First Builds by Business Type
Find the business closest to yours, then read a couple of the others too, because the best idea for your business is often hiding in someone else's list. The shape of the job repeats far more than the industry does. Don't pick the most impressive one. Pick the most painful one.
Trades
plumbers, electricians, builders, heating engineers
- Starter pick
- The quote-from-a-voice-note tool
- Replaces
- the unpaid evening shift writing up quotes
- First-version risk
- Low (internal, you check every quote before it sends)
- Data needed
- your rate card, supplier prices, a few past quotes done your way
- Likely win
- quotes out same-day, more jobs won
The starter prompt (adapt the specifics, keep the shape)
I'm a [trade]. I want a tool where I talk through a job after a site visit (materials, hours, access problems) and it prices the ramble against my rate card and supplier prices, then produces an itemised quote on my letterhead ready to send. I check every quote before it goes. Here's my rate card and two past quotes done my way. Build the first version to take a pasted transcript and output the quote as a document.
E-commerce
online shops, marketplace sellers, DTC brands
- Starter pick
- The supplier-to-shop pipeline
- Replaces
- weeks of manual catalogue entry per stock drop
- First-version risk
- Low to medium (test on a handful of products, you approve before they go live)
- Data needed
- the supplier feeds and data you're permitted to resell from, your category structure, your brand voice
- Likely win
- a month of work down to a day
The starter prompt (adapt the specifics, keep the shape)
I run an online shop. My suppliers give me reseller feeds (data and images I'm licensed to use). I want a tool that takes a feed, formats products to fit my shop, files each into the right category, writes descriptions in my brand voice, and queues everything for my approval before anything goes live. It must never publish without a human approving. Start with this sample feed and these three example products done by hand.
Accountancy and professional services
accountants, bookkeepers, solicitors, consultants
- Starter pick
- The document-into-data tool
- Replaces
- hours of manual re-keying off PDFs and statements
- First-version risk
- Medium (client data; keep the human check on the gate)
- Data needed
- sample documents, your system's fields, a few worked examples
- Likely win
- chargeable hours freed from data entry
The starter prompt (adapt the specifics, keep the shape)
I run a professional practice. I want a tool that reads the documents clients send (PDFs, statements, receipts), extracts the figures into the exact fields my system needs, and queues each one for a human check before anything is filed. Client data stays inside tiers that don't train on inputs. Here are three sample documents and the field list. Build the extraction and the checking queue first.
Clinic and health
dental, physio, aesthetics, veterinary, private GP
- Starter pick
- The no-show reducer
- Replaces
- empty chairs and reception ringing round to fill them
- First-version risk
- Low if it runs inside your existing compliant booking system; higher the moment patient data moves into new tools
- Data needed
- your diary, your waiting list, appointment types and timings
- Likely win
- fewer empty slots, more booked clinical time held
The starter prompt (adapt the specifics, keep the shape)
I run a clinic. My booking system is the system of record and stays put. I want a tool that works around it: well-timed friendly reminders, effortless rebooking for missed slots, and gap-filling from a waiting list. Patient data stays inside the compliant system; the tool touches names and appointment times only, nothing clinical. Walk me through what you'd need from my booking system's export or API to do this safely.
Hospitality
restaurants, cafés, pubs, hotels, takeaways
- Starter pick
- The booking and enquiry handler
- Replaces
- covers lost to slow replies mid-service
- First-version risk
- Low to medium (customer-facing; start with it drafting, you confirm)
- Data needed
- your table plan, opening hours, booking rules, common questions
- Likely win
- fewer missed covers, the phone off one person's back
The starter prompt (adapt the specifics, keep the shape)
I run a restaurant. I want a tool that answers booking enquiries across email and social instantly: takes the reservation, handles 'table for six on Friday', and confirms it. First version drafts replies for a person to send; it goes fully automatic only after a fortnight of us checking its drafts. Here are our booking rules, table plan and the ten questions we get asked most.
Agency
marketing, creative, web, recruitment, client services
- Starter pick
- The scoping and audit tool
- Replaces
- the fortnight of unbillable scoping behind every pitch
- First-version risk
- Low (internal, on public prospect data, you review the deck)
- Data needed
- prospect and competitor URLs, your audit checklist, your deck template
- Likely win
- a fortnight's audit down to an afternoon
The starter prompt (adapt the specifics, keep the shape)
I run an agency. I want a tool that takes a prospect's URL plus two competitors, audits the public pages (content, errors, page speed, positioning), respecting each site's terms, no logins bypassed, no server hammered, and produces a clear deck in my template that I walk through on the call. Here's my audit checklist and an example deck. Build the audit-and-report pipeline first.
Manufacturer and maker
small-batch production, workshops, craft producers
- Starter pick
- The production-planning tool
- Replaces
- hours of daily planning and software costing hundreds a month
- First-version risk
- Low (internal list; worst case is a quick correction)
- Data needed
- your orders, recipes or bills of materials, make times
- Likely win
- about ten hours a week back, built in a day
The starter prompt (adapt the specifics, keep the shape)
I make products to order. I want a tool that takes the day's orders and works out exactly what to make, in what order, and how much of each material that needs, consolidated across every order, then prints the list and any labels the law requires. Here are yesterday's orders and my recipes/bill of materials. Build the consolidation first and show me the maths before anything prints.
Local service
cleaners, landscapers, salons, tutors, removals
- Starter pick
- The booking and reminder system
- Replaces
- you glued to the phone managing the diary between jobs
- First-version risk
- Low to medium (customer-facing; keep reminders simple to start)
- Data needed
- your diary, services and durations, deposit and cancellation rules
- Likely win
- fuller diary, fewer no-shows, more from the same week
The starter prompt (adapt the specifics, keep the shape)
I run a local service business. I want a booking tool: customers pick a slot, it sends reminders, handles rescheduling and chases deposits, with my rules on durations and cancellations. Reminders only go to people who booked; proper consent and easy opt-out on every message. Here's my service list and diary rules. Build booking and reminders first, referrals later.
Two questions before you commit