Questions Owners Ask

Answers about the free AI Opportunity Scan, the Time Audit, pricing, data and how we build.

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Cost and Commitment

Is it right for my business?

How It Works

Trust, Data and Safety

Results and Proof

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Every Question and Answer

Who We Work With

What does Charm and Strange do?

We build custom AI systems that take repetitive work off owners and their teams, such as quoting, follow-ups, scheduling, intake and reporting, so the business runs with a lot less of you in it. We design them around how your team already works, connect them to the tools you already use, train your people, and keep them running.

What kinds of businesses do you work with?

Owners and leadership teams of service businesses: contractors and property services, auto dealerships, property and community association managers, and professional services firms. If your team loses hours every week to quoting, follow-ups, scheduling, intake or reporting, we're likely a fit.

Is AI automation only for big companies?

No, it's the opposite. Small teams feel the hours most, because every hour back is an hour the owner or a key person gets back. We can also build in stages, starting with the one task that takes up the most of your day.

Owners also say: “AI is for big companies.”

Do you work with businesses outside Florida?

Yes. We're based in St Petersburg, Florida, and work with clients anywhere in the United States, remotely or on site.

Can we see examples of work you've done for other clients?

We share client work only with a client's written permission, so we don't name clients or publish their results here. On the Time Audit, our founder can walk you through how a system like the one you'd need works.

Owners also say: “Who else have you done this for?”

Cost and Pricing

How much does it cost?

Every price is agreed with you in writing before any work starts, with zero hidden fees or costs. We offer a range of packages and tiers, each shaped around your business and what you need. We can also build in stages: start with the tasks that take up the most of your day, then work through the rest of the plan at a pace that fits your budget. Our founder walks you through the options on the Time Audit.

What if we don't have the budget right now?

That's why we start with the math. The free scan and the Time Audit show what your most time-consuming work costs you today. If a system won't clearly pay for itself, we'll tell you not to build it. If it will, you can start with one stage and add the rest when it suits your budget.

Owners also say: “We don't have the budget.”

Do you bill by the hour?

No. Every build is scoped and quoted as a fixed price before work starts, with no open-ended hourly billing. The AI Operations Audit is fixed-price too. Ongoing support and fractional leadership are a fixed monthly fee for an agreed scope, not hours. Third-party software, phone, data and AI usage run on accounts you own, or are passed through at cost with no markup.

The Free Scan and Time Audit

What is the free AI Opportunity Scan?

It's a written report on your own business. You enter your website and a few details; we read your public pages and send you 3-5 specific places a system could give you hours back, with an estimate of the time and payroll involved. A person reviews every report, and you get it within 24 hours.

What happens on the Time Audit?

It's a free 20-minute call with our founder, not a sales rep. We pick the work that eats the most of your week, run your numbers on the hours and payroll it costs you today, and show you what it looks like automated. You also get a straight answer on whether a deeper audit is worth it. There's no obligation, whether or not you ever hire us.

What happens after the Time Audit?

That's up to you. If you want to build, you get a written proposal with a fixed scope and a fixed price before any work starts. If a deeper look is worth it first, the AI Operations Audit ranks every opportunity by what it's worth, how fast it can go live, and what breaks if it's wrong, and the plan is yours whether or not you build with us. If you'd rather stop there, you keep what you learned on the call.

What if we're too busy right now?

That's exactly the problem we fix. The scan only needs your website and a few details, and the Time Audit takes 20 minutes. Both are aimed at finding the hours you can get back every week.

Owners also say: “We're too busy right now.”

Timelines and How We Work

How long does it take to get a system running?

Most single systems take one to three weeksestimateTypical build time for one system once it is scoped, from our working price list. Your written proposal sets the actual timeline. to build once the work is scoped. Larger projects take longer, so your written proposal sets the scope, the price and the timeline before any work starts. To see results sooner, we build in stages, starting with the task that takes up the most of your day. Our founder can talk through what's realistic for your business on the Time Audit.

Can we start with one task and add more later?

