# Caleb Lazarus — Full Reference > Solutions Architect Team Lead specialising in AI, automation, and HubSpot integrations. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa. This document is the long-form version of `/llms.txt` — intended for AI agents, answer engines, and crawlers that want the complete site content in a clean, parse-friendly form. --- ## Identity & Contact | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Full name | Caleb Lazarus | | Title | Solutions Architect Team Lead | | Employer | MO Agency | | Location | Johannesburg, South Africa | | Primary email | caleb@caleblazarus.com | | Work email | caleb@mo.agency | | Website | https://caleblazarus.com | | LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleblazarus | | GitHub | https://github.com/summa-ingenio | | HubSpot Community | https://app.hubspot.com/connect-beta/member/caleb | | CV (PDF) | https://caleblazarus.com/assets/Caleb%20Lazarus%20CV.pdf | --- ## Positioning Statement Caleb is a Solutions Architect who leads with **AI and automation**. He designs and builds the systems that let businesses run leaner, sell faster, and serve customers without piling on headcount. His signature framing: *Clients bring the puzzle pieces and the picture — I work out how to fit them together and create their image.* Today that picture almost always includes AI: agents that handle repetitive operations, models embedded inside the CRM, retrieval-augmented assistants that sit on top of internal knowledge, and automation pipelines that make tools talk to each other. --- ## Capabilities ### 1. AI Agents & Workflow Automation What it covers: - **Autonomous agents** built on Anthropic Claude (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku) or OpenAI models, with tool use / function calling, MCP servers, and guardrails. - **Workflow automation** across n8n, Make, Zapier, HubSpot Workflows, and custom Node.js orchestrators. - **Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)** for internal-knowledge assistants, with vector stores (Pinecone, pgvector, Weaviate) and embedding pipelines. - **Prompt engineering, evaluation, and prompt caching** for cost and latency control. - **Human-in-the-loop design** — review checkpoints, escalation paths, audit trails. Typical outcomes: - Lead qualification and routing handled without human intervention. - Support tickets triaged and drafted by agents, then approved by humans. - Sales sequences personalised and adapted by the model in real time. - Internal Q&A bots that read across Notion, Confluence, Google Drive, and Slack. ### 2. HubSpot AI & CRM Integrations What it covers: - **HubSpot CMS** development — custom themes, modules, HubL templating, serverless functions. - **HubSpot CRM** — pipelines, properties, custom objects, association labels, workflows, sequences. - **Operations Hub** — data sync, custom code actions, programmable automation, data quality automations. - **Breeze AI** — configuring AI agents, content assistants, copilots, prospect intelligence. - **Custom AI workflows** that reach beyond Breeze — calling Claude or OpenAI from inside HubSpot to summarise calls, draft replies, score deals, generate content, and enrich contacts. - **Bidirectional sync** between HubSpot and Salesforce, ERPs, billing platforms, data warehouses, and custom apps. ### 3. Custom Integrations & Middleware What it covers: - **REST and GraphQL** API design, consumption, and gateway work. - **Node.js / Express / TypeScript** middleware services. - **Webhook orchestration** — fan-out, fan-in, retry, dead-letter queues, idempotency keys. - **ETL and reverse-ETL** pipelines into MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, BigQuery. - **iPaaS** (HubSpot Operations Hub, Workato-style patterns) and custom-coded alternatives where iPaaS doesn't fit. - **Identity and auth** — OAuth flows, API key vaulting, SSO patterns. ### 4. Smart Web Experiences What it covers: - **HubSpot CMS** sites with custom modules, design systems, and content ops. - **React / Next.js** front-ends, headless architectures, and progressive enhancement. - **WordPress** when it's the right tool (legacy migrations, marketing-led builds). - **Conversion optimisation** — A/B testing, personalisation rules, behaviour-driven content. - **SEO-first architecture** — semantic HTML, schema.org, Core Web Vitals, sitemap and robots strategy. - **AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)** — structured data, FAQ markup, llms.txt, content written for citation by LLMs. ### 5. Solutions Architecture & Team Leadership What it covers: - **End-to-end system design** across CRM, marketing, sales, support, finance, product, and data. - **Discovery** — stakeholder interviews, current-state mapping, gap analysis. - **Architecture decisions** — platform choice, build-vs-buy, data ownership, integration patterns, AI build-vs-API. - **Delivery oversight** — leading a multi-developer team, code review, sprint planning, QA gates. - **Mentoring** — pulling team members from junior to senior on web dev, integrations, and AI work. --- ## Process How Caleb runs an engagement: 1. **Discover** — interview stakeholders, audit the current stack, map data flows, identify the highest-leverage manual processes. 2. **Architect** — produce a clear architecture diagram and decision log. Choose platforms, AI approach, integration pattern, and measurement plan. 3. **Build** — ship in vertical slices. Each slice is production-ready and instrumented before the next starts. 