What I’m about to share with you changed everything about how I view small-business efficiency. And if you really understand what I’m telling you, it’ll change yours too.
Look, I need you to read this next sentence carefully because it matters more than you think: The contractors who dominate 2026 are making decisions right now, in 2025, that have nothing to do with better equipment or lower prices.
In January 2023, I was in a room full of entrepreneurs—successful people, all struggling with the same problems you face every day. Then someone showed us ChatGPT. Not just what it was—but what it meant. In 30 seconds, I watched it do something that took me and the team three weeks. That’s when it hit me: This could change everything about how we approach efficiency in small business.
Here’s why I’m telling you this: I work with distressed companies a lot, and they didn’t get there because they couldn’t build great products. It was because they were still playing yesterday’s game, stuck in a mindset while everyone else had moved on. I know it’s a truth nobody wants to hear. Let me explain why I’m saying this. I’m not attacking your skills—I’m trying to help your company with—A Contractor’s Guide to Automation.
Stats to Take Note Of
Here’s what’s happening right now—and these aren’t made-up numbers. They’re from contractors and businesses just like you:
70%–90% time savings in admin and follow-up tasks
$300,000 in recovered revenue from forgotten customers
50%–70% reduction in time-wasting spam calls
650% improvement in booked appointments
That’s right. These are small businesses seeing big impacts with AI and automation. The only difference? They’re embracing the opportunity. The market doesn’t care that you’ve been building ponds for 20 years. It cares that you respond immediately.
Jeff Bezos said it best: “Customers will always want low prices, fast delivery and more selection.” That’s the power of AI and automation.
Let’s think about this for a moment. What if I told you that you’re not really in the pond business? Stay with me—I know this takes some reframing. You’re in the customer acquisition and retention business that happens to deliver ponds. Once you understand this, everything changes.
Here’s why this matters more than any technical skill you have: Every financial model I build shows the same bottleneck—the ability to consistently get and keep customers. You know that sick feeling when you realize you missed a lead while on a job? AI and automation help solve that problem.
Imagine an employee that responds to every lead within three minutes, 24/7. Imagine automated follow-up sequences that nurture leads until they’re ready. Imagine smart systems that identify when existing customers need service before they call someone else. Imagine this kind of reputation management that turns every happy customer into new referrals. All of this is possible with an AI agent.
But here’s what you really need to understand: This isn’t just about saving time. It’s about becoming the obvious choice in your market while your competitors are still playing phone tag.
This next part might be the thing that pays for your retirement. You’re sitting on a gold mine and don’t even know it.
Before I explain, think about this: How many customers have you lost touch with? Not because they were unhappy, but because you didn’t have the time or energy after all the other things on the list? Here’s what nobody tells you about those “lost” customers—they’re not actually lost. They’re waiting.
A Real Example That Should Wake You Up
A contractor just like you ran our AI analysis on his old customer list. He found 40 people ready for upgrades. That’s $660,475 in work from people who already trusted him but didn’t know he’d expanded his services. No advertising. No cold calls. Just intelligent re-engagement.
Many of you aren’t doing this. But with AI agents and automation, it happens automatically. The system analyzes purchase patterns, seasonal timing, typical upgrade cycles. It knows when that customer who built a basic pond five years ago is probably ready for a waterfall feature.
Your customer list isn’t just names and numbers. It’s a predictable revenue stream waiting to be activated.
What I’m about to tell you changed my leadership style forever. Your job is to find ways to make your team and your business more productive. Your systems—technology—and your processes—people—are the difference between you enjoying weekends again or burning out.
Here are a few things now possible:
• Estimates written for the client with a follow-up sales meeting automatically booked
• Scheduling that coordinates between crews, weather and customer preferences
• Invoice processing and A/R follow-up that happens without you touching a keyboard
• Material ordering that predicts what you need and handles the communication
• Boosting bid submissions by 400% with better accuracy
• Job costing that updates in real time so you always know your margins
Buying Back Your Life With AI
But here’s the frame that matters: This isn’t about technology. It’s about buying back your life.
I don’t know about you, but I struggled with this too. Even if that’s not your motivation, remember why you started your business in the first place. It wasn’t to work 70-hour weeks wondering if you’ll make payroll. That’s not a life. That’s a trap. And I’m trying to save you from it.
Pay attention to this next part, because once you see these numbers, you can’t unsee them. Every day you wait to implement these systems costs you money. Not potentially—actually.
Would you believe it if I told you the average contractor leaves $180,000 on the table annually from poor follow-up? With AI costs ranging from $500–$5,000 a month plus implementation that equates to a ROI of 300%–900% in the first year. Ths means it would only take you six to eight weeks to break even.
A Harder Truth and Your Biggest Cost
I’m urging you to find your sense of urgency. 2026 is being determined right now, and every day you wait could be a month your competitor gets ahead. That’s how fast this is moving.
Here’s a harder truth: Our biggest cost as a company is employee turnover. That means when you find the good ones, you must do anything to keep them. The bright side? Top-notch employees want to work for companies that operate like it’s the modern day. They want support systems that let them go home happy at night. Peace of mind for your team builds culture, and culture builds profit.
If you think you’re playing it safe by staying on the sidelines of the automation revolution, please read my last sentence twice.
Here’s why I’m being so direct: I’ve seen what happens next. The slow slide. The gradual loss of customers. The realization that comes too late. And the heartbreak of shutting it all down.
You think you’re being prudent by waiting to see how this AI thing plays out. But while you’re waiting, three things are happening:
Your competitors are building AI-powered customer relationships
Your customers are getting used to instant, personalized service elsewhere
Your market position is eroding, one lost lead at a time
Changing the Right Thing in Your Business
The real risk isn’t learning something new or changing an old process. It’s being the contractor still using a flip phone while everyone else has moved on.
You don’t need to change everything. You just need to change the right thing first.
Let me help with an example sprint we use with our clients: During days 1–30 we implement an AI lead response. Every lead gets contacted within three minutes. Just this one change typically recovers the entire investment. On days 31–60 we activate dormant customer re-engagement and let AI analyze your customer list and create a matrix. The outreach is to five clients a day and you can expect to book 5–10 appointments in 30 days. Finally, on days 61–90 we deploy operational automation. This starts with A/R collections, pre-call client messaging and content. This will save you 10–15 hours per week immediately.
Here’s why this 90-day sequence matters: Each win funds the next improvement. It’s self-reinforcing. By day 90, you’ll be operating at a level that seemed impossible on day one. The most important thing is that you start now.
That day in January 2023, in that room full of entrepreneurs, we all had the same realization: This technology gives us the same leverage massive corporations have always had. We could either ride the wave or be crushed by it.
The question isn’t whether AI will transform your industry. It’s whether you’ll be the one to adopt it and own a business—or wait too long and end up owning a job.
The future is here, and the choice is yours.
About the Author
Josh Meunier is an automation strategist, fractional COO/CFO, and founder of Mingma Inc., where he helps small and midsize service businesses implement AI, streamline operations, and scale profitably.
