01 / MANUAL WORK
Your team repeats the same admin every day.
Copying information, chasing updates, preparing documents, sending reminders, and moving work between tools.
AI Operations for Small Teams
AI operating systems built around your business.
Hunter Engine designs practical AI operating systems for growing small businesses. I connect workflows, data, people, and software so your team spends less time chasing tasks and more time running the business.
Built for 5–15 person teams
Direct specialist delivery
No bloated agency handoff
Connected AI operations
From scattered tools to one operating layer
5–15 employeesIdeal team size
$5K–$12KTypical implementation
$1.5K–$2K+Ongoing AI operations management
Solo specialistDirect from audit to deployment
The problem
Your business grew. Your systems did not.
Hunter Engine is designed for small teams that are already busy enough to feel the cost of disconnected operations.
02 / DISCONNECTED TOOLS
Important information lives everywhere.
Email, spreadsheets, CRM, messaging, documents, and project tools all hold different pieces of the business.
03 / OWNER BOTTLENECK
Too much still depends on you.
The owner or manager becomes the routing layer for approvals, questions, handoffs, and decisions that should already have a system.
What I build
One operating system. Built around how your business actually works.
Not a chatbot package. Not a pile of automations. I design the operating layer that connects the pieces together.
Your system is scoped around a real operational bottleneck first. Start with one department, connect the next one only when it creates measurable value.
01
AI Assistants & AgentsPurpose-built assistants for sales, operations, admin, knowledge retrieval, and management support.
02
Workflow AutomationRoute requests, trigger follow-ups, prepare documents, update records, and escalate exceptions.
03
Knowledge SystemsGive your team a usable AI layer across SOPs, policies, project files, product information, and company knowledge.
04
CRM & Software ConnectionsConnect the tools you already use instead of forcing the business into another unnecessary platform.
05
Dashboards & Human ApprovalsKeep people in control with clear approval points, alerts, priorities, and management visibility.
Live AIOS portfolio
Six operating systems you can test.
Explore working demonstrations of workflows, records, AI assistance, approvals, exceptions, and management visibility in context.
Multi-Department AIOS
One connected operations layer across sales, HR onboarding, booking, approvals, activity, and shared knowledge.
Sales CRMHR onboardingBooking operationsApproval inboxWorkflow auditor
Open Multi-Department AIOSForgeDesk AIOS
Lead intake, estimating, dispatch, field handoffs, change orders, invoicing, and visible exceptions for trades teams.
Estimate pipelineDispatch boardFinance ops
Open Construction AIOSKeyline AIOS
A property operations workspace for enquiries, viewings, listings, offers, relationships, and transaction milestones.
Lead routingViewing operationsTransaction tracker
Open Property AIOSShortlist AIOS
Evidence-based candidate matching with structured job intake, recruiter-controlled submissions, interview operations, and compliance checks.
Candidate CRMMatching workbenchSubmission approval
Open Recruitment AIOSLedgerFlow AIOS
Recurring practice operations for document chasing, month-end close, transaction exceptions, review, and client communication.
Month-end boardDocument chaseReview queue
Open Bookkeeping AIOSKinwell Ops
Front-desk and scheduling automation with firm boundaries around clinical questions, safety language, consent, and treatment decisions.
SchedulingIntake checksClinical escalation
Open Clinic AIOS
Process
Audit first. Build only what earns its place.
The goal is not maximum automation. The goal is a system your team can actually trust and use.
STEP 01
Map the operation
Identify bottlenecks, repetitive work, software, data, handoffs, approvals, and ownership.
STEP 02
Design the system
Define the architecture, source of truth, AI roles, automations, permissions, and human controls.
STEP 03
Build & connect
Create the workflows, integrations, assistants, internal tools, and dashboard required for the agreed scope.
STEP 04
Deploy & improve
Test with real work, train the team, monitor edge cases, and improve the system as the business changes.
Investment
Built like infrastructure, not another subscription.
Implementation is scoped to complexity. Ongoing management keeps the system reliable, current, and improving.
AI Operations System Build
$5K–$12K
One-time implementation · 40% / 30% / 30% milestones
- Operational workflow audit
- System architecture
- AI assistants / agents
- Automations and integrations
- Knowledge layer
- Dashboard and approval points
- Documentation and team handover
- 30-day launch support
AI Operations Management
$1.5K–$2K+
Per month · after launch support
- System monitoring
- Agent and workflow optimisation
- Integration upkeep
- Minor workflow improvements
- Dashboard maintenance
- Troubleshooting and technical support
- Operational review and recommendations
- New major scope quoted separately
Software, hosting, AI/API usage, SMS/email usage, and third-party subscriptions are billed separately.