4. **Optimise** — measure, tune prompts, raise automation coverage, retire deprecated steps. Hand over with documentation a successor team can actually use. --- ## Selected Clients 90+ clients across 15+ industries at MO Agency. The public case-study client list (sourced from https://www.mo.agency/case-studies): **Row 1 (marquee):** Altron, Sasol, Investec, EasyEquities, Greenpeace, iKhokha, Werksmans Attorneys, Norman Goodfellows. **Row 2 (marquee):** Teraco Data Centres, Investec Property Fund, GT247, Vodeno, Meerkat, LRMG, MECAD, Cash Flow Capital. **Row 3 (marquee):** Centracom, Saicom Voice Services, 4Racing, Real Success Network, The Student Hub, Everest Packaging, Quantum Cryogenics, IEP. Industries served include: financial services, banking, energy, telecoms, technology, B2B SaaS, legal, retail, conservation/NGO, education, packaging, manufacturing, and property. --- ## Selected Portfolio Selected public projects (the live site filters more than 30): - **@ODDS E-commerce Website** — custom templates, personalised user journey. - **Double H Feeds App** — mobile app on a WordPress / WooCommerce backend. - **Pipeline Generator** — lead generation course site with e-commerce + LMS. - **Ladylike Media** — small e-commerce cookbook site. - **Seidor Africa** — full website build for a leading technology solutions provider. - **ForwardLane** — site design and build for a financial services AI company. - **Oracle NetSuite Landing Page** — dynamic landing page. - **Liquid Telecom Landing Page** — dynamic landing page. - **First Technology National Website** — Microsoft offer site. - **Digital Kungfu Website** — agency site, second redesign. - **TechLeadBay**, **InfoVerge**, **Dreamers Dojo**, **Hybrid Workforces** — small-business websites. - **Digital marketing campaigns** for Microsoft, Oracle, Liquid Telecom, SA Breweries. - **Photography, motion graphics, music videos, and short-form video** from Caleb's earlier media career. Behance archive: https://www.behance.net/caleblazarus --- ## Experience ### Solutions Architect Team Lead — MO Agency *Nov 2020 — Present · Johannesburg, South Africa* Leads a team of developers building integrations to unify customer technology stacks, delivering websites and web applications, and now embedding AI and automation into client operations. Responsible for solution architecture, technical pre-sales, delivery oversight, and team mentoring. ### Head of Digital Marketing — Digital Kungfu *Jan 2019 — Oct 2020 · Johannesburg, South Africa* Led a team of 3 digital marketers executing campaigns for enterprise clients including Microsoft and Oracle. ### Senior Apple Technician — iStore *Dec 2015 — Dec 2018 · Johannesburg, South Africa* Managed a team of 4 technicians at the iStore, troubleshooting, servicing, and repairing Apple devices. --- ## Education - **2023 — Full Stack Development**, Hyperion Dev. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL, MongoDB, React, Express, HubL. - **2021 — Digital Marketing**, University of Cape Town. Integrated digital marketing campaign design and implementation. - **2014–2017 — Honours in Motion Picture Medium**, AFDA. Conceptual, practical, and contextual skills in film, TV, stage, and emerging media content production. --- ## Looking For Caleb is open to: - **AI & automation consulting** — advisory, architecture, and hands-on build engagements. - **HubSpot AI implementations** and CRM integration work for mid-market and enterprise clients. - **Solutions architecture roles** or fractional-CTO style engagements. - **Speaking, writing, and teaching** on AI in mid-market operations, agentic workflows, and AEO. --- ## FAQ (full) ### What does a Solutions Architect actually do? A Solutions Architect designs how systems fit together end-to-end. That means choosing platforms, defining data flow, planning integrations, and translating business goals into technical architecture. Caleb leads the build through delivery rather than handing off a diagram and walking away. ### How does Caleb integrate AI into a business? Discovery first. The team identifies the highest-leverage manual workflows and decision points before any AI work starts. Then they layer AI where it has measurable ROI — agentic automation for repetitive ops, retrieval-augmented assistants for internal knowledge, AI-assisted content and scoring inside the CRM. Always paired with measurement, guardrails, and human review where it matters. ### Does Caleb work with HubSpot's Breeze AI? Yes. Caleb implements Breeze AI agents, content tools, and copilots, and combines them with custom AI workflows where Breeze alone doesn't fit. He also builds external AI agents that sync into HubSpot via Operations Hub and custom code actions. ### Can Caleb integrate HubSpot with Salesforce, billing, or other systems? Yes — bidirectional sync, custom middleware, queueing, and conflict resolution are core to the practice. Past work includes HubSpot ↔ Salesforce, HubSpot ↔ ERP, HubSpot ↔ data warehouse, and many bespoke integrations. ### What AI models and providers does Caleb use? Primarily Anthropic Claude (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku) and OpenAI. Model choice depends on the task — long-context reasoning vs. fast classification vs. tool-use orchestration. Cost, latency, and prompt-caching strategy are part of every architecture. ### Does Caleb build agents from scratch or use a framework? Both. Custom Node.js / TypeScript orchestrators when the requirement is bespoke; the Anthropic Claude Agent SDK or OpenAI's tools when the workflow is standard. The goal is always the smallest dependency surface that meets the requirement. ### Is Caleb available for freelance or contract work? Caleb leads a team at MO Agency. Project enquiries are best routed through MO. For personal advisory, speaking, or writing enquiries, email caleb@caleblazarus.com. ### Where is Caleb based and which time zones does he work in? Johannesburg, South Africa (UTC+2). Works remotely with clients globally and overlaps comfortably with EMEA, most of APAC, and US east-coast mornings. ### What's Caleb's stance on AI safety and responsible deployment? Every AI system Caleb ships includes evaluation, observability, human review where the stakes call for it, and a clear rollback path. He prefers narrow, well-scoped agents over broad autonomous systems, and treats prompts, evals, and tool definitions as production code. --- ## Site Map - `/` — main landing page (this site) - `/llms.txt` — short reference for AI agents - `/llms-full.txt` — long reference for AI agents (this file) - `/sitemap.xml` — XML sitemap - `/robots.txt` — robots policy - `/assets/Caleb Lazarus CV.pdf` — downloadable CV