Notes on putting AI to work in a small business

What things cost, what to automate first, what the data says about Minnesota, and what we actually use. Written by the people who build it.

• How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude

  Ben McDermott · September 3, 2026 · 4 min read

  How AI assistants pick which businesses to recommend, the sources they cite, what to fix on your site, and how to measure it monthly.

• Claude or ChatGPT for a five-person company: what we actually use and why

  Ben McDermott · September 2, 2026 · 3 min read

  An honest comparison of Claude and ChatGPT for an owner-led business: where each wins, what they cost, and why context matters more than the model.

• One in five Minnesota businesses now uses AI. Here's what the other four are missing.

  Ben McDermott · September 2, 2026 · 3 min read

  Minneapolis Fed data: 20% of Minnesota businesses used AI in early 2026, the most in the Ninth District. What it shows and what non-adopters miss.

• Ten workflows we'd automate first in an owner-led business, and three we wouldn't

  Ben McDermott · September 2, 2026 · 3 min read

  The ten highest-payoff workflows to automate with AI in an owner-led business, how each one works, and three we'd refuse to automate.

• Seven questions to ask an AI consultant before you sign

  Ben McDermott · September 2, 2026 · 3 min read

  Seven questions that separate AI consultants who build from those who present, the answers to expect, and the ones that should end the call.

• What an AI consultant costs in Minneapolis, with our actual price

  Ben McDermott · September 2, 2026 · 4 min read

  Real 2026 numbers for AI consulting in Minneapolis: hourly rates, project fees, AI receptionists, fractional AI officers, and what 1771 Co charges.