The Promise
Most customers have their first workflow — running in production, with real data, producing real results — within 7 days of signing up.
Not "configured and ready to test someday." Actually live.
Before Day 1
How to Prepare
You can show up to your setup call with nothing and we'll make it productive. But 15-20 minutes of preparation makes the call dramatically more valuable. Here's what to have ready.
The One Thing You Need
One specific manual process you want to automate.
Not a vague goal like "use AI more." A specific process, described in one or two sentences:
"We spend 8 hours a week entering leads from Telegram into Salesforce."
"Our ops lead spends every Monday morning compiling the weekly report."
"Support tickets sit in a queue for 2-3 hours before anyone triages them."
"I write 3-4 client proposals a week and each one takes 2 hours."
If you went through the Manual Process Audit in our Complete Guide to AI Automation, you already have this. If not, just pick the process that frustrates you the most.
Three Things That Help (But Aren't Required)
A rough description of how the process works today.
What triggers it? What steps happen? What tools are involved? Where does the output go? Don't write a formal document — bullet points or a verbal description is perfect.
A few key documents related to that process.
If you're automating proposal writing, have a past proposal ready. If you're automating lead capture, have your CRM field structure or a screenshot. These become your first RAG training material. Don't stress — 3-5 documents is plenty to start.
Access to the tools involved.
Know the login credentials (or have access) to the platforms this process touches — your CRM, messaging platforms, project management tool, etc. You won't need to share passwords, but you may need to configure connections or generate API keys during setup.
What You Don't Need
Bring the one process and a few documents. We handle the rest.
Day 1–2
Your Setup Call
What It Is
A 30-45 minute video call with someone from the CEO.ai team who's going to be your setup partner. Not a salesperson. Not a support ticket. A person who knows the platform deeply and will work with you to get your first workflow live.
What Happens
You describe the process
You explain the manual process you want to automate. We ask questions:
- Where does the process start? (What triggers it?)
- What happens at each step?
- Where does the data come from and where does it go?
- What tools and platforms are involved?
- How long does it take today? Who does it?
- What would "success" look like if this were automated?
Don't worry about being perfectly organized. We've heard hundreds of these descriptions and we're good at extracting the important details from a casual conversation.
We map the workflow together
Based on what you've described, we sketch the automation:
What starts the workflow
What agents we need
What platforms connect
Where humans review
"So we'll need three agents — one to extract data from the Telegram messages, one to transform and validate the data, and one to format it for Salesforce. The workflow triggers on every new Telegram message, and the validated lead record lands in your CRM automatically. Does that match what you need?"
We show you the platform
A quick walkthrough of the parts you'll actually use: the Agent Builder, the Add Memories page (for RAG knowledge), the Workflow dashboard, and the CEO Agent (if relevant to your use case). Not a full product tour — focused on what you'll touch in week one.
We agree on the plan
We leave the call with:
After the Call
Within a few hours, you'll receive a written summary: the workflow we designed, the agents we'll create, the documents we need from you, and the timeline. This is your onboarding roadmap.
Day 2–3
Agent Creation & RAG Training
This is where your AI workforce comes to life. Depending on your plan, either we build your agents (and you review) or we build them together in a working session.
Agent Creation
For each agent in your first workflow, we configure:
Name & Description
A clear identifier and purpose. Example: "Telegram Lead Extractor — reads incoming Telegram messages and extracts lead data."
Model Selection
We pick the right AI model based on the task. Complex reasoning gets more capable models. Simple tasks get faster ones. You don't need to make this decision.
System Prompt
The detailed instructions that define how the agent behaves. This is where the craft is — and where our experience across hundreds of configurations makes the difference.
User Prompt Template
The input format with variables that get populated each run. Example: "Process the following Telegram message: ${messageContent}"
How Much You're Involved
Startup Plan
We walk you through the Agent Builder field by field for your first agent, then you'll be comfortable creating additional agents on your own.
SMB Plan
We do the heavy lifting — configure agents, write system prompts, select models, and present them for your review. You provide feedback, we refine.
Enterprise Plan
White-glove. We build everything, test with your data, refine based on results, and present you with a working system. You review, provide feedback, and approve.
RAG Training
This is where your agents go from "generic AI" to "knows our business."
