North Star AI Consultation

the news desk

Updated

The full stories, and why they matter to you
Begin the experience

AI training and consulting for small businesses.One AI agent built this entire site

Imagine what it could do for your business. We train you and your team to use AI, set up the tools and AI agents that take busywork off your plate, and stay on call as your AI guy. Straight answers on what will save you time and money, and what won't.

And guess what? It's all easier than you think.

Book your free 30-minute intro call

The first 30-minute call is free. After that it's $100/hr for online sessions. No long-term contracts.

Questions first? Text us: +1 650 679 0216

sound familiar?

Everyone says AI will save your business time. Nobody's shown you how.

Every ad promises an AI miracle. Your week still looks the same: quotes at 9pm, the same five questions on repeat, reviews you never answer.

Here's what nobody mentions: you don't need the newest AI. You need the right tool on the right job, set up inside the software you already use, and a team that knows how to use it. That's the part that actually saves you money.

An hour with someone who shows you and your team, on your own screens, beats a year of AI headlines. That's the whole idea of this business.

AI training · AI consulting · Done-for-you setup · On-call support

Free 30-minute intro call. Then $100/hr for online sessions, training, and builds.

Book your free 30-minute intro call

AI isn't going to put your business out of business. A competitor who uses it well might. Be that business.

What AI can realistically do in your industry

the basics

So what's an AI agent, exactly?

A chatbot answers questions. An AI agent gets things done.

What it can do, and what to expect

Think of it as a super smart assistant that does real work on your computer: it drafts the routine replies, turns job notes into quotes and invoices, cleans up your spreadsheets, updates your website, even builds small custom tools for exactly how your business runs. Once a job works, it can run on its own schedule: every weekday at 10am, check the inbox for quote requests and draft the quotes. You watch it work, you approve what it does, and you keep the results. If you can describe it, it can probably do it.

what to expect

We don't build the agent from scratch. We set you up with a real professional tool from one of the world's leading AI labs, like Claude Code (Anthropic) or Codex (OpenAI). Claude Code built this entire site. You don't need to code to use either one. Our job is picking the right one for your work (sometimes a different tool fits better), setting it up, and teaching you (or your team) to run it. By the end of your first session, you're the one giving the orders.

services

Six ways we help a small business

Some owners want to learn it. Some want it done. Most want both, plus someone to call when things change. Pick the door that fits; the first call is free either way.

We teach you and your team

All about AI training

start here: your first call is free

One-on-one AI coaching

You and us, on your screen, working on your real business. We find the jobs AI can take off your plate, set up the tools that fit in your own accounts, and coach you until you're the one running them.

$100/hr, online. Billed after each session.

How it works, and who it's for
  • Your real work, not a lecture: the quote you're behind on, the emails you dread, the posts you never get to.
  • We start with the task that eats the most of your week: an AI agent like Claude Code or Codex does it on your computer, then we save it as a skill and put it on a schedule.
  • One session or a standing weekly hour, at your pace. No slideshows, no homework.

Good for: Owners who want to understand AI themselves before they hand it to anyone else.

AI training for your team

Live training on a video call, built around the jobs your people actually do: front desk, office, sales, the field. They go from chatting with AI to handing it real jobs, and they learn to check its work and keep customer information safe.

$100/hr, online. You'll know the total before we start.

How it works, and who it's for
  • Built from your business, not a generic course: real examples from your own emails, forms, and customer questions, with private details taken out first.
  • Past the chat window: they watch an AI agent like Claude Code or Codex do one of their real jobs, then save it as a skill that runs on a schedule. No coding needed.
  • The basics everyone needs: how to check the answer and what never gets pasted into an AI tool, plus a one-page set of AI rules for your team, written with you.
  • We say it out loud on day one: this is about taking the boring out of their jobs, not taking their jobs.

Good for: Teams where a few people already use ChatGPT on the side and nobody agreed on how.

Train your in-house AI person

Pick one person on your team, often the office manager or the curious one. We coach them one-on-one until they can set up tools, answer the team's AI questions, and spot the next job worth automating. The know-how stays in your building.

$100/hr. We estimate how many sessions it takes on the free call.

How it works, and who it's for
  • Hands-on from the first session: they build real things for your business as they learn, so every lesson leaves something useful behind.
  • The whole toolkit: AI agents like Claude Code and Codex, the right AI tool and model for each job, saving skills, scheduling jobs, and where an agent should live (an always-on computer or the cloud).
  • They learn how to judge new AI tools on their own, so you're not chasing every launch.
  • Cheaper than hiring an AI specialist, and they already know how your business runs.

