AI readiness audit: a free self-check you can do this week
Your business is ready for AI when you can describe your daily routine, you know what your current tools can already do, and your important info lives somewhere other than one spreadsheet or one person's head. Answer the five questions below honestly and you'll know your next step, no consultant required.
These are the same questions I ask in a first conversation with any business. Hope this helps.
Founder, Handled. Greenville, SC. Updated October 2026, 5 min read.
The five questions
For each one, are you at "not yet" or "yes"? Somewhere in between counts as not yet.
1. Your daily routine
Could you write down what a normal day looks like, and point to the tasks that repeat?
Not yet: It's all in your head, and every day feels different.
Yes: You've written it down and you know which tasks eat the most time.
2. Your tools
Do you know every tool you pay for, what it costs, and which parts of it you actually use?
Not yet: You'd have to dig through the credit card statement to find out.
Yes: You have a list, and you know which features you've never opened.
3. Where your info lives
If you were out for a week, could someone else find a customer's history, an order or a schedule?
Not yet: It lives in one spreadsheet, one inbox or one person's head.
Yes: It lives in a system the whole team can use.
4. Logins
Does everyone have their own login to every work tool?
Not yet: Some accounts are shared, or nobody's sure who still has access.
Yes: Everyone has their own account, with two-factor turned on.
5. Your team
Have you asked the people doing the work what they'd fix first?
Not yet: This is still a conversation in your head.
Yes: They've told you, and they know why you're doing this.
What your answers mean
Your next step follows the same order I use for everything.
Mostly "not yet": learn what you have. Write down a real week. List your tools. Give everyone their own login. Ask your team what they'd fix. None of this costs money, and buying a new tool before it's done usually means paying for something that sits there.
Questions 1 to 3 are "yes" but there's still a gap: pick a tool if one fits. You know the task and you know your current tools can't do it. Now it's worth shopping, for one tool that solves that one task.
All "yes" and nothing on the market fits: build what's missing. That's when custom makes sense. Keep the tools that answered "yes" and build only the piece the self-check showed is missing.
Questions people ask me
Got one that isn't here? Ask me on a free call →
How do I know if my business is ready for AI?
You're ready when you can describe your daily routine, you know what your current tools can do, and your important info lives somewhere other than one spreadsheet or one person's head. If any of those are shaky, fix them first. They're free to fix and they make every tool after them work better.
How long does this self-check take?
An afternoon for the questions. Writing down a real week of your routine takes, well, a week. That week is the most useful part.
What if I answered not yet on everything?
Good news, honestly. It means the next step is learning what you already have, which costs nothing. Don't buy anything new until a few of those answers change.
Do I need to pay someone to do an AI readiness audit?
Not for this. The questions on this page are the ones I'd ask you anyway. If you want a second opinion on your answers, book a free call and we'll go through them together.
What if everything is a yes?
Then you're in great shape. Pick the repeated task that bugs you most and check whether a tool you already own can handle it. If nothing can, that's when a custom build is worth a look.
When you don't need me
This check is built to be done without me.
You answered "not yet" on most of them. The next step is yours: write down the week, list the tools, fix the logins.
Your gap is a setting in a tool you own. Turn it on and learn it. Call the vendor's support if you get stuck.
Everything's a "yes" and it's all working. Then don't fix what isn't broken.
What changed
- October 2026: rewritten top to bottom as a free self-check. Replaced the red, yellow and green scorecard with five plain questions tied to what to do next. Removed made-up claims about percentages of companies, cost multipliers and timelines, and the suggestion to hire an outside auditor.
- May 2026: first published.
Sources
Every price and outside fact on this page comes from the sources below, checked October 3, 2026. Prices change often, so check before you buy.
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