The 3 Levels of AI Automation (full playbook)

In this episode, I sit down with Greg and give away the entire playbook behind our AI Tools Assessment offer, the simplest AI-powered business model you can start in 2026 with zero AI skills, zero audience, and zero capital. I walk through the exact four-phase process we use to run a $999 assessment for small business owners, the client-facing report template (which you can download for free), and the six-item upsell menu that turns a $999 foot-in-the-door offer into $3K, $5K, and $10K+ engagements. I also break down my current AI Concierge retainer, which is generating me over $1,000 an hour, and the seven no-capital, no-audience client acquisition methods I'm using right now to fill my pipeline. By the end of this episode, you'll have the full stack: the offer, the fulfillment process, the upsells, and how to actually go get clients.

Grab the free AI Tools Assessment report template (built in Claude Design, plug-and-play for your own clients): https://audittemplate.ai

Join our AI Operator Academy Community where we help entrepreneurs start and scale a profitable AI services business: https://www.skool.com/aioperatoracademy/about

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro: The Simplest AI Business Model of 2026

02:00 - Why Give Away the Entire Playbook (Blue Ocean Opportunity)

03:30 - The AI Tools Assessment Offer Explained ($999, 45 Mins)

05:00 - The 5-Hour Guarantee & Average Client Results

09:00 - Phase 1: The Discovery Call & The Magic Wand Question

13:00 - Phase 2: Feeding the Transcript to Claude for Tool Research

15:00 - Quality Assurance & Making Judgment Calls

18:00 - Best Tool Directories: Futurepedia & There's An AI For That

19:30 - Phase 3: Building the Client Report in Claude Design

24:00 - Free Download: The AuditTemplate.ai Report Template

27:30 - The Effort vs. Impact Matrix & Quick Wins

32:00 - Why Most Recommendations Are Simple SaaS Tools (Not Big AI)

34:00 - Phase 4: The Review Call & The 3 Closing Questions

37:30 - Upsell 1: Process Redesign (Fixing Broken Workflows First)

39:00 - Upsell 2: Simple Zapier, Make & n8n Automations

41:00 - Upsell 3: Knowledge Systems (The Business Broker Example)

43:30 - Upsell 4: Custom Claude Skill Workflows & Retainers

46:00 - Upsell 5: Full Implementation Packages

47:30 - 7 Ways to Find Clients With No Capital or Audience

59:30 - The AI Concierge Offer: $1,000+/hr Done-With-You Consulting

1:05:00 - The AOA Framework: Audit, Optimize, Automate

1:07:00 - Why Niching Down Is the Key to Pricing Power

1:09:00 - Wrap-Up

Key Points

The AI Tools Assessment is a $999, 45-minute structured interview where you prescribe three to seven off-the-shelf AI tools that reclaim at least five hours a week for the client, backed by a 100% money-back guarantee if you can't find that time.

The fulfillment process is four phases: a recorded discovery call to surface pain points, feeding that transcript to Claude to research matching tools, building a templated client report in Claude Design, and a review call that ends with three closing questions to surface the upsell.

A confused mind doesn't buy, doesn't implement, and doesn't upsell. The report is built around an effort versus impact matrix that isolates "quick wins," a four-day quick start plan, and a financial impact slide that shows exact monthly ROI.

There are six upsells after the assessment: process redesign, simple automation builds, knowledge systems, custom Claude skill workflows, retainers, and full implementation packages, with average tool costs around $60 a month against thousands of dollars in monthly ROI.

Seven ways to find clients without capital or an audience: hosting a local AI meetup, door knocking, LinkedIn DMs that lead with pain instead of pitching, free mini-audits for your network, agency referral partnerships, AI office hours at co-working spaces, and posting your wins publicly.

The AI Concierge offer is two 45-minute monthly calls plus Voxer access, teaching clients to use Claude Cowork and build their own Claude skills. It closed five of the first six people pitched and hit 8K MRR in ten days.

Crediting the $999 assessment fee toward a bigger upsell, while quietly marking the upsell up to stay profitable, is one of the most effective ways to get a prospect off the fence.

Links mentioned:

Futurepedia.io, a large AI tool directory recently acquired by HubSpot - https://www.futurepedia.io

TheresAnAIForThat.com, an AI tool directory searchable by industry - https://theresanaiforthat.com

Gamma, the tool used early on to build assessment reports - https://gamma.app

Claude, used to research tools from the discovery call transcript and to build client-facing skills - https://claude.ai

Audittemplate.ai, free download of the exact AI Tools Assessment report template used in Claude Design - https://audittemplate.ai

Fathom, the AI note taker used to record and transcribe discovery calls - https://fathom.video

Sanebox, the most-prescribed tool for getting clients out of email overload - https://www.sanebox.com

Zapier, used for simple one-to-three-step automation builds - https://zapier.com

Make, used for automation builds