How much does a custom AI system cost for a small business?

Main Forge AI projects are fixed-price, ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 depending on scope. There are no recurring software fees - you pay once and own the system. Most owners treat it like buying a piece of equipment that pays for itself fast.

What if I don't have any tech skills or an IT team?

You don't need any. We do all the building - your job is to describe how your business works and use the system once it's live. If you can read a dashboard and reply to an email, you can run what we build. Most of our clients have never touched a developer tool in their lives.

How long does it take to build a custom AI system?

Most projects are live in 30 days. We start with a mapping session to find your opportunities, present a plan for feedback. Then we design and build around your real workflows and the tools you already use.

Will this work with QuickBooks, HubSpot, Salesforce, Shopify, POS systems, and my current tools?

Almost certainly. We routinely connect to QuickBooks, Shopify, Toast, Square, Google Workspace, HubSpot, and hundreds of other common business tools. If your tool has an API or a standard export, it can plug into a Main Forge system. We confirm compatibility during the mapping phase - before any money changes hands.

How is Main Forge AI different from hiring a freelancer or using Zapier?

Zapier is great for simple "if this, then that" automations - but it can't do AI reasoning, custom dashboards, or logic that adapts to your data. A freelancer builds what you describe, which means you need to already know what to build. Main Forge starts by learning your business first, then designs the system, builds it, and hands it off - fixed timeline, fixed price, no scope drift.

Is Main Forge AI a one-time project or an ongoing subscription?

Each engagement is fixed scope and fixed price. You get the system, we hand it off, and you own it. Some clients return for additional systems. No retainers or ongoing contracts required.

Custom AI Solutions for Businesses

Stop Wasting Hours on Manual Work.

Before Main Forge

Manual work slowing you down.

12 open tabs, nothing connected
Hours lost to copy-paste & follow-up
Decisions made on gut, stale data

After Main Forge

Your AI system handles repeatable work.

One live system. All your tools connected.
Automations run without you watching
Real-time data. Clear decisions. Every day.

Solutions We Build

Four ways to crush bottlenecks.

Live Dashboards & Reports

Live KPIs, alerts, and weekly briefs - automatically pulled from your existing tools so you always know what's happening.

Intelligent Automation

Follow-ups, quotes, approvals, and manual data entry handled 24/7 - without you lifting a finger.

Operations Command Centers

Tasks, scheduling, and client status - one live view instead of five scattered apps.

AI Assistants & Agents

Inbox triage, research, and draft replies - done the way you would, automatically.

Which of these would move the needle most in your business?

Built for businesses who are done guessing.

Retail

Retail & Multi-Location Shops

Inventory, staff, marketing, and reporting across locations.

Manufacturing

Manufacturers

Quotes, production, costs, and profitability in one live view.

Hospitality

Hospitality & Restaurants

Scheduling, inventory, guest follow-up, and labor - automated.

Professional Services

Research, delivery, client reporting, and capacity planning.

Field Services

Intake, scheduling, invoicing, and technician coordination.

Agencies

Consultants & Agencies

Project tracking, client portals, and recurring reporting.

Don't see your industry? We build exactly what you need.

Client Results

The reviews are in.

Verified client statement

B2B Professional Services

5-star verified review Verified

I've known Tyler for five years and worked with him on a wide variety of projects. His strategic and technical ability is unmatched - he turns the biggest bottlenecks into competitive advantages.

Tyler and Lisa took the time to deeply understand our methodology and built a solution that genuinely amplified it. Working with them felt different from the start.

Verified client statement

Board management system

5-star verified review Verified

This is not simply software. It is a powerful governance advantage.

Main Forge turned LDPEC's bylaws, role guidance, committee workflows, and institutional history into one clear board system, reducing onboarding friction and helping members work with confidence from day one.

Read Fadi's full review

As the founder of SalesFormula.io, where we help fast-growth technology companies build predictable, high-velocity B2B customer acquisition systems, I've worked with a lot of vendors.

I've known Tyler for five years and worked with him across a wide variety of projects. His strategic and technical ability is unmatched. Working with Tyler and Lisa felt different from the start. They're not just vendors. They took the time to deeply understand our methodology and then built a solution that amplified it.

Strongly recommend to other founders and business owners!

Read Logan's full review

As Board Chair of the LDPEC, I carry the responsibility of ensuring our board operates with clarity, accountability, and strategic alignment. Like many governing boards, we faced ongoing challenges: scattered documentation, inconsistent onboarding, loss of institutional knowledge during member transitions, and difficulty translating complex bylaws into clear, actionable guidance for each role.

