Free · One page
The AI Operator Starter Checklist
The first moves to put an AI operator layer under your business — the docs-first method distilled to a list you can work down today. Print it, or save the page as a PDF (⌘/Ctrl + P).
01
Set your truth layer (do this first)
- Write one plain-text file: what the business is, what's true right now, what's off-limits.
- Make it the tiebreaker — when two docs disagree, this file wins.
- Rule: facts are things you confirm, never things an agent infers.
02
Document one weekly workflow
- Pick a task you do often, hate, and can describe (a report, an onboarding, a content batch).
- Write the steps in plain English — as if for a smart new hire who's never seen your business.
- Have an agent execute the doc, not 'figure it out'. Watch it run twice without you touching it.
03
Stop the intake leak
- Guarantee a first response inside 5 minutes — automated, not heroic.
- Free tier today: missed-call auto-text + form auto-reply + a 6-column tracking sheet.
- When volume demands it: an honest AI receptionist that answers 24/7 and books the slot.
- Every automated caller experience gets a human escape hatch.
04
If you do cold outreach
- Authenticate the domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) before a single send.
- Send from a separate domain — never your primary business email.
- Warm up 2–4 weeks before touching a cold list. Keep daily volume modest.
- First email: plain text, no links, 3–4 sentences, one low-friction ask.
05
Verify before you trust
- Gate anything touching money, customers, or the public behind a check.
- Confirm the claim against reality — the file exists, the link returns 200, the number is real.
- Speed without verification isn't leverage; it's a faster way to be wrong.
When you want the full build
Skip the trial and error
This checklist is the map. When you're ready for the turn-by-turn — the exact stack, scripts, and templates — these are the documented versions of what we run.
More field notes in the Operator Journal.