Built by a small business owner, for small businesses

Your business. With a lot more help.

We build AI systems that know your business, handle the work you don't have time for, and make possible what you couldn't take on before.

Build my system See it work

A short form about your business. You hear back within one business day.

What this is

A done-for-you AI system, built around your business.

Built for your business
We set up an AI system with your business information, your instructions, and the work you want it to handle.
In your own account
You use it through your AI platform, alongside the business tools you already use. No separate Built Around app.
Built and managed for you
We handle setup, testing, and training. Ongoing support and improvements are available, depending on your plan.

What your system hands you, inside the apps you already use.

Four made-up businesses, drawn to show what it prepares in your own Gmail, Drive, Docs and Sheets. Every one is a draft until the owner sends it.

Weddings & events · Marlowe Events

A new inquiry, with a reply drafted in Priya's voice and dates she really has open.

Shows up inGmailGoogle Calendar

Hannah ParkOctober 2027, Stonebridge?

Okonkwo, AdaRe: Thursday consult

Hilltop TentsSidewalls for Saturday

Bloom & VineKaplan delivery window

October 2027, Stonebridge?

Hannah Park · 11:42 pm

Hi! We just got engaged and are looking at fall 2027 at Stonebridge Farm, around 150 guests. Do you have availability?

DraftDrafted in Priya's voice

Hi Hannah! Congratulations to you both. Stonebridge in October is a great call, and we have the 9th and the 23rd open.

Would a quick call Thursday or Friday work? I'd love to hear what you're picturing.

Priya

Send

See Marlowe's system →

Contractors & trades · Tollmark

Every open estimate checked, with a follow-up drafted for each one that needs it.

Shows up inGoogle SheetsGmail

Client	Job	Quote	Last contact	Next step
Okafor	Primary bath	$38,400	Feb 21	Follow-up drafted
Lindqvist	Kitchen	$71,200	Feb 18	March start note drafted
Reyes	Basement bath	$24,900	Feb 17	Needs Dana's number
Brandt	Guest bath	$19,800	Feb 27	On track
Nakamura	Mudroom	$16,900	Mar 2	On track
Walsh	Primary bath	no quote	2023	Past client note drafted

Client

Job

Quote

Last contact

Next step

Okafor

Primary bath

$38,400

Feb 21

Follow-up drafted

Lindqvist

Kitchen

$71,200

Feb 18

March start note drafted

Reyes

Basement bath

$24,900

Feb 17

Needs Dana's number

Brandt

Guest bath

$19,800

Feb 27

On track

Nakamura

Mudroom

$16,900

Mar 2

On track

Walsh

Primary bath

no quote

2023

Past client note drafted

3 notes waiting in Gmail drafts. Nothing sent.

See Tollmark's system →

The problem

Everyone says use AI. Nobody shows you how.

Meanwhile, the same work keeps piling up.

Leads wait days for a reply

A reply drafted for every lead

Proposals go quiet and nobody follows up

A follow-up drafted for every open proposal

Marketing never makes the list

Posts drafted from work you already did

Everything lives in your head

Written down, and used in every draft

Some work never gets done at all

Now it gets done

We set it all up for you, built around how your business actually works.

You might already use ChatGPT or Claude

Having the tool isn't the same as having it set up for your business.

AI on its own

You notice the task
You explain your business
It drafts
You remember what's next

Built around your business

It already knows your business
It spots the recurring work
It prepares the drafts
You decide

Could you build pieces of this yourself? Sure. What you're paying for is the whole system built around your business, tested on your real past work, with ongoing updates as the tools change on plans that include them.

Where it goes

Most AI setups stop at an assistant. Yours doesn't have to.

1 to 5 people

Starting out

A standardized version for founders getting started.

Most owners start here

Core

A chief of staff that knows your business, your day in one list, and one engine keeping a part of your business moving.

Add on

Engines

One part of your business, like marketing or sales, kept moving with far less from you. Added one at a time.

Where Grant runs his own companies

Operating system

Several engines under one chief of staff and one list.

Core first (Starting out for tiny teams), then one engine at a time.See how engines work →

Where it lives

It plugs into the apps you already run on.

There's no app of ours to learn. We build your system inside your own AI account and connect it to the apps you already use, so you own all of it.

