Free guides. Print them, use them, keep them.
Three long guides on the problems I fix most often: where AI actually helps, how fast you reply to new leads, and whether customers can find you. Each one has worksheets you can fill in this week, real sources for every number, and an honest section on where it gets hard.
The small business AI playbook (2026)
What AI can and can't do for a 5 to 50 person business, use cases by business type, real costs, risks, and a 30-day plan.
- Can and can't table
- Tool decision table
- AI readiness scorecard
Speed to lead: the follow-up system that stops lost jobs
What the lead response research found, how to time your own replies this week, and the follow-up sequence I'd set up first.
- Five-touch sequence
- Text and email templates
- Weekly numbers worksheet
Local SEO + AI search checklist for DFW
How Google and AI assistants pick local businesses, built from Google's own documentation, with 40 checks in priority order.
- 40-point checklist
- Reviews system and rules
- 90-day plan
Which guide should you read first?
Pick the one that matches the problem costing you the most right now.
- Losing calls, or slow to reply to new leads? Start with Speed to lead. It shows you how to time your own replies this week and the follow-up sequence I'd set up first.
- Customers can't find you on Google or in AI answers? Start with the Local SEO + AI search checklist. It ranks 40 checks by what to do first and lays out a 90-day plan.
- Not sure where AI fits in your business? Start with the AI playbook. It covers what AI can and can't do for a 5 to 50 person business, what it costs, and a 30-day plan.
Questions about the guides
Are the guides free?+
Yes. Every guide is free to read on this site with no sign-up. You can print any of them, save one as a PDF from your browser, or have it emailed to you.
Who are the guides for?+
Owners of small and mid-sized businesses, especially ones with a phone that rings or leads that come in online. They're written for owners who still work in the business, not for marketers.
Where do the numbers in the guides come from?+
Every number has a source listed in the guide, and where the research is old or limited, the guide says so. The math behind the free tools is on the sources page.
How current are the guides?+
Each guide shows the date it was last updated at the top of the page. All three were last updated October 25, 2026.
Rather skip the reading? Get a number first.
The free tools show where your business is leaking time and money in about five minutes. If you'd rather talk it through, the call is thirty minutes and there's no pitch deck.