Find businesses that need AI.
Earn while you do it.

Start here · the math

One closed retainer pays you for as long as the client stays. Three closed retainers — each at $2,000/mo, sticking 12 months — pay you $9,600 in year one alone. That's three conversations that go right.

The math doesn't care about your network size. It cares about the number of people you have a real conversation with. Five conversations a day, four days a week, gives you ~80 conversations a month. Industry close rate for warm-ish referrals is 15-25%. So 80 conversations → 12-20 closes. Even half that lands you in serious money.

Who actually buys

Don't pitch generic "AI." Pitch a specific service to a specific kind of business. Below: who needs each thing, and the signal that tells you they're ready.

Where they live

Warm (start here, always)

Before you cold-anything, write down 30 names from these buckets. Reach out to all 30 in week one.

• People who own a business you've ever bought from — your barber, your accountant, your dentist, the gym you go to, the cafe you frequent
• Friends who own businesses — even side hustles count
• Friends of friends — pull up LinkedIn 2nd-degree connections, filter by "Founder / Owner / CEO" + your city
• Former coworkers who left to start something
• College alumni — your university directory or LinkedIn alumni search
• Family friends — your parents have rich friends with businesses, ask
• Anyone you've worked with on the buy side — vendors, freelancers, contractors

Lukewarm (second pass)

• Local Facebook groups — "<your city> small business owners", "<industry> <city>", "<neighborhood> parents"
• Chamber of Commerce events — actual humans, in person, often hungry for help
• BNI (Business Network International) chapters — pay-to-play but every member is actively trying to grow
• Coworking spaces — WeWork, Industrious, local indies. Show up at lunch. Talk.
• Eventbrite / Meetup — local industry meetups, founder events, trade shows
• Church / synagogue / mosque / temple — small business owners are everywhere in faith communities. Warmest intros possible.
• Gym, coffee shop, dog park — repeat customers see you. Build the relationship before the pitch.

Cold (third pass)

• LinkedIn Sales Navigator (or even free LinkedIn) — filter: industry + city + title="Owner/Founder/CEO" + company size 1-50
• Google Maps walk-down — scroll your zip code's businesses, click each one, look at their site. Bad site = lead.
• Yelp scroll — same as above but with explicit reviews; complaints often point at problems we solve
• Instagram local hashtags — #<your_city>smallbusiness, #<your_city>eats, etc. DMs convert when personalized.
• TikTok small biz owners — they post their struggles publicly. Comment thoughtfully, then DM.
• Reddit — r/smallbusiness, r/restaurantowners, r/ecommerce. Don't pitch in posts. DM people who comment with real questions.
• Industry forums — BiggerPockets (real estate), DesignerHangout (design), Indie Hackers (SaaS). Add value first; pitch later.
• Drive your neighborhood — every storefront is a lead. Bad signage and old phone numbers in the window = stale ops.

Outreach scripts

The Avenscale share kit at aven.../share/<your-code> already has these in copy-paste form with your link baked in. This section is the strategy behind them.

Rule 1 · Personalize the first 8 words

Generic opens get deleted. A name plus one specific observation gets read. Do your homework — 60 seconds of looking at their Instagram or their site beats 60 minutes of generic outreach.

Rule 2 · Lead with their problem, not our service

Bad: "Hey, want a website?"
Good: "Saw your site is built on Squarespace and your contact form sends to a Gmail. Most of your inbound is probably getting lost. We can fix that."

Rule 3 · Make the ask small

Don't ask for a meeting. Ask for "10 minutes when you're not busy" or "if I send you a 90-second video." Reduce the activation energy.

Rule 4 · Always include a soft reason for caring

"I get a referral fee if it works out — being upfront." Honesty disarms. Hidden agendas don't survive five emails.

Templates · personalize then send

Hey {firstName} — saw something I think actually fits your business. There's a team I'm partnered with (Avenscale) that builds AI chatbots, websites, and runs marketing. They have a referral program — I get paid if you sign on. Worth a 10-min call? Form here so they can reach out: aven.../refer/<your-code>

Subject: Thought of you — quick AI thing

Hey {firstName},

Reaching out because I'm working with a team called Avenscale. They build AI chatbots, automate workflows, and run monthly marketing for SMBs. The kind of stuff that's hard to find done right.

