Here are the 5 instructions I send to my own developers to cut IT costs with AI. Copy the block below, adapt it, send it to your team. The explanations follow right after.
The 5 instructions to copy-paste
Copy this block as it is, adapt the details in brackets, and send it to your tech team.
Hi team,
I would like us to work on reducing our IT costs by using AI more
deliberately. Here are 5 areas to explore. For each one, come back to me
with a short assessment (effort vs. savings) before we act.
1. OVERPRICED SUBSCRIPTIONS
List the SaaS tools we pay per user. For each one, estimate whether we
could replace it with an internal tool or an open source alternative to
adapt. Give me: current monthly cost vs. estimated development effort.
2. REDUNDANT TOOLS
Map our current stack. Spot the overlapping features and the tools that
do the same job (e.g. several emailing tools). Propose a consolidation
plan: what each remaining tool keeps, what we can cut.
3. SHIP FASTER
Use AI to produce a first requirements document, and ideally a working
demo, in days, not months. Then we set a roadmap together, prioritized
by real urgency.
4. LANGUAGE BARRIER
Set up a translated ticketing system (the client writes in their
language → you read it in English/Vietnamese) and automatic
transcription + translation of our meetings. Keep every task documented
in writing so we can double-check the translations.
5. "BLACK BOX" EFFECT
Use AI to document our code and the application, explain the complex
parts in plain language, and keep notes a non-technical person can
read. The goal: nobody becomes a bottleneck.
We start with #[1/2/...] this week. Thanks!
[Your name]In detail: 5 questions, 5 answers
Why replace my subscriptions with my own tools?
Because you are paying for the whole alphabet to use A-B-C: nobody uses 100% of their Mailchimp or their Notion, but everybody pays full price, often per user. With AI, building your own CRM or management tool no longer takes months but days, and you take back control of your data. Not everything is worth internalizing (a $10/month Notion is still a good deal): target the per-user subscriptions that inflate as your team grows.
How do I know if I have redundant tools?
When a company grows, tools pile up without anyone consolidating. I have a client who runs 3 emailing tools in parallel (Brevo, Mandrill, and a third one). Yet every tool consumes API calls and server space: the more clients you have, the more it eats into your gross margin. Have your stack mapped and the duplicates spotted.
Does a tech project really take less time with AI?
Yes. What used to take 6 to 12 months is now counted in days or weeks: requirements document in 1 week, implementation in days, follow-up that becomes advisory work rather than bug fixing. The real challenge is no longer duration but prioritization: focus on what is genuinely urgent.
Does AI solve the language barrier with a Vietnamese team?
Largely. Before, a simple request cost a full day: one meeting with the client, one meeting with the dev, then a ticket in English. Now the client writes in their language, the dev reads it in English or Vietnamese, and meetings are transcribed and translated automatically. Still keep every task documented in writing, so you can check that the translations came through correctly.
What is the “black box” effect, and why does it cost me money?
A black box is a system where you see the inputs and the outputs but never the inside. Exactly your position as a non-technical founder facing your own code. AI opens it: it documents the application, digs out the bugs, explains the complex parts in plain language. As a result, you are no longer hostage to a single dev who holds everything: you can “talk to your code” too.
Five levers, all compatible with each other. You cut your costs, your provider raises the quality delivered. Everybody wins.
You want to get your tech project in Vietnam right from A to Z? The free guide lays out the why and the what, in black and white. The 30-second test is inside.
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