Field Guide · PDF
The Operator’s Field Guide to AI Agents
What AI agents actually do, where they earn their keep, and how to put a team of them to work running your business.
Read the guide Resources 
Field notes, frameworks, and guides.
Long-form pieces on what it takes to run a business through an AI swarm — operating manuals, decision frameworks, agent briefings, and the occasional founder essay. The first field guides are ready below — more on the way.
Start here
A field guide to the field guides
Seven short guides for owners putting AI to work — read by situation, not in order. Find yours, then open it below.
- New to AI agents → The Operator’s Field Guide to AI Agents
- About to hire help → Hiring an AI Implementation Partner
- Tried AI and it fizzled → Why Most Small-Business AI Projects Quietly Fail
- Worried about ungoverned AI → When AI Goes Rogue
- Losing know-how to turnover → The Business That Remembers
- Need the real numbers → What AI Actually Costs
- Want the whole map → AI Across the 7 Dynamics
Guides
Buyer’s Guide · PDF
Hiring an AI Implementation Partner
15 questions to ask, the red flags to watch for, and a scorecard — before you sign an AI contract.
Read the guide Field Guide · PDF
Why Most Small-Business AI Projects Quietly Fail
Eight common mistakes, six hidden traps, and the fixes that make AI actually pay off — plus a one-page pre-flight checklist.
Read the guide Field Guide · PDF
When AI Goes Rogue
What unsanctioned, ungoverned “shadow AI” is quietly doing inside small businesses — the real costs, documented incidents, and how to get it back under control.
Read the guide Field Guide · PDF
The Business That Remembers
Build an institutional second brain that captures what your people know — so when they leave, the knowledge stays.
Read the guide Field Guide · PDF
What AI Actually Costs
The full picture — total cost of ownership, build vs. buy vs. DIY, and an honest ROI frame to tell if it’s actually paying off.
Read the guide Field Guide · PDF
AI Across the 7 Dynamics
Where AI earns its keep across the seven core areas of your business — and where a human stays in charge.
Read the guide