Main Forge AI delivered a transformative solution. They built a custom-branded, full-featured board app that consolidates everything we need into one intelligent platform. The app intelligently interprets our complete set of bylaws and presents them in clear, role-specific language for every board position.

Each committee has its own dedicated workspace equipped with tailored tools. A sophisticated hierarchical task system with formal acceptance workflows ensures accountability and smooth coordination between the Chair and committee members. Perhaps most valuable is the complete historical record of every action taken. New members can instantly review exactly what their predecessors did, preserving continuity and accelerating effectiveness.

The AI-powered bylaws chat has become an indispensable daily resource. Any question about National, State, or Local rules, financial requirements, or governance procedures is answered instantly and accurately.

Working with Lisa and the Main Forge AI team was an outstanding experience. Lisa served as the project lead and demonstrated exceptional understanding of board governance challenges. She listened carefully, asked insightful questions, and delivered a solution that feels custom-built for our needs.

I wholeheartedly recommend Main Forge AI to any board seeking to modernize its governance infrastructure, strengthen member performance, and achieve greater strategic impact.

Straight answers. No jargon.

How much does a custom AI system cost?: Fixed price between $3,000 and $10,000 depending on scope. For larger and more complex needs, we offer tailored solutions. You pay once and own everything. No subscriptions, no surprise bills.
What if I don't have any tech skills or an IT team?: You don't need them. We do all the building. Your only job is to tell us how your business actually works. Most of our clients have never written a line of code in their lives.
How long does it take?: Most projects are live in 30 days. We start with a mapping session to find your opportunities, present a plan for feedback. Then we design and build around your real workflows and the tools you already use.
Will this work with QuickBooks, HubSpot, Salesforce, Shopify, POS systems, and my current tools?: Almost always. We routinely connect to QuickBooks, Shopify, Toast, Square, Google Workspace, HubSpot, Salesforce, and hundreds of other systems. We confirm API compatibility and data workflows during planning.
How is this different from hiring a freelancer or using Zapier?: Zapier is great for simple rules. A freelancer builds what you tell them. We start by deeply understanding your business, then design and deliver a complete system that actually fits how you work - on a fixed timeline and fixed price.
Is this a one-time project or ongoing?: One-time, fixed scope, fixed price. You own the system. Some clients come back later for a second system. No retainers required.

Meet Our Founders

Two founders, one high standard.

Tyler Norkus View Profile

Founder Profile

Founder · Technology strategy · Business systems

Tyler combines a technical and business lens to solve new problems.

Tyler has 13 years in the technology industry, including Silicon Valley. He's led customer teams delivering AI, cloud, automation, and analytics solutions. Graduated Summa Cum Laude from DePaul University; M.B.A. from the University of Louisville.

13 yrsTech industry M.B.A.U of Louisville AIData & analytics

Lisa Norkus View Profile

Founder Profile

Founder · Project management · Digital operations

Lisa creates structure out of chaos and keeps execution moving.

Lisa holds an M.S. in Project Management from Villanova University. She has led customer success and PM teams, managed 250+ high-value client accounts, and implemented CRM and automation platforms across technology and enterprise environments.

250+Client accounts M.S.Project mgmt OpsProcess improvement

No cost · No commitment

Get Your Free AI Opportunity Map

We'll analyze your business and deliver a one-page map showing:

Your #1 highest-ROI AI opportunity
Exact time & money savings estimate
Recommended scope & fixed price

No pitch. No tech jargon.
US-based team
Reply within 24 hours

A focused team based in Louisville.

We are a boutique American team by design. You work with people close enough to understand the business, senior enough to make strong technical decisions, and focused enough to care about the details.

That matters because custom AI systems are not one-size-fits-all. They require trust, context, iteration, and a team that treats the project like it matters.

Louisville, KY American-built custom tech systems

Explore the city →

Louisville, Kentucky

More than a city.

🏇
Home of the Kentucky Derby Churchill Downs has hosted "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" every May since 1875.
🥃
Bourbon Capital of the World 95% of the world's bourbon supply is aged right here in Kentucky.
🥊
Birthplace of Muhammad Ali The Greatest was born and raised in Louisville. His legacy museum still calls it home.
⚾
Louisville Slugger HQ The world's most iconic baseball bat has been hand-crafted here since 1884.

Get the system your competitors wish they had.

Live visibility. Automations that run themselves.
A real competitive edge.

