Chris Explains AI

Agency

Productized AI agent agency · Phase 0 in progress

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Dallas · +87°F Partly cloudy

The Agency

Two-tier productized AI agent offer. Phase 0 = everything we can build pre-customer (no recurring costs). Phase 1 = first paid customer triggers actual per-client deploys. Check off steps as you finish them; progress is saved locally.

Phase 0 progress

0 of 9 steps complete

Required for first sale

0/6

Steps marked REQUIRED done

Pre-customer cost

~$15/mo

Railway + your Anthropic API

Next up

Step 0

Google Cloud + OAuth setup

Phase 0 — Build everything pre-customer

~6-8 weekends focused work · ~$10-15/mo your cost

Sequence matters. Earlier steps power later steps. You become your own Client Zero in Step 5 — chrisexplainsai.com is the first customer.

0Google Cloud + OAuth setup required

For Tier 1 Gmail integration. Submit verification EARLY because Google's review takes 4-6 weeks. Until verified, testing mode covers first 100 buyers cleanly.
Your time: ~2 hrs (click through Google Console + sign-off on Claude's drafted scope justifications). Claude builds: OAuth code, KV token storage, refresh logic, Gmail API wrapper, reconnect page.

2 hrs +
6 wk wait

1Auto-Proposal Pipeline required

Highest-leverage piece. Intake form → Supabase queue → Python on your Railway → Claude → Resend approval flow → Resend to prospect. 48-hr SLA. Calibration step: run it on chrisexplainsai.com first — that's the demo asset AND the validation pass.

~1 weekend

2Sales page + offer doc on chrisexplainsai.com required

Buyer-facing surface. Tier 1 + Tier 2 comparison, the "$40 hard cap" paragraph, intake form (feeds Step 1), FAQ, "what you get" with Client Zero screenshots, day-of-purchase email template.

~1 weekend

3Sales messaging (post + outreach templates) required

Without posts, no traffic. One-line elevator pitch, 3 social post templates (LinkedIn, X, IG), cold outreach script, email signature link, "what I'm building" announcement post.

~1 evening

4Tier 2 template repo required

Claude Agent SDK + 10 agent templates (Boss, Scheduler, Finance, Support, Growth, Email, Researcher, Lead-Rater, Writer-Reviewer, Daily-QC). Telegram bot handler per-agent. FastAPI backend for dashboard JSON. SQLite schema. APScheduler. Supabase Storage client. Gmail integration (drafts-folder pattern). Railway deploy config. Onboarding script.

~1-2 weekends

5Tier 2 dashboard template required

Astro static site. Per-agent cards (5 metrics), aggregate top strip (4 numbers), daily QC summary + to-do panel, file history with pre-signed download URLs, bulk export-all, Telegram-equivalent chat per agent, token-in-URL auth.

~1 weekend

6Onboarding docs required

Pre-write the buyer's account setup so it's not ad-hoc. Anthropic + $40 cap walkthrough (screenshots), Firecrawl setup (T2), Telegram BotFather flow, Gmail OAuth grant, Cloudflare account (T1), master pre-kickoff checklist PDF.

~1 evening

7Tier 1 template repo when T1 buyer signs

Cloudflare Workers template (one Worker = all 5 bots), Boss + 4 specialist agents, Boss routing with visible handoffs, Gmail integration in Email agent (uses Step 0 OAuth), `generate_client_page.py` for personalized landing page, deploy script.

~1 weekend

8Chris becomes Client Zero strongly recommended

Deploy a Tier 2 setup for ChrisExplainsAI itself. Validates the template end-to-end. Gives you screenshots for the sales page. Future prospects see you using your own product. Cost: $5/mo Railway + small Anthropic usage.

~1 weekend

Phase 1 — First paid customer (5 business days)

~7 hrs focused work + 2 short calls

When the first paid customer says yes, this is the timeline. Per-client costs (Railway, Supabase share) only kick in here — never before payment.

Day 0

Signed and paid

Send buyer's account-setup checklist
Schedule kickoff for Day 1 or 2

Days 1-2

Kickoff + accounts

15-min kickoff call (scope + agent customization)
Buyer creates Anthropic + Telegram bots + Firecrawl + Gmail OAuth (1-2 hrs)
Buyer hands over API keys

Days 3-4

Build

Clone Tier 2 template
Run onboarding script with their YAML config
Customize 6-10 agent prompts to brand voice
Deploy fresh Railway service (~$5/mo)
Wire Supabase bucket
Integration test workflows

Day 5

Delivery

30-min walkthrough call
Send Loom + runbook + dashboard URL
First 30 days free-changes window starts
Add to maintenance roster

Locked decisions

Reference snapshot

Tier 1 (LITE)

$197 one-time · 5 Telegram bots (1 Boss + 4 specialists) · Gmail drafts-to-folder · static landing page · client-hosted Cloudflare Workers · no monthly

Tier 2 (FULL)

$597 / $697 / $797 (6 / 8 / 10 agents) + $150/mo · dashboard + chained workflows + Gmail + Supabase files · Chris-hosted on Railway

Maintenance scope

2 tickets/mo, $75 overage, no rollover · 2-day first reply, 5-day resolve · hosting + scraper fixes included · first 30 days post-delivery: unlimited free minor changes

AI billing

Buyer-owned Anthropic API key + $40 hard cap during onboarding · Pro/Max plans NOT viable (ToS + usage limits + OAuth fragility)

Scraping

Routed through buyer's Firecrawl account (~$19-99/mo their bill) · keeps Claude tokens predictable

File storage

Supabase Storage on Chris's stack · buyers download via dashboard with pre-signed URLs · 30-day retention post-cancellation · Drive sync as opt-in upsell later

Add-ons (post-delivery)

+$150 per new agent · +$100 per new integration · $150-$400 flat quote per new chained workflow

Pricing-raise plan

Ship $597-$797 + $150/mo at launch. Around 8-10 paid builds with case studies, raise to $797-$997 + $200/mo. Existing clients grandfather.

Spec files

Source of truth

BUILD-PLAN.md

The full Phase 0 / Phase 1 playbook

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01-restatement.md (v6)

Locked offer spec with everything decided

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