What we’re learning, written down.
Practical writing on applied AI: automation, governance and evaluation, AI visibility, custom tools, and sales training. What we actually build, what it costs, and where it doesn’t work. No predictions, no think-pieces.
Why doesn't the AI tool I bought work like the demo?
Because the demo is the ad. For a lot of AI tools sold to small businesses, the thing in the video isn't fully in the box. What I paid for, what I got, and the questions to ask before you pay.
Read it →Why is Reddit showing up in AI answers more than my website?
Reddit holds a great many threads where someone asks a specific question and other people answer it from experience, and most business websites hold none. Why the famous 40% figure is wrong, how big Reddit really is in AI answers, and what to do about it.
Read it →What should I automate first in my business?
Start with the task your team does the same way every week, where the steps already fit on one page and somebody waits on the result. How to find it in your own week, when to fix the process first, and when to build nothing.
Read it →How do I find out whether ChatGPT recommends my business?
Ask it, the way a customer would, and write down what comes back. How to run a rough check in an afternoon, the method we used on our own site, and where the rough version stops being useful.
Read it →Why do business automations stop working even when nothing breaks?
Most automations that stop working do it because the business around them changed. What that looked like on one of ours, and four things to settle before you automate anything.
Read it →What breaks when you swap the model underneath an AI tool?
Swapping the model under a working AI tool is a one-line change that can break more than half your calls. What actually goes wrong, and how to test a swap before it reaches anyone.
Read it →Should I build a custom AI tool or buy software?
Buy when a product already does the job the way you work. Build when the job is specific to your business, the answers have to be exactly right, or the tool has to reach into systems you already run.
Read it →What is AI visibility and why is my business invisible to ChatGPT?
AI visibility is whether ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI answers name and cite your business when someone asks a question you should answer. Most businesses are invisible because their pages were written to rank for keywords, not to be quoted as an answer.
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