Systems to Scale · Practical AI cohort
Turn your curiosity about AI into something useful.
Build a useful AI project with a clear workflow, reliable data, and costs you understand. Six guided sessions for individuals, solo owners, and teams, combining practical AI development with sound systems thinking. No coding experience or existing business required.
- Dates
- Spring 2027, Apr 21 – Jun 2, 2027 · Fall 2027, Oct 20 – Dec 1, 2027
- Sessions
- Six live 90-minute sessions, Wednesdays, 1:00–2:30 PM Mountain
- Small group
- Eight participants per cohort
- Investment
- From $1,495 per seat
- Enrollment
- Closes Friday, April 16, 2027 · Closes Friday, October 15, 2027
Explore the tech stack, APIs, data storage, and project costs
When this matters
Start with a question, a task, or an idea.
Maybe you want an assistant that knows your work, a better way to use your tools, or a small app you have been meaning to build. Maybe you are still figuring out where AI fits. There is room for each of those starting points here.
Understand
See how your work fits together and where AI could help.
Explore
Try the tools, learn the concepts, and choose a project that matters to you.
Build
Create a useful first version with guidance and room to experiment.
We start with systems thinking: how work, information, and decisions connect. Then we explore AI development concepts and practice choosing the right approach. Some tasks benefit from AI, some need a simple automation, and some work best with a person. You will learn how to tell.
Who this is for
Come as you are. Build from where you are.
This cohort welcomes:
- Individuals curious about AI for their work or a personal project
- Solo owners, freelancers, and people exploring a new business idea
- Business owners and team members who want to learn and build
- Beginners looking for a practical introduction, with guidance
- People already using AI who want to develop a more useful project
- Any starting point: no revenue, team size, or paid-tool requirement
The tools and the thinking behind them
Build with AI. Give it a dependable foundation.
The systems foundation stays with us throughout: clear workflows, reliable data, documented decisions, and a way to check the result. We will introduce the tools below through guided examples and choose the pieces that fit your project. You do not need to learn or subscribe to the whole stack.
AI models and assistants
ChatGPT, Claude, and model APIs
Practice instructions, examples, and reference material. Learn the difference between using a chat app and calling a model from your own workflow, then compare output quality and cost.
Code and version control
GitHub
Create a repo, commit as you go, and keep an agents.md file so the next change has context. Use the same email you use for AI and hosting.
Hosting and data
Firebase
Publish a local preview to a real app. See where frontend and backend split, which storage type fits the job, and how staging differs from production.
Cloud, identity, and secrets
Google Cloud
Google or Microsoft sign-in, least privilege, backups, and secret management with Google Cloud Secret Manager. Connector scopes are not the same as AI settings rules; each project gets its own accounts.
See how the pieces connect
A request becomes a draft you can review.
For example, a form collects a request. A workflow retrieves only the relevant records, asks an AI model to prepare a draft, and saves it for your review. The API moves the information; the database keeps the record; you decide whether the draft is ready to use.
- 01Capture a request
- 02Retrieve relevant data
- 03Create an AI draft
- 04Save with its sources
- 05Review and approve
A workflow you can explain
Name the inputs, decisions, output, and person responsible. Keep a short operating guide so you or a teammate can understand and maintain the project.
A result you can check
Define what good looks like, test normal and unusual cases, and keep a record of failures. Add human approval before a project sends, spends, or changes important records.
A plan for everyday use
Set access permissions, limit retries, and decide who responds when something breaks. Know how to pause the workflow and finish the task manually.
Cost-conscious AI development
Know what it costs before you scale it.
A chat subscription and API usage can be billed separately. We will unpack tokens—the chunks of input and output used to meter many models—and include workflow runs, storage, hosting, and human review in your project budget.
- Choose the lowest-cost model that passes your quality checks. Use ordinary rules for predictable steps.
- Send only useful context, keep outputs focused, and reuse valid results when the information has not changed.
- Limit retries and agent steps. Set usage alerts and add a stop condition so a loop cannot keep spending.
- Estimate costs at normal and higher volumes. Track cost per accepted result, including failed attempts and review time.
Your takeaway: a simple running-cost estimate, a spending limit, and a way to compare cost with usefulness.
Explore the tool documentation: OpenAI, Claude, GitHub, Firebase, and Google Cloud.
Who runs it
Learn and build with Blake Linde.
Blake Linde
Fractional Chief AI Officer, Company Vitals
Blake leads the AI and systems practice at Company Vitals. His background is ERP and data integration — NetSuite and Business Central environments for small and mid-sized businesses, built on an MIS degree from BYU’s Marriott School of Business. He brings that experience into practical examples of how AI, data, and everyday tools fit together.
His work inside owner-led businesses informs the sessions: choosing a useful problem, connecting the right tools, and checking whether the result helps. Expect clear explanations and time to apply the ideas to your own project.
You will build with guidance, ask questions as they come up, and get support choosing a scope that fits your starting point.
What's included
What you will learn and take with you
Pricing
Two public tiers. A private team rate.
Core
$1,495 per seat
Six live sessions, recordings, templates, and the start-to-publish guide.
- Six live 90-minute sessions
- Session recordings
- Templates
- The start-to-publish guide
Full
$2,500 per seat
Everything in Core, plus 1:1s, clinics, and the audit.
