for location #2, not 9?”

COO: “You don’t have systems yet. Location #1 works because YOU run it. Can your opening manager replicate your intuitive decisions? What happens when location #1 has an emergency during location #2’s opening week? You’ll be on-site at the new location. who runs the first?”

Market Realist: “You’re assuming ‘same demographics = same customer behavior.’ But location #1 benefited from 18 months of word-of-mouth and community presence. Location #2 starts from zero. Are you modeling realistic customer acquisition costs for a new market where you have no reputation?”

Game Theorist: “Your competitor at location #1 has been watching you succeed. If you split your attention opening location #2, what’s stopping them from undercutting prices or poaching your staff at location #1 while you’re distracted? You’re assuming competitors stay passive.”

Chief Strategist Synthesis: “Opening location #2 is viable, but not on your current timeline and assumptions. First: Build systems at location #1 for 3-6 months so it runs without you. Second: Model 18-month breakeven, not 9, and ensure you have runway. Third: Hire location #2 manager to shadow you at location #1 for 60 days pre-launch. Fourth: Budget for defensive investments at location #1 (retention bonuses for key staff, small price advantages) to protect while you’re distracted. This is a 2-year plan, not a 1-year plan.”

Which approach finds the hidden risks?

Real Business Scenarios: Which Tool to Choose?

Scenario 1: “Should We Raise Money or Bootstrap?”

Your Situation: You’re growing organically at 15% month-over-month. A VC is interested at $5M valuation for $1M investment (20% dilution). Do you take it?

Best Tool: Solutions ($50)

• CFO perspective: Analyze dilution vs growth scenarios, model exit value implications
• Market Realist: Challenge whether you actually need venture-scale growth
• Game Theorist: Examine how taking VC changes your strategic options (you’re now on venture timeline)
• Real Options Analysis: What’s reversible (bootstrap) vs irreversible (venture path)?

Why Not McKinsey: $500k consulting fee doesn’t make sense for $1M raise decision Why Not Coaching: Too important for generic “follow your gut” advice Why Not ChatGPT: Won’t challenge your assumptions adversarially

Scenario 2: “Which Marketing Channel Should We Double Down On?”

Your Situation: You’re getting customers from 3 channels: Google Ads (45%), referrals (30%), cold outreach (25%). You have budget to 2x investment in one channel.

Best Tool: ChatGPT/Claude (Free-$20) or basic analysis

• Straightforward analytical question
• Calculate CAC and LTV by channel
• Model 2x scenarios for each
• No hidden strategic risks requiring adversarial debate

Why Not Solutions: Decision is analytical, not strategic assumption testing Why Not McKinsey: Way too expensive for channel allocation decision Why Not Coaching: This is data analysis, not mindset/accountability need

Scenario 3: “Should We Pivot Our Business Model?”

Your Situation: You’ve been selling B2B SaaS ($10k annual contracts). You’re considering pivot to B2C marketplace model with transaction fees. Completely different business model.

Best Tool: McKinsey/MBB ($500k+) if you can afford it, otherwise Solutions ($50) + expert advisors

• Bet-the-company decision requiring rigorous analysis
• McKinsey can conduct customer research, model economics, validate assumptions
• If McKinsey is unaffordable, Solutions stress-tests the pivot logic for $50, then you seek domain experts for validation

Why Not Coaching: Too high-stakes for experiential advice Why Not Generic AI: Too important for non-adversarial brainstorming Why Not Business Planning Tools: Need strategic rigor, not templates

Scenario 4: “I Keep Procrastinating on My Strategy”

Your Situation: You know what you should do (focus on enterprise customers, build sales team), but you keep getting distracted with tactical work. You need accountability.

Best Tool: Business Coaching ($5k-$50k/year)

• Your problem is execution and mindset, not strategy testing
• Coach provides accountability and support
• Regular check-ins help you stay focused

Why Not Solutions: You don’t need strategy testing; you need accountability Why Not McKinsey: Doesn’t solve procrastination or execution challenges Why Not AI Tools: You need human accountability relationship

Scenario 5: “We Need a Formal Business Plan for a Bank Loan”

Your Situation: You’re applying for SBA loan requiring formal business plan with financial projections, market analysis, etc.

