Founding Tech Partner · fractional CTO and Chief AI Officer

Build your business to run on AI from day one.

I'm Austin, and as a Founding Tech Partner I build and look after the software and AI your company runs on, paid in equity or on a monthly retainer. Day one can be the day you open your doors, or it can be the first day we work together on a business you already run.

It's for people starting or running businesses that sell a real-world service or product, where quotes, schedules, orders, follow-ups and paperwork pile up fast, and who'd rather spend their time on customers than on admin.

Tell me about your business See how it works

Nothing is signed until the terms are in writing and we're both happy with them, and either of us can walk away before then at no cost.

Every business picks up its habits early, and they harden fast.

The quoting gets done at the kitchen table after a full day on the job, the schedule lives in one person's phone, and the follow-up happens whenever somebody remembers it. None of that feels like a decision at the time, because you're busy getting customers, but those habits set quickly and they're a lot harder to change once you have a team and a few years of data spread across five different apps.

I've spent the last few years helping existing businesses untangle exactly that, and the work is so much simpler when the setup is right from the start. So whether you haven't opened yet or you've been open for years and you're ready to rebuild how the office runs, the goal is the same, which is a business that runs on AI from the first day we work on it together.

Here's what “AI-native” looks like in a business like yours.

It means the everyday office work is set up so AI does the first draft and a person checks it and sends it. Your quotes, your schedule, your customer follow-up and your handoffs to the bookkeeper all run through tools that are connected to each other, so nothing depends on someone retyping it at 9pm, and the people you hire spend their time with customers and on the work only people can do.

Here are a few examples from different kinds of businesses. They show what I'd build rather than results from past clients, and if your business isn't one of these, the same approach still applies to whatever work piles up in yours.

Trades and home services

For HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping or remodeling, you can walk a job, talk through what you saw, and have a drafted quote waiting for you to check before you're back in the truck. Scheduling and dispatch can account for drive time between jobs, estimates that haven't been accepted get a polite follow-up, and finished jobs go straight to an invoice and a review request.

E-commerce

Product listings and descriptions get drafted in your voice from a few photos and notes, and routine customer emails like “where's my order” get answered from your own policies, so you only handle the unusual ones. Low-stock alerts, a weekly sales summary and a clean handoff of orders to QuickBooks come set up and running.

Consulting and professional services

Your call notes can turn into a proposal draft and a follow-up email the same afternoon. Your methods, templates and past work live in one place Claude can draw on, so a new hire can get up to speed without you re-explaining everything, and invoicing happens when the work is delivered rather than at the end of the month.

Insurance agencies

New-prospect forms can feed straight into your system with the basics already sorted, renewal reminders go out on time, and quote comparisons get summarized in plain English for a licensed agent to review before anything reaches a client.

Logistics and delivery

Dispatch, driver check-ins and customer status updates can run from one place, and the paperwork from each delivery gets filed and matched to the right invoice instead of piling up in a folder.

Restaurants (the office side)

I stay out of the kitchen and work on the office, where staff scheduling, vendor invoices, ordering, catering inquiries and review replies can all be set up so they take minutes rather than your Sunday evening.

Here's what business owners have said about working with me.

"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

"Austin has a bias to action that cuts through the hype cycles and gets to, 'What can we do right now?' He can drop into any business problem and offer creative but practical solutions."

DJ Tosh, Entrepreneur/Business Owner

"He offers help for how you actually work, not just plug and play stuff."

Jay Tippens, Surface Experts Nashville

Here's how we'd go from a first message to a business that runs on AI.

You tell me about the business.

The application below takes about ten minutes, and the questions are the same ones I'd ask you over coffee, so there's no pitch deck needed.
I read it and reply personally.

If I think I can help, we'll talk, in person if you're near Middle Tennessee or on a video call wherever you are. If I don't think I'm the right fit, I'll say so and point you toward something that is.
We find out if we work well together.

Usually that's a couple of conversations about the business and how it runs or will run. If you'd like to see how I work on something real first, a one-week Prototyping Sprint is an option, but it isn't a required step.
We put the terms in writing.