Business Software We Integrate With

Main Forge AI is a custom AI automation agency that builds systems connecting the software your business already uses. We integrate with hundreds of tools across every business category — no need to switch platforms or replace what works.

Accounting and Finance

We build AI automations and custom dashboards that connect directly to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and FreshBooks. Whether you need automated financial reporting, invoice reconciliation, expense tracking, or cash flow alerts, we connect these accounting platforms to your custom system and surface the numbers you actually need, automatically.

CRM and Sales

Our systems integrate with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and Zoho CRM to automate lead routing, follow-up sequences, pipeline reporting, and contact enrichment. We build custom AI sales assistants, deal-tracking command centers, and automated outreach workflows on top of the CRM you already use — without replacing it.

Point of Sale and Restaurant Technology

We connect with Toast, Square, Clover, Micros, and Aloha POS systems to build live revenue dashboards, automated shift reports, inventory alerts, and customer loyalty automations for restaurants, cafes, bars, and retail operations. ServiceTitan integrations are available for trades and field service businesses.

Email and Marketing Automation

We integrate with Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, Constant Contact, and Brevo to build automated email workflows, customer segmentation pipelines, and campaign performance dashboards. Our AI systems can trigger personalized email sequences based on CRM signals, POS purchases, or form submissions.

Scheduling and Calendar

Our custom systems connect with Calendly and Cal.com to automate appointment reminders, intake workflows, no-show follow-up, and booking analytics. Scheduling integrations can be combined with CRM updates, SMS notifications, and invoice generation.

Project Management and Operations

We build command centers and automation pipelines that connect with Asana, Monday.com, ClickUp, Trello, Jira, Smartsheet, and Todoist. Whether you need automated task creation from form submissions, deadline tracking dashboards, or cross-team status reports, we integrate with the project management tool your team already uses.

Communication and Collaboration

Our AI systems post alerts, summaries, and automated reports directly to Slack and Microsoft Teams channels. We build Zoom meeting summarization workflows, automated follow-up drafts, and AI notetaking pipelines using tools like Fathom and Granola.

Forms and Data Collection

We connect Jotform, Typeform, and Google Forms to automated pipelines that route submissions to CRMs, trigger email sequences, notify team members in Slack, create tasks in project management tools, and update dashboards in real time — turning form fills into end-to-end automated workflows.

Automation Platforms

We build on top of and alongside Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), n8n, and IFTTT — or replace them entirely with custom AI logic when their limitations get in the way. Unlike Zapier, our custom AI systems can reason over data, handle exceptions, and make decisions that rule-based automation cannot.

Databases and Spreadsheets

We integrate with Airtable, Notion, Supabase, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access to build live data pipelines, automated reporting, and AI-powered analysis on top of the data your business already collects. Replace the Sunday spreadsheet with a system that updates itself.

Phone, SMS, and Communications

Our systems connect with RingCentral, Grasshopper, Google Voice, OpenPhone, Dialpad, Vonage, and Aircall for phone call logging, AI-powered call summaries, and lead routing. For SMS automation, we integrate with Twilio, SimpleTexting, SlickText, EZTexting, and Attentive to power appointment reminders, review requests, follow-up campaigns, and two-way text workflows. Sales calling integrations include Aircall, JustCall, Orum, and Kixie.

Reviews and Reputation

We build automated review request workflows and reputation dashboards connecting Podium, Birdeye, NiceJob, Trustpilot, and Google Business Profile. Our AI systems can trigger review requests after service completion, monitor incoming reviews, and route negative feedback for immediate follow-up.

AI Tools and Platforms

Our custom AI systems are built using the latest AI models and platforms including OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude), Google (Gemini), and xAI (Grok). We also integrate with developer infrastructure like Vercel and Cloudflare, and ad platforms like Meta Business Manager for campaign reporting and automation.

Outbound and Lead Generation

We build systems that connect with Instantly.ai and Wiza to automate lead enrichment, outreach sequencing, and CRM sync for small business sales teams running structured outbound programs.

What Is an AI Automation Agency?

An AI automation agency designs, builds, and delivers custom AI-powered systems for businesses — handling everything from scoping to launch. Unlike hiring a freelancer (who executes what you specify) or using off-the-shelf tools (which require you to configure and manage them), an AI automation agency like Main Forge AI starts by learning how your business actually works, then engineers a custom solution, builds it, and hands it off. We are a done-for-you AI agency focused on US small business operators who want AI without the complexity, cost, or timeline of a traditional software agency.

Get Your Time Back.
Custom AI
Done in 30 Days

You're on the list.