It reads

Your inboxnew inquiries, replies

Your calendaropen dates, meetings

Your filesquotes, notes, photos

Your chief of staffand the engines under it, all reading your company playbookYou approve what goes out.

It drafts into

Email draftsin your voice

Designsposts and flyers

Docs and sheetsprep, proposals, trackers

Your one listwhat needs you today

We connect only the apps you choose, in your own accounts. Everything starts as a draft you approve.

What you get

What we set up for you

A chief of staff
One place to bring any problem. It knows your whole business.
Your day in one list
What needs you, why, the exact steps and the copy to paste.
Engines, one at a time
Marketing or sales to start. Each one keeps its area moving and brings you only the decisions.
Your company playbook
The documents that teach it how you work. Correct it once and it stays corrected.
You approve what matters
It is set up so nothing goes to a client, touches a price or moves money without you.

How it works

Three steps, and we do the work

1
We learn your business
One conversation about how you work, plus the documents you already have.
2
We build and test it
Set up in your own account and tested on your real work before you use it.
3
You use it. We get you started.
Training for you and your team, plus ongoing updates on plans that include them.

Planned timing: about 10 business days start to finish, and about 4 hours of your time, half of it that first conversation.

Curious what it would take off your plate?

Tell us about your business. No pitch deck, no pressure.

Build my system

Engines

Give your business capabilities you've never had the time or people for.

Imagine having a marketing operation, even though you've never had a marketing person.

Not just something that writes an Instagram caption. A system built around your business that can research what your customers care about, plan your content, write articles and emails, prepare social posts, review what's working, and use what it learns to improve the next round.

That's what we mean by an Engine.

We build one for a specific part of your business, teach it how you operate, and set it up to do the work. You review what needs your judgment or approval.

The work doesn't have to be marketing. It could be sales or customer relationships.

And if you're already doing that work yourself, an Engine can take much of the preparation and coordination off your plate.

One Engine, up close

A Marketing Engine, built for one shop.

Cardinal & Co. is a six-person men's shop and tailor. The shop is made up. The work is real.

FictionalElena owns it. You'll meet her shop on See it work too.

1
Understands
It works from what the shop actually sells, who buys it, how Elena writes, what's worked before and every correction she's made.
It knows the fall arrivals, the trunk show on the 26th, and that Elena never says “sale.”
2
Researches
It looks at what customers keep asking Elena, what's coming up for the shop this season, and what's worked before.
Twelve customers asked about fall wedding attire this month. That's a topic.
3
Plans
It turns that into a plan for the month: what to say, which campaign comes first and what each piece is for.
October: the trunk show, a fall wedding guide and a three-part fit series.
4
Creates
It drafts the work itself: the newsletter, articles, social posts, campaign emails and a brief for the photo shoot.
A newsletter, two articles, nine posts and the trunk show invite, all drafts in Elena's voice.
5
Reviews
It looks at what happened last round, from customer replies and the results Elena shares with it, and says what to do more of.
The fit guide got the most replies in September, so the fit series is in October's plan.
6
Keeps it going
It keeps the plan, drafts, decisions and next steps together, so Elena knows exactly where the work stands.
Two pieces need Elena's decision. The rest of October is drafted for her review.

Elena's partApprove the plan, pick the photos, and send or publish anything that goes out.

The difference

Asking AI for help isn't the same as having this.

Using AI

“Write me five Instagram captions.”

You get five captions. You still decide what to post, remember the trunk show, write the newsletter and figure out what worked.

Having a Marketing Engine

It already knows the shop and the season.
It works out what's worth making this month based on your goals, customers, and what's happening in the business.
It drafts the campaign, posts, newsletter and emails together, so they match.
It works your feedback into the next round.
It brings you only what needs your eye.

What it knows

It knows your business, so the work sounds like you.

Every Engine works from your company playbook: plain documents we write with you, and you own.

Correct it once and it goes into the playbook, so the next round already knows.

Cardinal & Co. playbook

What we sell: Made-to-measure suits, fall arrivals from four mills, tailoring in a week.
Who buys: Men 30 to 60, mostly for events and gifts. Half are repeat customers.
How Elena writes: Short, warm, a little dry. Never “sale.” Signs off “Elena.”
What's worked: Fit guides and before-and-after photos. Not discount codes.
Always goes to Elena: Prices, promotions, anything about a customer's order.
Corrections this month: “Call it a trunk show, not an event.” “Tailoring, not alterations, in headlines.”

