Questions Answered
FAQs
What each of our three services covers, what it costs, and how we work.
What We Do
7 questionsWe help businesses put AI and software to practical use, through three services:
- AI Workshops: practical training that helps your team get more from the AI tools you already pay for.
- Custom Software: a focused solution for a defined need, such as connecting systems, automating a task, or building an internal tool.
- AI Transformation: an ongoing partnership that sets priorities, builds and connects tools, and supports your team over time.
It depends on where you are today. We’ll help you choose on a free 30-minute call.
- AI Workshops: if your team has AI tools but isn’t getting much from them.
- Custom Software: if you know which process needs fixing.
- AI Transformation: if you want several improvements over time and help deciding where to start.
Giving your team time back and making it easier to see what’s happening in the business.We look for repeated work, unnecessary handoffs, and information that’s hard to find. Before work begins, we agree on how you’ll judge whether the result helps.
It describes how every engagement works.
- Built for you: we start from how your business works, not from a template.
- Built with you: your team helps shape and test the solution before it launches.
- Owned by you: you own the custom code we develop for you, and you choose who supports it.
Small and mid-size businesses that want to reduce repetitive work and connect the tools they already use.We work most often with construction, real estate and property management, legal, and dental and medical practices. We are based in Carlsbad, California and work with clients nationwide.
Book a free 30-minute call.We’ll learn how your business works and recommend a starting point. The call and your quote are free.
No. Build Lean is an AI and custom software firm.The name describes how we work: a small team using modern tools to deliver efficiently. We don’t offer Lean Six Sigma certification or kaizen facilitation.
AI Workshops
4 questionsA hands-on training session for your team, built around the work you already do.Sessions use your real workflows, not generic slides, and are recorded so your team can revisit them. No software project is required.
Having the tools isn’t the same as knowing how to use them for your work.Many teams use AI like a search box. A workshop shows them how to apply it to their own processes and information, so they leave with something they can use the next day.
Workshops start at $500 per session.Custom training packages for leadership, departments, or specific roles are quoted per organization.
No. Workshops stand on their own.Some teams start here and later decide whether Custom Software or AI Transformation makes sense. There’s no obligation to go further.
Custom Software
9 questionsFocused solutions for a defined business need, including:
- Connections between the tools you already use
- Automation for repetitive tasks and handoffs
- Internal tools and dashboards
- Customer and employee portals
Yes. We can connect AI tools to the systems your team relies on, with access you control.That way AI works from your actual records rather than from whatever someone pastes into a chat. We agree on which information it can reach and which actions need approval.
Yes. You own the custom code we develop for you.You can keep working with us, bring it in-house, or hand it to another developer. We also explain the hosting and outside services it relies on.
Often both.Off-the-shelf tools work well for standard tasks, so keep the ones that do their job. Custom software makes sense when a workflow is specific to your business or when your tools don’t share information well. We check whether existing features can solve the problem first.
Not quite.No-code tools work well for simple connections. When a workflow needs custom logic, higher volume, or more reliable syncing, we build a connection designed for your systems, and you own it.
No.We usually build around what you already use, such as QuickBooks, Salesforce, HubSpot, Procore, Sage, Google Workspace, or Microsoft 365. We only recommend replacing a tool when it is clearly holding you back.
It depends on the scope. We agree on a timeline before work begins.Focused tools usually take a few weeks. Connected systems take longer.
Every project has a fixed price, agreed before development begins.
- Focused tools start at $1,500
- Connected systems start at $5,000
- Larger operations platforms start at $15,000
Everything is agreed before work starts.
- Clear scope first: the deliverables and fixed price are agreed before any code is written.
- Optional planning: the $2,500 Strategy (two sessions plus a written proposal) lets you see the plan first. The fee is credited toward your project if you move forward with work priced $5,000 and up.
- Changes approved in advance: additional work is quoted for your approval.
AI Transformation
7 questionsAn ongoing partnership for businesses that want several improvements over time.We help set priorities, build and connect tools, support your team’s adoption, and review results regularly. Work moves one area of the business at a time.
AI handles the repetitive parts of the job, and people direct it and review it.The information the team needs is easy to reach, and routine drafts or summaries are prepared automatically for someone to check.
It keeps each step manageable and easier to measure.You see a working result before investing in the next area, and the team that went first can help the next one.
Adoption is part of the work.We provide training built around each role’s actual tools and workflows, gather feedback, and adjust what’s getting in the way.
We agree on what success looks like before work begins.That might be time saved, fewer errors, or how often the team uses the tool. Then we review results after launch.
AI Transformation is quoted as a monthly engagement based on your needs.If you’d like to see a plan first, the optional $2,500 Strategy covers two working sessions and a written proposal, and the fee is credited toward your partnership if you move forward with a total commitment of $5,000 or more.
It’s ongoing, and you decide how long it continues.We work in cycles, finishing one improvement before starting the next, and review progress along the way.
Working Together
7 questionsWe start with the business problem, not a feature list.We learn how the work happens today, agree on what would make a difference, and tell you when a different approach would serve you better.
We advise and build.The same team that recommends the approach also builds and supports it, so recommendations stay grounded in what’s practical.
Clear expectations and dependable follow-through.
- Testing and safeguards suited to your systems
- Documentation and a clear handoff
- Agreed deliverables, responsibilities, and support
Yes.Each service is priced separately and stands on its own. Some teams only take workshops, some only need one project, and some start small and grow from there.
No. Support is optional.You can ask for help as needed, such as questions, training, fixes, or new features. Each request is scoped and quoted before work begins. For a regular working relationship, AI Transformation provides ongoing support.
You choose how it’s maintained.Run it yourself, bring in another developer, arrange support with us, or continue with an AI Transformation partnership. The custom code is yours either way.
We’re based in Carlsbad, California, and work with clients nationwide.Calls, planning, workshops, and reviews happen remotely. We can meet in person in San Diego County.
Pricing and Process
4 questionsFive steps, from first call to handoff:
- Free 30-minute call: to understand your business and recommend a starting point
- Optional Strategy: ($2,500) if you’d like a written plan first, credited toward a project priced $5,000 and up or a partnership totaling $5,000 or more
- Quote: a fixed price for a project, or a monthly quote for a partnership
- Build and review: with milestones you can follow
- Launch: training and handoff
Yes.Every engagement starts with a written agreement that covers the scope, deliverables, timeline, and price.
We quote the change and you decide.The original scope and price stay the same unless you approve the addition.
Yes.A workshop often reveals a process worth improving, and an AI Transformation plan often includes custom projects. When services are combined, we scope and quote them together.
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