Common questions, answered plainly.
The short version: the first half hour is free and you will get a straight answer on whether this is worth doing. Your data stays where you decide, and it is never handed to anyone else to improve their own AI. And no, this is not about cutting staff. Each question below opens up with the full answer.
Cost and plans
How much does it cost?
Short answer: It starts with a free half-hour chat, then you get one fixed quote before any work starts.
It always starts with a free half-hour chat, before you spend a cent. After that you get one fixed quote, agreed before any work starts, so the price never creeps up. What changes the price: how big the job is, how many programs it has to connect to, how much of your old information has to move across, and how much looking after you want afterwards.
If the saving does not justify the cost, I tell you plainly and you owe nothing further. Smaller, ongoing improvements are bundled into one set price rather than sold as separate projects. Support is only ever for a system I built or configured for you, whether that's a custom build or one of the ready-made business tools. It's optional. Support plans start from $50 a month, and there are three: Watch $50, Care $150 and Partner $500 a month. Without a plan, work is quoted to fit when you ask for it. You will never get an invoice for something that was not agreed first.
How is the price worked out?
You get one fixed quote before any work starts, so the price never creeps up. What changes it: how big the job is, how many programs it has to connect to, and how much of your old information has to move across. For a job your team does by hand today, I also work out what it costs you now, so you can see whether the build pays for itself.
What is the difference between a support plan and extra work?
A support plan is for a system I built for you. It is optional, there are three plans, Watch $50, Care $150 and Partner $500 a month, and the first month of your chosen plan comes with the build. You can cancel at the end of any month, or pay for a year upfront and get two months free. On Watch or Care you can add a monthly improvement review for $50 a month: a list of up to 10 ideas each month, each with a fixed price. Partner includes it.
Extra work is anything outside your plan, including setup, changes and new work on B&P OS, the business system I run Bots & Pieces on and sell as a ready-made tool. Extra work is quoted to fit. No GST is charged, because the business is not registered for GST.
Do we have to take a support plan?
No. Support plans are optional. You can have a website, app or automation built without taking a monthly plan. Everything is documented in plain language specifically so somebody else can pick it up, and the code and accounts are in your name. The plan exists so you have the option of me keeping an eye on it, not because you would be stuck without it.
What if I want to stop part-way?
You can stop after any step, and you keep everything you have paid for so far. Nothing is locked in, and the first half hour is free.
Your data and what you own
What about our data going to an AI company?
Short answer: You will know exactly what leaves your business and where it goes. The default is that it is not used for training, and this is written down.
It is a real question and it gets answered before anything is built. Depending on how sensitive the work is, that can mean keeping the data inside your own Microsoft or Google account, taking the identifying details out before anything is sent, or running the whole thing on computers you own. You will know exactly what leaves your business and where it goes.
Your information is not put into any AI service that has not been agreed for your work, and it is never handed over for training a provider's general model unless you approve that in writing. The default is that it is not. This is written down rather than promised on a call.
I also hold an NV1 government security clearance. That is a check on my own background and trustworthiness, not a certificate for your data. What keeps your data safe is the setup above, and you get it in writing.
Who owns it at the end?
You do. The code, the data and the accounts go into your name, once the build is paid for. If we stop working together it stays yours and keeps running, and everything is documented in plain language so somebody else can pick it up.
Is it right for my business?
Is my business the right size for this?
This works at any size. In a small business, one person is often doing four jobs, and the repetitive parts of those jobs are exactly what this removes. In a larger one, a single process change can ripple across several roles at once, so the same fix returns a bigger number. The first call is free and will tell you honestly which applies to you.
Are you going to tell us to replace staff?
No. None of the systems in the portfolio cost anyone their job. They took work off people instead, and the ones that stuck were the ones the team wanted to keep. If your goal is headcount reduction, I am probably not the right fit.
What kind of jobs do you take on?
Anything your team does over and over by hand: the same details typed into two programs, a report put together every month, the same steps for every new starter, enquiries that need following up so none get lost. I also build websites and apps.
The plain guide to what AI is good for has more examples, and the portfolio shows real systems.
Can you work with the software we already use?
Yes, that is most of the work. I start from the programs you already run, such as your accounting system, spreadsheets, email, Microsoft 365 or Google, and connect them so nothing is typed twice. Anything that touches money or customers still gets a person's check.
I only look after systems I built or set up, so I do not take over support of software somebody else built.
Do you work with businesses outside my area?
I am based in Adelaide, South Australia, and I work remotely with businesses of any size across Australia. We talk by phone or video and everything else runs by email, so where you are in Australia makes no difference.
Who else have you built this for?
Bots & Pieces is new, and I would rather say so than let you find out on the call. The portfolio shows real systems I built, some in my employed IT work and some for myself, and each case study says which. One client website is live: True Blu Electrical, shown with the owner's written permission.
