Getting started · Multi-tool
Do you need AI — or just a clearer view of your numbers?
A 10-minute diagnostic I use on discovery calls. Honest answer first, tools second.
Half the people who talk to me about AI do not have an AI problem. They have a visibility problem: the numbers exist, they live in five places, and nobody can see them in under a minute. I would rather tell you that on a free page than sell you a chatbot you will not open.
- 01be honest
Four questions I ask on a discovery call
Answer these for your own business before you buy another app. (1) Can you tell me, right now, which product, class, or item is about to run out or sit too long? (2) Does that answer live in one screen, or in a spreadsheet plus a POS plus an inbox? (3) When something goes wrong — a stockout, a no-show, a quiet quote — how long until you notice? (4) Have you already paid for a tool your team abandoned? If 1 is no, 2 is 'five places,' and 3 is 'days later,' you do not need a language model first. You need the numbers in one place.
- 02copy this
Let the export talk, not a hunch
Export last week from Shopify, Square, Jane, or whatever you already use — even a messy spreadsheet is fine. Paste it after this prompt. You want a briefing, not a strategy essay:
Here is last week's export from my [Shopify / Square / POS / spreadsheet]. I run a [type of business] in Metro Vancouver. Do not give me generic advice. Tell me: (1) the 3 numbers I should actually look at on Monday, (2) anything that looks off or about to become a problem, (3) what you cannot tell from this export because the data is missing. Be blunt. Export: [paste]
- 03read the answer
What the reply is really telling you
If Claude can answer from the export, you already have the data — you just were not looking at it. The next step is a habit (this briefing every Monday) or a dashboard that surfaces the same alerts without a paste. If it says the data is missing or split across files, that is the real problem: the work is not 'get AI,' it is 'stop reconciling five tabs.' The inventory hub on the Proof page is the kind of thing I build when that is the case — stock, transfers, and reorders on one screen, not another chatbot.
- 04then decide
When AI is actually the right next step
AI is the right next step when the data is already visible and the leftover work is writing, sorting, or following up: review replies, quote drafts, reminder texts, a Monday summary you still type by hand. Those are the other guides on this page. If you are not sure which bucket you are in, that is what the assessment is for — I map the week with you and tell you which 3–7 tools are worth it, including 'none of these, you need a dashboard.' If I cannot find 5+ hours a week, you do not pay.
A free diagnostic gets you oriented. The assessment is the same conversation with your actual week on the table, a written report, and a guarantee. Start there if you want a second pair of eyes before you buy another tool.
Start with the AI Tools Assessment
One week. One report. The 3–7 AI tools your business actually needs — and 5+ hours a week found, or you pay nothing.