- 5 minutes: we listen. You describe what's going on, in your own words.
- 15 minutes: we ask the questions that matter. Workflow, scale, what's been tried, who's involved.
- 10 minutes: we tell you straight. Whether Sling fits, what we'd ship first if so, or an honest "we're not it" with a referral.
- After the call: if there's a fit, a scoped hours estimate, billed by the hour. You see the math before you commit.
Book a Discovery Call.
Worst case, we tell you
AI isn't the answer.
One 30-minute conversation. Free. We listen, we ask the questions that matter, we tell you straight whether Sling fits, or whether AI fits at all. You leave with a clear next step or an honest referral. Either is fine.
02 / The call itself
What this is.
What it isn't.
We get the question all the time: "Is this just a sales call?" No. Here's the actual shape, both directions. We hold ourselves to it.
- Not a pitch. No deck. No slides about "the AI revolution."
- Not a discovery-call gatekeeper. The founder takes the call himself.
- Not the start of a 10-email drip sequence. We won't chase you.
- Not a hard sell. We've ended calls with "we're not the right fit" more than once.
03 / Pick a time
30 minutes.
Your calendar wins.
Same-day slots usually available. We hold meeting slots Tuesday through Friday. Mountain Time. If your week is genuinely impossible, use the alternate paths below and we'll find a fit.
/// Calendar not loading? Email kyle@slingautomation.com and we'll find a time.
04 / What happens after
One call.
One decision.
Yours.
We move fast because we ship fast. After the call, we scope the work and estimate the hours, all billed by the hour, with the rate shared on the call in writing. The decision sits with you from there: no urgency tactics, no expiring quotes, no calendar pressure.
- T+0
On the call
30 minutes. We listen, we ask, we tell you straight. You leave knowing where you stand.
- Next
Hours estimate
If there's a fit, we scope the work and estimate the hours. Billed by the hour, with the rate shared on the call in writing. No fixed-bid games, no T&M trapdoors. You see the math before you commit.
- Then
Audit or Foundations
We usually start with a short paid Audit or Foundations pass. It sizes the real work so we both go in with eyes open.
- Go
Either you start…
We schedule kickoff and start building. You're inside the work by week one.
- Or not
…or you don’t.
No follow-up drip. No chase. If you come back in 6 months, the door's still open.
05 / Who you'll meet
The founder takes
the call himself.
No SDR. No discovery-call gatekeeper. You're talking to the person who'll scope the work and sign the engagement. That's the deal, and it's how we keep the conversation honest.
Founder · Sling Automation
Kyle Crone
Colorado native, Highlands Ranch. Twenty-plus years an owner-operator (most recently Crone Metals) who spent more time arguing for clean foundations than for AI. Now builds the systems himself — Claude Code daily, plus whatever tool actually fits your job. You'll get a real conversation, not a script.
06 / Other ways to reach us
Calendar not
your style?
Pick the path that fits. We keep all four open because not everyone wants to start with a calendar embed, and we don't want to lose a good fit over a booking widget.
/EMAIL
Direct email
kyle@slingautomation.com
First reply within 24 business hours. Usually faster.
/LINKEDINMessage on LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/kylecrone
Cold connection requests welcome. Just mention you're an SMB operator.
/PHONECall or text
Available on request
Phone number shared in the email reply. Helps keep the spam down.
/NEWSLETTERStay in the loop
5-day AI bootcamp · email
Not ready to book? Start with the free 5-day course. No follow-up drip.
07 / Before you book
Common questions
about the call.
Most of what people ask before booking. If yours isn't here, the call itself is the place. We won't dock you 5 minutes for asking it live.
Whoever can describe the problem honestly. Usually that's the owner, the COO, or the person closest to the workflow we'd be helping. One person is fine. Three is also fine, but more than that usually means the conversation gets too polite to be useful. Bring decision-makers, not gatekeepers.
Nothing. Seriously. Don't build a deck. Don't summarize your business in writing. Don't pre-think the AI angle. The most useful Discovery Calls are the ones where you describe the problem the way you'd describe it to a friend over coffee. We do the work of translating that into a scope.
Perfect. That's the call to take. We'd rather you book unsure and leave clear (one way or the other) than waste months wondering. Sometimes the answer is 'AI isn't the move yet, do these three other things first.' We charge nothing to tell you that.
Once you green-light the hours estimate, we can typically start inside 7–10 business days. Faster if the slot is open and the scope is small. Our roster cap means there's sometimes a waitlist for the deeper engagements, and we'll be honest about that on the call.
Yes, before any sensitive details are shared. We have a standard mutual NDA we can send within an hour of the call request, or we can work with yours. Most of what we discuss on Discovery doesn't need one, but we won't push you to share before paperwork is set.
We'll say so. We're built for SMB and lower-mid-market. If the work needs an enterprise systems integrator, a regulatory expert, or 30 engineers, we'll refer you to someone who can actually deliver. We have a small network of trusted firms for exactly this.
08 / Not ready yet?
Three softer
starting points.
Booking a call is a real commitment. If you're not there yet, here are three lower-stakes ways to start with us, none of which trigger sales follow-up.
/01
5-Day AI Bootcamp
One email a day. Practical AI for SMB operators. Day 5 you've shipped a real workflow. Free, no drip.
Start the bootcamp /02ROI Calculator
90-second sanity check on what AI could be worth to your operation. Honest math, no email gate until you ask for it.
Run the math /03Browse pricing
One flat rate, every dollar visible. See how the engagement works before the call so the conversation can move faster.
See pricing09 / Last word30 minutes.
30 minutes.
One honest
conversation.
Worst case: we tell you AI isn't the answer, save you the engagement, and refer you to a better fit. Best case: you walk out with a scoped path forward and an honest estimate of the hours, billed by the hour. Either is a win.
Same-day slots
Usually 1–2 same-day openings Tue–Fri Mountain Time. Worth checking the calendar even if it's last minute.
SMB-focused
We build for small and mid-size businesses. That's our entire focus. No enterprise procurement maze.
One promise
No follow-up drip sequence. No chase. We won't make you regret booking.