// blog

Build LOG.

Raw writing about vibe coding, building as an introvert, and the Milwaukee AI scene. No SEO filler. Mostly.

The CP2000 Notice Workflow That Saved 4 Hours Per Notice
// specific build playbooks6 min read

The CP2000 Notice Workflow That Saved 4 Hours Per Notice

CP2000 is the most common IRS notice and the slowest to respond to manually. Here's the exact AI-augmented workflow we built for a tax practice that turned a 5-hour response into a 1-hour review.

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build guides

10 Prompts Every CPA Should Have Saved (With Examples)
build guides
JoshMay 15, 20268 min

10 Prompts Every CPA Should Have Saved (With Examples)

Working prompts for IRS notice triage, document chase, client emails, busy-season triage, and the rest of a tax practice's day. Copy them. Adapt them. Ship them tomorrow.

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The 8 Prompts I Use to Draft Client Emails (And the One I'd Never Skip)
build guides
JoshMay 14, 20267 min

The 8 Prompts I Use to Draft Client Emails (And the One I'd Never Skip)

Email drafting is where most professional services time leaks. Eight prompts I use weekly, with the framing that makes the difference, and the meta-prompt that catches every bad draft before send.

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Copilot in Excel: 8 Workflows That Aren't Just Sum-This-Column
build guides
JoshMay 14, 20265 min

Copilot in Excel: 8 Workflows That Aren't Just Sum-This-Column

Most teams use Copilot in Excel for trivial autocomplete. Eight real workflows that move the needle on analyst time and decision quality — with exact prompts.

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Discovery Call Prompts That Don't Sound Like ChatGPT Wrote Them
build guides
JoshMay 13, 20266 min

Discovery Call Prompts That Don't Sound Like ChatGPT Wrote Them

Sales discovery is the highest-leverage conversation you have. AI-generated discovery sounds robotic and kills trust. Here are six prompts that produce questions a senior consultant would actually ask.

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Held-Away Account Detection With Plaid + Claude — The Build
specific build playbooks
JoshMay 13, 20266 min

Held-Away Account Detection With Plaid + Claude — The Build

Most wealth firms don't know what their clients hold elsewhere. Plaid-connected accounts plus AI pattern recognition can surface rollover opportunities before clients ask. Here's the build.

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Prompts That Turn Meeting Transcripts Into Real Action Items (Not Slop)
build guides
JoshMay 11, 20265 min

Prompts That Turn Meeting Transcripts Into Real Action Items (Not Slop)

Every transcription tool generates summaries. They're all generic. The action items live below the surface. Here are the prompts that find them.

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unfiltered takes

The CPA Firm That Cut Busy Season From 80 Hours a Week to 50
real stories
JoshMay 15, 20268 min

The CPA Firm That Cut Busy Season From 80 Hours a Week to 50

A 9-person tax practice was losing two staff per year to burnout. We mapped the work, automated the document chase, and rebuilt the IRS notice workflow. Here's exactly what we built and what it cost.

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How a 4-Advisor RIA Recovered $400k of Pipeline in 90 Days
real stories
JoshMay 14, 20267 min

How a 4-Advisor RIA Recovered $400k of Pipeline in 90 Days

Held-away accounts. Pre-meeting briefs. Birthday follow-ups. The boring relationship work that nobody had time for was costing them rollover dollars every quarter. Here's the system we built.

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Why the Document-Chase Bot We Built for a CPA Firm Never Shipped
lessons from things that broke
JoshMay 13, 20265 min

Why the Document-Chase Bot We Built for a CPA Firm Never Shipped

Eight weeks of building. Demo went great. The firm never used it. Here's why the project failed and the prompt I'd ask before starting it over.

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The Law Firm That Almost Shipped an AI Policy That Would Have Gotten Them Sanctioned
real stories
JoshMay 12, 20269 min

The Law Firm That Almost Shipped an AI Policy That Would Have Gotten Them Sanctioned

A 30-attorney boutique was 48 hours from launching a firm-wide AI policy. I read the draft and my stomach dropped. Here's what was wrong, what we fixed, and what every firm should check before they publish theirs.

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The CRM Auto-Enrichment That Broke Their Compliance Review
lessons from things that broke
JoshMay 11, 20265 min

The CRM Auto-Enrichment That Broke Their Compliance Review

A wealth firm wanted enriched contact data. The enrichment pulled from sources the firm wasn't supposed to use. We caught it on a compliance audit by accident.

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What AI Can Replace in a Paralegal's Day (And What It Can't)
ai and your job
JoshMay 10, 20266 min

What AI Can Replace in a Paralegal's Day (And What It Can't)

A clear-eyed look at the paralegal workflow, task by task. What AI handles today, what AI assists with, and what's likely safe for the foreseeable future.

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tool comparisons

Claude Code vs Cursor: Which I Actually Use Day-to-Day
tool comparisons
JoshMay 15, 20267 min

Claude Code vs Cursor: Which I Actually Use Day-to-Day

I've shipped real client work in both. They're not the same tool, and the question isn't which one is better. Here's where each one wins and where each one quietly costs you hours.

