You keep hearing about AI. You want someone to tell you what's actually worth doing.

Last month I sat across from a guy who runs a plumbing company in west Omaha, maybe 15 employees. He'd been on three calls with AI vendors. Each one left a proposal. He pulled them out of a drawer and spread them across the table. "I don't understand any of this," he said. "I just want to know if any of it is worth doing."

I keep having that same conversation. Not with people who are behind on technology, but with people who are too busy running their businesses to sort through the noise. Competitors are posting about AI. Employees are asking about it. There's this feeling that you should be doing something, but nobody can tell you what specifically.

I run a fractional CFO firm called 1610 Advisory with my partner Mike Scheffert. I'm head of finance at a construction company doing $3M to $5M a year. I got into AI because I was spending too many hours on work that didn't actually need me, and I wanted that time back. So I started building. And I think that matters, because the advice you get from someone who's built AI into their own businesses is different from the advice you get from someone who's read about it.

What actually happens when we work together

• You tell me where your time goes. We sit down, you walk me through a normal week, and I listen for the parts where you or your team are doing work a machine could handle. Usually there are two or three things that jump out immediately.
• I tell you what's real and what isn't. Some of what AI promises is legitimate. Some of it is a waste of money. I'll be specific about which is which for your business, not in general.
• If it makes sense, we build it. I don't hand you a plan and wish you luck. I pick the right tools, connect them to your existing systems, and make sure your team knows how to use them before I step back.
• I stick around. AI changes fast. What works today might need adjusting in three months. Monthly check-ins keep things running and keep me honest about whether it's still worth what you're paying.

I've been where you are

My first business was a coffee shop. I was 19. It failed. I closed it the day before my wedding. That taught me something I carry into every conversation now: there is a big gap between a good idea and a running business.

Today I run 1610 Advisory, where we work as fractional CFOs. I handle the finances at a construction company. My family has farmed the same land south of Lincoln for six generations. I run a mobile coffee bar called Solace. And I built an open-source AI marketing system called the AI CMO that handles content, SEO, and analytics for real clients with real revenue.

I bring all of that up because when someone gives you advice about AI, the first question should be: have you done this yourself, with your own money? For me the answer is yes.

Who I work with

Business owners in Omaha doing somewhere between $250K and $10M in revenue. Construction, trades, professional services, agriculture, manufacturing. People who are good at what they do but are spending too many hours on things that aren't really their job. You're not looking to become an AI expert. You're looking for someone you trust to look at your operation and give you a straight answer about what AI can take off your plate and what it can't.