Which AI workflow to set up first

You've read four articles about AI for small business. Each one recommended a different thing. You did nothing, and six more articles showed up.

This post does the opposite. It gives you one answer — your answer — in three questions. Pick one workflow. Run it for two weeks. Then come back and pick the second one.

Do not do five things. You will finish zero.

Why only one

Because you've never done this before, and the biggest mistake every owner makes is picking three workflows, half-setting up all three, and giving up when they hit the first friction point on the first one.

One workflow. Two weeks. One metric — did it recover more than it cost?

If yes: pick the next one from your second-priority question and do it again. You now have 30 days of context and you're faster.

If no: it was the wrong workflow, not the wrong approach. Try the second one.

The Monday checklist (whichever one you picked)

• [ ] Write down the workflow name and your expected outcome ("3 recovered calls per week" or "15% no-show reduction" or whatever)
• [ ] Pick one tool. Spend no more than 30 minutes researching. Pick. Commit.
• [ ] Set it up end-to-end before you tweak anything. Rough and working beats polished and half-built.
• [ ] Test it three times on yourself before a real customer touches it
• [ ] Put a reminder in your phone for 14 days from today to check the metric
• [ ] Close this tab and go run your business

If you get stuck on the tool decision, text me at (408) 893-6886 and I'll pick it for you in three sentences. I do this as a favor for anyone who's read this far. No sales call attached.

— Nick