Yes. We can build in stages: start with the task that takes up the most of your day, then work through the rest of the plan at a pace that fits your budget. Each stage is quoted in writing before it starts.

Will this replace my people?

It replaces tasks, not people. Your best people stop doing data entry and copy-and-paste work and spend that time on customers and revenue, and you can grow without the next hire.

We tried automation before and it didn't stick. What's different?

Most tools fail because they're bolted on and nobody owns them. We build around your existing process, train your team, and measure the result against what we agreed. If the number doesn't move, we tell you.

Owners also say: “We tried automation before and it didn't work.”

Do you work with our IT team?

Yes. We work with IT, not around them. They keep your systems running; we map the business process and build the workflow on top.

Owners also say: “My IT person handles that.”

Tools and Integrations

Can you work with the software we already use?

Yes, and we'd rather you keep it. We connect AI to the tools your team already lives in, such as your CRM, ERP or dealer management system, calendar, payments and inbox. On the Time Audit, tell us which systems your team uses all day.

Owners also say: “We're happy with our current software.”

Will we need to buy new software?

We build on the tools you already use wherever we can. If a system needs a third-party tool, a phone number or an AI service, it runs on an account you own or is passed through at cost with no markup, and it's listed in your written proposal before work starts. Systems that run on AI include a usage allowance, with alerts before you reach it.

We already use ChatGPT or Copilot. Why would we need you?

Most teams use those tools like a search box. The gap is connecting AI to your actual systems, so follow-ups, letters and updates go out without someone copying and pasting. That's what we build.

Owners also say: “We already use ChatGPT or Copilot.”

Data, Security and Ownership

What happens to our data?

We use business-grade tools, limit each system's access to what it needs, and put the data rules in writing before anything is built. Our standard terms include confidentiality, and we never sell client data. Systems are built in your own accounts wherever possible, and you keep owner access to every one of them. What you send us through this website is handled as our privacy policy describes.

Owners also say: “What about data privacy and client confidentiality?”

What if the AI makes a mistake?

Every system we build has a human approval step wherever a mistake would matter, and every deliverable has written acceptance tests it must pass. Systems start read-only, then draft, then act with approval. It drafts; your people approve. Nothing reaches a customer unreviewed until you decide it should.

Owners also say: “AI makes mistakes.”

Who owns the automations you build?

You do. On full payment you own the workflows, prompts, documentation and accounts we set up for you. We keep only our general methods and know-how.

After Launch

Who keeps the system running after it goes live?

Every build includes hands-on training and written instructions, and you own the accounts, so your people can run it. If you'd rather not, a Managed AI Operations care plan keeps everything we built working and improving as tools and models change, and keeps adding automations from your roadmap. Care plans are a fixed monthly fee, with levels from watching and fixing your automations up to running them for you each week. Our founder can tell you what a care plan would cover for your systems.

What if my team doesn't use it?

We build around how your team already works, so there's less to learn, and every build includes hands-on training and written instructions. We also measure the result against what we agreed, so if it isn't being used, it shows up early.

Contracts and Cancellation

What do we sign, and is there a long-term contract?

Nothing for the free scan or the Time Audit: both carry no obligation. Paid work is governed by a written proposal and agreement that set out the scope, the price and the terms before any work starts, so you see exactly what you're committing to before you sign. Build projects are a fixed fee for a written scope, paid as your agreement sets out. Ongoing care plans run month to month after a short minimum term; the minimum and the notice period are set out in your agreement.

Can we cancel if it isn't working?

The terms for paid work, including how an engagement ends, are agreed in writing before you sign, so you know them up front. Larger projects start with a first phase, and you can keep what's built and stop there if you choose. Ask our founder about anything you want covered on the Time Audit. We also measure each system against the result we agreed in writing, and if the number doesn't move, we tell you.

See Where Your Week Is Going.

Start with the free scan of your business, or talk it through with our founder on the Time Audit.

Before You Go

Get the free scan of your business. We'll show you where the hours are going.

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