By June, most operators have accumulated more AI subscriptions than they can name. Some are pulling weight. Many are not.
This is the same audit I run on myself every six months. It takes about 30 minutes per tool. The output is a clear cut list and a tighter H2 stack.
The Four Questions Every Tool Must Pass
A tool keeps its seat at the table only if you can answer yes to all four.
- Did I open it at least once a week this quarter?
- Can I name the metric it moves?
- Is that metric still on my H2 priority list?
- Would my output get measurably worse without it?
Two or fewer yes answers: cut it.
Three yes answers: downgrade the plan or consolidate.
Four yes answers: keep it and invest deeper.
The Audit by Function
Run this once for each category of your stack. If you cannot answer the question in plain English, the tool did not earn its seat.
- Lead generation. How many qualified conversations did this tool create in H1?
- Content and brand. How many pieces did I publish, and did this tool actually speed it up?
- Sales. What was the reply rate, the conversion rate, the close rate before and after?
- Operations and automation. How many hours did I get back per week?
- Analytics and measurement. What decision did I make differently because of this data?
- Strategy and thinking partner. What hard call did this tool help me get right?
The Cut List
The hardest part of any audit is the part where you actually cancel.
Make a list of every paid subscription. Be honest about which ones you bought for the version of yourself you wanted to be, not the version you actually are.
- Cancel today, not "next month."
- Export your data first.
- Note what you replaced it with, even if the answer is "nothing."
- Add up the annual savings. Put that number on the calendar for H2 reinvestment.
If you end up keeping nothing in a category, that is a valid answer too.
The H2 Stack
Once you have cut, write down the tools you are keeping. The whole stack should fit on one index card.
If it does not fit on one card, the audit is not done.
For each tool you kept, write one sentence on what you are going to do deeper with it in H2. A new use case, more frequent use, deeper training on your voice, integration with another tool. The compounding lives on the deeper side, not the wider side.
What This Means for You
The best AI stack is the smallest one you will actually open every morning. If this audit leaves you with three tools, that is a win, not a failure.
The operators winning with AI right now are not the ones with the most logos on the slide. They are the ones who picked a few, used them every day, and measured the result.
Want a Second Set of Eyes on Your Stack?
If you want to run your audit against my eyes before you cut anything, I do short, no-cost stack walkthroughs for founders and operators. You will leave with a clearer cut list and a tighter H2 plan.
Request a Walkthrough