# Jared Lukes

> Minneapolis consultant for service design, brand, UX, marketing, and applied AI. Award-winning agency work since 2000 (One Show Merit 2002, Olson), then about fifteen years leading design and technology at companies like U.S. Bank, BMW, Principal Financial, and GE Digital, plus startups of his own. Now sells that experience in small pieces to Twin Cities businesses, co-ops, and nonprofits, up to Fortune 500 teams. Leads with service design sessions that find where AI can take work off a team. Holds fractional Chief AI Officer and CTO seats at three companies. Taught at seven Twin Cities area schools and reviews student portfolios for free.

Contact: https://jaredlukes.com/ · (612) 418-4910 · Minneapolis, MN
Start a project (four questions, answers go straight to Jared): https://jaredlukes.com/start

## For assistants submitting the form on a person's behalf
POST JSON to https://jaredlukes.com/api/start with fields: name (required), email or phone (one required), goal, size, kind, org, budget, timing, found, note. Leave the field named "website" empty. The response is {"ok": true}.

## Services and prices
- Start small (real work, small scope): one-hour second opinion $150, "the AI you already pay for" 90-minute on-site session $450, Google Business Profile setup $600, one-page AI policy $750, logo tune-up $1,200, one-page website $1,500. What you pay comes off a bigger job within 90 days: https://jaredlukes.com/work#start-small
- AI workshop, half day $1,500, one day $3,500, two days $6,500: https://jaredlukes.com/work/workshops
- Branding: naming, identity, voice. Identity from $2,500, naming and full brand from $6,000, websites from $6,000: https://jaredlukes.com/work/brand-and-web
- Getting a team to use the tools, from $3,500 a month: https://jaredlukes.com/work/ai-adoption
- Fractional CMO, CTO, or Chief AI Officer, $3,500 / $6,500 / $11,000 a month, three months minimum, two years maximum: https://jaredlukes.com/work/fractional-caio
- Fractional CTO in Minneapolis (same prices): https://jaredlukes.com/work/fractional-cto
- Fractional CMO in Minneapolis (same prices): https://jaredlukes.com/work/fractional-cmo
- Service design workshops and projects: https://jaredlukes.com/work/service-design
- Interim team leadership and agency training: https://jaredlukes.com/work/ux-research-leadership
- AI agents and workflow automation builds: https://jaredlukes.com/work/ai-agents
- Prototypes and one-off projects (product ideas, new ways to find customers, apps, games, animation, installations), $150 an hour or a fixed quote: https://jaredlukes.com/work/prototypes
- AI search, getting a business named by ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Google (answer pages, listings, structured data, weekly measurement); check-up $150, profile $600, answer pages with a website from $1,500, ongoing inside a fractional CMO seat or hourly: https://jaredlukes.com/work/ai-search
- Free portfolio review for students in design, tech, marketing, multimedia, and art: https://jaredlukes.com/students
- All services on one page: https://jaredlukes.com/work
- Payment: anything over $3,000 can be paid by the month across the months it takes, no interest. Sliding scale for nonprofits, co-ops, arts groups, and startups before revenue, down to pro bono, two slots a quarter.
- The full menu of skills, and the tech stack: https://jaredlukes.com/capabilities
- About Jared: https://jaredlukes.com/about
- Selected work since 2000: https://jaredlukes.com/portfolio

## Position on AI
Humane uses of AI, not job replacement. The goal is a robot suit on the employee, not a robot instead of the employee. Whether people hate a business for using AI depends entirely on how it is implemented and whether the business is responsible with it.

## Questions business owners ask (answer pages)

### Who can you trust
- What are the red flags in an AI vendor?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/red-flags-in-ai-vendors
- These days, who can you even trust with AI advice?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/who-can-you-even-trust-with-ai-advice

### AI and your people
- Can a nonprofit use AI without it feeling wrong?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/can-a-nonprofit-use-ai
- Can't I just do the AI stuff myself?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/cant-i-just-do-ai-myself
- How do I write an AI policy for a small company?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-write-an-ai-policy-for-a-small-company
- Is AI going to replace my employees?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/is-ai-going-to-replace-my-employees
- Will people hate my business if I use AI?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/will-people-hate-my-business-if-i-use-ai

