September 22, 2026 / 3 min read
What AI actually means for a five-person shop
Strip away the robots and the hype and today's AI is mostly software that reads and writes. Here is what that looks like in a real small shop.
AI advice for any shop
We’ll tell you when AI isn’t worth your money.
For HVAC, electrical, fabrication, auto and service businesses, one truck or fifty. You get a straight answer on whether AI is worth your money, from the person who’d build it.
Book a free 15-minute callNo pitch. No obligation. Straight to the point.
- Free 15-minute call, no obligation
- Flat prices quoted up front, never hourly
- One person advises and builds it
- Consult ends with a written summary you keep
The questions that come up
Most people selling you AI only get paid if you buy it.
I don’t. Plenty of businesses don’t need AI. They need a better phone process, a cleaner spreadsheet, or nothing at all. When that’s the answer, that’s the answer you’ll get, in writing.
When it is worth it, I scope it, price it flat, and build it myself. One person, start to finish. No sales team, no account manager, no markup on someone else’s work.
A chalk line marks the straight cut before anyone builds. That’s the name, and that’s the job.
How it works
Three steps. You can stop after any of them.
- Step 01
Free 15-minute call
You describe what’s slow, expensive, or repetitive. I tell you straight whether AI is in the running.
- Step 02
Paid consult, 30 minutes
We go deep on one problem. You leave with a one-page written summary: what to build or buy, what it’d cost, and what to skip.
- Step 03
Fixed-price build
Only if it’s worth it. Scoped, quoted flat, built by me. Optional care plan after it’s running.
What it costs
Prices up front. Flat quotes, never hourly.
Discovery call
Free
15 minutes
A straight read on whether AI is worth pursuing for your business at all.
You get: An honest yes, no, or not yet.
Founding consult
$25standard $100
30 minutes / first 10 clients
One problem, taken apart properly, with a recommendation you can act on without me.
You get: A one-page summary: build it, buy an off-the-shelf tool, or skip it.
Build project
Quoted flat
Scoped per project
The thing gets built and put to work in your business. No hourly meter, no change-order games.
You get: A working tool, plus optional care plan.
Ongoing care plan available on builds ($25 to $50 a month). Start with the free call. I’ll tell you which of these, if any, makes sense. Full breakdown on the services page.
Straight answers, in writing
Plain-English reads from the blog. No hype, no jargon.
September 7, 2026 / 3 min read
How to not get burned by an AI vendor
Five questions that separate an advisor from a salesman, from someone on the advice side of the table. No tech knowledge required.
August 31, 2026 / 4 min read
What an AI quoting tool actually costs
Real price ranges for off-the-shelf, do-it-yourself, and custom AI quoting, the ongoing costs nobody mentions, and the math for when a spreadsheet wins.
Fair questions
What if AI isn’t worth it for my business?
Then I say so on the call. Expect that answer a lot. It’s the point of the call. You’d have spent 15 minutes and nothing else.
Who actually does the work?
I do: both the advising and the building. You talk to one person the whole way through, and that person is the one typing the code.
How do you charge?
Flat, quoted per project after we’ve scoped it. Never hourly, never a surprise invoice. If the scope changes, we agree on the new number first.
I’ve been burned by tech vendors before.
Fair. That’s why the first step costs nothing and the second costs $25. You can walk away after either one, and the $25 consult ends with a one-page written summary you own.
Do I need to be technical?
No. We talk about your jobs, your quotes, your phone, not models and prompts. Plain English both directions.
Rather type than talk?
Tell me the problem in your own words. You’ll hear back from me, not a form robot, within one business day.