Notes

Notes

Plain answers to the questions small business owners actually ask us about AI and automation. No hype, no jargon, and we'll tell you when automation is a bad idea too. Like what you read? Hit the "Add to Preferred Sources" button at the bottom of the page and Google will keep feeding you our newest answers.

  • What does an AI consultant cost per employee? : We just changed how we price the AI Concierge, and instead of hiding the spreadsheet we're publishing it. Here's what done-with-you AI consulting costs per employee, and how many saved hours a month it takes to break even in Stillwater, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa.
  • How many hours does AI actually save per employee? : Every AI vendor has a slide claiming their tool saves 10 hours a week. The people who measured it without selling anything found a smaller, more useful number. Here it is, plus what it means for a real team in Oklahoma.
  • Why do most AI pilots never make it out of pilot? : The AI numbers from big companies are brutal, and they explain something we see every week at office hours: a business buys the tool, a couple of people get faster, and nothing changes for the business. Here's what the research says is going wrong, and why being small is the way out.
  • How do I spot an AI scam before it costs me? : We just gave a talk to a room of 80 realtors, bankers, and title folks called "AI for Every Business: The Upside, the Scams, and How Not to Get Got." The scam half of that talk is too important to leave in a slide deck, so here it is.
  • Can AI tell me what to delegate? : A classmate from Small Business University walked into office hours just to say hi. She's a fractional economic developer for chambers of commerce, and a former chamber president on top of it. If anyone knows about wearing every hat, it's her. She walked out with an AI that tells her which hats to take off.
  • What is an AI concierge? : You're going to start hearing the phrase "AI concierge" a lot. The trouble is, it means two completely different things, and the one Google shows you first is not the one that matters for your business.
  • Can AI build my employee schedule? : A manager of a ten-person crew walked into our free office hours with a 90-minute-a-month chore. Here's exactly how it went away, and the prompt to try it on your own schedule.
  • How do I stop re-explaining everything to my AI? : Most people use AI like a vending machine: one question, one answer, walk away. Then they type the same background all over again tomorrow. There's a fix built into the tool, and almost nobody at our office hours has heard of it.
  • Do I need new software to automate my paperwork? : No. And if someone's answer to your paperwork problem starts with "first, migrate everything to our platform," ask more questions.
  • Can AI read handwritten job sheets and invoices? : Yes, including messy handwriting, Spanish and English on the same page, and notes crammed in the margins. Here's how it actually works.
  • What does it cost to automate invoicing for a small business? : Real numbers, a real example, and the honest cases where automation is not worth your money.