#18: 3-phase AI framework I wish I had 6 months ago

Hey friends, and a special welcome to new subscribers!

(feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and say hi! It’s always fun to chat with new readers.)

Before we get into the ideas and tactics of the week, just a quick note:

First playbook incoming…

It’s clear from last weeks poll that many of you want more in-depth insights on how to think about AI leverage in the context of running an agency.

I’m working on that right now. I’ll drop it for free to you as a thanks for being a subscriber. Expect it early in august!

Here's a sneak peak:

Everyone knows they should be using AI methodically to run their business.

But where the hell do you start?

And more importantly, how do you do it without your business falling apart while you figure it out?

I've been experimenting with this stuff for months now. This is the way I think about it:

Phases - how deep you're going with AI.

Functions - which parts of your business you're targeting.

If you organize it this way, you can start with one phase + function combo, get some wins, then run multiple lanes in parallel

Here's how I think about the three phases.

Phase 1: AI Assistants via Prompts

This is ChatGPT, Claude, whatever. You're typing requests and getting responses.

The leverage comes from crafting reusable prompts, stacking context, and designing profiles for different tasks.

Phase 2: Semi-Autonomous Workflows

Task-specific automations that help you and your team in everyday work.

Time savers and bandwidth expansions that compound. Think automated client onboarding, research summaries, content creation pipelines.

Phase 3: Bespoke Agents

High degree of autonomy, hooked into your core systems.

Starting to handle workloads equivalent to full-time employees.

(At this point you’ve either turned into a vibecoder with deep specialisation in your business needs, or you’re conviction is so strong you’re willing to invest in specialised dev from a good consultancy etc.)

If I were starting today, here's exactly what I'd do:

1. Pick a function (sales, marketing, operations, whatever)

2. Use the automation matrix to break that function into specific tasks

3. Try to fix one thing

4. Go from there

Don't try to automate your entire business on day one.

Pick the thing that annoys you most, start with Phase 1 prompting, see if it works.

If it does, maybe you can turn it into a Phase 2 workflow.

If it doesn't, try a different task.

But here's the thing everyone struggles with.

You're already stretched thin. How are you supposed to find time for this on top of everything else?

There's no easy way around it.

You have to walk and chew gum at the same time here.

If you only had to "flip a switch," everyone would do it, and there wouldn't be a competitive advantage to be made.

I realise that getting this deep into the technicalities of AI leverage isn’t for everyone.

To solve for this, we’re spinning up a new, operator-led AI consulting shop. We’ll analyse your business ops, find the best leverage points – then execute fast.

If you want to work with us, fill out this form.

(PS, we’re picking a few cases that we’ll do for free while building out our case studies. You could be the lucky one to get a few thousand dollars worth of consulting at no cost :)

Tactic: The easiest way to build your first agent automation

I’m testing all kinds of new agent related tools as they surface. I recently came across one that’s special:

It basically let’s you build agents via chat. It’s called String.

You just explain what you want, and then get to watch the agent build it for you by pulling together different integrations and modules and writing bespoke code where it needs.

This is 100% where you should start if you want to get a taste of what AI automations can do for you and your business.

Until next week,

Martin