You know AI should be changing your business. You just don't know where to start.

Startedby helps small and mid-sized businesses figure out where AI can have the highest impact — and then builds it. Discovery, Build, and Advise engagements. No strategy decks.

The Problem

Most businesses are stuck in the same place. Leadership has heard the AI pitch. Someone on the team is already using ChatGPT. There's a growing sense that you should be doing more. But nobody can answer the actual question: What should we build, and why?

The problem isn't awareness. It's that answering that question honestly requires someone who understands your business, understands what AI can actually do, and can connect those two things. That's what we do.

The Difference: Tools vs. System

There's a difference between giving your team better tools and building a better system. Giving individuals AI tools — Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot — makes the craftsman faster. That's valuable. But it doesn't change how your business operates at scale.

Building AI into your workflows, your processes, and your operations — that's building the assembly line. It's what lets a smaller team punch above its weight, deliver more for clients, and create capabilities your competitors don't have yet.

We help you do the second thing. Starting with figuring out exactly where it matters most.

How It Works — Three steps. No vague strategy decks.

• 01 — Discovery ($5,000 · Two weeks): We interview your key people and map your workflows through our platform — surfacing where time is being lost, where costs are hidden, and where AI can make the biggest dent. You come out with a prioritized roadmap: what to build, why, what it'll cost, and what you should expect in return. Applies toward your first build.
• 02 — Build (Workflow $3K–$8K · App $10K–$25K · Platform $25K+): Once we know what's worth building, we build it. Workflow automations, custom AI-powered apps, or full platforms — scoped and priced based on what the Discovery surfaces. You own everything we build.
• 03 — Advise ($6K/month): For businesses that want ongoing strategic guidance, we embed as your Fractional CAIO — senior AI leadership without the full-time hire. Month to month, no long-term contracts.

We Practice What We Preach

The platform we use to run client Discovery Engagements is something we built ourselves. We've shipped over 10 AI-powered products in the last year — not prototypes, working software that people actually use. We don't show up with frameworks borrowed from a strategy deck. We show up with a process that produces real outputs, and we build fast enough that most clients see something tangible before the engagement is over.

Further Reading

• Why Custom Wins — 95% of enterprise AI pilots produce no bottom-line impact. The reason isn't the models — it's the deployment.
• The Hidden Cost of Giving Everyone AI — Handing every employee a chat subscription isn't an AI strategy. Here's what it's actually costing you.
• Assembly Lines Win — Why giving your team AI tools isn't the same as building a business that runs on AI.
• The Million Dollar AI Question — Every enterprise executive is sitting with the same decision right now. Here's a framework for thinking through it honestly.
• View all articles

Featured Projects

• Everyo — AI-powered networking for events, organizations, and the people who attend them.
• Flawless — AI-powered relationship app using deep compatibility analysis to help people make smarter connections.
• Chief Exec — AI-powered personal operating system for high-performers to track tasks, goals, health, habits, and more.
• Varsidee — Infrastructure for AI-native labor markets. Context is the new résumé.
• Real Big Deal — AI-powered PR platform that helps startups turn updates into polished, ready-to-share stories.
• Startedby Platform — AI-powered consulting tool that identifies the highest-leverage AI and automation opportunities — for free.
• Committed — A recovery support app with AI counseling, smart journaling, and group therapy.
• Sorta — Modern home inventory service that helps people make sense of what they own.
• VibePlus — Cofounder compatibility platform using AI to assess alignment on goals, work style, and values.
• HotelIQ — Hotel data management platform for organizing, enriching, and deduplicating property data.
• HQ — A personal operating system for daily life — habits, contacts, communications, and productivity.
• The Menu — A simple app for restaurants to create mobile-accessible menus.
• Intro2 — Data-driven tool connecting startup founders to their best-fit investors at scale.

Is This You?

You're probably a fit if your company has 20–200 people and real operational complexity, leadership wants to move on AI but hasn't cut through the noise, and you want something actually built — not just a strategy document.

You're probably not a fit if you're a tech company with an existing engineering team, a pre-revenue startup, or looking for someone to recommend tools and leave.

Common Questions

What does this actually look like in three or six months?

By the end of month one you have a working system handling a real workflow and delivering real ROI. From there, many clients have us tackle the next highest-leverage piece every few weeks — so by month six you have a connected set of workflows running on one shared context, software shaped around how your business actually works. That said, you don't have to go that far: a single project stands on its own and delivers value by itself.

How much does this cost?

Our goal is simple: deliver full-time value at a fraction of a full-time headcount. Everything is fixed-price, so you know the number before we start. Discovery & architecture: $5k. First project: $15k. Each project after: from $12k. Most clients go from discovery to a working, ROI-generating app for around $20k — a fraction of what a single full-time hire costs in a year.

How do we keep working with you after the first build?

Most clients go project to project. When one ships, you pick the next workflow worth automating and we scope it — fixed price, fixed timeline. There's no mandatory retainer and no minimum commitment. You set the pace.

Are we locked in or stuck with this?

No. You own the code and the system outright, and it runs on standard cloud-based systems — nothing exotic to set up or manage. That means it's easy for us to maintain, and just as easy for anyone else to step in if you ever wanted them to. Nothing about it depends on us staying involved to keep it working.

What happens if we want to part ways?

You keep everything — the app, the code, the data. Hand it to an internal developer or another shop and they can pick it right up. No exit fees, no holding your data hostage.

What about change orders?

As we know, business needs can change often. That's why we work on short, clearly scoped projects that can deliver ROI quickly. If you want something new later, it becomes its own small, clearly-priced project that you choose to greenlight. And if you want to make a small change to your application, we're often able to just incorporate it into the existing scope of work, free of charge.

Ready to figure out where to start?

Book a free 30-minute diagnostic call. We'll ask about your business, your operations, and where you feel the most friction. No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about whether there's something worth building together.