Hey everyone here is my introduction (again with more context): 20+ years in performance improvement. 5 months into AI and automation. That combination is why I'm here. My name is Chris Sharkey. I run Sharkitect Digital out of Kansas City. Most people in the AI space sell automations. I don't. I sell an AI Transformation Partnership — built around one mission: helping small businesses understand, trust, and actually implement AI into their operations. Not by handing them tools. By diagnosing their systems and solving at the root. Good doctors don't write prescriptions the second you walk in. They diagnose first. That's the model. Three months ago I started applying this with real clients. First engagement: a construction company that reached out for a completely different project. I sat with them. Ran the diagnosis. Mapped their workflow end to end. What they called for wasn't the real problem. It was a problem — just not the one bleeding them out. Once I showed them what was actually happening, it was clear: they were spending 80–100 hours every week doing nothing but manually moving data from one place to another. By hand. 35 minutes per estimate. Calculation errors costing them real bids. They didn't fully realize how much it was costing them until we put it on paper. So I built the solution around how they already work. No new system to learn. No process overhaul. It adapted to them — not the other way around. Training took less than two hours. Adoption was immediate. 35 minutes → 30 seconds. They're saving $104K–$156K annually in labor alone. That's the original project they called about? Still on the list. Just no longer a priority. Within the first month, they saw the shift. We're now working on two additional projects together — each one targeting a different operational bottleneck. None of it is built in isolation. Every system is designed to stack, integrate, compound, and scale. Each build talks to the last. The business gets smarter with every layer, not just bigger.

I've realized that in this space it feels like the blind leading the blind. The post below from a Redditor, followed by a bunch of "helpful tips," makes me believe that most of the advice out there is not good. --- I've been building AI automation systems for months now. 6 working systems. Good engagement on Reddit. People ask for demos. But I haven't crossed the line from "looks cool" to "here's my money." --- Here are a few of the so called helpful tips: "Don't do Upwork or Fiverr, it's way too saturated now." "Reach out through platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, email, etc." "Sorry to say but Upwork and Fiverr are a race to the bottom." If you have ever tried cold outreach, you know how hard it is. I've read plenty of stories of people being in this space for 6 months with zero results. It's more common than people think, it might even be the norm. So when I read comments like those, I roll my eyes because they're making it harder for people who are already struggling. I'm not saying don't do cold outreach. A lot of people make it work. But saying Upwork sucks is like saying don't go to Barcelona because there are too many tourists. Two things can be true at the same time. Yes, Upwork is competitive. But there are also clients there who will pay well. And people will always try to get the best price, whether that's on Upwork or LinkedIn. That's human nature. Upwork is actually easier in one important way. It solves the hardest problem, which is not knowing what to sell. The person going there already knows they have a problem and needs someone to fix it. That's where you come in. But it's not as simple as pitching and hoping for the best. You need to understand how to negotiate and close. That skill is far more valuable than knowing how to automate or use AI. Upwork works well for me. I have a system and get daily leads. Not every lead works out, but I'd rather pitch 10 times and miss 10 opportunities than not pitch at all. Because not pitching guarantees nothing will change.