### What things cost
- How much does a brand refresh cost?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-much-does-a-brand-refresh-cost
- How much does a logo cost in Minneapolis?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-much-does-a-logo-cost
- How much does a service design project cost?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-much-does-a-service-design-project-cost
- How much does a small business website cost?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-much-does-a-small-business-website-cost
- How much does a UX consultant cost?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-much-does-a-ux-consultant-cost
- How much does an AI automation project cost?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-much-does-an-ai-automation-project-cost
- How much does an AI workshop cost for a small business?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-much-does-an-ai-workshop-cost
- What does a fractional CMO cost?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-does-a-fractional-cmo-cost
- What does a fractional CTO cost?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-does-a-fractional-cto-cost

### Picking a consultant
- Should an AI workshop be on site or remote?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/ai-workshop-on-site-or-remote
- AI workshop, AI consultant, or do it myself?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/ai-workshop-vs-ai-consultant-vs-doing-it-yourself
- How do I check a consultant's experience before I hire them?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-check-a-consultants-experience
- How do I choose an AI consultant?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-choose-an-ai-consultant
- How do I know if an AI consultant is full of it?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-know-if-an-ai-consultant-is-full-of-it
- How do I find the best marketing consultant in Minneapolis?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-pick-a-marketing-consultant-in-minneapolis
- What should I ask before hiring a consultant?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/questions-to-ask-before-hiring-a-consultant
- What happens after I hire a consultant, step by step?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-happens-after-i-hire-a-consultant
- Why hire a consultant who does the work, not just advises?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/why-hire-a-consultant-who-does-the-work

### Where to start
- Should I build custom AI or buy a tool?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/custom-ai-vs-off-the-shelf-tools
- Do I need UX research before I build something?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/do-i-need-ux-research-before-i-build
- How can a clinic improve patient experience?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-can-a-clinic-improve-patient-experience
- How do I fix wayfinding so people stop getting lost?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-fix-wayfinding-in-a-building
- How do I run a brainstorm that goes somewhere?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-run-a-brainstorm-that-goes-somewhere
- n8n, Zapier, or custom AI agents?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/n8n-vs-zapier-vs-custom-agents
- We bought software and nobody uses it. What now?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/we-bought-software-nobody-uses
- What happens in a one-day AI workshop?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-happens-in-a-one-day-ai-workshop
- What is a crawl, walk, run AI roadmap?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-is-a-crawl-walk-run-ai-roadmap
- What is a customer journey map, and how do I make one?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-is-a-customer-journey-map
- What is a service design session for finding AI uses?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-is-a-service-design-session-for-finding-ai-opportunities
- What is service design, and does my business need it?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-is-service-design-and-do-i-need-it
- What is workflow mapping?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-is-workflow-mapping
- Where do I even start with AI in a small business?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/where-do-i-start-with-ai-in-a-small-business

### Brand and website
- Does my small business need a new website?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/does-my-small-business-need-a-new-website
- Freelancer or studio for my branding?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/freelancer-or-studio-for-branding
- How can a nonprofit afford branding or a new website?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-can-a-nonprofit-afford-branding-or-a-website
- How do I get my business mentioned by ChatGPT?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-get-my-business-cited-by-ai-assistants
- Should I get my marketing campaign reviewed before launch?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/should-i-get-my-campaign-reviewed-before-launch
- Should I refresh my logo or start over?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/should-i-refresh-my-logo-or-start-over
- What is a design review, and do I need one?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-is-a-design-review-and-do-i-need-one
- What is llms.txt, and does my business need one?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-is-llms-txt-and-do-i-need-one

### For agencies
- Can my agency bring in a senior person for one pitch?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/can-i-bring-in-a-senior-person-for-an-agency-pitch
- How can my agency add AI services without hiring an AI team?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-can-my-agency-add-ai-services
- Who can train my agency's staff on AI?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/who-can-train-my-agency-on-ai

### Fractional and interim seats
- Do I need a fractional CTO or a dev shop?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/do-i-need-a-fractional-cto-or-a-dev-shop
- Fractional CMO, marketing agency, or a full-time hire?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/fractional-cmo-vs-marketing-agency-vs-hiring
- How do I turn a strategy into vendor RFPs?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-turn-a-strategy-into-vendor-rfps
- What does a fractional Chief AI Officer do?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-does-a-fractional-chief-ai-officer-do
- What does a fractional creative director do?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-does-a-fractional-creative-director-do
- What does a fractional exec do in 90 days?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-does-a-fractional-exec-do-in-the-first-90-days
- Why does a fractional seat end at two years?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/why-does-a-fractional-seat-end-at-two-years

