North Star AI Consultation

ai consulting

AI consulting for small businesses

We help small businesses pick the right AI tools, set up the automations and AI agents that take repeat work off their plate, and stay on call when things change. It starts with a free 30-minute call, then it's $100 an hour, quoted before any work begins.

You keep every account and every login. Nothing talks to your customers without your OK.

Book your free 30-minute intro call

Three ways we help

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

how we work

How we find what's worth automating

  1. Look at a normal week

    We list the tasks you and your team did last week and circle what repeats, what everyone hates, and what eats the most hours.

  2. Pick exactly one

    The first job has to eat real hours AND be low-risk if it's slightly off, so a person can catch mistakes while everyone builds trust.

  3. Set it up with a person in the loop

    In the tools you already use where possible. Anything that reaches a customer waits for your approval until you trust it.

  4. Check the before and after

    How long did it take before? How long now? If it's not saving time, we fix it or drop it. Then we pick the next one.

straight talk

What we'll tell you to skip

  • Buying an AI tool before you know which task it's for.
  • Letting AI answer customers on its own on day one.
  • Pasting customer or payment details into a free AI account.
  • Paying for three AI subscriptions that do the same thing.
  • A big custom build when a feature in software you already own does the job.

The bigger builds

Need something bigger, like a chat assistant for your website or missed-call text-back? 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.

Questions about this

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 I keep an AI consultant on retainer?

Yes. You reserve a set number of hours each month at the same $100/hr, and we use them for check-ins, fixes, new tool questions, and keeping your setup current as AI changes. It's month to month, so you can change the hours or stop whenever you want. Think of it as having an AI person on the team without hiring one.

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.

What is an AI agent, and does my small business need one?

A chatbot answers questions; an AI agent gets things done, like drafting replies, updating a spreadsheet, or moving information between your apps, with your approval along the way. Claude Code and Codex are two well-known examples, and you don't need to code to use them. Many small businesses get most of the value from simpler tools first. An agent makes sense when you have a repeating job with clear steps, and we'll tell you honestly whether yours qualifies.

What can a small business automate with AI?

The repeat work around the real job: first drafts of quotes and proposals, replies to common questions, review responses, appointment reminders, pulling receipts and forms into a spreadsheet, meeting notes, and how-to guides for new hires. A person should still approve anything that goes to a customer.

Can AI do my repeat tasks automatically, on a schedule?

Yes: once an AI agent does a task right, you can save it as a skill and have it run on a schedule or when something happens. For example, every weekday at 10am it checks the inbox for quote requests and drafts the quotes, or it files each new receipt as soon as it lands in a folder. Claude Code and Codex both have scheduling built in, and we can set up custom triggers. Scheduled jobs need the agent's computer to be on (or a cloud agent like OpenAI's dots or Grok Bot). Start with tasks where a small mistake is cheap, and keep a person approving anything that goes to a customer until you trust it.

How do I set up an AI agent for my small business?

Start with one repeat task, pick an AI agent that fits it, and set it up on a computer you control, with a person approving anything that reaches a customer. For most small businesses that means an agent like Claude Code or Codex, but the right tool depends on the job. Do the task once with the agent, save it as a skill once it's right, then put it on a schedule. We set it up with you and teach you to run it.

Does an AI agent need a computer that's always on?

For scheduled jobs, yes: an AI agent that lives on your computer can only run a routine while that computer is on. A computer that stays on around the clock keeps routines running day and night. Running the agent in the cloud instead is possible, but it takes more setup and has more limits. Cloud agents like OpenAI's dots and Grok Bot are built for it: they live on a computer of their own online and work around the clock, each with its own plans and limits. We walk through the options and recommend what fits your business.

All the questions

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

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Book your free 30-minute intro call