Playbook · Published under Adrian Verdan · English
The AI-First Operating Playbook
A practical playbook for AI automation in small businesses. Covers dated model/API references and editable cost examples, an automation blueprint you can reuse, function-level playbooks, governance with human-in-the-loop gates, an ROI calculator, and four XLSX working templates.
9 chapters
ROI calculator
4 XLSX templates
4 Markdown tools
HTML bundle + PDF
Data as of September 2026
Language: English
12.90 € excl. VAT
VAT depends on your country; the final price is shown at Gumroad checkout before purchase. Merchant of Record: Gumroad.
Created with AI assistance, editorially reviewed — disclosed in the spirit of EU AI Act Art. 50; details inside the product.
Review
One buyer, one review.
“I recently finished reading this digital book, and I am genuinely impressed. It is exceptionally well-researched, highly informative, and packed with valuable insights that are immediately applicable. What makes this release even better is that it marks the second book by this author that I have read—and it completely matches the stellar quality of the first. The author has a unique talent for breaking down complex topics into engaging, clear, and digestible chapters without ever sacrificing depth. […]”
Reviews are left in the Gumroad store, where only buyers of this product can rate it. As of 5 August 2026 this playbook has one, quoted verbatim and trimmed at the end.
What's inside
Nine chapters, built to act on.
Mindset & maturity. What "AI-first" means in practice — and an automation maturity model to locate yourself on the ladder.
The 2026 model landscape. Fable 5.1, GPT-6 Astra, Gemini 3.8 Flash and Grok 4.6, with sources checked on 5 September 2026. Distinguish access, API/thinking compatibility, variable rates and subscription-versus-API costs.
The automation blueprint. A repeatable, step-by-step pattern from idea to running automation — reusable across functions.
Playbooks by function. Concrete automations for marketing, operations, finance, and customer interactions.
Tooling & orchestration. How to wire tools together without unnecessary platform lock-in.
Governance & safety. Human-in-the-loop design, data minimisation, and a risk register you can actually fill in.
ROI & prioritisation. A numbers-first framework for deciding what to automate next — with a live ROI calculator.
What an AI-first operating system looks like. How the pieces add up to a system that runs your business, not just individual tasks.
Appendix & templates. Prompt library, disclosure templates, and all four XLSX working files.
Real excerpts
This is what the product looks like inside.
AI-First Operating PlaybookChapter 1
What to automate — and what not to
A task is a good automation candidate when it is repetitive, has a clear input and output, and its errors are cheap to catch and reverse. It is a poor candidate when it needs real accountability, touches money or the law irreversibly, or depends on context only a person has.
Automate freely
Drafting (emails, posts, summaries) that a human still approves
Classifying, tagging and routing incoming items
Extracting structured data from documents for review
First-pass research and note-taking from sources you provide
Keep human (or gate tightly)
Sending money, refunds, or signing anything
Final bookings in this beginner workflow, plus case-specific legal or tax decisions
Hiring, firing, and other high-stakes people decisions
Anything a customer would be harmed by if it were wrong
Excerpt from the playbook, chapter 1 — shown with full context in the product.
AI-First Operating PlaybookChapter 7 — Live demo
ROI calculator
Pre-filled with the playbook's worked example. Change any value to see your own numbers.
Enter valid non-negative values. People must be at least 1 and realisation must be between 0 and 100%.
€496
Net saving / month
1.2 mo
Payback period
€5,347
First-year net (after build)
Monthly hours saved = hours/week × people × realisation × 4.33. Net saving = monthly hours × loaded hourly cost − running cost. Payback = build cost ÷ net saving. First-year net = net saving × 12 − build cost.
Estimate based on your inputs, no guarantee of results.
Excerpt from the playbook, chapter 7 — shown with full context in the product.
For whom — and for whom not
Is this playbook right for you?
A good fit if you
run a small business or work solo
want concrete automation with proper controls
take governance and ROI seriously
Not a fit if you
are planning an enterprise rollout
want a no-code tool catalog
are looking for a vendor pitch
How the same automation turns out in our own operation — with the date, the log, and the change that followed: our essays →
Nine chapters as an HTML bundle plus PDF, two interactive calculators (ROI calculator and model-cost estimator), four XLSX working templates, and four Markdown tools: a prompt library, an AI disclosure and risk register, a prompt-injection drill pack, and an eight-case migration check sheet.
Which AI models does it cover — and how current is the data?
The September 2026 update includes Claude Fable 5.1, GPT-6 Astra, Gemini 3.8 Flash and Grok 4.6, with dated provider references. It distinguishes account access, API compatibility and token costs. Astra access is limited during rollout; no single model or paid subscription is required to read the guide.
How is this different from generic AI business content?
The updated model/API references are dated and linked to provider sources you can verify yourself. The playbook ships working templates and calculators instead of abstract advice, and builds human-in-the-loop governance into every workflow. No hype, no vendor pitch.
12.90 € excl. VAT
VAT depends on your country; the final price is shown at Gumroad checkout before purchase. Merchant of Record: Gumroad.
The companion volume "Orchestrating AI Agents" covers reviewer patterns, routing, research verification and cost control hands-on — the practical deep dive behind chapter 5 of this playbook. English, 10 chapters, with an interactive cost calculator.
If you are setting up a Kleingewerbe, the step-by-step guide "Kleingewerbe gründen in Deutschland" covers registration, §19 UStG, ELSTER, and your first income-expense statement. Available in English, German terms explained.
