Why SMBs Need a Playbook
The last thing small and mid-sized businesses need is more noise.
AI isn’t about chasing every trend. It’s about creating steady gains that add up. That’s why we’ve built a 12-month playbook to help SMBs move forward without drama, wasted money, or empty promises.
Here’s what the next year could look like if you take it one quarter at a time.
Quarter 1: Back-Office Wins
Start where the money leaks are obvious.
- Automate finance tasks like AP, AR, and reconciliation.
- Cut down on manual admin and vendor costs.
- Document every dollar saved and risk reduced.
Why here? Because it’s the fastest way to build confidence, protect cash flow, and see real results.
Quarter 2: Front-Line Efficiency
Once your back office is solid, bring AI into customer-facing processes.
- Inbound call handling to cut wait times and save payroll hours.
- Outbound scheduling to free sales reps for higher-value work.
- Customer support triage to speed up response without hiring more staff.
This isn’t about replacing people. It’s about making your people more effective.
Quarter 3: Sales & Growth
With the basics in place, it’s time to scale revenue.
- AI sales training agents (like Karen) to sharpen rep skills.
- Proposal/draft generation to speed up quoting and close cycles.
- Real-time analytics to give managers a clear view of the funnel.
By this point, you’re not just cutting costs — you’re growing the top line.
Quarter 4: Scale & Strategy
The final step is building a system that keeps improving.
- Launch a second or third back-office agent to deepen savings.
- Expand to advanced functions like forecasting or cross-department workflows.
- Use the data from your Performance Dashboard to decide what to double down on.
By the end of 12 months, you’ll have a proven AI foundation that pays for itself, scales with you, and keeps learning.
Why This Works
This isn’t theory. It’s how we’ve built our own roadmap, tested it, and proven it with SMB clients.
No silver bullets. No “AI will run your whole company tomorrow.” Just steady, step-by-step progress that produces dollars and reduces risk every quarter.
Where Studio98 Fits
We guide SMBs through this process. One quarter at a time. One agent at a time. Always with proof.
And we back it up with something no snake-oil “expert” will ever dare offer you:
Our 30-Day ROI Guarantee
If your Performance Dashboard doesn’t show hard-dollar cash gains by Day 30, you get a 125% refund. No fine print. No “time saved” fluff. Just dollars back.
We don’t do theory. We do proof.