Guide
How to let an AI agent run a microbusiness (the honest version)
"Let an AI agent run your business" is suddenly everywhere. The honest version: an agent can run a lot of the routine work of a small business, like replies, follow-ups, content drafts, invoices and reports. It can't be accountable for it. You stay the owner. You set the rules, approve anything that costs money or speaks publicly, and review the week. This guide is for solo founders and side-project owners who want an agent doing real work, not a demo. We make no promises about revenue.
What to hand to an agent first
The inbox and customer replies
Triage email and DMs, answer FAQs from your own doc, and draft everything else for you to approve.
Follow-ups and invoices
Chase leads who went quiet and invoices that are overdue, politely, on a schedule.
Content drafts
Turn what you shipped this week into a post, a newsletter section, or a help-doc update. You edit and publish. Agents are good at a first draft, not at knowing what's true about your business.
A daily brief
Every morning: new orders, unanswered messages, anything overdue, and the three things worth your time today.
Research and small builds
Competitor checks, pricing pages, a simple landing page, a spreadsheet cleanup. Review the output before anything goes live.
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- 01Inbox triage with drafted replies
The agent sorts your inbox into reply / FYI / ignore and drafts replies in your voice for you to approve.
~5h/week · estimate - 0224/7 FAQ support in your voice
The agent answers common customer questions from your docs and hands off anything tricky.
~8h/week · estimate - 03Never miss a lead follow-up
The agent checks your CRM or inbox for leads that went quiet and drafts the next follow-up.
~4h/week · estimate - 04Invoice chaser that gets you paid
The agent tracks unpaid invoices and sends polite, escalating reminders.
~2h/week · estimate - 05Win back and upsell past customers
The agent finds past customers due for a repeat job or upgrade and drafts an offer.
~3h/week · estimate
Example: Grok Bot setup
Grok Bot routine: Inbox triage with drafted replies Schedule: Twice daily 9:00 and 15:00 Twice a day, go through new emails. Label each as Reply, FYI or Ignore. For Reply, write a draft in my voice (short, friendly, direct) and save it as a draft, never send. Send me a list of drafts to approve and any FYIs worth knowing. Rules: draft first, never send or post anything external without my approval. Keep summaries short.
Grok Bot, ChatGPT, Claude and n8n versions: all templates
Keep these human
- No unsupervised spending, refunds, ad budgets or payouts. Set hard limits, or keep spending at zero.
- Posts, reviews and replies to angry customers go through you.
- Legal, tax and contracts: it can summarise; it shouldn't sign or decide.
- Don't let it invent numbers, reviews or testimonials.
- Don't paste passwords, card numbers or API keys into prompts. Use proper connections with the least access needed.
- Start in draft mode: the agent prepares, you approve, then you loosen the leash routine by routine.
FAQ
What should an AI agent do first for How to let an AI agent run a microbusiness (the honest version)?
The inbox and customer replies: Triage email and DMs, answer FAQs from your own doc, and draft everything else for you to approve. Follow-ups and invoices: Chase leads who went quiet and invoices that are overdue, politely, on a schedule. Content drafts: Turn what you shipped this week into a post, a newsletter section, or a help-doc update. You edit and publish. Agents are good at a first draft, not at knowing what's true about your business.
What should stay human?
No unsupervised spending, refunds, ad budgets or payouts. Set hard limits, or keep spending at zero. Posts, reviews and replies to angry customers go through you. Legal, tax and contracts: it can summarise; it shouldn't sign or decide. Don't let it invent numbers, reviews or testimonials. Don't paste passwords, card numbers or API keys into prompts. Use proper connections with the least access needed. Start in draft mode: the agent prepares, you approve, then you loosen the leash routine by routine.
Is there a ready-made template?
Yes. Start with "Inbox triage with drafted replies": copy-ready Grok Bot, ChatGPT, Claude and n8n templates are at https://whatshouldmybotdo.com/use-cases/inbox-zero-triage#templates.