Strategy Meeting
Artifact info
Title:

IRIS Co-Creative 2026 Strategy & Collaboration Planning

Engagement:

Iris Internal

Client:

Iris Cocreative

Meeting Date:
December 16, 2025
Next Meeting Date:
December 22, 2025
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December 16, 2025
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James Redenbaugh
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Meeting Summary

Personal Context & Team Vision

James shared updates on significant life changes, including getting married and preparing to start a family, while Moenja is recovering from burnout and grief following her father's passing (02:01). Both expressed readiness to embrace 2026 as a fresh start, with James noting the Chinese astrology shift from snake year (transformation) to fire horse year (momentum and action) (03:23).

Moenja emphasized her need for more structure, stability, and rhythm in her work life after a challenging year focused on healing (02:01). She's seeking the security of knowing work is coming while maintaining flexibility to travel and serve other clients.

Strategic Evolution: From Websites to Web Applications

James outlined a fundamental shift in IRIS's positioning from website builder to app builder (05:14). The studio is developing a suite of core reusable technologies that can be deployed across multiple projects, enabling higher pricing and greater profitability:

[tag="webflow"]

Core Technology Modules:

  • Custom learning management system (LMS) built for Webflow [tag="webflow"]
  • Fully custom membership and authentication systems
  • AI-powered communication automations using n8n [tag="n8n"] and Claude [tag="claude"]
  • Custom CRM systems [tag="airtable"]
  • Intelligent matching algorithms
  • Assessment systems
  • Directory systems
  • Community facilitation tools
  • Custom video conferencing solutions
  • Collaboration management tools
  • Parametric geometric interfaces using Grasshopper [tag="grasshopper"]
  • Time-aware toolsets for community management

[technology="Online Learning Platforms"]

[technology="Custom Membership System"]

[technology="Communication Automations"]

[technology="CRM System Templates"]

[technology="Intelligent Matching Algorithms"]

[technology="Assessment Systems"]

[technology="Directory Systems"]

[technology="Community Facilitation Tools"]

[technology="Video Conferencing Solutions"]

[technology="Collaboration Management Tools"]

[technology="Parametric Geometric Interfaces"]

[technology="Time-Aware Toolsets"]

James emphasized these technical capabilities must be wrapped in beautiful, sacred, and resonant design that feels distinctly like IRIS work (09:11). The goal is creating reusable templates that are already beautiful before client customization begins.

Business Model & Pricing Strategy

The new approach enables significantly higher project values. Website packages using these core technologies should start at $20k minimum for bare bones implementations (11:47). James is also exploring monthly licensing agreements where clients pay to use IRIS-developed systems, plus customization fees and ongoing support.

This represents a potential 10x increase in project values compared to previous pricing (14:24).

Major Projects in Pipeline:

  • Hollow Movement: Large comprehensive project using multiple technologies before May 2026 wave in Portugal
  • Gaia Warriors: $18,000 site over five months starting January
  • Conscious Healing International: Large project pending funding approval
  • Light Creators (David): Initial personal site with potential for expansion
  • Flourish: Ongoing development
  • Hermitage World: Proposal pending

Current Team Structure & Collaboration Needs

Active Team Members:

  • Yvonne: On $2,000/month retainer, primarily development and UI design
  • Andy (Germany): New developer/designer, completed initial project successfully
  • Designer in California: Holistic service provider doing design thinking, workshops, branding, and copywriting
  • James: Currently the bottleneck handling too many responsibilities

Moenja expressed concern about lack of visibility into the team ecosystem (18:03). She doesn't know who's working on which projects or in what capacity, which differs from IRIS's earlier team-oriented approach with regular meetings and clear collaboration.

Team Culture Goals:

  • Return to collaborative team feeling
  • Monthly team meetings (at minimum) despite time zone challenges
  • One-on-one sessions between team members for cross-learning
  • Shared learning culture where team members help each other grow
  • Designers and developers learning from each other's perspectives

Design Philosophy & Moenja's Role

Moenja identified her core strengths as concept creation and feeling into clients to translate their essence into visuals (20:22). While technical aspects aren't her focus, she's open to learning how to better serve developers and improve design-to-development handoffs.

James wants Moenja to help create a user experience language that's both highly usable and beautiful, serving as the foundation across all projects (09:11). This includes designing the template systems for LMS, membership portals, and other core technologies to feel distinctly like IRIS creations.

Collaboration Approach:

  • Focus on conceptual and visual design work
  • Partner with UI-focused designers who understand app architecture
  • Bring intuitive, outside-the-box thinking to balance technical constraints
  • Contribute to both client projects and internal IRIS development

AI & Automation Integration

James demonstrated several AI-powered workflows transforming the studio's efficiency:

Meeting Documentation (38:48): Meetings are transcribed, then fed into Claude [tag="claude"] to generate structured summaries with technology tags and shortcodes linking to relevant transcript moments. These artifacts become starting points for projects.

Design Acceleration (39:20): James fed meeting summaries and brand questionnaires into Claude [tag="claude"], which generated a draft website for Light Creators as a starting point before their second meeting. The draft can be converted from HTML to Figma [tag="figma"] using plugins, providing structure, colors, and foundation for creative refinement.

