Entry engagement
Two weeks. Three scoped automations. One honest recommendation on whether to proceed.
Most AI engagements start with a vague 'strategy phase' that burns three months and produces a slide deck. The Nano-Pilot is the opposite: a tight, fixed-fee sprint that ends with three concrete automations, each scoped and priced, with the strongest one ready to start building in week three.
Prices shown are in USD and exclude applicable taxes. The written scope controls the final fee, deliverables, and timing.
Who it's for
Is this the right engagement for you?
You have a specific business, not a category. You know your workflows well enough to know something is broken, but not well enough yet to know which fix pays back fastest.
You're skeptical of consultants who show up with a 40-slide deck before they've talked to anyone in your building. Good. So are we. This engagement starts with interviews, not with a template.
You want to de-risk the first real AI project. $9,500 for a ranked shortlist beats $90,000 for the wrong automation built on assumptions nobody verified.
Good fit / not a fit
Fit is about readiness, not persuasion.
A bounded workflow with access to the people who run it.
You can name the operational problem, provide a responsible decision-maker, and evaluate a written recommendation against a real business measure.
An undefined mandate to “add AI everywhere.”
We are not the right choice for speculative transformation programs, unsupported compliance shortcuts, or work without an owner who can validate the workflow.
What you get
Deliverables.
- Interviews with up to five people in your organization, owner, operators, the person who actually does the painful work.
- Shadowing of two workflows end-to-end, including the exports, the spreadsheets, and the copy-paste nobody talks about.
- A ranked shortlist of three AI automation opportunities, each with a 1-page scope.
- Honest ROI estimates per opportunity, with the assumptions visible and the math defendable.
- Implementation cost range for each, so you can compare the three against your budget and priorities.
- A single-page written recommendation on which one to start with and which ones to defer.
- A 20-minute video walkthrough of the findings (optional, scheduled async, not a cold call).
Representative Nano-Pilot opportunity brief
A complete illustrative example showing workflow findings, visible ROI assumptions, prioritization, human-review boundaries, and a recommended pilot scope.
Status: Fictional and illustrative; not a client deliverable.
View the sample deliverableHow it runs
Timeline.
Days 1 – 3
Intake and interviews
A 20-minute video kickoff followed by written interview guides. You pick the five people; we run the conversations async or on video at your team's convenience.
Days 4 – 7
Workflow shadowing
We observe two workflows end-to-end. Usually via screen-share recordings you make for us. No observer-effect performances, we want to see the actual mess.
Days 8 – 11
Analysis and scoping
We build the shortlist, do the ROI math, and draft the scope one-pagers. Expect a mid-sprint written check-in from us with a clarifying question or two.
Days 12 – 14
Written recommendation
You receive a full written deliverable on day 14 plus an optional video walkthrough. No live presentation required.
Questions
Common concerns.
What if you find out AI isn't actually the right answer?
Then that's what the report says. If the honest recommendation is 'fix your data hygiene first,' or 'buy this off-the-shelf tool,' or 'this problem isn't worth solving right now,' that's what you'll get, with the reasoning documented. Misdiagnosing an engagement benefits nobody.
Do we have to implement with you afterward?
No. The Nano-Pilot is a standalone deliverable. Most clients continue into an Implementation Sprint once they see the scoped options, but there's no commitment to do so, the scoping work is yours to keep regardless.
Is the price really fixed?
Yes. Fixed fee, fixed scope, fixed timeline. The only thing that would change it is if you dramatically expand the number of workflows or interviews after kickoff, in which case we'd pause and give you a written change order, not surprise you on the invoice.
What do you need from us?
Access to the five interviewees (async is fine), read-only access to whichever systems are in scope, and one point of contact who can answer clarifying questions over email within a business day.
Tell us what's broken. We'll tell you whether a Nano-Pilot is the right next step.
Written intake, written reply within two business days. If the Nano-Pilot isn't a fit, we'll say so, and often point you at a cheaper option.
Send us your situationAlso