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n8n vs Zapier When You're Running a Real Business
tool comparisons
JoshMay 12, 20266 min

n8n vs Zapier When You're Running a Real Business

Both tools automate. One scales with you. One charges you out of your own workflow. Here's the math that decides which one is right for the size you actually are.

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ChatGPT vs Claude for Coding: Where Each One Breaks
tool comparisons
JoshMay 10, 20267 min

ChatGPT vs Claude for Coding: Where Each One Breaks

I've used both for production work and broken both in different ways. Here's the honest map of where ChatGPT wins, where Claude wins, and the one thing that decides it for most people.

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Make vs n8n vs Zapier: A Three-Way Deathmatch for Small Business
tool comparisons
JoshMay 8, 20268 min

Make vs n8n vs Zapier: A Three-Way Deathmatch for Small Business

I've stood up all three for paying clients. Each one has a personality and breaks in a specific way. Here's which one I'd pick for which size of business and the one nobody should default to.

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Perplexity vs Claude vs ChatGPT for Research: Who Actually Cites Real Sources
tool comparisons
JoshMay 5, 20267 min

Perplexity vs Claude vs ChatGPT for Research: Who Actually Cites Real Sources

I researched the same five questions in all three tools. The differences are not what the marketing suggests. Here's where each one wins, where each one fabricates, and the one you should default to for real work.

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Cursor vs Windsurf vs Cline: The AI IDE Shootout
tool comparisons
JoshMay 2, 20268 min

Cursor vs Windsurf vs Cline: The AI IDE Shootout

Three IDEs claiming to be the future of AI-assisted coding. I've built real projects in each one. Here's where each wins, where each disappoints, and which one I'd recommend by skill level.

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use cases

Top 10 AI Use Cases for HR (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)
use cases
JoshMay 16, 20266 min

Top 10 AI Use Cases for HR (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)

Ten specific AI use cases for HR teams ranked by leverage. The first two are Microsoft Copilot moves anyone can ship this week. The rest range from quick wins to multi-quarter programs.

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Top 10 AI Use Cases for Marketing (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)
use cases
JoshMay 15, 20266 min

Top 10 AI Use Cases for Marketing (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)

Ten AI use cases for marketing teams ordered by leverage. First two are Microsoft Copilot moves the most junior marketer can ship today. The rest scale through demand gen and brand work.

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Top 10 AI Use Cases for Operations (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)
use cases
JoshMay 14, 20266 min

Top 10 AI Use Cases for Operations (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)

Ten AI use cases for ops teams. First two are Microsoft Copilot moves any ops manager can ship in a coffee break. The rest range from operational hygiene to multi-quarter transformation.

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Top 10 AI Use Cases for Finance (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)
use cases
JoshMay 13, 20266 min

Top 10 AI Use Cases for Finance (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)

Ten AI use cases for finance teams ranked by leverage. First two are Microsoft Copilot moves your CFO's analyst can ship by lunch. The rest range from close acceleration to strategic FP&A.

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Top 10 AI Use Cases for Sales (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)
use cases
JoshMay 12, 20266 min

Top 10 AI Use Cases for Sales (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)

Ten AI use cases for sales teams ranked by leverage. First two are Microsoft Copilot moves any SDR can ship in their first hour. The rest range from quick wins to multi-quarter revenue programs.

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Top 10 AI Use Cases for Customer Support (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)
use cases
JoshMay 11, 20266 min

Top 10 AI Use Cases for Customer Support (Two Are Copilot Wins for First-Timers)

Ten AI use cases for customer support. First two are Copilot moves any frontline agent can ship today. The rest range from CSAT improvements to multi-quarter automation programs.

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best of 2026

Microsoft Copilot After 6 Months: What Actually Works (And What's Theater)
honest tool reviews
JoshMay 16, 20266 min

Microsoft Copilot After 6 Months: What Actually Works (And What's Theater)

I deployed Copilot for three enterprise clients over the last six months. Here's the honest map of what earns its $30/user/month and what gets quietly turned off.

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Honest Review: Claude in Production After 3 Months
honest tool reviews
JoshMay 8, 20265 min

Honest Review: Claude in Production After 3 Months

I've shipped 4 production AI features on Claude over the last quarter. Here's what works, what surprised me, what cost me money, and where I'd reach for a different model.

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Honest Review: Cursor for Non-Developers
honest tool reviews
JoshMay 6, 20265 min

Honest Review: Cursor for Non-Developers

I introduced Cursor to a designer, a founder, and a marketer. Two stuck with it. One didn't. Here's what worked, what didn't, and what kind of non-dev gets value from it.

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Honest Review: Lovable 3 Months Later
honest tool reviews
JoshMay 3, 20265 min

Honest Review: Lovable 3 Months Later

I built 6 apps in Lovable across the last quarter. Two went to production. Four didn't. Here's what Lovable nails, where it struggles, and what kind of project fits.