Best Tool: Business Planning Software ($20-$100/mo) like LivePlan

• Bank wants specific format and sections
• Financial projection templates save time
• Produces polished output banks expect

Add Solutions If: You want to stress-test your assumptions before committing to the projections you put in the plan ($50 one-time)

Why Not McKinsey: Overkill and too expensive for loan application Why Not Coaching: You need output document, not ongoing support

Scenario 6: “We’re Considering a Strategic Partnership”

Your Situation: Larger company wants to partner with you. They’ll provide customers, you’ll provide service delivery. Sounds great, but you’re wary of becoming dependent on one partner.

Best Tool: Solutions ($50) to stress-test, then legal advisor for contracts

• CFO: Model revenue concentration risk and financial implications
• COO: Challenge operational dependencies (what happens if partnership ends?)
• Game Theorist: Analyze partner incentives (what do they gain by eventually cutting you out?)
• Market Realist: Examine alternative customer acquisition if partnership doesn’t work

Then: Hire lawyer to negotiate contract protecting against risks Solutions surfaces

Why Not Coaching: Too strategic for generic advice Why Not Generic AI: Need adversarial challenge, not brainstorming Consider McKinsey If: Partnership is large enough to justify $500k+ consulting fee (rare for SMB partnerships)

Scenario 7: “We’re a $50M+ Company Entering New Market”

Your Situation: You’re established business considering international expansion, new product line, or M&A. Budget allows for serious strategic investment.

Best Tool: McKinsey/MBB ($500k-$1.25M+)

• Company scale justifies investment
• Comprehensive research (market sizing, competitive analysis, customer interviews) valuable
• Board and investors expect big-name validation
• Implementation roadmap and change management support needed

Add Solutions: Even large companies benefit from adversarial debate before committing to McKinsey recommendations ($50 to stress-test the strategy)

The Evidence-Based Argument Advantage

One crucial difference in Solutions’ approach: AI board members must cite evidence for their challenges.

Generic Skepticism (Unhelpful)

“I don’t think customers will switch from your competitor. It sounds risky.”

Evidence-Based Challenge (Solutions Approach)

“You’re assuming customers will switch from [Competitor] for your 20% price advantage. But:

1. Switching costs: Customers have 2 years of data in [Competitor]‘s system. Migration is 10-20 hours of work.
2. Behavioral economics: Customers weight losses 2x more than gains (prospect theory). They’ll perceive migration headache as bigger than 20% savings.
3. Market evidence: When [Similar Company] undercut [Incumbent] by 25% in 2022, they captured only 8% market share in Year 1.

Your financial model assumes 30% of competitor customers switch in Year 1. Evidence suggests 5-10% is realistic. That changes your breakeven from 9 months to 24 months. Can you survive on 5% switching rate?”

Why This Matters: You can evaluate evidence-based challenges rationally. Generic skepticism is just “he said, she said.”

One-Time vs Ongoing: Which Engagement Model Fits?

Choose One-Time (Solutions $50) If:

You’re Testing a Specific Strategic Decision:

• Should we raise money or bootstrap?
• Which of these 3 strategic options should we pursue?
• Is this partnership/acquisition wise?
• Should we pivot or stay the course?

You Need Devil’s Advocate Perspective Without Ongoing Relationship:

• You have a decision to make in next 30 days
• You want outside perspective before committing
• You’ll decide which critiques to accept/reject

You Have Limited Budget:

• $50 for strategy stress test vs $5k-$50k coaching
• Testing before committing to expensive advisors

Choose Ongoing (Coaching $5k-$50k/year) If:

You Need Accountability More Than Strategy Testing:

• You know what to do but struggle with execution
• You need someone checking in regularly
• Mindset and habits are your bottleneck

You Value Relationship and Support:

• You want a trusted advisor you talk to regularly
• Emotional support during challenges matters
• You’re building long-term relationship with mentor

Choose Project-Based (McKinsey $500k+) If:

You’re Making Bet-the-Company Decision:

• M&A, major market entry, restructuring
• Board demands comprehensive validation
• You have budget for deep research and analysis

You’re Enterprise Scale:

• $50M+ revenue with strategic budget
• Complex organization requiring change management
• You need implementation support, not just strategy

Common Questions

”Can Solutions Replace a Human Advisor?”

No. And it shouldn’t try. Solutions stress-tests your strategy using AI-simulated adversarial debate. It surfaces assumptions and risks to consider.