What happens:
You share the documents we identified on the setup call (upload them to a shared folder, email them, or upload directly in the app)
We upload them to the appropriate agents through the Add Memories interface
We verify the agents are using the knowledge correctly by running test prompts
What documents to provide
| If your first workflow is… | We'll ask for… |
|---|---|
| Lead capture from messaging → CRM | CRM field structure, lead qualification criteria, data formatting standards |
| Weekly reporting | Past report examples, KPI definitions, data source documentation |
| Proposal generation | Past proposals (2-3 good ones), pricing guide, case studies, brand guidelines |
| Support ticket triage | Knowledge base articles, support categories, escalation criteria, response templates |
| Content creation | Brand voice guidelines, past high-performing content, editorial standards |
How long it takes: The actual uploading takes 10-15 minutes. Gathering the documents ahead of time takes longer — which is why we tell you exactly what we need after the setup call.
What You'll See
By the end of Day 3, you'll log into CEO.ai and see:
This is usually the moment where it starts feeling real. You'll click on an agent, see its configuration, and think: "This actually knows our pricing model."
Day 3–5
Your First Workflow Goes Live
Testing Phase
Before any workflow runs automatically, we test it manually. This ensures quality before you depend on it.
Does it work at all?
Does data flow from the trigger through each agent step to the output? Are integrations connecting properly?
How's the quality?
Is the output accurate? Formatted correctly? Does it match what you'd expect from a human doing this task?
Edge cases
What happens with unusual inputs? A Telegram message with no name? A support ticket in Spanish? We identify the edges and decide how to handle them.
Refinements
Agent prompts get refined, RAG knowledge gets supplemented, workflow steps get adjusted. We might ask you for an additional document.
Going Live
When testing produces consistent, high-quality results, we flip the switch.
Trigger-Based
Webhook activated — processes real inputs as they arrive
Schedule-Based
Schedule set — first automated run at next scheduled time
Manual-Trigger
Ready in your dashboard — one click to execute
What you should do on the first live day:
Monitor the outputs. You don't need to sit and watch it run — but check the results of the first 3-5 automated executions. What you'll typically find: the automated output is 80-95% as good as the best human output, produced in a fraction of the time.
The remaining 5-20% usually falls into two categories:
Minor formatting/phrasing preferences
Easily fixed by refining the system prompt
Knowledge gaps
Easily fixed by uploading an additional document
Neither category is a problem. Both are expected and normal.
The Moment It Clicks
For most customers, the "click" moment happens in the first 24 hours of live operation. It's often something like:
Checking Salesforce Monday morning and finding 12 leads already entered from overnight Telegram messages — perfectly formatted, no human involvement
Opening Slack at 7:05am and finding the weekly ops report already posted — complete, accurate, with insights
Seeing a support ticket get triaged, categorized, and routed to the right person 45 seconds after it was submitted
The first time a workflow does something overnight that used to take your team hours in the morning — that's when it stops being "an AI tool we're trying" and starts being "how we operate."
Day 5–7
Refine, Test, and Gain Confidence
Your first workflow is live. Now you're tuning it — like adjusting the settings on a new car rather than learning to drive.
What You'll Be Doing
Reviewing outputs
Check the results from the first several automated runs. Are the agents producing consistent quality? Are there patterns in what's good and what needs improvement?
Providing feedback
Tell your setup partner (or adjust yourself) what's working and what isn't. Be specific:
"The proposals are great, but they should include a 'Why Us' section after the pricing — we always do that."
"The proposals could be better."
Adding knowledge
By day 5, you'll notice small gaps. Each one is a signal to upload an additional document. The process is natural:
Takes 5-10 minutes per gap.
Building comfort
By day 7, you should feel comfortable:
End of Week 1: What You Have
| Agents created, configured, and trained | Live |
| RAG knowledge loaded for first workflow | Complete |
| First workflow running in production | Live |
| Baseline data for measuring ROI | Started |
| Comfort navigating the platform | Solid |
| Plan for next use cases | Identified |
What Guided Setup Looks Like on Each Plan
Not all plans include the same level of setup support. Here's what you get at each tier — so you know exactly what to expect.
Startup — $297/month
Coached SetupSetup includes:
- One setup session (30-45 minutes)
- We help you create a few agents, configure prompts, and set up RAG knowledge
- We help you build 1 key workflow
- Platform walkthrough so you can continue on your own
Your involvement: Higher. We guide you through the process, but you're doing much of the hands-on work. Think of it as coached setup — we show you how, you do it, we make sure it's right.
Best for: Founders and solo operators who want to learn the platform and are comfortable being hands-on once they understand the basics.
SMB — $1,499/month
Partner-Led SetupSetup includes:
- Comprehensive onboarding across multiple sessions
- Agent configuration for up to 4 use cases — prompts, models, RAG
- Workflows built and tested for each use case
- Everything presented for review and refined based on feedback
- Team member training on using and monitoring the system
Your involvement: Moderate. We do the heavy configuration work. You provide business context, review outputs, and give feedback. We iterate until it's right.