Good for: Businesses where AI questions come up every week, but not enough to hire someone just for it.

We set it up and stay on call

All about AI consulting

AI tool recommendations

It's right there in our business name. Tell us how your business runs and we tell you which AI tools fit, what each one costs, what it saves you, and what to skip. Often the best answer is a feature hiding in software you already pay for.

Starts on the free call. Deeper reviews at $100/hr.

How it works, and who it's for
  • We look at a normal week first: what repeats, what you hate, what eats the most hours.
  • You get a short, ranked list: start here, then this, skip that. With the monthly cost of each.
  • Straight answers, including “you don't need AI for this one” when that's the truth.

Good for: Owners buried in AI ads and free trials who want one honest opinion.

Done-for-you setup

Rather skip the learning? We build it: automated workflows between the apps you already use, AI agents that handle a job start to finish with your OK, a cleaner website, small tools that erase a chore. You watch it get built and you own the result.

Quoted up front from the hours it takes, at $100/hr.

How it works, and who it's for
  • We scope it together before anything starts: what it does, what it costs, what it needs to run. Then we build exactly that. If it's not something we can build well, we say so.
  • You keep every account and every login. If it needs a subscription to run, you know the monthly number before we begin.
  • A person stays in the loop: anything that talks to your customers waits for your approval until you trust it.

This site is the portfolio piece: an AI agent (Claude Code) built every page you're reading.

Good for: Busy owners who want the busywork gone, not a new hobby.

Your AI guy, on retainer

Keep us on call. A set number of hours each month, reserved for your business: a regular check-in, fixes when something breaks, and straight answers every time a new AI tool lands in your inbox.

A monthly block of hours at the same $100/hr.

How it works, and who it's for
  • You pick the monthly hours. We put the details in writing before the first month starts.
  • Month to month. Change the hours or stop whenever you want.
  • We keep your tools current as AI changes, so you don't have to follow the news.

Good for: Businesses that want an AI person on the team without hiring one.

The bigger builds

Yes, we do these too. Some we build ourselves: Polaris, the chat agent on this site, is our own work. For specialized pieces we bring in expert partners we trust. Either way you get one point of contact, and we tell you up front who does what.

  • Customer chat assistants

    An assistant on your website that answers like you would, trained on your prices, hours, and policies.

  • Missed-call rescue

    You're on a job and can't pick up? A system that texts the caller back before they dial your competitor.

  • Paperwork that moves itself

    Invoices, bookings, and reminders flowing between the apps you already use.

Bigger than a small business? Mid-size companies and larger teams are welcome too: book the same free intro call and we'll scope what you need together.

Worried about client data? Some AI runs entirely on your own computer: private, free to run, and yours to keep.

See what your computer can run

Where we'd start, 1 of 3

the solution finder

Tell us two things. We'll tell you where we'd start.

Pick your kind of business and the thing that eats your week. You get our honest starting plan: three moves, in plain terms, right here on the page. No email asked, nothing to download.

What kind of business do you run?

where it actually helps

Where AI saves a small business time

Forget the robots. In a small business, AI earns its keep on the repeat work that piles up around the real job:

Quotes, proposals, and invoices

Photos, voice notes, or a forwarded email become a clean draft quote in minutes. You check the numbers and send it.

The same questions, all day

Hours, prices, parking, “do you take walk-ins?” Write the answers once and AI helps you post them where customers look, and drafts replies to the rest.

Reviews and social posts

Replies that sound like you, drafted in seconds. A week of posts written in one sitting. You approve every word.

Scheduling, reminders, and no-shows

Most booking and field-service apps already have reminders and AI features built in. Often the fix is turning on what you already pay for.

Paperwork and data entry

Receipts, forms, and PDFs pulled into a spreadsheet instead of typed by hand. Somebody still double-checks it; nobody retypes it.

Training new hires

How you already do things, turned into checklists and how-to guides your next hire can actually follow.

None of this replaces your people. It takes the boring out of their week so they can spend it on customers.

See realistic examples for your industry

the proof

We'd rather show you than tell you.