Honest disclosure: they pay me a referral fee if you sign on. I'm only sending this because I think it'd actually save you time on {specific thing they do manually}.

If it's worth a 10-min look, drop your info here: aven.../refer/<your-code>

No pressure. They'll reach out only if there's a fit.

— {YourName}

Hey {firstName} — saw your work on {specific recent project / post / launch}. Want to introduce you to a team I partner with: Avenscale. They build AI chatbots, sites, and ongoing marketing for businesses like yours. Curious if it's a fit. Quick form here: aven.../refer/<your-code>

"Hi — I'm <name>, I work with an AI agency called Avenscale. We help businesses like yours automate the boring stuff and grow without hiring a full marketing team. I'm not selling you anything right now — just leaving you a card. If you ever wanted a free 10-min call to see if there's a fit, scan this QR."

(Hand them a card. Walk out. Don't linger.)

"Hi {firstName}, this is {YourName}. I work with an AI agency called Avenscale and I think we can save your team about 10 hours a week. I'll text you the details — no pressure to call back. Have a good one."

What to say when they push back

"I don't have budget right now."

"Totally fair. The 10-minute call is free. Worst case, you walk away with a roadmap. Best case, we save you more than the retainer costs in month one."

"I already have a [marketing person / agency]."

"How's it going?" Then shut up. Most people will tell you exactly what's broken. If genuinely happy, ask for a referral.

"AI is a fad / I don't believe in it."

Don't argue. "Fair point. We do plenty of non-AI marketing work too. Want me to send a 90-second video of what a typical client gets?" Pivot to the marketing retainer.

"Send me more info."

That's a soft no. Send the form: aven.../refer/<your-code>. If they fill it, real interest. If they don't, you have your answer.

"What's your background in this?"

"I'm not the one doing the work — I just connect people. The team has built <short proof>. I refer people I trust them with."

"How much do you make off this?"

Tell them. "50% of one-time, 10% of recurring." Honesty differentiates you.

Weekly cadence

This is the rhythm. Skip a week and the engine cools. Show up consistently and the math compounds.

Two outreach days, one network day, one calls day, one review. That's it. The discipline is doing it every week, not the volume of any single day.

Recruit other partners (the meta-play)

You can also bring in other partners. Not for a multi-level kickback — Avenscale doesn't pay you for recruiting (so nobody can call this an MLM). You do it because helping a friend earn $9k+ in their first year is a real thing you can offer them, for free, and it builds your reputation as someone who finds opportunities.

Who makes a great Avenscale partner

• People who already sell — real estate agents, insurance brokers, car salespeople, financial advisors, business coaches. They have warm books they're not monetizing fully.
• Influencers with a business audience — even tiny ones. 5,000 followers of small business owners is a goldmine.
• Pastors, community leaders, board members — people whose network trusts them by default.
• People who lost a job in marketing/sales/tech — actively looking for income, have skills, have networks.
• Stay-at-home parents who want flexible income — many have huge networks and the willingness to follow up.
• Bartenders, baristas, hairstylists — they talk to 50 strangers a day. Some of them own businesses.

The pitch to recruit them

"Hey {firstName} — I'm part of a sales partner program with an AI agency. I get paid 50% on one-time deals and 10% recurring on monthly plans. They're looking for more partners. Pay structure is honest, the work is just sending intros. You'd be great at it — your network is exactly the right kind.

Here's the program page: aven.../program

If you apply, mention I sent you (just so they know — there's no extra kickback for me, just keeps it clean)."

You can also point them straight at aven.../program — that's the public landing page. They apply, the Avenscale team reviews, and within 48 hours they're either approved (and get their own sign link) or politely passed on.

Why this helps you (even without a recruit kickback)

• You become a connector — the person who points others at opportunities. People remember that.
• Other partners might refer business back — once they see Avenscale work, when they meet someone outside their lane, they'll think of you.
• Your reputation compounds — "<your name> put me onto something good" said five times = five new opportunities for you.

Daily checklist (print or screenshot)

Avenscale Partner Playbook · Print it · Run the plays · Honest splits, no fine print.
Questions or stuck? Reply to your last email from the Avenscale team — we read every one.