Whether we go with equity or a monthly retainer, what I'm responsible for, how it's paid or earned over time and what happens if either of us needs to step away all get written down and reviewed by counsel before any work starts, and nothing is signed until we're both happy with it.
I build it, and then I keep it running.

I set up the software and the AI workflows alongside your launch or your existing operations, and after that I keep everything running and fix what breaks, while anything new the business needs as it grows is something we agree on together.

Here's how the work splits between us.

What I take on

I choose the tools, connect them to each other and build whatever custom software the business needs, so the pieces fit how you actually work.
I set up the AI side of the company, including Claude with full context on your business, and the workflows for quoting, scheduling, follow-up and bookkeeping handoffs.
I keep an eye on software costs so you aren't paying for five apps that do the same thing.
I keep all of it running after launch, and I show you and your team how to use it, because a system nobody understands isn't worth much.
If the business grows to the point where it needs a full-time technology person, I'll help you hire them and hand everything over properly.

What you bring

You know the industry and the customers, and you run the business, which means sales, service, hiring and the money.
You're committed to it, either full-time now or with a real date when you will be.
You're open to running the office on AI, and you'll use the systems once they're built.
The business covers its own running costs, like software subscriptions and hosting.

This works best for a certain kind of owner.

It's probably a fit if:

You're starting a business, or you already run one and want it to become AI-native, and it sells a real-world service or product rather than software, so the office work of quoting, scheduling, orders and follow-up is where the time goes.
You've spent years in your industry, so you know the customers and the work better than anyone I could hire.
You have a real sign that people will pay, like customers who want to follow you, early sales, signed commitments or a customer base you already serve.
You're not technical, or not very, and you want a partner who stays rather than a vendor who leaves at launch.
You can be anywhere, because although I'm based in Middle Tennessee and happy to meet in person nearby, the work runs just as well over video.

It's probably not a fit if:

You're in finance or healthcare, because the rules around data in those industries need a specialist, and I'd rather point you to one than learn on your business.
You have an idea but haven't talked to customers yet, in which case go get a few conversations under your belt first, and then I'd love to hear from you.
You're looking for free development work or just want an app built, which is what the Prototyping Sprint is for, at $1,000 a week.
The software itself is the product, like an app startup, since this partnership is built around bringing software and AI into non-tech businesses, and a Prototyping Sprint may be the better first step.
You need someone full-time, or someone to also run sales or raise money for you.
You'd rather not put the terms in writing.

If you want help with one role or one tool rather than a long-term partner, a Role Review, a Second Brain or a Prototyping Sprint will probably serve you better, because those are fixed projects with a clear finish line.

You can pay me in equity or on a monthly retainer.

A brand-new business usually shouldn't spend its first year's cash on software and a technology hire, because that money needs to go to trucks, inventory, licenses and the first customers, so for a lot of founders a share of the company makes more sense than a monthly bill. An established business with steady revenue may prefer to keep its ownership as it is and pay a monthly retainer instead, and that works just as well.

Either way, I'm there for the long run rather than a single project, so I have every reason to stay after launch, keep things running and help the business get the most out of what we've built.

The amount of equity or the size of the retainer depends on the business, the scope of the work and how involved I'll be, so I work out terms case by case. Whatever we agree gets put in writing and reviewed by counsel, and if it's equity, it's earned over time as the work gets delivered.

Hey, I'm Austin.

I build software and AI systems for businesses, and I'm based in Middle Tennessee. I spent my career in engineering, data analysis and product management before starting HomeTeam, and since then I've worked with 20+ Nashville business owners on how technology and AI fit into the way their businesses run.

I'm not a consultant who hands you a slide deck and leaves, because I build the thing and then I stick around to keep it working. I use Claude every day in my own work, and the setups I build for partners are the same kind I install for my other clients, with the difference that I'm there for the long haul.

Read the full story

Tell me about your business.

