A course gives you information. A generic coach gives you opinions. We do two things neither does: we'll tell you exactly where AI belongs in your operation and where it shouldn't go — and then, if you want, we build the systems and stay on the hook for keeping them running. Advisory here means decisions and standards grounded in what we actually ship, not a slide deck.
Every engagement starts with a free qualifying call. From there it splits two ways. Advisory is for owners who aren't sure where AI belongs yet: a one-time AI Operations Review (from $3,500) gives you a ranked opportunity list and a written 90-day roadmap you keep, and Advisor on Call (from $2,500/mo) keeps us on hand for decisions, vendor vetting and async questions. Implementation is for businesses that already know what's broken: Workflow Launch (custom setup fee, then from $1,499/mo) where we build and run one high-value system, Operations Growth Partner (from $3,500/mo) for a new system every month, and Fractional AI Operations Partner (by application, from $8,500/mo) for one person to own the whole function. Many clients start with advisory and move into implementation once the roadmap makes the priority obvious.
Advisory is us helping you decide what to do: where AI actually pays in your operation, what to prioritise, which tools are worth buying, and where AI shouldn't be used at all. Implementation is us building those systems into your business and keeping them running. Advisory covers decisions, standards and direction — building is always quoted separately, so the advice stays honest instead of doubling as a sales pitch for our own build work.
Both, but they're separate products. A team workshop is a one-time private session — 60 minutes live online, or 90 minutes in your building — for up to 20 people. We audit your operation live, demo AI built for your business, train your team hands-on, and you keep a written roadmap and the recording whether or not you ever hire us for anything else. It's the fastest way to fix the real bottleneck, which is usually your people not knowing what's possible rather than the software.
Two things protect you. First, the Day-7 Promise: if your first AI system isn’t live and running inside your business by day 7, we don’t walk away — we keep building, at no extra cost and on no scope clock, until it is. Second, the Day-30 Guarantee: if it still isn’t live by day 30 from kickoff, your setup fee is refunded in full. Your setup fee is custom — scoped and agreed in writing before any build begins — so you know the exact number the guarantee covers. The one condition is timely access: we need the accounts and information the build depends on, and if we’m waiting on your side, the clock pauses until we’m unblocked. Retainers are month-to-month with no lock-in, so you’re never stuck paying for a system that isn’t running.
A fractional Chief AI Officer is an advisory role — typically 8–20 hours a month of strategy, vendor management, and oversight. You still need someone to build the systems, and that’s a separate cost. The Fractional AI Operations Partner tier includes the implementation: we own the roadmap and We build, integrate, and run the systems ourselves. You get the strategy and the working software from one person — at a price comparable to advice alone.
Carter has built and shipped two AI products from scratch, solo — Milo (an AI CRM for home service contractors) and HireRecruitAI (an AI recruiting platform). We build and run AI systems inside client businesses every day, and we're certified directly by Anthropic — the company behind the Claude models we build on — holding Claude Code 101, Building with the Claude API, plus four AI Fluency certifications (Framework & Foundations, for Small Businesses, for Educators, and Teaching the AI Fluency Framework). You're hiring someone who does the work, on what we've actually shipped and run, not theory.
SMBs with established revenue — typically $500K+ ARR — looking to use AI to compress operational cost, scale without adding headcount, or expand sales capacity. If your business has repeated workflows, customer touchpoints, or a sales motion, there's almost always something worth automating.
Tampa-first — we're based in Tampa, FL and prefer to do kickoffs in person when possible. Working nationwide remotely otherwise. Time-zone overlap with US business hours is required for retainer clients.
A 30–45 minute call where we review your workflows, identify the top 3–5 AI opportunities ranked by ROI, and map what to build. You'll leave with a clear picture of where AI will move the needle in your business — no cost, no obligation.
Yes. The qualifying call is free, with no commitment. If we're a fit and you want to move forward, that's when the retainer starts. No pressure either way — the call is genuinely about figuring out if there's a real opportunity in your business.
