Eight gatesYour unstoppable business
Your front desk never closes.
Enquiries are captured any time, day or night. During the business hours you choose, your AI front desk checks the inbox every 2 hours, sorts what came in, logs every lead and drafts replies for you to approve. Nothing goes out without your yes.
Pay when you book; your slot is confirmed once payment clears. Credited against your project’s last invoice if you book a package within 30 days. Full refund or one free reschedule with 48 hours’ notice. Online, South Africa and international.
Software team? Request a free 30-minute consultation on WhatsApp.
Still answering email at 21:00?
The inbox
Enquiries, quotes and follow-ups sit unanswered.
Follow-up
Leads go cold; the “CRM” is a spreadsheet nobody updates.
Content
Social media is the first thing to slip.
Admin
To-dos, notes and reminders live in your head.
AI confusion
Hundreds of tools, a lot of noise, unclear costs and safety.
The gap is not access to AI. It is setting it up properly, safely and in a way the business keeps using.
Working systems, not slide decks.
- DiscoverI look at where your time goes with you and pick the one or two workflows that will save the most hours.
- DesignOne page showing what the AI does, what you approve, which tools and what they cost.
- BuildTools, prompts, automations and templates set up in your accounts.
- TrainA walk-through, a short recorded how-to and written instructions.
- SupportOptional monthly support to tune, monitor and extend.
- Approval-first
- You own your accounts
- POPIA-ready setup
The 8 Gates
EIGHT GATES YOUR UNSTOPPABLE BUSINESS
The eight trigrams of the luopan are the eight gates. At the centre, 8G sits on a circuit board: ancient direction, modern machinery.
Eight core offerings. Most owners start with the Quick Start, and I’ll tell you honestly which gate, if any, is worth opening first. Custom builds start with a scoping session; software teams start with a free 30-minute consultation, requested on WhatsApp.
Front Desk Essentials
Every email enquiry sorted, a reply drafted in your voice for approval, and every lead logged and followed up in a simple Google Sheets CRM.
Front Desk Plus
Everything in Essentials, plus WhatsApp Business replies and lead capture, up to two inboxes, and personalised outreach to past clients and cold leads.
Content Starter
About one post a day across up to 3 channels, in your brand, approved in one weekly 20 to 30 minute sitting.
Content Growth
About 3 posts a day in total across up to 5 channels, plus 2 short AI videos a month and a monthly performance summary.
Owner’s AI Assistant
A short daily briefing, drafted replies, to-dos, meeting minutes and documents, so the admin stops living in your head.
Custom AI Integration
AI built into your own software, processes or data (for example document checking or data extraction), scoped and quoted up front.
Dev AI Workflow Team
Your developers (up to 5) using Claude Code properly, with shared project instructions and a written team playbook.
Request a free consultation on WhatsApp1:1 Dev Session (2h)
Two hands-on hours: Claude Code set up in your environment and repo, and a real task from your backlog worked through together.
Request a free consultation on WhatsAppThree ways to pay for every package: Setup only, Combo, or Retainer only (no setup fee upfront). Content Starter and Content Growth share one setup.
Business Partner bundle
Gates 1, 3 and 5 together: Front Desk Essentials, Content Starter and Owner’s AI Assistant. Rolled out in stages over 4 to 5 weeks, with the first parts typically live from week 2.
Not sure where to start? Start here.
AI Quick Start · R2,500 once-off ($140)
A paid, one-off session for owners who know AI could help but do not know where to start. In about a week you go from “I should be using AI” to a clear, costed plan, with your 7-day test drive running.
For any package booked within 30 days of the session date, it is credited against the last invoice of your project (the setup balance on Setup only, or the last month of the minimum term on monthly plans). Not for the 1:1 Dev Session or add-ons; not combined with the scoping credit; credits lapse if the agreement ends early.
Custom AI Integration starts with its own scoping session, and Dev AI Workflow clients start with a free 30-minute consultation, requested and booked via WhatsApp.
Before
About 3 business days before the session, an intake form: your business, tools and time, your services and prices, 5 to 10 common customer questions with their answers, 3 to 5 example emails in your voice (please remove your customers’ names and contact details first), and anything the assistant must never say or promise.