What shows up

What Elena has this month that she didn't have before.

When Elena opens her Marketing Engine, it does the month's work in that session and saves every piece as a draft in her own Drive and Gmail.

October planDocReady to review
Trunk show invite, 86 customersGmail draftNeeds Elena
Newsletter: What to wear to a fall weddingDocReady to review
Article: How a jacket should fit across the shouldersDocReady to review
Nine posts for the next three weeksDocPick photos
A customer question worth answering: “Can you rush a suit for a wedding?”DocReady to review
September: what got repliesDocTo read
Next round: three ideasDocNeeds Elena

Nothing goes out until Elena sends or publishes it.

How much you hand over

Start with you in control. Take yourself out when you're ready.

Where every Engine starts
1. You approve everything.
Every post, email and message waits for your OK.
Off until tested on your setup
2. You approve the plan.
You sign off on the plan. Work that matches it goes ahead unless you stop it.
Off until tested on your setup
3. Selected work can run without individual approval.
Only the kinds of work you pick, within limits you set.

Every Engine starts at step 1.

Steps 2 and 3 are switched on only for the work you choose, and only once we've tested them on your setup.

More Engines

Marketing is one. Here are two more.

FictionalBoth businesses are made up. You'll find them on See it work.

Sales Engine · Tollmark Kitchen & Bath

So sales doesn't depend on what Dana remembers.

Drafts a reply to every new inquiry, with real start dates
Works from your open-estimates sheet and drafts the next follow-up for each one
Matches openings in the schedule to estimates that could start early, with a note drafted for each
Flags anything that needs a price, a call or Dana's judgment

Planned Sales Engine + Prospecting adds: finds businesses that fit and drafts a first note to each.

What Dana hasA follow-up drafted for each of the nine open estimates. Two inquiry replies drafted. One flag: the Reyes bath needs a number.

Still Dana'sPrices, who's a fit, and sending every message.

Customer Relationship Engine · Marlowe Events Planned

So past clients don't disappear when you get busy.

Finds past clients worth hearing from: anniversaries, referrals, people who said “next year”
Drafts check-ins, thank-yous and review requests in Priya's voice
Points out clients who may be ready for something new, like an anniversary party or a holiday event
Shows who you've heard from and who's gone quiet, from your own inbox and client list

What Priya hasThree anniversary check-ins drafted. Thank-you notes drafted for last weekend's couples. One couple who mentioned a holiday party.

Still Priya'sWho to contact, what to offer, and sending every message.

How it fits

Start with one. Add more as each one proves itself.

Core: your chief of staff and your first Engine→A second Engine, once the first is working→An operating system: several Engines under one chief of staff

The operating system is what Grant runs his own companies on.

What would your business finally be doing if it had the capacity?

Tell us about one part of your business. We'll tell you what an Engine there could take on.

Build my system

Websites

A new website, live in about 2 weeks.

Designed around your business and written with you, so it says what you'd say to a customer.

From $1,500 with your price in writing before we start

Start my website See examples

TOLLMARKKITCHEN & BATHKitchensBathsOur process(847) 555-0142Get an estimate

Remodeling on the North Shore

Kitchens and baths, done right the first time.

One crew from design to final walkthrough, a schedule you can count on, and one number to call.

Get an estimateSee our work

Since 2009Family-run

One crewStart to finish

5 yearsWorkmanship warranty

GlenviewNorthbrookWilmetteWinnetkaHighland ParkDeerfield

What we build

Three kinds of projects.
One standard.

Kitchens

Layouts that work for how you cook, with cabinets, counters and lighting chosen together.

Kitchen projects

Baths

Primary suites, guest baths and powder rooms, from tile to the last fixture.

Bath projects

Whole floors

When the kitchen leads into everything else, we plan the whole floor at once.

Larger remodels

How it works

No surprises,
start to finish.

Walkthrough

We see the space, hear what you want and talk budget honestly.

Design and a fixed price

Drawings, materials and one number before anything starts.

