How do I find a trustworthy vendor for this?

Ask for references from businesses your size · not general testimonials. Require a 30-day pilot before signing long-term contracts. Get full pricing in writing, including all fees. Ask: what does it cost if this doesn't work? Vendors who can't answer that clearly are a red flag.

What should I realistically budget for this?

Start with the minimum viable spend to test the concept. Most implementations don't need to cost more than $200 · 500/month to start. Scale spend only after you have proof it's working. Avoid large upfront investments before seeing it operate in your actual environment.

How do I know if it's actually working?

Define success before you start: a specific metric (hours saved per week, revenue per lead, fees reduced) with a 90-day target. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. Any vendor who resists defining metrics upfront is protecting themselves from accountability.

Blair Tripodi · SideGuy Solutions

You've scaled ops at Masimo, Sound United, UA, USOPC, Nike. You know where the hours bleed. I build the automation that gets them back.

Quick answer · why this, why now

Consumer brand ops teams are drowning in tool sprawl · Slack, Asana, NetSuite, Shopify, Klaviyo, 40 spreadsheets
AI agents now reliably handle the glue work: reporting, handoffs, reconciliation, vendor pings, exec briefs
I ship working automations in days, not quarters · $100/hr, no retainer, no SOW theater
This is the layer between your leadership team and the work actually getting done

When to text PJ about Blair

Yes · text now

You've read 2-3 articles, still don't know what to do
About to spend $500+ on a tool / contractor / build
Want a 30-second sanity check from someone not selling you
Local to North County San Diego (faster routing depth)

No · figure it out

You haven't tried the obvious built-in fix yet
Looking for a free template you can DIY in 10 min
Just casually browsing, no real decision pending
Need a service we don't actually route (we'll say so)

📲 Text PJ · 858-461-8054

The shift happening now

Consumer brands are cutting headcount but expanding scope · ops leaders need leverage, not more hires
AI workflow tools matured in the last 12 months · what cost $400K in 2023 costs $8K now
The bottleneck moved from "can we build it" to "who will actually ship it this quarter"

Where SideGuy fits

$100/hr, no retainer, no multi-month discovery · we scope Tuesday, ship Friday
I embed with your ops/ops-adjacent leads and build the automations they've been asking for
Works alongside existing vendors · not a rip-and-replace, just the missing connective tissue

PJ · Encinitas, CA · 858-461-8054

Built SideGuy because consumer brands kept asking for this exact thing

Blair · saw your track record across Masimo, Sound United, UA. If any of your ops teams are stuck stitching systems by hand, that's literally what I do. Happy to jump on a 15-min call and show you what a couple of these workflows look like shipped.

Text PJ LinkedIn

Want to see this applied to your stack?

Send a quick text with the one workflow that's eating the most hours right now. I'll come back with a concrete build plan · free, no pitch deck.

Text PJ · Blair LinkedIn