During
90 minutes online (Google Meet or Zoom), your real workflows, a tool check, and your 7-day test drive: an AI inbox assistant, live in your business. I set up your own Grok Bot account on its free trial, connect your business Gmail and Google Drive, and set up your Sales and Leads assistant. I schedule one inbox check a day at 9am and run the first check live in the session. You log in to your Gmail yourself; I never need your password.
Each morning your assistant sends you a short summary of new emails, flags which ones need a reply and drafts a reply for each. I set up your assistant to draft only. You review every reply and press Send yourself.
After (within 3 business days)
A written AI plan with your top 3 AI opportunities, the package and payment option that fits, tool costs, and a free-tools-only route.
Not included: building the full workflows, ongoing support or changes after the plan, tool subscriptions (including a paid Grok Bot plan), your other AI assistants, and sending emails for you (your assistant drafts, you send).
About the free trial: it gives a set amount of usage for up to 7 days, and it can run out sooner, which is why I keep it to one check a day. Trial terms are set by Grok Bot and may change. I’ll confirm what your account is offered on the day. The trial itself costs you nothing. Your R2,500 covers the session and your written AI plan.
Your assistant runs on Grok Bot’s service, which may process your emails outside South Africa. You decide whether to connect your inbox, and your own privacy notice should cover this.
T’s & C’s apply.
Companies I helped automate with AI
Talent Scan
Talent Scan, a film and TV production platform, runs on AI: document validation, an AI chat box, outreach with a self-updating CRM, AI promo videos and weekly LinkedIn drafts approved before posting.
Showcase: coming soon
Safe Pal Global (SPG)
Safe Pal Global backs entrepreneurs with performance-driven micro-lending and mentorship. A custom AI assistant chat box answers visitor questions, and onboarding automation takes every new member through the same clear steps.
Showcase: coming soon
Up4it
Up4it is an activity-based community app. The app itself was built with AI vibe coding, and it’s supported by AI explainer videos and AI-drafted content posts, each published only after approval.
Showcase: coming soon
AI drafts. You decide.
Approval-first by default
Emails, WhatsApp messages and posts are approved by you before they go out. Full automation only on request, after a trial (normally at least 30 days), with written sign-off per workflow; switch back any time.
You own your accounts
Tools are set up in your name, on your card. You own and keep your own accounts and logins at all times. My own working logins (the user logins, admin roles, API keys and automation connections I create to do the work) stay in place while I provide services, including month to month after the minimum term, until final payment, and are then handed over or removed, at your choice, within 5 business days. Your data and personal information are never held back.
POPIA
I act as your operator under a written operator agreement. Most AI and cloud tools are hosted outside South Africa; I tell you which tools process which data and where. Transfers are made only with your consent in the service agreement, to providers offering protection substantially similar to POPIA. As the responsible party, you remain responsible for telling your customers.
Security and access
Access only to what the work needs, preferably through my own user login rather than your password; strong passwords kept in an encrypted password manager; two-factor authentication.
Setups follow WhatsApp, Meta and other platform rules as they apply at setup. The Front Desk answers questions about your business only and is never turned into a general-purpose chatbot. You obtain and record the opt-ins each platform requires.
Honest about AI
No selling, reusing or training on your data. Consent required for every likeness and cloned voice; no fake customers or testimonials. AI can get things wrong, which is the main reason for the approval step. You are responsible for the messages and posts you approve. Results (leads, sales, hours saved) are not guaranteed.
Hi, I’m Mario.
I spent more than 20 years in South African film and TV as an extras casting director and coordinator, where large volumes of people, paperwork and deadlines had to run without errors. In 2016 I founded Talent Scan to fix that with software, and today I run the whole company myself, with AI assistants handling outreach, the CRM, content, document validation and support.
8 Gates AI is how I bring that same approach to other owner-run businesses. There are eight core offerings, the 8 Gates, from an AI front desk for your inbox to coaching for software teams. I take on no more than 8 monthly clients (on Combo or Retainer only plans) at a time, so every client gets proper attention. AI is the gate beyond the ordinary. My job is to open it properly and safely: find the structure in the mess, then automate the parts that do not need a human. The AI drafts, you approve, and your accounts stay in your name, on your card.
No more than 8 monthly clients and 2 new setups a month. Working hours: 08:00 to 14:00 SAST, Monday to Friday.
Questions owners ask
Will the AI send things without me?
No. Approval-first is the default. Full automation is optional, after a trial, with your written sign-off for that workflow, and you accept responsibility for what it sends.
Does the front desk really never close?