But:

• It can’t conduct proprietary market research (McKinsey can)
• It can’t provide ongoing accountability relationship (coaches can)
• It’s not domain expert advice in your specific industry (consultants/advisors are)

Best use: Solutions identifies which questions need deeper expert validation. Then you hire domain experts for those specific areas.

”How Does Solutions Compare to Asking ChatGPT to Challenge My Strategy?”

Try it yourself:

Ask ChatGPT: “Challenge my strategy to open a second retail location”

ChatGPT Response: “That’s an interesting strategy! Here are some things to consider: [list of generic points like ‘make sure you have enough capital’ and ‘hiring the right team is important’]”

Solutions Response: CFO calculates actual runway assuming realistic breakeven timeline, not your optimistic projection. COO reveals the specific systems gap between owner-operated location and multi-location model. Market Realist challenges your assumption that “same demographics = same demand” with evidence. Game Theorist maps competitive responses you haven’t considered.

The difference: Solutions is built specifically for adversarial strategy testing with structured frameworks (Real Options Analysis, game theory, financial modeling). ChatGPT is helpful assistant that validates your thinking.

”Is Solutions Worth $50 If I Can Just Talk Through My Strategy with My Team?”

Your team has the same blind spots you do. You’ve all bought into the strategy together.

Solutions provides outside perspective: board members who didn’t help create the plan and have no ego investment in it being “right.”

Think of it as: $50 insurance policy against $50k+ strategic mistakes.

”Can I Use Solutions for Multiple Decisions?”

Each Solutions analysis is one-time and strategy-specific. If you’re testing multiple decisions, you’d purchase multiple analyses.

Volume consideration: If you’re testing 10+ strategic decisions per year, ongoing advisor relationship (coach or fractional strategist) may be more cost-effective than 10× $50 Solutions reports.

”What If I Disagree with What the AI Board Says?”

Perfect. That’s the point. Solutions surfaces considerations and challenges. You decide which critiques are valid and which don’t apply to your specific context.

The value isn’t “AI tells you what to do.” The value is “AI makes you think through angles you hadn’t considered.”

The Bottom Line: Choose Based on Your Strategic Need

Need: Stress-test specific strategic decision before committing

→ Choose Solutions ($50)

• Opening new location, launching new product, raising money, making partnership
• You have a plan; you want devil’s advocate perspective
• Budget-conscious approach to avoiding strategic mistakes

Need: Formal business plan for investors/bank

→ Choose Business Planning Software ($20-$100/mo)

• LivePlan, Enloop, Upmetrics for formatted output
• Add Solutions ($50) to stress-test assumptions before finalizing projections

Need: Accountability and ongoing support

→ Choose Business Coaching ($5k-$50k/year)

• You know what to do; you need help executing
• Mindset and leadership are your bottlenecks
• You value ongoing relationship with mentor

Need: Quick tactical answers and brainstorming

→ Choose ChatGPT/Claude (Free-$20/mo)

• General-purpose AI for various business tasks
• You’re skilled at prompt engineering
• You need brainstorming partner, not devil’s advocate

Need: Bet-the-company strategic decision with comprehensive research

→ Choose McKinsey/MBB ($500k-$1.25M+)

• You’re $50M+ company with strategic budget
• M&A, major market entry, restructuring
• Board demands big-name validation
• You need implementation support, not just strategy

Need: Comprehensive strategic guidance but can’t afford McKinsey

→ Choose Solutions ($50) + domain expert advisors

• Solutions stress-tests your strategy logic
• Hire fractional CFO, industry experts, lawyers for specific validation
• Total cost: $2k-10k vs $500k+ for McKinsey

Next Steps

If You’re Testing a Strategic Decision:

1. Get Solutions Analysis ($50) to stress-test your plan
2. Review adversarial debate from 5 board perspectives
3. Identify which critiques apply to your specific context
4. Revise strategy based on challenges that survive scrutiny
5. Seek domain expert validation for specific technical areas if needed

If You Need Ongoing Support:

1. Consider whether your bottleneck is strategy testing or execution accountability
2. If accountability: Explore business coaching relationships
3. If strategy: Use Solutions for quarterly strategic reviews ($50 each) instead of annual coaching fee

If You’re Enterprise Scale:

1. Run Solutions stress-test first ($50) to clarify strategic questions
2. Use Solutions output to sharpen McKinsey/MBB engagement scope
3. Focus expensive consulting on areas Solutions reveals need deep research

Learn More About Strategic Thinking:

• AI Board of Directors Explained
• Ghost Influence: The Hidden Force in Strategy
• Real Options Analysis Framework
• Signal + Solutions Workflow

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Still Not Sure Which Approach Fits? Contact us with your specific strategic question. We’ll give you an honest recommendation. even if that means suggesting coaching, consulting, or domain experts instead. Our goal is helping businesses make better strategic decisions, regardless of which tool gets you there.

