Last Wednesday at Starbucks, helping Sister Li wire AI customer service into her mini-program — stuck for three whole days
I messed this step up too — thought getting the model working meant we were done, but that last 10% of system integration nearly broke me. Funny timing: Anthropic and OpenAI both announced service companies this week, with combined funding over $5.5 billion. For what? Specifically helping enterprises "wire" AI into their operations. Box CEO Aaron Levie put it plainly: no matter how powerful the model, there's no shortcut to making it run stably in business workflows. Even the giants admit the "last mile" is a tough nut.
The hole giants are scrambling to fill — that's our opportunity
Big enterprises spend nine figures hiring OpenAI's team for deployment. Small clients don't have that budget, but the need is identical — Sister Li's e-commerce shop needs AI customer service, Brother Zhang's law firm needs to organize case files. Same problem every time: the AI tools are out there, but they don't know which one to pick or how to wire it into their existing workflow. You don't need to write code — you just need to know better than your clients "which tool solves which pain point, and how to string them together."
You can start today
Replication cost: $0 to start + your existing industry knowledge + technical barrier is knowing how to use "connector tools" like Zapier (websites that automatically link two pieces of software together, no code needed) + first step: open Zapier's website, click the "Create a Zap" button, and try connecting two apps you use daily. This isn't for everyone — if no clients are asking you about AI right now, it's fine to skip it for now.
Advice by stage
If you're just starting out, I'd suggest not touching "AI deployment services" yet — first get fluent with one AI tool yourself (like using ChatGPT for writing, or Feishu AI for organizing meeting notes). You need to experience it before you can help others.
If you have 1-2 clients, I'd suggest proactively asking "does your team have any repetitive work you'd like to automate?" Then try using Zapier or Feishu automations to wire up a small workflow for them — charge once it's running.
If you're scaling up, I'd suggest packaging "AI deployment consulting" as a product — not selling models, but selling a bundle of "I help you pick tools + wire workflows + train your team." This is exactly what giants are spending billions on; you can do the lightweight version for the small-client market.