The thesis is simple. Every company is becoming a technology company, and AI is accelerating that transition. The mid-market — companies between $5M and $75M in revenue — has fewer credible options than the Fortune 500 and more pressure than the small business. They get pitched by Big 4 firms quoting half a million for a deck and by AI vendors who do not understand how their business makes money. Neither is a fit.
Anacreon Group fills that gap. The firm operates in the boutique consulting tradition — senior-led engagements, no junior associates, judgment over leverage. Implementation is delivered through a vetted partner network selected for each engagement.
The model is intentional: stay small, stay sharp, do the work that matters.
Anacreon Group was founded by John Lehmkuhl in 2025. He has spent twenty-two years working with small and mid-market companies, watching how they actually run.
Most are excellent at what they do. They have built real businesses on craft, customer relationships, and operational discipline. Their leaders understand their industries deeply.
But almost every one treats technology as an afterthought rather than the future of the business. The CEO defers to "the IT team." The board tells them to "have an AI strategy" and they have no one to turn to. They get pitched by enterprise consulting firms quoting half a million for a deck. They get pitched by AI vendors who do not understand how their company makes money. They make the call themselves, hope for the best, and usually end up with shelfware.
John started Anacreon Group because he kept having the same conversation in meetings. Different industries. Different sizes. Same question: "What do we actually do about AI?" Every CEO wants guidance they can trust. Almost none of them have a place to get it.
Not every AI initiative is worth pursuing. Not every system needs replacing. Sometimes the right answer is to wait six months. Anacreon Group says so when it is true, and never sells a business something it does not need.
Why "Anacreon"
The name comes from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. Anacreon was the first independent world that broke from a dying Empire and charted its own course.
That is the thesis. Mid-market companies do not need legacy consulting to tell them what AI means for them. They need partners who will build the new playbook with them, on their terms, on their timeline.