Best fit
Small enough to move quickly. Complex enough to need a system.
The sweet spot is an owner-led company where operational friction is already costing time, focus, and growth. My best-fit niches are construction and trades, property and real estate teams, recruitment firms, small professional-services companies, bookkeeping and accounting firms, clinics and aesthetic businesses, and small agencies with operational pain.
IDEAL
5–15 employees
Enough moving parts for AI operations to create real leverage without enterprise-level complexity.
STRONG SIGNAL
Growing but still manual
The business runs across spreadsheets, email, CRM, chat, documents, and owner memory.
BEST BUYER
Owner-led & decisive
The person feeling the bottleneck can approve a system without months of procurement and committee meetings.
NOT YET
1–3 person microbusinesses
Often too little operational complexity to justify a custom operating system.
NOT THE FOCUS
Large enterprise
Security, procurement, governance, and implementation usually require a larger delivery team.
ALSO NOT A FIT
“I just want a chatbot.”
Hunter Engine is for operational systems, not isolated AI features with no connection to the business.
The specialist behind Hunter Engine
About Barbara
I design and build practical AI operations systems around real business workflows.
Through Hunter Engine, I map the work, design the architecture, build the system, and review how it performs in use. That means understanding the handoffs, exceptions, and decisions as carefully as the software.
You work directly with the person designing and building your system-without an account-manager layer or junior handoff.
Questions before you build
AI operations, explained.
Scope, costs, tools, and the people who stay in control.
What is an AI operating system?
At Hunter Engine, an AI operating system is a connected operational layer across your workflows, data, people, and software. It can combine AI assistants, integrations, knowledge systems, dashboards, and approvals around an agreed business process.
Who is Hunter Engine a good fit for?
Hunter Engine focuses on owner-led businesses with roughly 5–15 employees, recurring manual work, and disconnected tools. A clear operational bottleneck and someone able to own the process matter more than headcount alone.
How much does an AI Operations System Build cost?
Builds typically cost $5,000–$12,000 USD, depending on the agreed scope and complexity. Implementation uses 40% / 30% / 30% payment milestones and includes documentation, team handover, and 30-day launch support.
What does ongoing AI Operations Management include?
Management is $1,500–$2,000+ USD per month after launch support. It covers monitoring, workflow optimisation, integration upkeep, minor improvements, dashboard maintenance, troubleshooting, and operational review. Major new scope is quoted separately.
Do I need to replace my current software?
The starting point is the tools you already use. I assess the available connections, permissions, and information sources before recommending changes. Software, hosting, AI/API usage, and SMS or email usage are billed separately.
Can people approve actions before the system carries them out?
Yes. Human approval points are defined during system design. The agreed workflow identifies which actions can run automatically, which require review, and who handles exceptions.
How long does a build take?
The schedule depends on the workflow, integrations, and readiness of your information. Delivery milestones and dependencies are agreed after mapping the operation; there is no single timeline for every build.
Will I work directly with the specialist?
Yes. Hunter Engine is a boutique, solo-specialist service. You work directly with the person mapping the problem, designing the architecture, building the system, and reviewing the result.
What happens after I request a systems review?
Barbara reviews your business, workflow, budget, and timing details for fit, then follows up by email about the most useful next step.
The operations notebook
View all guides →Plan your next step.
What is an AI operating system for a small business?
A practical guide to AI operating systems for teams of 5–15 people: workflows, knowledge, integrations, approvals, and the people who own them.
Read guide →Which workflow should a small business automate first?
Choose a first AI workflow using frequency, manual effort, data readiness, exceptions, and approval risk. A practical checklist for owner-led small teams.
Read guide →What does a $5K–$12K AI operations system build include?
Understand Hunter Engine’s $5K–$12K AI operations builds, scope drivers, ongoing management, software costs, and the questions to ask before starting.
Read guide →Find the bottleneck worth building around.
Start with a systems conversation. I’ll look at where work gets stuck, what should stay human, and where an AI operating layer could create real leverage.
Request a Systems ReviewPrefer to share the details first?
Tell me about your business and where work gets stuck. I’ll review your inquiry and follow up by email.
Request my systems review →