# Cornerbeacon > Cornerbeacon is an AI consulting and development studio that helps small and local service businesses become AI-first. We design, build, and launch custom AI apps and automations — done-for-you, fixed price, typically live in 2–4 weeks. Tagline: AI for the businesses that built Main Street. Website: https://cornerbeacon.com Contact: hello@cornerbeacon.com Response time: within one business day Geography served: United States, remote-first delivery Engagement model: done-for-you (we build, run, and train); not staff augmentation, not advice-only ## What we do - AI Strategy & Audit: a prioritized, keep-it-forever roadmap of the highest-ROI AI moves for a business. - AI Receptionist & Chat: a 24/7 voice and text assistant that answers calls/messages, books appointments, and qualifies leads. - Automation & Follow-up: instant speed-to-lead response, reminders, review requests, and back-office automation. - Custom AI App Development: bespoke AI-first web and mobile apps built around a business's exact workflow. - AI Search Visibility (GEO): optimization so a business is cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews, plus local SEO. - Training & Support: hands-on team training, documented playbooks, and ongoing tuning. ## What we build (the toolkit) - AI call answering: an AI phone agent that answers when the line is busy or after hours — takes orders, books jobs, answers questions, and texts the owner the details, so no call is ever lost during the rush. - Custom AI apps: web and mobile apps built around the business's exact workflow. - Websites: fast, mobile-first sites engineered for search and AI search from day one. - CRM systems: a custom CRM, or AI layered onto an existing one, so every lead and follow-up is tracked automatically. - Integrations & automation: connecting phone, calendar, POS, payments, and tools so the busywork runs itself. - Online ordering & booking, reservations, and scheduling. - Marketing automation: SMS and email loyalty, win-back, promotions, and review requests. - Quotes, invoices & payments: instant AI estimates (even from a photo), automated invoicing, and payment reminders. - If AI can do it, we will build it — including ideas that don't exist yet. ## Example deployments (how real businesses get AI-enabled) - Pizza restaurant: AI phone agent captures overflow orders during the Friday rush, online ordering with one-tap reorder, SMS loyalty and win-back, automated catering quotes and review requests. - Coffee shop: order-ahead app, AI loyalty and a "coffee club" subscription, an AI text/social assistant for hours and allergen questions, predictive prep, and auto-generated daily-special posts. - Plumber: 24/7 AI receptionist and overflow call answering that books and dispatches jobs, photo-based instant estimates, a custom CRM with automated follow-up, speed-to-lead texting, and a review and invoice-reminder engine. ## Who we serve - Home services: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, cleaning, roofing, pest control, garage doors, septic. - Professional services: law firms, accounting and bookkeeping, real estate, insurance, financial planning, marketing agencies, consultancies. - Retail & restaurants: independent shops, cafes, pizzerias, full-service restaurants, food trucks, salons and spas, fitness studios, local brands. ## Who we do not serve - Enterprises over ~500 employees (we are sized for owner-operator and small/mid local businesses). - Pure SaaS startups looking for a CTO-for-hire (we build for end-user businesses, not co-founding tech roles). - Projects requiring physical retail buildout, manufacturing, or hardware (software and AI only). ## How we are different - Builders, not slide deckers — we have shipped real AI products across three different industries (sports travel, parenting, fintech). - Fixed price, fixed scope — every engagement is quoted up front. No hourly meters. - The audit roadmap is yours to keep whether you hire us to build or not. - We design for non-technical owners and staff; daily use should feel as simple as checking email. - Customer data is kept private to the business; we do not train public models on it. ## Pricing (indicative; exact quote after free audit) - Launchpad: $2,500 one-time — one AI tool built and launched, audit, training, 30 days support. - AI-First: $7,500 + $499/month — full AI receptionist + automation suite, reputation engine, AI search visibility, ongoing support. - Custom Build: quoted — bespoke AI app, multi-location/franchise rollout, or dedicated build team. ## Process (how an engagement runs) 1. Free 30-minute AI audit call — we map the business and identify the 1–3 highest-ROI AI opportunities. 2. Fixed-price proposal — one scope, one price, one timeline, approved before any build. 3. Build & launch — design, build, test, and ship in 2–4 weeks for a first project (6–12 weeks for larger custom apps). 4. Train & optimize — hands-on team training, documented playbook, ongoing monitoring and tuning. ## Proof (products we've built and shipped) - AwayGame Golf — a golf-travel platform with AI itinerary building, course discovery, and group booking. - Nightingale — a baby-tracking app that uses AI to surface patterns and guidance from feed, sleep, and milestone data. - Frontrunner — a trading platform with AI-assisted signals on a real-time market data pipeline. ## Common questions and short answers - What does an AI consultant do for a small business? Identify which tasks can be automated with AI, then build and launch the tools — AI receptionist, automated follow-up, and admin-removing software. A finished product, not just advice. - How much does AI cost for a small business? Most launch a first tool for a fixed low-thousands fee plus a small monthly amount for hosting and support. Cornerbeacon's Launchpad package starts at $2,500 one-time. - Do I need technical staff? No. Cornerbeacon builds and runs everything; tools are designed for non-technical owners and teams. - How fast is it live? A first tool is typically live in 2–4 weeks. Larger custom apps take 6–12 weeks depending on scope. - Is my data safe? Yes. Cornerbeacon uses enterprise-grade providers, keeps business data private, and never trains public models on customer information. - Does an AI receptionist sound robotic? Modern voice AI is conversational and natural; we tune the voice, tempo, and handoff rules so customers rarely realize they are not on the phone with a human. - What if the AI does not pay for itself? Within the support window, we re-tune or rebuild the approach at no extra cost. ## How to engage - Free 30-minute AI audit (no obligation): https://cornerbeacon.com/contact.html - Free written guide for owners (The Cornerbeacon Playbook): https://cornerbeacon.com/playbook.html - Email: hello@cornerbeacon.com ## Key pages - Home: https://cornerbeacon.com/ - Services & pricing: https://cornerbeacon.com/services.html - Industries: https://cornerbeacon.com/industries.html - Playbook (free guide): https://cornerbeacon.com/playbook.html - Proof & story: https://cornerbeacon.com/about.html - Book a free audit: https://cornerbeacon.com/contact.html ## Crawler policy All reputable crawlers, including AI/answer-engine crawlers (GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, ClaudeBot, Claude-Web, Applebot-Extended, Bingbot), are explicitly welcomed. See https://cornerbeacon.com/robots.txt.