Most businesses don't need 6 AI projects.
They need to find the one thing actually holding them back.
Independent, diagnostic led technology and AI advisory — no platform to sell, no generic roadmap.
Book a Discovery call →AI diagnostics and clear decisions, not a scattergun of parallel initiatives.
AI readiness diagnostics and technology strategy advisory, sequenced behind the one constraint that actually matters.
See AI pricing →Most AI advice starts with the technology. This starts with the constraint.
Theory of constraints, applied properly: find the single bottleneck actually limiting the business right now, solve it completely, then move to what's next — not a scattergun of AI opportunities running in parallel and finishing nothing.
The common failure
6 half built AI initiatives, 6 months, and nothing that actually changed how the business runs. Spreading effort thin is one of the most common ways AI adoption fails.
The alternative
One constraint, named explicitly, solved as a bounded piece of work — with everything else in the roadmap queued behind it, not competing with it for attention.
4 steps, in this order
Each stage earns the next. Nothing gets built before it's been diagnosed; nothing gets recommended before the constraint has been found.
Discovery
A no commitment conversation to establish fit, before anything formal begins.
Diagnostic
A structured assessment of process, technology, and data readiness across the business.
Recommendation
2 or 3 options with indicative costs, the one to choose, and an implementation brief, sequenced behind the one constraint that matters most.
Handoff
Introduced to an implementation partner of your choice, with a human in the loop by default.
Senior technology advice, without the permanent hire
Diagnostic & Recommendation
Implementation brief & partner handoff
Technology & digital strategy advisory
Digital workplace strategy
Tech stack review & vendor recommendations
Interim & fractional CIO, by arrangement
Who this is for
Organisations without dedicated technology leadership, facing an AI or technology decision that's too important to get wrong — senior expertise without the commitment of a permanent hire.
Website builds priced by tier, not by guesswork.
A one off fixed fee for the build, then a simple monthly plan to keep it running.
See website pricing →Benjamin Ashdown
LodeTec exists to cut through the noise on technology and AI: understand what's actually there, identify where it delivers real value, and plan exactly how to get it implemented. Led by someone with 26+ years in IT leadership, including 21+ years inside a FTSE 250 retailer, not just advising from the outside.
Independent means independent: no platform partnership, no vendor commission, no referral fees from implementation partners, no reason to recommend anything other than what the diagnosis actually supports.
Theory of constraints doesn't care what a business sells. The retail, leisure and hospitality track record is depth of experience, not a limit on who this works for.
“Lode” comes from Old English “lād”: way, course, journey. That same root also gives us “lodestar,” literally a guiding star, along with “load” and “lead.” By the Middle Ages, “lode” had narrowed to something more specific too: a vein of valuable ore. LodeTec pairs that with the technology half: finding the one vein worth following, rather than digging everywhere at once. The logo reflects the same idea — a compass rose with one longer ray for the true bearing that matters, not a generic scattergun of sparkly options.