- Everything in Core
- Two 1:1s, after session 1 and session 5
- Build clinics
- Business and AI audit and spend review
Private team
$8,500 for up to 8 people
A private run for your team. Book a discovery call to talk through timing and scope.
How payment works
Nothing is charged when you reserve. We send an invoice a few days before the cohort starts, due before session 1. Reserving holds one of the eight seats. Seats are released if the invoice is unpaid at the first session.
Cancel before enrollment closes and owe nothing. Enrollment closes about five days before session 1. Once Week 0 opens and the cohort is set, the seat is committed.
2027 cohorts
Each run has its own interest list.
Prefer to talk it through first? Book a Discovery Call.
Your six-session agenda
From your first idea to a useful first build.
Week 0
Before Session 1 · optional 30-minute clinic
Setup before Session 1
Async work plus an optional 30-minute setup clinic. Use a paid Claude or ChatGPT account, turn the privacy toggle off, and connect your work Gmail and Calendar. Use the same email across AI, GitHub, and hosting, and create a GitHub account. Complete a short audit and tool inventory, and bring one task or idea. We hand out the start-to-publish guide.
What you will take away
Accounts ready, a short inventory, one task or idea, and the start-to-publish guide.
Session 1
Spring: Apr 21 · Fall: Oct 20
Foundations and first quick win
Models, tiers, and modes. Context, memory, and non-determinism. Human review. Everyone sets up one scheduled run — a morning brief or weekly summary — and one skill, and leaves with a working automation.
What you will take away
A scheduled run, one skill, and a working automation.
Session 2
Spring: Apr 28 · Fall: Oct 27
Map the system and choose the project
Draw a system diagram of the task: inputs, decisions, owner, and what stays human. Choose the project scope, prototype it as a Claude artifact, and set up writing style and voice.
What you will take away
A system diagram, a scoped project, and a Claude artifact with your voice.
Session 3
Spring: May 5 · Fall: Nov 3
From artifact to a real app
Move from the artifact to a local preview, a GitHub repo and commits, an agents.md file, and a publish to Firebase.
What you will take away
A repo, an agents.md file, and a first Firebase publish.
Session 4
Spring: May 12 · Fall: Nov 10
Security and permissions
A dedicated session on frontend versus backend, storage types, Google or Microsoft sign-in, and least privilege. Secret management with Google Cloud Secret Manager, staging versus production, backups, connector scopes versus AI settings rules, and separate accounts per project. We live-fix each build's security gaps.
What you will take away
A security pass on your build and a short permissions checklist.
Session 5
Spring: May 19 · Fall: Nov 17
Make it reliable and know the cost
Test normal and edge cases. Add human approval points, multi-model cross-checks, and subagents. Produce a running-cost estimate and a spend limit, plus a short operating guide. Full-tier participants have their second 1:1 after this session.
What you will take away
A tested revision, a cost estimate with a spend limit, and an operating guide.
Session 6
Spring: Jun 2 · Fall: Dec 1
Showcase and 90-day plan
Demos, peer Q&A, and a 90-day plan. The feedback form is filled in live during this final session.
What you will take away
Your demo, a 90-day plan, and a completed feedback form.
Across the cohort
One start-to-finish guide, updated weekly. Recordings plus a recap after each live session. A chat group between sessions. Plan on 30–60 minutes of practice a day.
How we learn together
A little explanation. A live example. Time to try it.
Bring your own starting point
Week 0 and the short audit help us understand your interests, tools, and goals. Use a business task, personal project, or sample scenario. You do not need a polished idea before the first session.
Practice with support
Each 90-minute session includes discussion, a demonstration, time to build, and questions. Plan 30–60 minutes of practice a day. Full-tier seats include clinics and two 1:1s.
Understand your choices
Learn why a solution fits: when to buy or build, how data and tools connect, what an AI agent does, and where review belongs. The goal is confidence you can apply to your next idea.
Choose a manageable first project
We will help you scope a reusable assistant, a connected workflow, or a small internal app. Start with a first version you can test and improve. Your project can be for you alone or for a team; the learning works either way.
Different starting points, shared learning
You do not need a team to take part.
- An individual exploring AI for everyday work, a side project, or a new idea.
- A solo owner or freelancer who wants a useful assistant or a simpler way to get work done.
- Someone on a team who wants to understand the tools and practice building with AI.
Another way to work together
When you want it done for you.
Prefer an implementation partner for your business? Our Fractional CAIO engagement provides hands-on AI leadership and implementation. It starts with a complimentary AI & Systems Assessment.
Not sure which fits? The AI Readiness Checklist is 29 yes or no questions with an instant score, and it takes about five minutes.
Our process
From discovery to delivery
A simple, four-step path designed to minimize disruption.
Join a cohort
Reserve a Spring or Fall 2027 seat, or while seats remain. You can join as an individual.
Share your starting point
Complete Week 0 setup and a short audit. Bring your interests, the tools you use, and a task you would like to explore. Estimates are fine.
Learn, try, and build
Six live sessions across seven calendar weeks, with a build week for extra practice. Each session combines a concept, a demo, and time on your project.
Share and keep going
Show your first version, review what helped, and choose a manageable next step for the following 90 days.
FAQ
Common questions
Get Started Today
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Book a free, no-pressure discovery call. You will speak directly with a member of our leadership team, not a salesperson.