The qualifying call is 30–45 minutes. If you move into Workflow Launch, that's where the full workflow audit, the build, and the delivery walkthrough happen — typically a few days from kickoff to live system.
Yes. The roadmap delivered in Month 1 is yours to share — internal alignment, board updates, vendor briefs, or your own implementation.
Workflow Launch is about fixing and running one high-value workflow — low risk, fast to prove. The Operations Growth Partner retainer makes operations improvement a permanent function. Instead of running a single system, we work a prioritized roadmap one implementation at a time across sales, service, and admin, maintain everything already live, and own the roadmap with you. Different scope, different intent.
One active implementation priority at a time — outreach engines, CRM intelligence layers, support agents, content pipelines, proposal systems, and similar — scoped to your business off the roadmap we set together. Everything already built stays monitored, maintained, and improved in parallel.
No — if you already know AI works for your business and you want to move fast, you can start on the Operations Growth Partner retainer directly. Most clients come through Workflow Launch first because it's lower risk, but it's not a requirement.
No. The Operations Growth Partner retainer is month-to-month. Cancel anytime. No long-term contract.
Outreach and prospecting automation, AI-powered follow-up, intake bots, CRM intelligence layers, content engines, internal-ops automations, customer-support agents, and similar. The audit determines exactly what — every business is different.
Your systems are built, hosted, and maintained as part of your retainer — you get full use of everything they do for your business while we work together. They run on managed infrastructure and keep improving every month. It’s month-to-month with no lock-in: if you ever pause, the managed service ends.
While you're on a retainer, you get full use of everything I build for your business — wired into your own tools and accounts wherever possible. I build, host, and maintain the systems and the engine behind them as part of the service, so they keep working as models and APIs change. Month-to-month, no lock-in. Want to own and self-host a specific build outright? We can scope that separately.
Established businesses that want one person responsible for their AI and automation strategy rather than just execution — companies large enough to benefit from a senior operations voice in the room, but not large enough (or not ready) to hire a full-time AI lead. We act as a fractional executive, owning the roadmap, building the big systems, training the team, and reporting ROI.
Ownership and scope. The Fractional AI Operations Partner owns the whole function — full roadmap ownership, multiple active initiatives at once (vs. one priority at a time), department-by-department improvement, executive dashboards and ROI reporting, team training and documentation, and vendor oversight with priority support. You're handing off the function, not buying more automations.
Yes — and it's the most common path. Most Fractional AI Operations Partner clients started on the Operations Growth Partner retainer and graduated when their AI footprint outgrew the lighter tier.
All retainers are billed at the start of each month. Payment by card, ACH, or invoice — whichever works for your accounting setup. The qualifying call is free.
It depends on the engagement. Retainers are month-to-month — cancel any time with 30 days written notice; once a billing cycle starts that month isn't refundable. Implementation carries the Day-30 guarantee: if your first system isn't live and running within 30 days of kickoff, the setup fee is refunded in full, provided we've had timely access to the accounts the build depends on. One-time engagements (the Operations Review and team workshops) can be rescheduled free with 5 business days' notice, and are refunded in full if cancelled more than 10 business days out, less any non-recoverable travel. Full terms are on the terms page.
Every engagement is covered by a mutual NDA by default. Your business data, customer information, and proprietary processes stay private. We don't share client information, never use your data to train external models, and follow least-privilege access on every integration.
We integrate with what you already have whenever possible — HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Notion, Google Workspace, Slack, Stripe, etc. If a tool genuinely needs replacing, that's part of the audit recommendation — but we won't push a switch unless it's the right call.
Underlying API and tool costs (OpenAI, Anthropic, third-party SaaS, etc.) are passed through to you and billed directly to your accounts. We'll forecast these in the audit so there are no surprises, and they're typically a small fraction of what the systems save or earn.
The qualifying call is typically scheduled within 2–3 business days of booking. If we're a fit, your retainer can start the following month — Month 1 is when the audit and pilot build happen.
Email [email protected] — we read and reply personally.