It never loses an enquiry: messages are captured any time. By default the inbox is checked every 2 hours during your own business hours, which you choose at onboarding, and replies are drafted for you to approve. Outside those hours, enquiries wait for the first check of your next business day. It doesn’t answer phone calls. My own support hours are 08:00 to 14:00 SAST, Monday to Friday, with replies within one business day.
What does it cost?
The Quick Start is R2,500, paid when you book. If you book a package within 30 days, it is credited against the last invoice of your project. The Dev AI Workflow consultation is free. Package prices are in the pricing PDF. Prices are final; no VAT is charged. Download pricing (PDF)
How do I pay?
Package setups, add-ons and other billable work are given a formal written quote first for your approval, then invoiced; every invoice is payable within 7 days of sending. Setup only: 50% deposit to book; balance at hand-over. Combo: 50% deposit on the reduced setup fee, plus the first month’s fee. Retainer only: first month’s fee only (no setup fee). Monthly fees are always paid in advance, and the Quick Start is paid online at booking. Read the full terms
What if I want to leave early or cancel?
For every client, you will never pay more to leave than you would have paid to stay for the minimum term. To end a monthly plan, give 30 days’ written notice (20 business days if the Consumer Protection Act applies to you); ending during the minimum term adds early-exit amounts. Minimum terms: Combo 3 months; Retainer only 6 months; Custom AI Integration: custom, set per quote. Read the full terms
Do I pay for the tools?
Yes, directly to the provider, on your card, in your name. The Quick Start plan includes a free-tools-only route.
What if I don’t go ahead after the Quick Start?
The plan is yours to use, and your assistant is set up in your own Grok Bot account, so you can keep it running on a paid plan if you choose.
Can I cancel or move my Quick Start?
Cancellations, subject to your rights under the Consumer Protection Act: with at least 48 hours’ notice, a full refund or one free reschedule. With less than 48 hours’ notice, half the fee (R1,250 / $70) is refunded. If a rescheduled session is cancelled, 25% of the fee (R625 / $35) is refunded, regardless of timing, and a new booking and payment are required. If you booked after direct marketing from me, you may also cancel within 5 business days under the Consumer Protection Act cooling-off right.
How many clients do you take on?
No more than 8 monthly clients at a time (Combo or Retainer only) and 2 new setups a month, so every client gets proper attention. New clients may be offered the next available start date.
Who owns the accounts and logins?
You own your accounts. Every tool is set up in your business name and paid on your card. You own and keep your own accounts and logins at all times. My own working logins (the user logins, admin roles, API keys and automation connections I create to do the work) stay in place while I provide services, including month to month after the minimum term, until final payment, and are then handed over or removed, at your choice, within 5 business days. You can reset your passwords or remove my access at any time. Your data and personal information are never held back.
Who owns the work?
You keep ownership of your own materials and data. Once a deliverable is paid in full, you own it and the AI output made specifically for you, and I transfer to you all rights I hold in them, to the extent those rights exist and can be transferred. The legal ownership of AI-generated content in South Africa is not yet settled, so I cannot promise that copyright exists in AI output. I keep ownership of my own know-how, methods, reusable templates, prompt libraries and playbooks; you get a licence to use and adapt those built into your setup for your own business, but not to resell them. Each AI tool also has its own terms; for example, commercial use and ownership of Suno music depends on being on a paid plan. I will advise which plans you need for commercial use. Please check AI output before you publish it; the decision to publish is yours.
How do you handle POPIA?
I act as your operator under a written POPIA operator agreement, tell you which tools process which data and where, and transfers offshore are made only with your consent in the service agreement.
Can you use AI on WhatsApp?
Yes, for your own customer service, sales and bookings, following WhatsApp and Meta rules as they apply at setup. The Front Desk answers questions about your business only.
Do you work with international clients?
Yes, remotely from South Africa. International clients pay fixed USD prices; you pay your own transfer and exchange charges.
Do you answer phone calls?
No. The front desk covers email (and WhatsApp on Plus). Phone call handling is not included.
I run a software team. Where do I start?
With a free 30-minute consultation, requested and booked via WhatsApp (071 882 5780, messages only). From there: the Dev AI Workflow Team setup (Gate 7) or a pay-as-you-go 1:1 Dev Session (Gate 8).
Ready to open the first gate?
Pay at booking to confirm. Software team? Request a free 30-minute consultation on WhatsApp.
