A tool by Auto Pilot Strategies

Do the work
before the work.

Groundwork helps you think through a new service, find what's slowing you down, and decide what to do next. Before you commit time, money, or people to the wrong thing.

Start Your Groundwork Free for founding users. Built for the trades.

Pick what you're
working through.

Three categories. Each one walks you through a short set of questions about your business. You get a clear report and a direction when you're done.

01
🏗️

New Service or Vertical

Thinking about adding a new offering, expanding into a new trade, or entering a new market. Work through it before you commit.

02
⚙️

Operation Problem

Something is slowing you down. Leads slipping, scheduling chaos, team not following process. Get it out of your head and onto paper.

03
🔀

Business Decision

A fork in the road. Hire or hold. Buy or sub. Raise prices or stay put. A structured way to think it through before you move.

Six questions.
One clear direction.

No consultants. No complicated software. Just your answers and a structured process that turns them into something actionable.

1

Pick your category

New service, operation problem, or business decision. That's your starting point.

2

Answer plain-language questions

Six to eight questions about your specific situation. No jargon. No trick questions. Just your business in your words.

3

Get your Groundwork Report

A clean one-pager with what you're working through, what we found, and exactly what to do next.

4

Move with confidence

Print it. Share it with your team. Use it to decide. You did the groundwork. Now you can build.

Your Groundwork Report.

A clear, printable one-pager. What you're working through. What we found. What to do next. That's it.

Groundwork Report New Service
Adding commercial HVAC maintenance contracts to an existing residential service business. Considering hiring one dedicated tech and targeting property managers in the metro area.
Your existing customer relationships and equipment knowledge are real advantages. The main gaps are contract pricing experience and a process for managing recurring service schedules at scale. Both are solvable before you hire.
Run two commercial pilots with existing clients before hiring. Build your recurring schedule workflow first. Price at a 35% margin minimum or don't take the contract.

Built for the people
who actually build things.

🔧

Contractors

Thinking about a new service, a problem job, or whether to hire. Get the clarity you need before you move.

🏠

Home Service Businesses

HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, landscaping. If you're running jobs and managing people, Groundwork is for you.

📋

Small Business Owners

$1M to $20M in revenue. Growing fast enough to have real decisions to make. Use Groundwork before you make them.

🤔

Anyone with a Problem in Their Head

You've been thinking about it for weeks. It's time to get it out of your head and onto paper so you can actually do something about it.

Groundwork is
launching soon.

Free for founding users. We're opening it up to a small group first so we can build it right. Get on the list and be the first to use it.

Get Early Access No credit card. No commitment.