Hey everyone,
Both reads on this issue come from Ryan Fredrick, our Principal of AI and Business Advisory. They fit together better than I expected, landing on the same idea from two directions.
Ryan starts with a simple exercise: add up everything you spend on thinking. Human, software, and AI. Most teams have never put those numbers side by side, and the conversation that follows is where it gets interesting.
Then he goes a level deeper, into the idea of a digital twin for your business. A live model of how work actually moves, one that people and AI can both operate from.
Both come down to the same thing. See it clearly, then improve it with confidence.
Let’s get into it.Matt StrippelhoffPartner, CEO/CRO – Red Hawk Technologies
Listen to our summary podcast that focuses on the highlights of Issue 14. Created using Notebook LM Enterprise.
Here’s a question most leaders can’t answer on the spot: how much do you spend each year on thinking?
Not one budget line. Three.
What you pay people for their judgment and expertise. What you pay for software to automate analysis, reporting, and decisions. And what you’re starting to spend on AI models, agents, and inference.
These almost never sit in the same place. Different budgets, different owners, and no one has ever added them up. But together they’re one cost: what your company pays to think.
Put those numbers side by side and the good questions start. Which one is growing fastest? Which gives you the best value for the money? Where would an extra dollar make the biggest difference? Are you paying senior people for work that software could handle just as well?
The best part is how easy it is to begin. You don’t need a transformation program. You need a spreadsheet and someone willing to talk through what belongs in each column.
You can’t improve what you’ve never measured. Adding up the cost of thinking is a low-effort way to see where your intelligence spend actually goes, and where it could go further. The real value is in the conversation, not the spreadsheet.
Knowing what you spend on thinking is the first step. The next question is where that thinking actually happens, and whether the system around it helps or gets in the way.
Engineers have used digital twins for years. A jet engine gets a virtual replica that runs alongside the real one, so the team can test changes, catch issues early, and learn without touching the actual engine.
Now apply that to a company.
A digital business twin is a live model of how your organization actually operates. Your processes, roles, data flows, and decision points, mapped and connected in one place. Not a slide. Not a wiki that’s stale by Friday. A working picture of the real thing.
When you can see the whole system, a lot gets easier. You find bottlenecks instead of guessing at them. You test a change before it hits real teams. And you give AI a structured place to work, with guardrails built in. That last part is the real shift. Agents are only as good as the system they operate in.
This is where TransformOS™ comes in. It builds and runs your twin, puts agent fleets to work inside it, and keeps governance across everything. One healthcare client already runs a fleet of AI agents across six business functions, all inside a governed model of their operations.
You don’t need another tool. You need a clear model of your business that people and AI can both work from. Make the invisible visible, then let AI operate inside a system you trust. It’s closer than most teams think.
Every company runs on knowledge that lives in just a few key people. As they retire or move on, the smart move is to capture what they know while you can.
Next issue, we get into how to turn that hard-won expertise into something your teams, and your AI, can keep using for years. Out of a few heads, and into a system everyone can work from.
We will also address the Vibe-Coding App issues many companies are facing.
At Red Hawk Technologies, we're not just building software; we're building partnerships that drive innovation. We understand the unique challenges mid-market companies face when it comes to custom web and mobile application development – the unpredictable costs, the ongoing maintenance headaches, and the complexities of managing long-term projects.
That's why we've revolutionized the industry with our Software Development-as-a-Service (SDaaS) solution. We bundle development, technical support, ongoing maintenance, and future enhancements into a single, predictable monthly fee. This game-changing model eliminates uncertainty, provides financial clarity, and ensures your software evolves with your business, allowing you to innovate with confidence and focus on what you do best.
We believe in a partnership that helps you realize the potential of digital transformation. We're an award-winning team with a proven process for on-time, on-budget delivery, focused on helping mid-market businesses like yours achieve significant returns. Our Software Development-as-a-Service (SDaaS) model ensures predictable costs and comprehensive support.
Whether you're exploring a new vision with our Tech Innovation Workshops, seeking robust custom development, or need ongoing support for existing applications, we're here to provide the expertise and predictable partnership you need.
Once you've sharpened your software vision, the next step is transforming that blueprint into a powerful, custom application. We're here to help you bring that idea to life with predictability and precision.
Take the next step: Book a consultation to discuss your custom software needs.
We hope you found this first issue insightful. Look out for our next edition, where we'll dive deeper into the strategies for success in custom software development.
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