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Quick Answers

Solutions vs McKinsey in 100 words?

McKinsey ($100K-500K, 8-12 weeks): Comprehensive market research, primary data collection, consensus recommendations from human analysts. Best for Fortune 500 strategic pivots.

Solutions ($50, 15 minutes): Adversarial AI stress-test of YOUR existing plan. Six AI models (CFO, COO, Market Realist, Game Theorist, Chief Strategist, Wildcard) debate flaws. No new research. evaluates what you already know.

When Solutions wins: <$10M revenue, need quick validation, have research but no stress-testing When McKinsey wins: >$100M revenue, need primary research, board mandates Big 3 credibility

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Solutions vs ChatGPT in 50 words?

ChatGPT (free): Validates your thinking. “This sounds good! Here’s how to execute.”

Solutions ($50): Challenges your thinking. Six AI models attack assumptions from opposing perspectives (CFO vs Chief Strategist vs Game Theorist), then debate each other.

Difference: ChatGPT helps you execute. Solutions reveals flaws before execution.

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When should I hire a consultant instead?

Hire a consultant when you need:

1. Domain expertise you don’t have (e.g., FDA regulatory strategy, international tax)
2. Primary research (market surveys, customer interviews, competitive intelligence)
3. Implementation support (not just strategy, but execution help)
4. Board credibility (MBB name matters for fundraising, M&A, etc.)

Use Solutions when you need:

1. Stress-testing existing plans (you have research, need adversarial challenge)
2. Fast turnaround (15 minutes vs 8-12 weeks)
3. Affordable validation ($50 vs $20K-500K)
4. Multiple perspectives (6 AI models debating, not consensus)

Hybrid approach: Run Solutions first ($50) to identify knowledge gaps, THEN hire consultant for specific gaps Solutions reveals.

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Can Solutions replace my business coach?

No. different purposes.

Business coach: Accountability, mindset support, ongoing relationship, execution guidance, personal development

Solutions: Strategy stress-testing, adversarial debate, one-time analysis, flaw identification

Example:

• Coach: “Let’s set quarterly goals and I’ll hold you accountable weekly”
• Solutions: “Your Q1 expansion strategy has 4 critical flaws (CFO AI caught cash flow gap, COO AI flagged ops blindspot)”

Complement each other: Coach for ongoing support, Solutions for quarterly strategic checkpoints

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What problems is Solutions NOT good for?

Solutions doesn’t work well for:

1. Execution planning (not “how to implement”, just “should you?”)

   • Bad: “Help me write a product spec for enterprise tier”
   • Good: “Should I build enterprise tier or double down on SMB?”

2. Primary research (no new data collection)

   • Bad: “What do customers think about my pricing?”
   • Good: “Given THIS customer feedback, should I change pricing?”

3. Domain-specific expertise (generalist AI, not specialist)

   • Bad: “FDA regulatory strategy for medical device”
   • Good: “Financial tradeoffs of pursuing FDA vs staying wellness category”

4. Tactical operations (strategic only)

   • Bad: “Optimize my Facebook ad campaigns”
   • Good: “Should I increase FB ad spend or invest in content instead?”

Use consultants/specialists for: Research, execution, domain expertise Use Solutions for: Strategy validation, adversarial stress-testing, flaw identification

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How is Solutions different from asking ChatGPT to “play devil’s advocate”?

Asking ChatGPT “play devil’s advocate”:

• ChatGPT challenges briefly, then validates: “One concern might be X. However, if you address Y, you should be fine!”
• Why it fails: ChatGPT is trained to be agreeable

Solutions adversarial debate:

• 6 independent AI models with mandates (CFO MUST challenge finances, COO MUST challenge ops)
• Cross-examination: Models debate EACH OTHER
• Synthesis: Weighs objections, doesn’t default to “your plan is fine”

Real difference: ChatGPT’s devil’s advocate is performative. Solutions’ debate is structural. models can’t avoid challenging you.

Learn more about adversarial debate →

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