Task Management Agent (32:48): James built an AI agent [tag="claude"] that can chat with his task list, schedule his day, and integrate with Google Calendar [tag="gmail"]. The vision is extending this to client-facing project management where an agent keeps everyone on track and clients can get immediate project updates.

Parametric Tools (01:02:06): James created JavaScript [tag="js"] tools from Grasshopper [tag="grasshopper"] scripts that clients can use to explore geometric variations interactively, taking screenshots to send back rather than requiring technical Grasshopper sessions.

James emphasized these tools should handle what they're good at, freeing the team to focus on creative work that machines can't replicate (40:48).

Project Management & Visibility Systems

James is developing a custom CRM [tag="airtable"] for project organization with timeline visualization, phase tracking, and team assignments (29:32). The system includes auto-generated timelines based on dates with manual adjustment capabilities.

The working sessions tool tracks time and work descriptions across projects (46:54). While not requiring exact time tracking, it builds team visibility into what everyone is working on and helps ensure appropriate client billing and project profitability.

[technology="Collaboration Management Tools"]

James acknowledged he's chronically undercharged, paid everyone before himself, and often been late with payments (44:26). A major 2026 goal is establishing good money habits: tracking work properly, charging appropriate rates, paying team members on time, paying himself adequately, and ensuring solid profit margins.

Internal Learning & Development

Plans include creating an internal learning management system using the LMS template being developed for clients (35:01). This would house lessons organized by the new technology modules, with visibility into who's engaging with content and ability to comment and collaborate on lessons.

Moenja requested a learning channel where James shares videos and resources for her professional development (34:46), particularly around AI tools and app development concepts. She emphasized the importance of learning together and helping each other grow as a core team value.

James expressed openness to professional development sessions on topics like money mindset and overcoming creative freelancer limitations around charging appropriate rates (53:02).

Retainer Structure & Work Rhythm

James proposed a retainer model offering Moenja the stability she seeks (27:32). This would include:

  • Base monthly commitment with predictable income
  • Flexibility for month-to-month variation
  • Client project work as primary focus
  • Backlog of IRIS internal projects when client work is lighter
  • Freedom to pursue own ideas and improvements for IRIS tools
  • Higher hourly rates for additional hours beyond base retainer
  • Revenue sharing for clients Moenja brings in requiring advanced technologies

Availability Considerations:

  • Moenja doesn't want full-time commitment and will maintain other clients
  • Dutch regulations require freelancers to show multiple clients
  • Moenja plans to spend several months in Europe starting February (Morocco and family visits)
  • Time zone will be more convenient during European stay
  • Available for evening work (her evening, James's morning) currently in Bali

Moenja will reflect on and propose specific monthly hours and base rate that would feel good starting January, with vision for where she'd like to be in six months and one year (50:00).

Financial Vision & Life Goals

James shared his motivation for making IRIS more profitable: preparing for parenthood (trying for kids in 3-4 months), recognizing he makes far less than his wife despite working more hours, and wanting to adequately compensate both himself and team members who grow with the studio (51:41).

The goal isn't just money but the freedom money enables: doing more awesome work, building IRIS's own projects, taking bigger risks, having time off for soul nourishment, staying consistently energized, and making bigger impact in the world (52:39).

Immediate Next Steps: Light Creators Project

James introduced the Light Creators project for David, a coach in Berlin (56:43). The existing website is outdated and primarily in German. Timeline extends over the next couple months for branding and website redesign.

Project Status:

  • Second vision session just completed, needs processing
  • 📄 79-page brand questionnaire (client answered with AI assistance)
  • Initial homepage mockup created with Claude [tag="claude"] showing geometric background
  • Client feedback: needs to feel more grounded, less star-oriented
  • Pinterest board assembled showing visual direction

Moenja's Assignment:

  • Design homepage in Figma bringing in colors, imagery, and Pinterest board aesthetic
  • Create simple logo for Light Creators (not heavy branding, but needs identity)
  • Review vision session recording and brand questionnaire
  • Incorporate parametric geometric elements (James created interactive tool for client to explore variations)

James will process the second vision session and send summary that evening (01:04:49). He also mentioned a second similar project Moenja might help with if she has capacity.

Action Items

Moenja

  • Review Light Creators brand questionnaire and vision session recording (01:04:36)
  • Design Light Creators homepage concept with colors, imagery, and logo (01:03:47)
  • Reflect on and propose monthly retainer structure: hours, base rate, six-month goals, and one-year vision (50:00)
  • Submit any questions about Light Creators project as they arise (01:04:36)

James

  • Process second Light Creators vision session and send summary (01:04:49)
  • Send information about second potential project for Moenja (01:05:32)
  • Share videos and learning resources for Moenja's AI and app development education (34:46)
  • Continue developing team visibility systems and project management tools

Both

  • Plan monthly team meetings to rebuild collaborative culture
  • Explore professional development sessions on topics like money mindset for creative freelancers
Relevant Initiatives

New Business Model Development

Priority: 
Very High
Size: 
XL
Creation Stage

Team Resources

Priority: 
High
Size: 
L
Creation Stage
Transcript