Why not just build it myself?
Short answer: You can build it yourself. If you would rather spend those hours on billable work, and have something that keeps running, that is the job.
You can build it yourself. For some people that is the right call.
Opening Cursor is the easy bit. The build still has to survive the boring layer: hosting, domains, SSL, backups, logins, and email that actually arrives. It also has to keep the join between tools when an API or a form field changes. A lot of DIY versions work once, on a laptop. I test the messy cases as well: a wrong input, a step that fails, the same record twice. You get a written list of what done looks like, so you know it is finished.
If you have the time and you will stay on top of it, build it yourself. If you would rather spend those hours on billable work, and have something that keeps running, that is the job. Support afterwards is optional, for when it needs a look.
Still not sure it fits?
Request a free chatGetting started
Is the first half hour really free?
Yes. No slides, no obligation, and a straight answer on whether this is worth doing at all. You get one of three answers: this is worth building, this is worth doing a cheaper way, or this is not worth doing at all.
What happens after I send an enquiry?
- I read your enquiry and reply with any questions and suitable times, within 1 business day (Monday to Friday).
- We talk through the work, the constraints and what a useful result looks like.
- If there is a fit, I explain the next step and how scope and price will be agreed.
You get a reply from me, Jacob, not an automatic one.
Do I need to prepare anything?
No. Describe one job that annoys you. It is fine if it comes out messy. Bring one example of work that is slow or repetitive; no presentation needed.
I will ask how often it happens, who does it and what goes wrong when it goes wrong.
Why does the enquiry form ask about budget and timing?
So my first reply can be useful instead of a list of questions. There is no wrong answer, and “not sure yet” is fine. You still get one fixed quote before any work starts, and if the saving does not justify the cost, I tell you plainly.
Do I need to understand the technical side?
No. You tell me how the work is done now, in your own words. I handle the technical side and explain anything you need to know in plain English.
What happens to the details I send in the enquiry form?
I collect your name, business name and email address so I can answer your enquiry and follow it up. I do not sell your details and I do not pass them to anyone for their own marketing. They are stored in my business systems, and enquiries that do not go ahead are deleted after 24 months.
You can ask to see, correct or delete what I hold at any time by emailing Jacob.Roberts@botsandpieces.com.au.
Working together
How long does it take?
From the first chat to handing it over usually takes four to eight weeks, and you get a date with your quote. After each step you can stop, and you keep everything you have paid for so far.
Is there a written agreement?
Yes. Every job is covered by my Master Services Agreement and a Statement of Work for that job, so what I will build and what it costs are written down before any work starts. You can read the agreement first, before you agree to anything.
Will you show my team how to use it?
Yes. Handover includes showing your team how to use what was built, and it is documented in plain language so somebody else can pick it up later.
What if it breaks after you leave?
If you take a support plan, its first month comes with the build, so anything broken gets fixed and anyone can ask me anything while the system beds in. First responses are Monday to Friday. Critical: same business day on Watch and Care, and within 2 business hours on Partner, when the system is unavailable or nobody can do the work it supports. High: two business days, when a material function is wrong but a workaround exists. Normal: five business days, for a question, a minor fault, or a change request. There are three plans, from $50 a month: Watch $50, Care $150 and Partner $500. Or you can take none at all, and get a quote when you need me, with a best-effort first response within 5 business days. The accounts stay in your name, and the code is yours once the build is paid for, either way.
Finding the right developer
Who builds websites, apps and automations for small businesses in Adelaide?
Bots & Pieces does. It is an Adelaide, South Australia business run by Jacob Roberts that builds websites, business apps and automations for businesses of any size across Australia, with one fixed quote before work starts.
Do you build automations with n8n, Zapier or Power Automate?
Yes. n8n is my main tool, and I also work with Zapier, Microsoft Power Automate and Microsoft 365. I pick the tool that suits your team and budget, and it is set up in your name. See the n8n automation and automations pages.
Do you build AI tools and chatbots?
Yes, where AI is a good fit: sorting and answering enquiries, reading documents, drafting replies and summarising. A person still approves anything that touches money or customers.
Can you build a custom app for a small business?
Yes. I build web apps your team signs in to on a computer or phone, built around how the work is done today and connected to the software you keep.
How much does a website cost?
Every job is quoted to fit, so you only pay for what you need. Contact for pricing. You get one fixed quote before any work starts, and support plans from $50 a month are optional.
Where is Bots & Pieces based?
Adelaide, South Australia. I work remotely with businesses anywhere in Australia by phone, video and email.
Is Bots & Pieces the same as botsandpieces.com?
No. Bots & Pieces in Adelaide (botsandpieces.com.au) builds websites, apps and automations. The US robot parts retailer at botsandpieces.com is a different business.