What AI tools should a non-technical business owner pay for first?
Short answer
Three paid tools and one free account: Claude at $20 a month, ChatGPT at $20 a month, a voice dictation tool at about $15 a month, and a free GitHub account. If you're not paying, you don't see what's possible, because the free tiers don't give you access to it.
My baseline AI stack for any non-technical business owner costs about $55 a month. I tell rooms of insurance agents and my podcast audience the same thing.
"Pay $20 for Claude, $20 for ChatGPT and $15 for Whisper Flow. Those are the three must-dos. If you're not paying for these tools, you just don't understand what's possible because they're not giving you access."
What are the must-have tools?
| Tool | Cost |
|---|---|
| Claude | $20/month |
| ChatGPT | $20/month |
| Wispr Flow (dictation: talk to every AI tool instead of typing) | About $15/month |
| GitHub | Free |
Why pay when there are free versions?
Because the free tiers hold back exactly the features that change how you work. I'll say it bluntly to any group I teach: you need to spend the $20. I admit I spend way too much on AI tools myself, but some of it you just have to do.
Why does a non-technical person need GitHub?
First thing I recommend everybody: go sign up for GitHub and just have it. It's free. You're going to need it for so many reasons related to where AI is going. A few months before I said that on my podcast, talk of GitHub and MCP servers sounded insanely confusing to me too.
Why is dictation on a list of AI tools?
Because it makes every other tool better. Talking gives the model far more context, faster, with less self-editing. I wrote a whole answer on it: should you talk or type to AI.
Is there a cheaper way to get a bunch of AI tools?
Lenny's bundle. I tell so many people about it. It's a newsletter subscription that comes with a pile of AI software, including a year of Wispr Flow. The vendors give it away because his audience is exactly who they want, and they're trying to show growth to their investors.
What should I try once I'm paying?
- Have the AI interview you so it knows your business: how to give AI context once.
- Ask for the prompt, not the answer, on anything serious: meta-prompting.
- Try Codex or Claude Code on the $20 plan. Give it 15 minutes to get used to working in folders. You'll hit limits fast, but you'll see what it can do.
- Connect your software. I pay $300 a month for software I barely know how to use because it's so complicated. Now I ask Claude to operate it for me: using your software through Claude.
The main takeaway I give every room: this is way easier than you think. There will be a lot of things you don't know. You just ask. You tell it to do it. That's it.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From AI training sessions and Local Media HQ podcast episodes in 2026. Last updated .