Why this site exists

I run Hello Operator, an AI-first marketing agency. Most of our work now is helping small businesses figure out where AI actually earns its keep.

I've started a few companies and sold two. For more than ten years I've taught strategic digital marketing as an adjunct professor at EADA Business School in Barcelona. After 15 years in Spain, I recently moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts.

The question I get most from owners is some version of “Should I be doing something with AI?” The honest answer is usually “Yes, one or two specific things, and probably not the thing you were just pitched.”

Most AI agent content is written for engineers, enterprises, or people selling courses. This site is for the owner-operator of a business under 200 people. Every entry starts with a problem you'll recognize (slow payments, missed leads, a messy inbox) and tells you what it takes: the tools, the setup time, the monthly cost, and what can go wrong.

Entries marked as examples are illustrative composites, not stories about specific businesses. Real, sourced stories get added as they're submitted and verified. The site is free. Anything sponsored is labeled.

Gary, the robot in the memes, is our AI intern. He is not a role model.

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