FAQ

Questions owners actually ask us.

Straight answers. If yours is not here, ask it on the audit call.

The audit

The free Operations Audit

What is a fractional Chief AI Officer?+

The person a big company hires to decide where AI should go, which tools to use, how to roll them out, and how to govern them. We fill that role for your business for exactly as long as the work requires, then hand you the keys. Same role, no hire.

What does the free Operations Audit cost? What is the catch?+

Nothing, and there is no catch worth hiding. The audit is how we earn the right to be paid: we show you the constraints in your business, priced in hours and dollars from your own numbers, before asking for anything. Some owners take the findings and fix things themselves. That is an acceptable outcome to us.

What happens on the call?+

Thirty minutes of working through how your business actually runs: where the time goes, which systems do not talk to each other, what only you know how to do. You fill out a short pre-audit form first so the call starts at your business, not the basics.

What do we walk away with?+

A written rundown of your constraints, what each one costs, and where AI can remove them. Where AI is the wrong answer, it says that too. It is yours whether we ever work together.

Pricing and payment

What it costs and how you pay

Why are there no prices on the site?+

Because projects are not the same size. A constraint costing a few hours a week and one touching every dollar of revenue are different jobs, and a price list would either overcharge the first or undercharge the second. What we promise instead: you see the total fee and the timeline in writing before you commit, and the price never changes mid-project.

How does payment work?+

Each project has one total fee, split into equal monthly payments across its timeline. A two-month project is two payments. A six-month project is six. No deposits held hostage and no surprise invoices at the end.

Are there any recurring fees?+

One, and only where it applies: builds that talk to outside systems or run unattended carry a small monthly maintenance fee, quoted with the project, never added after. End it whenever you choose and the build stays yours and keeps running. There are no subscriptions, retainers, or seats.

Is this cheaper than hiring someone?+

It is right-sized, which is different from cheap. A full-time AI executive costs a six-figure salary plus taxes and benefits every year, whether there is executive-level AI work that month or not. You pay us for the work itself, for the season it takes, and then the paying stops.

Ownership and lock-in

What you own and what you can leave

Are we locked in?+

No. Every project has an end date, and continuing to a next project is a new decision each time. There is no contract to escape because there was never a subscription.

Who owns what you build?+

You do, from day one. Every account, tool, and build is set up in your name, not ours. You can revoke our access any time and everything keeps running.

What happens if we stop working with you?+

Nothing breaks. Your builds keep running in your accounts, your team has the training and plain-English documentation to run them, and the door stays open. When your business changes and new constraints show up, the audit is how you bring us back.

Do you resell software or take commissions?+

No. No referral fees, no affiliate deals, no preferred vendors. When we recommend a tool, the only thing it answers to is whether it works for you. Sometimes the recommendation is a cheaper tool than the one you already pay for.

The work

How the work actually happens

We are not technical. Can our team actually run this?+

Yes, and it is a design requirement, not a hope. Every build is designed so the people already on your team can run it. If a build needs a technician on standby, we built it wrong.

What if AI is not the right answer for us?+

Then we say so, in writing, in the audit. Some constraints are process problems, not technology problems, and automating a broken process just makes it run faster. We fix the process first. That rule does not bend.

What AI tools do you use?+

Whichever ones fit your business, your budget, and your team. We hold no vendor relationships, so nothing pushes us toward one tool over another. Part of the job is also governance: deciding what data should touch AI tools, what should not, and keeping humans in charge where judgment matters.

Is our data safe?+

Yes, and by design rather than by promise. We connect to your existing software with the same secure sign-in standard that powers Sign in with Google, we do not store your data, and you can revoke our access any time from your own settings pages.

What happens when AI makes a mistake?+

Every build includes a human review layer until your team has seen enough to trust it. We design for mistakes: the system flags exceptions, a person reviews them, and a person decides. Nothing we build acts on a high-stakes decision without human sign-off.

What do you need from us?+

Three things: access to your systems, a decision-maker who responds, and a team that shows up to training. Projects run on time when both sides hold up their half.

What kinds of businesses do you work with?+

Owner-led service businesses with real operational complexity: multiple systems that do not talk, a team that has outgrown its processes, an owner still doing work someone else should be doing. If that sounds familiar, the audit will find plenty.

How long does a project take?+

It depends on the project, which is the honest answer. What does not vary: you see the timeline in writing before you commit, and delays on our side never change your fee.

The rest of your questions get answered on the call.

Thirty minutes, free, and you keep the findings either way.