Your Private AI Department
Business Plan & Research — February 2026
Hey Kim — I've been doing a deep dive into this opportunity. I commissioned comprehensive research across 8 areas and the findings are compelling. Here's the summary, and you can drill into any section from the sidebar.
The market is real, the economics work, the team has a credible entry point, and the timing is right. The risks are manageable with the mitigations identified.
5 Conditions for GO:
- 1. Resolve the privilege question first. Before signing any law firm client, get a written opinion from ethics counsel on AI systems and attorney-client privilege. Non-negotiable.
- 2. Position platform-agnostic from day one. Never be "the OpenClaw company." Be "the managed AI company" that currently deploys OpenClaw. Maintain migration capability.
- 3. Set a burnout tripwire. Jake must commit to hiring help by client 6, not client 12. The ops plan shows this is affordable and necessary.
- 4. Get insurance before first client. E&O + cyber liability. Confirm AI-related coverage explicitly.
- 5. Build the fork. Maintain an internal stable branch of OpenClaw. Do not deploy upstream HEAD to clients.
Top 5 Opportunities
1. Security narrative as sales driver
OpenClaw's CVE exploits and malicious skills create genuine fear. "We make it safe" is a more compelling pitch than "we make it work." Professionals in regulated industries cannot afford a breach.
2. Recurring revenue from managed tiers
One-time setup is the door opener. Monthly managed services ($2,500-$5,000/mo) build a valuable business. By Year 3, recurring revenue should be 58% of total, transforming valuation from 1-2x to 3-8x.
3. Lawyer beachhead with built-in credibility
You're a practicing SF lawyer. This isn't cold outreach — it's a peer recommending a service. Legal tech spending grew 9.7% in 2025 (fastest ever). AI adoption jumped from 19% to 79% in one year.
4. Compliance playbooks as IP
Building documented compliance playbooks for each regulated profession creates defensible IP that competitors can't easily replicate. These playbooks justify the premium pricing.
5. Blue ocean pricing
$25k-$50k sits in a market gap. Enterprise consultancies won't touch engagements below $500k. Commodity hosting at $25/mo doesn't provide security or customization. The "missing middle" is ours to own.
Top 5 Risks
Jake burnout / key person dependency
Hire part-time contractor by client 6. Build deployment automation. Document everything so others can deliver.
OpenClaw project dies or pivots
Position platform-agnostic. Maintain capabilities across 2-3 frameworks. Fork stable branch internally.
Security breach at a law firm client
Zero-access architecture. Enterprise API agreements with zero data retention. Cyber liability insurance. Incident response plan.
Attorney-client privilege challenge
Research and document legal framework before first client. Get written opinion from ethics counsel. Include explicit disclaimers.
Slow sales cycle / cash flow gap
Start with your warm network. Offer paid assessment ($2,500-$5,000) as low-commitment entry. Require 50% upfront on all engagements.
Deep Dive Sections
Market Research
3.5M+ target professionals, buyer personas, market sizing
OpenClaw Technical
Architecture, deployment, channels, skills system
Competitive Landscape
Blue ocean positioning, competitor analysis, pricing gaps
Service Design
Three tiers, onboarding process, SLAs, custom skills
Financial Model
Revenue projections, unit economics, break-even analysis
Growth Strategy
Go-to-market, sales process, geographic expansion
Risk Analysis
Pre-mortem, kill shots, privilege concerns, insurance
Next Steps
20-step launch plan, GO/NO-GO conditions