Questions and answers

Why hire someone? Can’t I just use ChatGPT myself?

For some things you can, and if a general AI app does the job I’ll tell you so. What I build differs in two ways that matter: it is made for one specific task in your business, and it is made to follow the rules your business has to follow.

A chat app is built to answer anyone about anything, so every time someone has to explain the background, write the right instructions and check the result. A tool made for your task already knows your products, prices, routines and tone, does the job the same way every time, and sits where the work happens. Your staff just use it, and it keeps working when the person who knew the right prompt is away.

The second is the law. When staff paste customer details into a personal AI account, your business is still responsible for that data under GDPR, and a chat app doesn’t take care of that for you. What I build is designed with data protection in mind from the start (what personal data is used, where it is stored, for how long and who can see it, with AI services whose terms fit), and with respect for trademarks and copyright in what it produces.

Is it GDPR-safe? What happens to our customers’ data?

Data protection is part of the design, not something added at the end. Before anything is built I go through which personal data the tool touches and keep it to what the task needs.

Where an AI service or another provider handles personal data for you, you need a data processing agreement with them, so that is part of choosing the provider, along with where the data is processed and whether it may be used to train AI models. Your business remains responsible for your customers’ data; the tool is made so that is easy to live up to.

What kind of things can you build?

Small, practical tools around tasks that eat time, and apps people have wished existed. For example: answering the same customer questions, moving data between two systems so nobody types it twice, keeping track of stock and what is about to expire, sending reminders, or turning notes into finished texts.

If you don’t know where to start, that is a fine starting point too: I find the repetitive tasks in your week, build tools around how you already work, and show your team how to use them.

Is my business too small for this?

No. The price model starts with a fixed price of US$300 for a single small tool, precisely so a small business can start with one thing, see it work, and only then decide whether it wants more.

Do I need to know anything about AI or code?

No. You describe the problem in your own words and I take care of the technical side. If the tool is something your team uses, I show them how to use it.

What does it cost to build an AI app or a custom app?

Examples from my price model: a single one-screen tool that stores nothing has a fixed starter price of US$300. A small tool that saves a list or sends something is roughly US$500–900. A small build of a few such parts is roughly US$1,250–2,000. A fuller build that connects to a system you already use is often around US$2,000–3,000.

The price follows how much work the tool actually involves, not how impressive it sounds. The idea check on the front page gives you a rough span for your own idea, and the written draft gives a fixed price. Amounts are in US dollars here; the idea check answers in your own currency.

Is the price really fixed?

Yes. The written draft says what is included and what it costs. If building what we agreed on takes longer than planned, that is on me, not your invoice. Something new that wasn’t in the draft is priced on its own, and you see that price before any work on it starts.

Are there running costs once it’s built?

Sometimes, and you know about them before you decide. They come from what the tool uses: an AI service paid per use, text messages, card payment fees, or hosting for bigger tools. The idea check names them when they matter, and the draft says what they are.

Can I pay monthly instead of all at once?

Yes. Every build except the fixed-price starter can be paid in monthly instalments over up to 6 months, at least US$200 a month. The starter is small enough to pay at once. Upkeep after delivery is a separate, optional choice (see the next question).

What does upkeep cost once it is delivered?

Upkeep is optional and priced by the size of the build, and the exact monthly amount is in the written draft next to the build price. Most builds land roughly here: up to US$3,000: US$100 a month; US$3,000–6,000: US$100–200; US$6,000–9,000: US$200–300; over US$9,000: from US$300, depending on the scope. A project with an unusual structure can come out higher or lower.

Upkeep means I keep the tool updated and secure, keep an eye on its running costs, fix what stops working (for example when a service it connects to changes) and make small changes such as a text or a name. You can cancel it month to month. New features are priced separately, and you see that price before any work on them starts.

While it is being built, check-ins and the adjustments that come up along the way are part of the build price, for example switching an employee’s name for the name of their role.

How do I get started?

Describe your idea or problem in the idea check on the front page. It is free and needs no sign-up. If something important is missing you get a few questions with answers to tick, then an honest assessment: whether it is worth building, and if so, levels to choose from with rough prices.

If you want to go ahead, send it to me by email with one click. I read it myself and reply in writing with a draft: how I understood you, the simplest version worth building and a fixed price.

Do we need to meet or talk on the phone?

No. Everything happens in writing, so you can answer when it suits you, nothing said gets lost, and you always have what we agreed in black and white. You deal directly with me, the person who builds it.

What if something that already exists would do?

Then I’ll tell you, and point you to it. The idea check has its own answer for exactly that, and it costs you nothing. You shouldn’t pay for a custom build you don’t need.

How long does it take?

It depends on the size of the work, and the written draft makes clear what is included before you decide. I don’t promise speed I can’t stand behind: a starter tool is a small job, a fuller build takes longer.

What happens to what I write in the idea check?

It is sent to an AI service (Claude, made by Anthropic) that writes the assessment, which can mean processing outside the EU, and this site does not save it. Nothing reaches me unless you choose to send it by email.

Can I write in my own language?

Yes. Write in whatever language you think in; the idea check answers in the same one. This site is in English, Swedish, German, French and Spanish.