Build

The same crew every day, and a Friday update every week.

Final walkthrough

We don't call it done until you do.

Recent work

**Glenview kitchen**Full remodel · 9 weeks

**Winnetka primary bath**Full remodel · 5 weeks

They finished the week they said they would, and the crew left it cleaner than they found it.The Okafor family · Northbrook

Tell us about your project.

We'll call you back within a day to set up a walkthrough.

Your nameTownPhoneKitchen, bath or both?What are you hoping to change?Request my estimate

Tollmark Kitchen & Bath · Northbrook, IL(847) 555-0142

Why it's different

You get the website without the agency.

The usual way

Weeks of meetings before anything happens
Months before it's live
An invoice sized for a much bigger company

With Built Around

One conversation, then we do the work
You review it before it goes live
Live in about 2 weeks

We do the slow parts with AI, like first drafts and checking every page on phones and computers, then shape the design and the words ourselves.

What you get

What's in every site we build

Designed for your business
Your style and your customers, not a theme with your logo swapped in.
We write the words
In your voice. You change anything that doesn't sound like you.
Built for phones
People look you up on their phones, so every page is built to work there first.
Easy for customers to reach you
A clear next step on every page and a contact form that sends inquiries to your email.
On your own web address
Your business name, your domain. If you don't have one yet, we help you get it.

Examples

Three made-up businesses, three very different sites.

FictionalThe same made-up companies you'll meet on See it work, with stock photos. Yours is designed around your business.

TOLLMARKKITCHEN & BATHKitchensBathsOur process(847) 555-0142Get an estimate

Remodeling on the North Shore

Kitchens and baths, done right the first time.

One crew from design to final walkthrough, a schedule you can count on, and one number to call.

Get an estimateSee our work

Since 2009Family-run

One crewStart to finish

5 yearsWorkmanship warranty

GlenviewNorthbrookWilmetteWinnetkaHighland ParkDeerfield

What we build

Three kinds of projects.
One standard.

Kitchens

Layouts that work for how you cook, with cabinets, counters and lighting chosen together.

Kitchen projects

Baths

Primary suites, guest baths and powder rooms, from tile to the last fixture.

Bath projects

Whole floors

When the kitchen leads into everything else, we plan the whole floor at once.

Larger remodels

How it works

No surprises,
start to finish.

Walkthrough

We see the space, hear what you want and talk budget honestly.

Design and a fixed price

Drawings, materials and one number before anything starts.

Build

The same crew every day, and a Friday update every week.

Final walkthrough

We don't call it done until you do.

Recent work

They finished the week they said they would, and the crew left it cleaner than they found it.The Okafor family · Northbrook

Tell us about your project.

We'll call you back within a day to set up a walkthrough.

Your nameTownPhoneKitchen, bath or both?What are you hoping to change?Request my estimate

Tollmark Kitchen & Bath · Northbrook, IL(847) 555-0142

Tollmark Kitchen & Bath

A remodeler that looks as solid as its work, with the facts a homeowner checks first right at the top.

A big, confident headline and real project photos
The process laid out, so there are no surprises
“Get an estimate” in view, and a short form at the end

PlanningWeddingsJournal

MARLOWE

AboutCheck your date

Wedding planning & design · Chicago and beyond

Weddings that feel like the two of you.

Check your date

We take on a small number of weddings each year, so yours gets all of us.

Full planning, design and a calm wedding day, from the first venue tour to the last dance.

How we work with you

Three ways to plan with us

Full planning

Every vendor, every detail, every decision, from the moment you say yes.

Partial planning

You've started. We take it from here and bring it all together.

Wedding management

The last two months and the whole day, so you can be a guest at your own wedding.

Every wedding starts with a conversation.

Tell us where you're dreaming of and when. We'll tell you what's possible.

Real weddings

Recently

We didn't think about a single detail on the day. We just got to be there.Hannah and James · Stonebridge Farm

Is your date still open?

Your namesWedding dateCheck your date

MARLOWE · Wedding planning & designChicago, IL

Marlowe Events

A wedding planner whose site feels like the weddings she plans: soft, personal and full of light.

Full-screen photography that sells the feeling
Planning options explained in plain words
“Check your date” at the top and the bottom

Cardinal & Co.

