How to Choose an AI Tool or Vendor Without Getting Burned

Taught by Pip

Welcome aboard

Ahoy — I'm Pip, your lighthouse keeper, and I've watched a lot of ships sail confidently toward rocks they couldn't see. Buying AI for a small business is one of those foggy stretches of water. The pitches are loud, the promises are huge, and the price tags are real.

This course is your chart. It won't make you technical — it'll make you a sharp buyer. We'll walk through what you're actually purchasing, the questions that separate a real tool from a shiny one, how to read the parts of a contract that quietly cost you later, and the warning signs that should make you slow down and keep your wallet closed.

My method is simple: one plain idea per lesson, one everyday picture to hang it on, and one small thing you can do today. Eight short lessons, and the whole course is free — because a buyer who asks good questions is exactly the kind of customer an honest vendor wants.

By the end, you'll be able to sit across from any AI salesperson and know, calmly, whether they're worth your money. 🔦

1. What You're Actually Buying Free previewBefore you can judge an AI tool, you need to know what's really for sale — the software, the setup, the knowledge, and the ongoing service — so you don't pay for one and assume you got all four.
2. The Demo Is Not the Product Free previewA demo is a rehearsed best case, not the everyday reality — here's how to look past the polish and test what the tool does on a normal Tuesday.
3. The Five Questions That Cut Through Any Pitch Free previewFive plain questions — about where answers come from, what happens when it doesn't know, accuracy, limits, and who's responsible — tell you most of what you need before you spend a dime.
4. Decoding the Price Tag (and the Hidden Costs) Free previewThe sticker price is rarely the real cost — learn the common pricing shapes, the fees that hide in the fine print, and how to ask for the all-in number before you commit.
5. Who Owns Your Data — and What They Do With It Free previewYour customer info and business knowledge are valuable — learn the four questions that reveal whether a vendor protects your data or quietly profits from it.
6. Spotting the Red Flags Before You Sign Free previewA field guide to the warning signs — pressure tactics, vague answers, do-everything promises, and no real human — that should make you slow down and keep your wallet closed.
7. Reading the Contract Without a Lawyer Free previewYou don't need a law degree to protect yourself — just know the five clauses that decide what happens when things go well, go wrong, or end.
8. Your AI Buying Scorecard Free previewTurn everything you've learned into one simple side-by-side scorecard, so you can compare any two AI tools calmly and decide with your head, not the hype.