AI guides for business owners
Straight answers to the questions owners ask about AI: what to use it for first, what it costs, and how to use it for reviews, calls, quotes, invoices, hiring and the team. Vendor-neutral, with a person checking every step.
Getting started: choosing, costing and planning
What should a small business use AI for first? A simple way to pickA one-page scoring sheet that ranks your own tasks by hours, repeatability and risk.How much does AI cost a small business? What you'll actually pay forThree tiers of AI spending, the prices we could verify, and what drives the cost of everything else.ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini for small business: which one should you pay for?Choose by the apps you already use and three real tasks from last week. Prices checked October 2026.A one-page AI policy for small businesses (plus what never to paste into ChatGPT)A fill-in-the-blank policy and a red, yellow and green list of what staff can paste into AI.The best AI tools for contractors and home service businesses, by jobOrganized by job, starting with what your field software already does. Vendor-neutral, no affiliate links.
Phones, leads and customer questions
Is an AI receptionist worth it for a small business? A 30-day testCount your missed calls, run the break-even math, and know when not to buy one.Missed calls while you're on a job? Text-back vs. AI answering vs. an answering serviceSide-by-side: what callers experience, setup time and what drives the cost of each fix.How to use AI to follow up on leads and quotes so jobs stop slipping awayA 1-3-7-14 day sequence AI drafts for you, with the stop rules that keep it polite.Does your small business need an AI chatbot on its website? Usually not yetAn honest answer: fix your FAQ page first, then add a narrow chatbot only if questions keep repeating.
Quotes, proposals and getting paid
How to use AI to write estimates and quotes fasterTurn job-site voice notes into a clean scope and exclusions. You keep the price.Can AI do your bookkeeping? What it handles and what still needs a personWhat AI can handle, what needs your review, and what still needs a bookkeeper or CPA.How to use AI to write proposals that win clients (for consultants and agencies)Discovery call to AI brief to a proposal in your own voice, without letting AI set price or scope.How to use AI to chase unpaid invoices politely in a small businessA reminder ladder AI drafts from your aging report, with stop rules for disputes.ChatGPT for contractors: 25 prompts for bids, customer texts and paperwork25 copy-paste prompts grouped by job: bids, customer texts, paperwork and the crew.
Reviews and local visibility
How to use AI to respond to Google reviews without sounding like a robotPrompts by star rating, the reviews you should always answer yourself, and the checks before you post.How to use AI on your Google Business Profile: description, posts and Q&AFact sheet first, then AI drafts, then you check every claim against Google's rules.
Running the team
How to use AI to write SOPs for your business: talk it out, get a checklistRecord yourself doing the job, then let AI turn it into a clear procedure and checklist.How to use AI for hiring in a small business: job posts, screening and interviewsA job post prompt, a phone-screen scorecard and the legal line: AI helps, a person decides.How to train your employees to use AI: a 4-week plan for small teamsOne tool, one policy, two real workflows per role, four weeks.How to use AI for staff scheduling in a small businessSpreadsheet plus prompt for small teams, and when to move to real scheduling software.
Looking for advice for your kind of business? Browse AI guides by industry, from HVAC and roofing to law firms, restaurants and real estate.
How My AI Plan works
One conversation. A written plan within 24 hours.
01
Interview
Right after checkout you get a private interview line. Call when it suits you for a 15 to 30 minute conversation about your business.
02
Analysis
Your answers are mapped to specific tools and scored by impact and effort, with monthly cost and setup time for each.
03
Report
A 9-slide written plan arrives by email within 24 hours of your interview.
04
Expert review call
A 30-minute call with an AI expert to walk through the plan and agree your first steps. Included for every client.