Best for: Growing SMBs (10-99 employees) who want a partner managing the technical setup while they focus on business outcomes.
After setup: Monthly check-ins and training sessions. Proactive performance review and optimization. Ongoing — not one-and-done.
Enterprise — Starting at $5,500/month
White-GloveSetup includes:
- Full onboarding sprint with dedicated support
- Custom CEO Agent configured for your environment
- Unlimited use case configuration
- Integration into internal systems and non-standard third-party platforms
- Team-wide training program
- Custom multi-tiered workflows for complex operations
Your involvement: Minimal on the technical side. You define what you need. We build it, test it, refine it, and present the working system. You approve and go live.
Best for: Larger SMBs, agencies, and organizations that need deep integration, complex workflows, and a team that manages the AI layer for them.
The Common Thread
Across all plans, the principle is the same: you don't figure this out alone. The depth of involvement scales with the plan tier, but every customer gets human help getting to their first working workflow.
This is the thing most AI platforms don't do. They give you a login and a knowledge base. We give you a login and a person.
Realistic Expectations for Your First Month
Let's set expectations honestly — not aspirationally — so you know what success looks like at each milestone.
What's realistic:
- • First workflow live and producing results
- • Agent outputs at 80-95% quality
- • Comfortable navigating the platform
- • Clear sense of whether this is working
What's NOT realistic:
- • Every process in your company automated
- • Perfect outputs with zero refinement
- • Entire team trained and independent
What's realistic:
- • First workflow refined to consistent quality
- • Additional RAG knowledge filling gaps
- • Measurable time savings
- • On SMB+: second use case being configured
What's NOT realistic:
- • Dramatic company-wide transformation
- • Complete elimination of all manual work
What's realistic:
- • 2-4 workflows running in production
- • Another team member interacting with the platform
- • Hard numbers on time saved and ROI
- • Identifying new automation opportunities on your own
- • On SMB+: monthly check-in scheduled
What's NOT realistic:
- • Full AI-powered operations across every department
End of Month 1: The Honest Assessment
At the end of your first month, you should be able to answer "yes" to these questions:
Do I have at least one workflow saving my team real time every week?
Do the agents produce output I'd be comfortable using with minimal editing?
Can I see a clear path to automating more processes?
Do I feel supported — not abandoned — by the platform and team?
Does the ROI justify the cost (or am I confident it will within another month)?
If you answer "yes" to all five, you're on track. If any are "no," that's a conversation to have during your check-in (or via support) — not a reason to give up. Every "no" has a specific fix, and we've seen them all before.
What Happens If It's Not Working?
We'd rather lose a customer honestly than keep one through false promises.
We diagnose together.
Is it a training issue? A workflow design issue? A mismatched use case? Most problems are specific and fixable.
We try to fix it.
There's usually a concrete adjustment — more RAG knowledge, a prompt rewrite, a workflow redesign — that resolves the issue.
If it's genuinely not a fit, we say so.
No guilt. No hard sell. Plans are month-to-month for exactly this reason. We want you here because it's working, not because you're locked in.
In practice, the vast majority of customers who complete guided setup and get to a live workflow stay. The product works. But we'd rather you know we have integrity about this.
The Week-at-a-Glance
| Day | What Happens | Your Time |
|---|---|---|
| Before Day 1 | Prepare your #1 process and 3-5 documents | 15-20 minutes |
| Day 1-2 | Setup call: map the workflow, meet the platform | 30-45 minutes |
| Day 2-3 | Agent creation and RAG training (we lead, you review) | 30-60 minutes |
| Day 3-5 | Testing and going live | 15-30 minutes |
| Day 5-7 | Refinement: feedback, additional knowledge, tuning | 30-60 minutes total |
| Total Week 1 | First workflow live and running | ~2-3 hours |
2-3 hours of your time.
That's the total time investment from you in week 1 to have a working AI workflow saving your team hours every week going forward. The rest is handled by the platform and your setup partner.
What to Read Next
Book Your Setup Call
30 minutes to map your first workflow and see the platform live.
What Is RAG Training?
Understand how to prepare your documents for the best results.
How the CEO Agent Works
If your first use case involves building an app or tool.
Results & Project Showcases
Real projects, real timelines, real outputs.
The Complete Guide to AI Workflow Automation for SMBs
Everything from finding your highest-ROI opportunities to measuring success at 90 days.