J&M AI Services — Launch Checklist

The execution layer of the plan: standing up the entity, the money rails, and the in-person lead engine. Lives in the business-plan package (inside novajaialai/projects) so strategy and execution are one thing. Check items off in place; sync the active ones to your todo board if you want a daily view.

The one reframe that matters: setup and selling run in PARALLEL

Do not serialize this as “finish all the legal/banking setup, then start selling.” You only need the entity + bank + Stripe done before you invoice and collect. You can — and should — start booking audits and running discovery calls right now, while the paperwork clears. Revenue-first. The two tracks below run at the same time.

Track A — Legal & financial foundation

• [ ] File LLC with Idaho Secretary of State
• [ ] Receive Certificate of Organization back from ID SOS
• [ ] Get EIN from the IRS — free, at irs.gov, ~10 minutes online. Do not pay a service for this. Needs: approved LLC.
• [ ] Open business bank account — needs EIN + Certificate of Organization. Keep business and personal money 100% separate (commingling can pierce the LLC liability shield — that separation is the whole point of the LLC).
• [ ] Set up Stripe — needs EIN + bank account + the J&M site. Wire it to invoicing so the $999 assessment can be paid by link.
• [ ] Get one MSA attorney-reviewed — the templates are in the internal playbook; have a local Idaho attorney review your default one before the first client send (each template says to). Add a remote-access clause while it’s with the attorney (authorization for attended/unattended sessions on client machines — see §9 of the internal playbook).
• [ ] Soon, not blocking: separate business debit/credit card, simple bookkeeping (Wave is free; QuickBooks if you want), registered agent (you can be your own in ID). Idaho generally doesn’t tax services — verify you don’t need a seller’s permit before assuming.

Track B — Presence & materials (the destination for every conversation)

• [ ] Website live (the J&M site)
• [ ] Booking link live (cal.com / Calendly) — this is where every card, workshop, and conversation points. Turn on text reminders.
• [ ] Business cards (local shop) — J&M navy/gold brand; your name; one line (“AI systems for owner-operators”); the J&M site; a QR code straight to your booking link. The card has exactly one job: get them to book. Keep it that simple.
• [ ] Print the one-pager (the internal playbook) as a leave-behind.
• [ ] Google Business Profile for J&M — local SEO + legitimacy signal.
• [ ] LinkedIn updated to the offer (headline, about, featured link to booking).

Track C — In-person channels (the warm-lead engine)

Ranked by ICP fit. The meta-move: reframe every venue from “attend and network” to “teach and partner.” You’re not there to hand out cards — you’re there to be known as the AI-systems person and to meet people who already serve your buyers.

• [ ] Coworking ($99/mo) — join it, but calibrate expectations: coworking crowds skew freelancers / remote workers / early startups, not established $30k/mo owner-operators. Its real value to you is (1) a professional base + address, (2) a referral-partner pond, and (3) a stage — they already run workshops, so offer to run one (see Track D). Don’t expect your ICP to be sitting at the next desk.
• [ ] BNI / LeTip — strongest structured referral channel for your ICP. These rooms are full of exactly who you want: contractors, dentists, lawyers, realtors, insurance, accountants — one seat per category, weekly, referral-obligated. Visit 2–3 chapters as a free guest first, then commit to the one with your ICP and good energy. (Real commitment: ~$500–900/yr + weekly 90-min meetings + you must give referrals too.)
• [ ] Chamber of Commerce (Pocatello / Idaho Falls) — lower commitment than BNI. Business-after-hours mixers, ribbon cuttings, and the member directory = a ready-made prospecting list of established local businesses.
• [ ] Church / ward network — in SE Idaho this is genuinely one of the highest-trust warm-intro channels there is. The move is not to pitch: be “the guy who does the AI systems stuff,” help someone for free, and let word-of-mouth compound through the ward/stake. Trust is pre-established, which is the whole point.
• [ ] Free entrepreneur gatherings — check for 1 Million Cups (weekly, free, in many ID cities), SCORE, Idaho SBDC, and ISU small-business events. Entrepreneur-dense, great for reps and referral partners.
• [ ] Your niche’s own events — once you pick a vertical, go where its owners gather (Home Builders Association, local dental society, trade expos). You’ll be the only AI person in a room full of buyers — instant differentiation.
• [ ] Founder happy hours / meetups — lower ICP density, but low-friction reps and partner-hunting. (Not a joke — a standing “business owners” happy hour is a real channel.)

Track D — The teaching move (highest leverage of all)

• [ ] Build one 45-minute talk: “Get 5 hours a week back with AI — for owner-operators.” Pull it straight from the business plan (the pain framing + a couple of live examples).
• [ ] Offer it everywhere with a stage: the coworking space, the Chamber, the public library, SCORE/SBDC, your church’s business group.
• Why this beats networking: teaching makes you the authority instead of one more vendor, you control the room, and everyone who shows up self-selected as interested — so you book audits from the room. One good talk > 100 cold hellos.

Track E — Referral partners (the multiplier)

• [ ] List 10 local people who already serve your ICP: bookkeepers/accountants, web designers, MSP/IT shops, business consultants, commercial insurance agents, commercial realtors, marketing agencies. Each one has a roster of $30k/mo+ businesses.
• [ ] Set up 2-way referral relationships (script: the internal playbook). 5 good partners beat 50 cold conversations.
• [ ] Mine the ponds you already live in (node zero → warm network): your BJJ/MMA gym owner is literally an ICP, plus your barber, apparel/local-tribe contacts, and coworking crew. Start there — trust already exists.

The low-friction in-person rule (applies to every channel above)

1. Lead with a specific observation or free help — never a pitch. (“I noticed X about your booking flow…” beats “I do AI.”)
2. The only goal of any conversation is to book the 30-minute audit (or earn permission to follow up). Not to explain AI at the bar.
3. Give a referral to get a referral. Be useful first.
4. Always carry cards with the QR to your calendar. Make booking a two-second action.

Cost snapshot (rough, monthly unless noted)

Total to be “open for business”: a few hundred dollars + the coworking $99/mo. The expensive resource is your time in rooms — so weight the rooms by ICP density (BNI, Chamber, niche events, church) and turn as many as possible into teaching.