FAQ

Three things. AI Workshops help your team get real results from the AI subscriptions you already pay for, applied to your actual processes, your data, and your tech stack. Custom AI & Software Solutions are specific builds that solve a specific problem: systems integrations, MCP servers, automation, proprietary internal tools, and full product buildouts. AI Transformation is a full partnership that takes a company AI-native one business unit at a time, pairing strategy, implementation, adoption, and monitoring. Whichever one you start with, the work is built for you, built with you, and owned by you.

Start with AI Workshops if your team has the tools but is not getting much out of them. Start with a Custom AI & Software build if you already know what is broken and want it fixed properly. Start with AI Transformation if you know AI should be doing more for the business but you are not sure where it pays off yet. Most people are somewhere in between, which is what the free 30-minute discovery call is for. We will tell you which one fits, including when the answer is none of them yet.

No. Build Lean is a software development and AI implementation firm. The name describes how we build, which is small senior teams moving fast with AI doing the heavy lifting. It is not a reference to Lean methodology, Lean Six Sigma, or lean construction. If you are looking for process improvement certification or kaizen facilitation, we are not the right firm.

Two things: execution speed and visibility. Execution speed is shortening the distance between a decision and the work actually getting done, which means fewer handoffs, less re-keying, and less waiting on someone to pull a report. Visibility is making what is happening in the business legible in real time, so problems surface while they are still cheap to fix. Both produce the same result, which is unlocked team capacity. That capacity converts two ways: it protects margin on the work you already have, and it lets you take on more without adding cost at the same rate. The point is to turn technology and business process into measurable ROI, with the metrics agreed before the work starts.

Built for you means we start from how your business actually runs, not from a template we reshape to fit. Built with you means your team is involved during the build, so the people who will use it shape it and understand it before it ships. Owned by you means you get the full source code, you control the infrastructure, and your data stays yours. No licensing fees tied to the software and no vendor lock-in.

Growing businesses with real operational pain: too much manual work, too many disconnected tools, or processes that should be automated but are not. Our main verticals are construction, real estate and property management, legal, and dental and medical practices. We are based in Carlsbad, California and work with clients nationwide. If your team is losing hours to repetitive work and you want it fixed properly rather than patched, we are probably a good fit.

Book a free 30-minute discovery call. No pitch, just a conversation. We will learn how your business runs and give you an honest read on which of the three services fits where you are right now. The discovery call and your quote are always free, before any commitment.

Specific builds that solve a specific problem. That covers systems integrations that connect the tools you already run, MCP servers that make your business data available to AI tools, automation that removes manual re-keying and handoffs, fully proprietary internal tools, and full product buildouts. If you can describe the problem clearly, we can scope a fixed price against it. See the full catalog.

MCP is a standard that lets AI tools reach your business systems directly and safely. An MCP server sits between the two. Instead of your team copying data into a chat window, the AI can query your job costing, your CRM, or your project data through permissions you control. It is the difference between AI that guesses from what someone pasted in and AI that answers from your actual numbers. For most small and mid-size companies this is the highest-leverage thing to build first, because every AI use case downstream gets better once the data layer exists. More on MCP layers.

Yes, completely. You get the full source code, you control the infrastructure, and your data stays yours. No monthly licensing fees tied to the software and no vendor lock-in. You can host it yourself, hand it to another developer, or bring it in-house whenever you want.

Usually both, and we will tell you honestly which is which. SaaS is built for the average business in your industry, so it is a good fit for the parts of your operation that genuinely are standard. Keep the tools that earn their subscription. Where SaaS stops fitting is the workflow that actually makes you money, the one nobody else runs the same way, and the seams between systems that were never designed to talk to each other. That is where custom pays. The most common answer is keeping your stack and building the layer that connects it.

Not really. Zapier and similar tools are great for simple workflows but they hit ceilings fast: task limits, unreliable syncs, and no room for custom logic. When you need something that actually fits how your business runs, we build a proper integration layer against your tools' native APIs. Real-time data flow, no task caps, and you own it outright with no per-task fees stacking up as you grow.

No, and we would usually talk you out of it. We build around what you already use: QuickBooks, Salesforce, HubSpot, Procore, Sage, Jobber, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and more. The goal is to connect your existing stack or replace only the specific tools that are genuinely failing you, not blow everything up and start over.

Most builds ship in 6 to 12 weeks from scoping to launch. A focused automation or a single API integration can be done in 3 to 4 weeks. A full platform with AI features is typically 8 to 12 weeks. Everything is scoped clearly before we start so you know what to expect and when.

Builds start at $1,500 for focused projects. Mid-size builds run $5,000 to $15,000, and a full operations platform with AI features typically runs $15,000 to $35,000 plus. Everything is itemized by component and you get a fixed price before we start. No hourly billing surprises. See our pricing page for full details.

Most agencies take a spec sheet and build it. We start with the operational problem and the number attached to it before writing a line of code. That means every build has a defined business outcome behind it with metrics attached, not just a feature list. It also means we will tell you when the thing you asked for is not the thing that will help.

Most AI consultants advise but do not build. Most dev shops build but do not advise. Build Lean does both under one roof, so the strategy is grounded in what is actually buildable and the software is designed around real operational outcomes. You are not paying one firm to write a roadmap and another to discover it was not feasible.

Reliability means the things enterprise buyers take for granted: real infrastructure, monitoring, uptime and response commitments, and documented handover so you are never stranded. Pricing and speed mean you are not funding an agency's account management layer or waiting three weeks for a change. Small senior team, AI doing the heavy lifting, fixed prices agreed before we start.

Yes. All three are priced separately and stand on their own. Some teams only ever run workshops. Some only want one build. Others start with a workshop, find a specific problem worth fixing, and move into a build from there. There is no ladder you are required to climb.

Retainers are available once your build is live. Support & Adoption starts at $500 a month, month to month with no lock-in, and covers monitoring and bug fixes, a reliability partner with an uptime and response SLA, on-call style support, recurring office hours, and adoption workshops for your team. Support, Adoption & Build starts at $2,000 a month and adds roughly 8 to 10 build hours a month for optimizations, new features, and new integrations on the systems we built.

You can take the code and run it yourself, bring in your own developer, or stay on a retainer with us for ongoing support, improvements, and strategy. There is no obligation to continue after the build is complete. The code is yours regardless.

We are based in Carlsbad, California, just north of San Diego, and we work with clients nationwide. Discovery calls, scoping, workshops, and collaboration all happen remotely, so location is not a factor. If you are local to San Diego County and want to meet in person, we can do that too.