Treat the Assistant Like a New Hire

Two creator videos posted October 18 share one idea for a small shop: write down how you work, then let an assistant draft from it. I went by the titles, descriptions, and chapter lists. I did not watch either video in full.

Nine skills, three for a shop with payroll

Sabrina Ramonov posted “9 AI Skills to Use in Your Business in 2026” on October 18. The video runs about a minute, and its description lists all nine skills. Three fit a shop with real payroll: skill five, treat it like a new hire; skill six, a continuously improving feedback loop; and skill seven, documentation, playbooks, and SOPs.

The list is hers. The reading for a trades shop is mine. A new hire doesn’t know your delivery zones, your pricing rules, or what you never promise a customer. You hand them a sheet and check their first week of work. Do the same with an assistant: write the sheet, read what it produces, and fix the sheet when it misses.

If your procedures live in one person’s head, an assistant can’t use them and neither can your next hire. I build these systems for a living, and the write-up is most of the work.

A knowledge base, and the chapter worth your time

Nick Saraev posted a walkthrough of his personal knowledge base on October 18, about 12 minutes long. His chapters include “Why Recency and Retrieval Matter,” “Building Reliable Data Pipelines,” “Make Your Knowledge Base Searchable,” and “Keep the System Fresh and Working.”

An HVAC shop probably doesn’t need the full build. The freshness chapter applies anyway. A folder of old quotes, job notes, and warranty terms only helps if someone can find the right page in 30 seconds. His description promotes his Maker School community, so watch with that in mind. I haven’t tried his setup.

Start with the sheet. The tools matter less than what you put in front of them.