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Honest Review: Notion AI vs Everyone Else
honest tool reviews
JoshApr 30, 20264 min

Honest Review: Notion AI vs Everyone Else

Notion AI sits inside the tool millions already use. Convenience is its biggest feature. Here's where it wins, where it loses to standalone tools, and whether to pay for it.

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Honest Review: Perplexity Spaces vs ChatGPT Projects vs Claude Projects
honest tool reviews
JoshApr 27, 20265 min

Honest Review: Perplexity Spaces vs ChatGPT Projects vs Claude Projects

Three workspace features. All three solve the same problem. Their philosophies differ. I've used all three for real research and writing. Here's the comparison.

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quick wins

Wire Your Inbox to Notion in 30 Minutes (n8n)
build it in 30 minutes
JoshMay 12, 20265 min

Wire Your Inbox to Notion in 30 Minutes (n8n)

A working pipeline that takes new emails, classifies them, and drops the important ones into a Notion database with summaries. End-to-end build in one sitting.

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Auto-Summarize Zoom Meetings Into Slack in 30 Minutes
build it in 30 minutes
JoshMay 11, 20265 min

Auto-Summarize Zoom Meetings Into Slack in 30 Minutes

Meeting ends. Slack gets a clean summary with action items, owners, and next steps. No more 'what did we decide on that call?' Build it today.

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Copilot Studio for Non-Developers — Ship Your First Agent in 30 Minutes
30-min builds
JoshMay 11, 20266 min

Copilot Studio for Non-Developers — Ship Your First Agent in 30 Minutes

Microsoft Copilot Studio lets non-developers build conversational agents that work inside Teams, SharePoint, or web. Here's the 30-minute build path from zero to a working agent.

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Build a Lead-Qualification Webhook in 30 Minutes
build it in 30 minutes
JoshMay 9, 20265 min

Build a Lead-Qualification Webhook in 30 Minutes

Inbound form fires. Lead gets scored. Sales gets a Slack ping with the score and a one-paragraph summary. Cold leads get an auto-decline. Build the whole thing today.

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Build a Daily KPI Digest Email in 30 Minutes (No Code)
build it in 30 minutes
JoshMay 7, 20265 min

Build a Daily KPI Digest Email in 30 Minutes (No Code)

Morning coffee. Email arrives. Numbers you care about, with day-over-day deltas and a one-line take. Build the whole thing from scratch without writing code.

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Auto-Draft Proposals From a Google Doc Template in 30 Minutes
build it in 30 minutes
JoshMay 5, 20265 min

Auto-Draft Proposals From a Google Doc Template in 30 Minutes

Fill out a short brief. Get a polished proposal draft generated from your template, ready to edit and send. Save 45 minutes per proposal. Ship it today.

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state of ai 2026

Anthropic Prompt Caching: Real Production Numbers After 30 Days
specific build playbooks
JoshApr 21, 20265 min

Anthropic Prompt Caching: Real Production Numbers After 30 Days

Anthropic's prompt caching claims up to 90% cost reduction. I instrumented every call across two production services and tracked actual savings. Here's what landed.

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for veteran owners

Why Combat Veterans Are Unusually Good at Managing AI Agents
for veteran owners
JoshMay 16, 20265 min

Why Combat Veterans Are Unusually Good at Managing AI Agents

Mission planning, after-action reviews, command structure thinking — the muscle veterans built in service maps directly to how AI agents need to be supervised. Here's why a veteran business owner has an advantage that most civilian founders don't.

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The OODA Loop Mapped Onto AI Agent Design
for veteran owners
JoshMay 15, 20265 min

The OODA Loop Mapped Onto AI Agent Design

Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. The framework that keeps fighter pilots and infantry leaders alive is the cleanest framework for designing AI agents that don't get stuck. Here's the mapping.

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From Mission Planning to AI Workflow Orchestration
for veteran owners
JoshMay 14, 20265 min

From Mission Planning to AI Workflow Orchestration

The same brain that ran a route reconnaissance plan can orchestrate an AI workflow. Here's the direct mapping from military mission planning to AI orchestration design.

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SOP Discipline: Why Veterans Deploy AI More Reliably Than Civilians
for veteran owners
JoshMay 12, 20265 min

SOP Discipline: Why Veterans Deploy AI More Reliably Than Civilians

Standard Operating Procedures are boring. They're also the reason military units work and civilian teams thrash. Here's how SOP discipline translates to deploying AI without setting your business on fire.

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Squad-Level Thinking Applied to Multi-Agent Systems
for veteran owners
JoshMay 10, 20265 min

Squad-Level Thinking Applied to Multi-Agent Systems

Multi-agent AI systems work the same way a 9-person infantry squad works — distributed roles, clear communication channels, redundancy on critical functions. Here's the mapping.

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After-Action Review for AI Implementations
for veteran owners
JoshMay 8, 20265 min

After-Action Review for AI Implementations

Every military operation gets debriefed. Most AI implementations don't. The AAR format is the most useful weekly artifact you can produce. Here's the template I use.

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