Hundreds of generalist AI consulting agencies have launched in the past two years, many trained through communities like AAA (Liam Ottley) or AI Adaptive. They build automations for any business in any industry. Ironback focuses exclusively on specialty trade businesses with a trained dedicated AI operations partner model. The difference is depth, continuity, and accountability.
Trade businesses that need an AI partner who already understands ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, job costing, dispatch workflows, and seasonal demand patterns — without spending weeks educating a generalist.
Non-trade businesses (e-commerce, SaaS, professional services) where generalist agencies have relevant experience, or businesses that need a single specific automation and don't want an ongoing relationship.
Real Cost Comparison
Year-one total cost of ownership — including setup, ongoing fees, and hidden management costs.
Flat $8,000/month retainer, 3-month minimum, month-to-month after. Trade-specific, ongoing embedded operations.
Generalist AI agencies: $2,000–$15,000 per automation project. Monthly retainers (where offered): $1,500–$5,000/month. No operational assessment, no industry specialization, no operational ownership.
Generalist agency building 4–6 automations: $8,000–$90,000 depending on scope and agency quality, plus your time managing the relationship and explaining your industry. Ironback: $49,500–$85,500/year with zero ramp-up time on trade operations and continuous improvement included.
Common Questions
They might — eventually. But you're paying them to learn on your dime. Ask any agency: how many HVAC companies have you automated estimating for? How many plumbing businesses have you built dispatch optimization for? If the answer is zero, you're their guinea pig. Ironback has done this across dozens of trade businesses.
A chatbot is one automation in one category. Ironback covers seven operational categories. The chatbot might handle initial inquiries, but who follows up on the leads it captures? Who converts those leads into estimates? Who schedules the jobs? Who sends the invoice? That's the 80% of operational value that a single chatbot doesn't touch.
Most aren't — they're legitimately skilled technicians. The issue is industry knowledge, not technical ability. Building a Zapier workflow is the easy part. Knowing that your HVAC business needs to route emergency calls differently in July vs. January, or that plumbing estimates require permit cost variables by municipality — that's the hard part a generalist won't know until they've made expensive mistakes.
Industries Where This Decision Matters Most
These specialty trades see the biggest impact from choosing the right AI operations approach.
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Ironback is a dedicated AI operations partner for service businesses doing $1M–$20M. Flat $8,000/month, 3-month minimum. We find where AI unlocks value, build it, and run it. Start with the free Operations Scorecard — it quantifies waste across 7 categories in under 5 minutes.
Or see full pricing · Explore AI for service businesses