Fall collection

Made to measure. Ready in a week.

Suits and sport coats cut for you in the shop, from cloth you choose in person.

Book a fitting

Tue to Sat, 10 to 6Elm Street

Four mills. One fitting room.

Touch the cloth, see it in daylight, and leave knowing exactly what you ordered.

The fabrics

Made to measure

Four visits. One suit that's yours.

Measure

Thirty measurements and a few questions about how you wear a suit.

ii.

Choose

Cloth, lining, lapels and buttons, picked by hand in the shop.

iii.

Fit

A first fitting to get the shoulders and length exactly right.

iv.

Collect

Pressed, finished and ready in a week from your final fitting.

The fall lookbook

Worn well

**The details**Hand-finished, in the shop

Visit

Come in. Try it on.

Address: 847 Elm Street
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 to 6
Fittings: By appointment, 45 minutes

Book a fitting

Cardinal & Co. · Made to measure847 Elm Street

Cardinal & Co.

A tailor with the mood of its fitting room: dark, rich and unhurried.

Editorial photography and classic type
The made-to-measure process in four steps
Hours, address and “Book a fitting” where visitors look

How it works

Three steps, and we do the work

1
One conversation
Tell us about your business, who you serve and what you like. Send your logo and photos if you have them.
2
We design and write it
You review the whole site and tell us what to change before it goes live.
3
It goes live
On your own web address, ready to send people to.

No logo or photos yet? Say so on the form, and we'll tell you how we'd handle it.

PriceFrom $1,500

Your price is in writing before we start.
Start with the website, and add an AI system whenever you want one.

Built Around also builds AI systems for small businesses.

They know your business and draft replies and follow-ups for you to approve. Start with the website, or ask us about both.

See it work →

Questions

The short answers

How much does it cost?

From $1,500, with your price in writing before we start.

How long does it take?

About 2 weeks from our first conversation. If you're still pulling together a logo or photos, we'll tell you upfront how that changes it.

Do I have to write anything?

No. You tell us about your business, and we turn it into the words.

I already have a website. Can you redo it?

Yes. Tell us what's not working about it and we'll start there.

Ready for a website you're proud to send people to?

Tell us about your business. You hear back within one business day.

Start my website

Your business. With a lot more help.

A done-for-you AI system, built around your business.

Built for your business

In your own account

Built and managed for you

What your system hands you, inside the apps you already use.

Everyone says use AI. Nobody shows you how.

Having the tool isn't the same as having it set up for your business.

AI on its own

Built around your business

Most AI setups stop at an assistant. Yours doesn't have to.

Starting out

Core

Engines

Operating system

It plugs into the apps you already run on.

What we set up for you

A chief of staff

Your day in one list

Engines, one at a time

Your company playbook

You approve what matters

Three steps, and we do the work

We learn your business

We build and test it

You use it. We get you started.

Curious what it would take off your plate?

Pick a business like yours.

It gets better at your business the more you use it.

Your version of this doesn't exist yet.

Give your business capabilities you've never had the time or people for.

A Marketing Engine, built for one shop.

Understands

Researches

Plans

Creates

Reviews

Keeps it going

Asking AI for help isn't the same as having this.

Using AI

Having a Marketing Engine

It knows your business, so the work sounds like you.

What Elena has this month that she didn't have before.

Start with you in control. Take yourself out when you're ready.

1. You approve everything.

2. You approve the plan.

3. Selected work can run without individual approval.

Marketing is one. Here are two more.

So sales doesn't depend on what Dana remembers.

So past clients don't disappear when you get busy.

Start with one. Add more as each one proves itself.

What would your business finally be doing if it had the capacity?

10 business days. About 4 hours of yours.

Learn

Write it down

Build

Test

Hand off

It prepares. Your people decide.

The first conversation is the whole first step.

A new website, live in about 2 weeks.

You get the website without the agency.

The usual way

With Built Around

What's in every site we build

Designed for your business

We write the words

Built for phones

Easy for customers to reach you

On your own web address

Three made-up businesses, three very different sites.

Tollmark Kitchen & Bath

Marlowe Events

Cardinal & Co.

Three steps, and we do the work

One conversation

We design and write it

It goes live

Built Around also builds AI systems for small businesses.

The short answers