The question
Beyond “what can AI do?”
The study is focused on a more practical question: which business workflows are worth improving first, and what prevents owners from deploying them reliably?
Current Study — 2026
How are small agencies actually turning AI into useful workflows?
We are speaking with owners of boutique marketing, web, design and creative agencies to understand what repetitive work consumes time, how AI is currently being used, where implementation breaks down, and what would make an AI-assisted workflow trustworthy enough to use repeatedly.
The output
Useful diagnosis, not an “AI readiness score”
Where appropriate, participants may receive a concise workflow analysis based on their answers, highlighting a candidate workflow, likely human-review points, and implementation considerations.
Participation
Designed to be low-friction.
01
Short written questionnaire
Approximately 5–8 minutes. Participants can answer asynchronously; a call is not required.
02
Optional follow-up
We may ask a few clarifying questions by email. A phone or video call is optional if the participant prefers it.
03
Optional pilot invitation
Some participants may later be invited to review an early paid implementation concept. Participation never requires a purchase.
Commercial transparency
This is product-development research.
We are evaluating whether a useful commercial product should be built around the problems uncovered in this research. This is not presented as university, government, or academic research.
Please do not provide sensitive information.
Do not send passwords, customer records, confidential client material, payment information,
proprietary datasets, private employee information, or other sensitive business data.
Who we are looking for
Boutique agency owners and operators.
Marketing agencies
Web agencies
Branding studios
Creative agencies
2–25 person teams
Owners / founders / operators
We are especially interested in businesses that have experimented with AI tools but have not yet turned every useful idea into a documented, repeatable workflow.
Research Lead
James Edwin
James leads JTS Product Research and the current AI Workflow Adoption study. The project is focused on learning from real operators before deciding whether a commercial implementation product deserves to be built.
Contact
research@jamestradingstrategies.com
Participants may complete the research asynchronously; a phone or video call is not required.
Interested?
Participation begins by email.
We do not need access to your systems, customer data, or confidential files. If you are open to the study, contact us and we will send the written questions.