What happens on a free AI call, and why it starts with a bottleneck

The Wall Street Journal reported on October 11 that Amazon is in talks to buy Decart, an AI startup, for around $7 billion. Reuters reported that Amazon declined to comment and Decart did not respond, so treat it as reported talks and not a done deal (Reuters via KFGO).

My take is short. Numbers like that make AI feel like something that happens to other people, far above a business like yours. They tell you almost nothing about what is slowing down your week. The hype is at the top. The value for you is at the bottom, in one job that repeats and costs you time.

That is also why I start every conversation the same way, with the free call. Here is exactly what happens on it, so you know what you are agreeing to.

A common bottleneck: hiring help without knowing what you are buying

If you have looked for an AI consultant for small business, you have probably seen offers for audits, roadmaps, readiness scores and workshops. It is hard to tell what you get at the end. Many owners reasonably decide to wait, and the bottleneck stays put.

So let me be plain about what this is and what it is not.

What the free call is

It is a short conversation about where work piles up in your business and whether AI or software can take it off your hands. It is free, with no obligation. It is not a sales pitch dressed up as an audit, and I do not hand you a long report to decode.

The three steps

1. You describe your week. Tell me what you and your team actually do. Not the org chart, the real week. What takes the time, what do you put off, what do you dread. You can do this by text first if you prefer. Three questions get us started: the task you repeat most, the tools you use now, and how to reach you.

2. I find the repeat work. I listen for the things that happen again and again, the places where a person is acting as the connection between two tools, and the questions asked over and over. I will tell you which of those looks like a real bottleneck, and which is not worth fixing yet. Some things are better left alone.

3. You leave with one place to start. One bottleneck, in plain words, and what fixing it for the long term would take. Sometimes that is a tool you already pay for, and I will say so. Sometimes it is something built for you.

How to tell whether you are ready

You do not need to prepare much. A few signs that the call will be useful:

• You can name at least one task that repeats and annoys you.
• You use a handful of tools, like email, a calendar, a spreadsheet or a customer system, and they do not quite fit together.
• You are the person things wait on.

If none of that is true, the honest answer may be that you are fine for now. I would rather tell you that than invent a project.

What happens after

If there is a bottleneck worth fixing and you want help, I give you a fixed quote before any work starts. You know the scope and the cost up front. I do not publish prices on the site, because the right answer depends on the job, so that quote is where it gets specific.

If you want to fix it yourself, or with a tool you already have, that is a good outcome too. You will have a clear description of the problem, which is the part that is hard to get alone.

What makes the fix last

The reason I start with the bottleneck and not the tool is that tools change. Models get cheaper, products get bought and shut down, and new announcements arrive every week. A fix built around a specific tool is fragile. A fix built around a clear rule, with an owner, visible failures and portable data, survives the next announcement. That is what "fixed for the long term" means to me.

I build and run my own products, and I reply myself, so the person you talk to on the call is the person who does the work.

What I would do before the call

Nothing required. If you want a head start, write down the one task you repeat most and the tools you touch while doing it. Two sentences is enough.

Show me yours

That is the whole call. Show me the bottleneck in your business, and we will talk about automating it and fixing it for the long term.

Show me yours. Text (512) 337-9530, email josh@joshdlange.com, or book the free AI assessment.

Source: Reuters via KFGO, Amazon in talks to buy AI startup Decart, WSJ reports. Reported talks, not confirmed.