About

I'm Austin Hardcastle, and I help business owners put AI where it belongs and keep people where they matter.

I spent my career in engineering, data analysis and product management, and I started HomeTeam because I believe small businesses deserve access to the same technology the billion-dollar companies are using. Since then I've worked with 20+ Nashville business owners to make that real.

I give advice, but I'm not the kind of consultant who hands you a slide deck and leaves.

When I tell you where AI belongs in your business, it's because I've built that kind of thing myself and watched it work. When it's time to build, I build it with you, whether that's a Claude setup that knows your business or a working prototype you can click through.

I also know the tools well enough to tell you when you don't need them, and I'd rather say that plainly than sell you something that doesn't fit how you work.

People matter, and AI should do the rest of the work.

I think the best use of AI in a small business is giving good people better tools, so the owner and the team spend more of their day on the judgment calls, relationships and craft that no software can handle.

When I look at a role or a workflow, I use the Fusion Skills approach from Human + Machine by Paul Daugherty and H. James Wilson, along with what I've learned building with AI every day. It's a practical way to sort out which work belongs to a person, which work belongs to AI and where the two should work together.

Here's how I work with people now.

  1. Role Review, $250

    Send me a job description, and I'll draft a plan for where people and AI each fit, walk through it with you on a 30-minute call and then send you the final version with everything we talked about. See how a Role Review works

  2. Solopreneur Second Brain, $1,000

    I set up Claude Cowork and an Obsidian vault with everything about your business, add skills and automations for your weekly work, install it with you on a screenshare and tune it up after 14 days. See what the setup includes

  3. Prototyping Sprint, $1,000 per week

    In one week I build a working version of your app or internal tool, so you can see it and show it to people before you commit to the full build. See how a sprint works

  4. Starting something?

    I sometimes join a business as its Founding Tech Partner, building and looking after the software and AI workflows it runs on in exchange for equity or a monthly retainer, so it runs AI-native from day one, whether that's the day it opens or the first day we work together. It starts with a short application. Tell me what you're starting

I'm based in Middle Tennessee, and I work with people anywhere.

I live and work in Middle Tennessee, and a lot of my clients so far have been Nashville business owners, but the Role Review, the Second Brain and the Prototyping Sprint all happen over email, video calls and screenshares, so they work the same for anyone.

Founding Tech Partner work isn't limited to Middle Tennessee either, so if you're building something somewhere else, I'd still like to hear about it.

Austin Hardcastle at Marathon Village, Nashville

Here's what a couple of the people I've worked with have said.

"I'd dabbled with AI before and thought we couldn't get much out of it since we have a pretty niche business. But Austin has been showing us ways we can work it into our existing processes without investing a ton of time. We were booking more calls after one week."

Zach Beaston, Barndo Kit Co

"AI has a way of feeling scary and intimidating. Austin is able to talk about it in a way that makes you feel confident about what's next."

Robert Greathouse, Referrals on Demand Marketing

I'd rather have an honest conversation than send you a brochure.

Tell me what's going on with your business, and I'll tell you if I can help, and if I'm not the right fit, I'll point you to someone who is.

Email Austin