This takes about ten minutes, and I read every one myself. There's no wrong answer, so write it the way you'd explain it to a friend.

Your name

Your email Just so I know who to write back to.

Where are you based? Middle Tennessee makes it easy to meet in person, but you can be anywhere.

What are you starting, or what do you run? Two or three sentences is plenty, whether it's brand new or has been open for years.

What kind of business is it?

What's your background in this industry?

Where is it today?

What tells you customers will pay? Conversations count, and so do people who've followed you from your last job. If you're already open, tell me a little about the customers you have today.

How much of your time is it getting?

If you're going full-time on a date, when? Optional, and a month is close enough.

Who else is involved, and how is ownership split today? Just you is a perfectly good answer.

How would you prefer to work together? If you're not sure yet, that's fine, and we can talk it through.

Where is the office work piling up, or where do you think it will pile up first? Optional, but this is the part I get most excited about, so be as specific as you like.

A link, if you have one Optional.

I understand this is a long-term partnership paid in equity or a monthly retainer, not a free build service, and that nothing is agreed until the terms are in writing.

I read every application and reply personally, and if it isn't a fit I'll tell you honestly and point you toward something that might be.

The questions I'd ask if I were you.

Why would I bring on a partner instead of just buying software?

You can absolutely buy off-the-shelf tools and set them up yourself, and plenty of owners do. What you'd be getting here is someone who builds the custom pieces, connects everything, sets up the AI workflows and keeps it all running for years, which is hard to find in a single hire and hard to afford as a full-time salary.

How do I choose between equity and a retainer?

It mostly comes down to cash and ownership. A new business that needs every dollar for trucks, stock and first customers often prefers equity, while an established business with steady revenue may rather pay a monthly retainer and keep its ownership whole, and we can talk through which suits you once we both think there's a fit.

How much equity do you take, or what does the retainer cost?

It depends on the business, how much there is to build and how involved I'll be, so I don't publish a number. Whatever we agree gets written down and reviewed by counsel before any work starts, and if it's equity, it's earned over time as the work is delivered.

Does it have to be a new business?

No. If you already run a business like the ones described above and you want it to become AI-native, you qualify too, and day one is simply the first day we work together, with the early work spent untangling the habits and apps you already have.

Do I need to be in Middle Tennessee?

No, you can be anywhere. I'm based in Middle Tennessee, so I'm happy to meet in person if you're nearby, but the building and the ongoing work happen just as well over video.

Do we have to do a paid project first?

No. Some people like to start with a one-week Prototyping Sprint so we can both see how the other works, and that's an option if you want it, but most partnerships start with a couple of conversations and then the written terms.

You're a fractional partner, so what happens if you get busy?

It's a fair worry, which is why what I'm responsible for, and how often, goes in the written agreement. If it's equity, it's earned as the work gets done, so if I stop delivering I stop earning, and keeping the systems running after launch is part of the deal rather than an extra I'll try to sell you later.

Who owns the software and the data?

That's one of the things we settle in the written agreement before anything is signed, and if we ever part ways, I'll make sure whoever comes next can pick everything up.

I'm not technical at all. Is that a problem?

Not in the slightest, because that's who this is for. You bring the industry knowledge and the customers, I handle the technology, and I'll explain anything you need to know in plain English as we go.

Will AI replace the people I'm planning to hire?

That isn't how I build things. The point is to take the retyping, chasing and first drafts off your team's plate, so the people you hire spend their time with customers and on the work only people can do, and in my experience good tools help you keep good people.

What if it doesn't work out, or the business outgrows me?

Before anything is signed, either of us can walk away at no cost. After that, we decide up front how either of us can step away and put it in the agreement, and if the business grows to the point where it needs a full-time technology lead, I'll help you hire them and hand everything over properly.

Starting something, or ready to rebuild how your business runs? I'd like to hear about it.

If you'd like your business to run on AI from day one, whether that's the day you open or the day we start, tell me what you're building and where you are with it. I'll read it myself, and I'll tell you honestly whether I'm the right partner or who might be.

Tell me about your business