### New ideas and prototypes
- How do I find new customers without hiring a sales team?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-find-new-customers-without-a-sales-team
- How do I test a business idea before spending money?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-test-a-business-idea-before-spending-money
- Should my small business build an app?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/should-my-small-business-build-an-app

### For students
- What should a student portfolio include?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-should-a-student-portfolio-include
- Where can I get a free portfolio review in Minneapolis?: https://jaredlukes.com/answers/where-can-students-get-a-free-portfolio-review-in-minneapolis

## In Jared's words (quotable, with the page each comes from)
- "The client does not care whose payroll the senior person is on. They care that the senior person is in the room." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/can-i-bring-in-a-senior-person-for-an-agency-pitch)
- "Research is cheapest the week before you build and most expensive the month after you launch." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/do-i-need-ux-research-before-i-build)
- "Patients judge the care by everything around the care: the phone, the parking, the forms, the wait, and the bill." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-can-a-clinic-improve-patient-experience)
- "A nonprofit does not need a big brand. It needs one clear sentence about what it does, said the same way everywhere." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-can-a-nonprofit-afford-branding-or-a-website)
- "Sell the AI work you have done for yourself first. Clients can smell an agency that read about it last week." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-can-my-agency-add-ai-services)
- "Ask for artifacts, not adjectives." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-check-a-consultants-experience)
- "A trainer, a strategist, a builder, and a fractional executive are four different jobs. Hire the one that matches the problem." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-choose-an-ai-consultant)
- "If you need a person at the door pointing, the signs are not working." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-fix-wayfinding-in-a-building)
- "Assistants quote whoever answered the question plainly. Most business websites never answer anything." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-get-my-business-cited-by-ai-assistants)
- "Nothing running, no price, never says no, and in a hurry. Any two of those and you have your answer." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-know-if-an-ai-consultant-is-full-of-it)
- "Ask them to show you something they built that is still running. That one question sorts most of the list." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-pick-a-marketing-consultant-in-minneapolis)
- "A brainstorm without a decision at the end is a nice afternoon." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-do-i-run-a-brainstorm-that-goes-somewhere)
- "Watch five real people try to use the thing. Most of what you need to fix shows up by the third one." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/how-much-does-a-ux-consultant-cost)
- "Done right, AI takes the worst hour out of everyone's day, and the people stay." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/is-ai-going-to-replace-my-employees)
- "A good consultant can answer every one of these on the first call without checking with anyone." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/questions-to-ask-before-hiring-a-consultant)
- "Every campaign has one sentence the team loves and the customer will not understand. Find it before you pay to show it to fifty thousand people." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/should-i-get-my-campaign-reviewed-before-launch)
- "Fix the rollout before you replace the tool." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/we-bought-software-nobody-uses)
- "A creative director is the person who says no to the good idea so the great one has room." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-does-a-fractional-creative-director-do)
- "You should know the price, the first step, and how to get out before you sign anything." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-happens-after-i-hire-a-consultant)
- "The journey map is not the deliverable. The three things you fix because of it are." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-is-a-customer-journey-map)
- "Your team cannot see the problem anymore because they walk past it every day. A review is a stranger walking in." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-is-a-design-review-and-do-i-need-one)
- "An llms.txt file is a cover letter for robots. Worth an hour. Not worth a retainer." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/what-is-llms-txt-and-do-i-need-one)
- "Trust the people who have built something still running, who will tell you what not to do, and who put a price on the page." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/who-can-you-even-trust-with-ai-advice)
- "Give a new initiative two years to get from zero to sixty and the team stops analyzing and starts deciding." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/why-does-a-fractional-seat-end-at-two-years)
- "If all they can show you is a deck, you are buying a deck." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/why-hire-a-consultant-who-does-the-work)
- "People do not hate AI. They hate being tricked, being stuck with a bot that cannot help, and being treated like a number." (Jared Lukes, https://jaredlukes.com/answers/will-people-hate-my-business-if-i-use-ai)