ShooflyAI vs a typical AI agency
Most AI agencies sell you a project and hand back deliverables you license. ShooflyAI puts a number on the workflow, builds the system, and leaves you owning it. Here is the side-by-side.
A typical agency vs ShooflyAI
Same seven questions, answered for both.
| Dimension | A typical AI agency | ShooflyAI |
|---|---|---|
| Where it starts | A project scope and a quote | An Operating Assessment with a hard ROI estimate |
| What you get | Deliverables you license or rent | Systems you own: code, data, models, and IP |
| Pricing | Hourly or per-project, often open-ended | Scoped to a KPI; the assessment credits to your retainer |
| Who does the work | Account managers and subcontractors | Embedded operators who run the build |
| How success is measured | The project shipped | A KPI moved, measured against a baseline |
| After delivery | A new statement of work for every change | An ongoing partnership that keeps improving it |
| Lock-in | You depend on them to run it | You own it and can run it yourself |
What that means for you
You own the asset
The build becomes infrastructure you control, not a deliverable you keep paying to use. It keeps moving the KPI long after we are done.
ROI before the build
We estimate the return on your highest-value workflows first, so you commit to a number, not an open-ended project.
Operators, not middlemen
The people who scope the work are the people who build and run it. No layer of account managers between you and the system.
Frequently asked questions
How is ShooflyAI different from an AI agency?
An agency sells a project and hands back deliverables you license; ShooflyAI scopes to a KPI, builds the system, and leaves you owning the code, data, models, and IP. We also start with a hard ROI estimate before any build, and embedded operators do the work rather than account managers.
Do I own what ShooflyAI builds?
Yes, outright: the code, data, models, and workflow logic are infrastructure you own and can run yourself, with no per-seat rental or lock-in. That is the core difference from an agency engagement, where you typically keep paying to use what was built.
How does ShooflyAI price work compared to an agency?
Instead of open-ended hourly or per-project billing, engagements are scoped to a KPI. The Operating Assessment puts a hard ROI estimate on the work first, and its fee credits to your retainer if you move forward, so cost is tied to outcomes.
What happens after the project is delivered?
With an agency, every change is a new statement of work. With ShooflyAI it is an ongoing partnership that keeps improving the system, and because you own it, you are never dependent on us to keep it running.
See what we would build for you
Start with an Operating Assessment: a hard ROI estimate on your highest-value workflows before any build, and you own everything that follows.
Get your Operating Assessment →