Building in Public #2: I found my co-founder, chose the scary pricing, and I need your honest opinion

Issue #2 — Building in Public

Hi [FIRST NAME GOES HERE],

In December, I shared the full story of why I started Simplify AI and where I was in the build. I ended that update with three blockers: I needed a co-founder, incorporation timing, and early funding conversations.

The good news, all three have moved. Here is what happened.

What Changed Since December

I found my co-founder. Yijie Wang joined Simplify AI on January 31. She is a former VC-funded founder with 20 years building partnerships, cloud and data platforms.

We worked together at Cisco in Strategic Alliances, so the trust was already there. She's been advising me informally since December, and we work well together. She is now leading the technical infrastructure.

We incorporated. Simplify Digital AI, Inc. (DBA Simplify AI) is now a Delaware C-Corp. We moved banking to Mercury and accounting to Xero. The California LLC is terminated. The corporate structure is clean.

The assessment kept validating. 25+ business owners have completed our Business Checkup Assessment with a 100% completion rate. 8 led to deep discovery conversations. 2 are ready to pay. 3 are testing our modules as pilot users.

I built an email capture system. 10 automated emails across two nurture sequences, all connected to Kit.com with engagement tracking. Every new assessment completion or newsletter signup now gets a personalized follow-up without me lifting a finger.

The Problem

In December I told you small business owners are drowning in tools that do not talk to each other. That is still true. But after 8 more customer conversations, I can now ask one question that stops every owner cold:

Can you tell me which of your products actually made money last month?

Most cannot answer. The data exists. The matching does not.

Revenue lives in Etsy or Square or invoices. Costs live in QuickBooks (macro level) and supplier spreadsheets. Nothing connects revenue to costs at the micro/channel level. So the owner is the human glue, copying data from screen to screen, trying to hold the full picture in their head.

They are data-rich and decision-poor. 9 out of 10 owners do not trust their numbers enough to act. They cannot see what is working, so they cannot decide what to do, so they cannot grow. They are stuck in quicksand.

We call these owners "Frustrated Operators." They are not technophobes. They have adopted the software. They are stuck because nobody showed them how to make it work together.

The Revenue Model

I tested two models with real customers: a value ladder (pay per stage) versus a subscription (one monthly price for everything).

I chose the value ladder. Here is why.

My customers have been burned by unused SaaS subscriptions. They told me they would rather pay to fix a specific problem than sign up for another monthly fee. Christine, one of our pilot users, called $349 "fair" for the modules and said $2,500 for full implementation was "reasonable because of the human guidance component."

Here is how it works:

• → Free: Module 1 (Your Digital Foundation)
• → $349: Foundations Modules covering tool audits, hidden cost calculators, trust chain checks
• → $999/year: Implementation. Your tools finally talking to each other plus a weekly action plan based on your real data
• → $149/month: Ongoing Insights. What to do Monday morning, updated weekly

Customers start free, build trust, then layer on services as they see results. I earn the right to the bigger sale.

The Marketing Message

This was the biggest lesson of the last two months.

When I led with "AI readiness," people nodded politely but did not lean in. When I asked "Can you tell me which of your products actually made money last month?" they sat up straight.

Keith, a small business owner in our pilot, said it directly: "Do not call it AI anything. Just tell me how to get more customers."

So I stopped talking about AI. The new message:

"Stop guessing what is working. Start knowing."

We position AI as invisible infrastructure. The customer sees results, actions, and clarity. The technology is just how we deliver it.

Real Talk: What is Hard Right Now

I finish Founder Institute on February 10. It gave me structure, mentors, and a pitch that went from scattered to sharp. But now the training wheels come off. No more weekly sessions pushing me forward. I have to create that momentum myself.

Finding the right 5 pilot customers. I need Main Street independent businesses, not just solopreneurs. Businesses with real revenue and cost complexity across multiple tools, where connecting the dots creates obvious value. Think local service businesses, medical offices, specialty retail. I have warm leads but I need to get specific about who fits the concierge model and who does not.

After the pilot. We will begin outreach to angel investors, particularly those who invest in women founders and small business SaaS.

The Next 30 Days

• → Graduate from Founder Institute (February 10)
• → Land 5 concierge MVP pilots with Main Street independent businesses
• → Manually connect each pilot customer's tools and deliver their first insights
• → Begin angel investor outreach (women founders, small business SaaS focus)
• → Validate product and pricing with real revenue before hiring developers

Here's Where You Come In

Last time I asked for referrals. This time I am asking for feedback. Three questions. Reply to this email. Short answers are fine.

1. Does the pricing make sense? Too high, too low, or confusing? If you are a small business owner, would you pay $349 for guided modules that audit your tools and show you what is costing you money?
2. Does "Stop guessing what is working. Start knowing." make you want to learn more? If not, what would?
3. What is the one thing that would make you forward this email to a business owner you know?

Your answers directly shape what I build next.

Thanks for following this journey. It means more than you know.

Anne-Cécile Guillot Bellisario
Founder & CEO, Simplify Digital AI
simplifydigital.ai

P.S. If you know a small business owner who feels like their tools are working against them instead of for them, forward this email.

The assessment is free and takes 60 seconds: simplifyai.technology/assessment