Three working demos, a news desk that updates itself daily, and a live AI agent. All on one page.

the website revampRosa's Bakery, before and after

A dated 2012 bakery site and its modern rebuild, side by side. On the examples page, you sweep between the two yourself.

answering your reviewsThe Review Desk

Answering reviews is a chore, so this demo drafts the reply for you: pick a review and a tone, and a ready-to-send answer appears in that voice.

automation theaterThe missed call that books itself

A lunch-rush call nobody could grab becomes a booked catering order: transcribed, replied to, and on the calendar in about a minute.

the news deskAI news, translated

Rewritten every morning by an AI routine. Updated October 25, 2026.

And Polaris, our live AI agent, is one tap away in the corner of every page.

See the examples

straight talk

Will AI actually save my business money?

Usually, and it shows up as hours first: the quotes, replies, and paperwork that eat your evenings. Sometimes the honest answer is that a feature in software you already pay for, or a better checklist, beats anything fancy. We'll tell you when that's the case.

read this first

We can't promise you a dollar figure, and anyone who does is guessing. What AI saves depends on how much repeat work you have and whether your team actually uses the tools. That's why we start with one task, look at the before and after, and only then talk about the next one.

questions owners ask

Straight answers

How much does AI consulting cost for a small business?

With us, the first 30-minute call is free, and after that it's $100 an hour for online sessions, team training, and done-for-you builds. You'll know the total before any work starts, and we bill after the work is done. That rate is low for the Bay Area on purpose: AI agents do a lot of the heavy lifting, and we'd rather small businesses be able to say yes.

Can you train my employees to use AI?

Yes. We run live training on a video call, built around the jobs your people actually do, using real examples from your own business with private details taken out. Everyone leaves knowing how to ask AI for good work, how to check what it gives back, and what should never be pasted into an AI tool.

Which AI tools should a small business use?

Start with the AI already built into software you pay for, like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, QuickBooks, Square, and most booking and field-service apps. Most small businesses then need one general AI assistant, such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, on a business plan, and when a repeat job is worth handing off, an AI agent like Claude Code or Codex. Anything beyond that should earn its monthly cost. Which ones fit you depends on how your business runs, which is what the free call is for.

Is it safe to put customer information into ChatGPT or other AI tools?

Not on a free or personal account without checking its settings first. Consumer AI plans may use your chats to improve their models unless you turn that off, while business plans (like ChatGPT Business and Enterprise, Claude Team and Enterprise, and Gemini in Google Workspace) say they don't train on your data by default. Either way, keep private details like account numbers, health information, and passwords out unless the tool is approved for that kind of data.

Is AI worth it for a small business?

Usually, if you have repeat work that eats hours every week, and the savings show up as time first. It's not worth it if nobody will use the tools, or if the job needs a judgment call AI can't make. We start with one task, look at the before and after, and only then talk about the next one.

Do you only work with businesses in the Bay Area?

No. Sessions and team trainings happen on video, so we work with small businesses anywhere. We're based in Menlo Park, California, and visits around San Francisco, the Peninsula, the South Bay, and the East Bay can be arranged when we talk.

All the questions

a note from the owner

Let me be straight with you.

Read the note

I've been deep in AI since the day ChatGPT came out. Years of testing tools, building things, and seeing what actually works. If all that time taught me one thing, it's this: it is all so much easier than you think.

Big companies pay for this kind of guidance every day. Small businesses almost never get it, and they're the ones who'd feel it most: one owner, a handful of people, and nobody with time to figure AI out. Figuring it out alone costs time, money, and patience. I already spent all three, so you don't have to.

That's the whole mission: show you and your team how easy this really is, set up what actually saves you time, and stay a call away when things change. Trust me. Better yet, test me: the first 30-minute call is free, so you can hear it for yourself.

Meet your consultant

ready when you are

Start with a free 30-minute call.

Two minutes of quick questions so we come prepared, then we reach out to set up your free phone call. No pitch, no jargon: we hear how your business runs and point you the right way.

Why is the first call free?

We'd rather prove it than pitch it. The first 30-minute call is free so you can hear what's possible for your business before spending a dollar. After that it's $100 an hour for online sessions, training, and builds, low for the Bay Area on purpose: the AI does the heavy lifting. You'll know the price of anything before we touch it.

Book your free 30-minute intro call

Questions before you book? Text us: +1 650 679 0216

Everything on our examples page was built the way this site was: asked for in plain words, made real. The next one could be yours.

Book your free 30-minute intro call