Boots On The Ground AI
We don't pitch AI strategy. We ship the systems that run your business.
A fractional Chief AI Officer for small & mid-sized businesses — production-grade, fixed-scope AI that saves measurable hours. Not decks.
Business operations on the spot.
The ultimate workflow for winning deals.
✓ Boots researches your buyer and asks before it generates.
✓ Pre-sale intelligence with a confidence score and a source on every finding.
✓ You approve what’s true, reject what’s not, and only approved intel writes the proposal.
✓ Then you sign and pay with one link.
Why Boots Exist
Small and mid-sized businesses keep getting sold AI strategy — expensive decks, roadmaps, and "transformation frameworks" that never turn into anything running. Meanwhile the actual work of building a system that saves hours goes undone.
Boots On The Ground AI is the opposite bet: a fractional Chief AI Officer who scopes one workflow, ships a real production system, proves the number, and hands you infrastructure you own. Fixed scope, defined end date, real off-ramp.
The proof isn't a portfolio of logos. It's live URLs — CAIT, Boots Portal, Hello Gorgeous — you can open right now.
The firms that beat me sell advice about shipping. I ship. That's the whole difference — and it's the one the machines, and the buyers, are actually looking for.
~ Damara Carlentine . Founder
“The quality of this product is outstanding. I will definitely be signing up for more!”
– Tony Alcala, Satisfied Customer
FAQs
What exactly do you mean by "production-ready and governed AI"?
Most AI projects stall because a flashy demo falls apart under real-world pressure. We don't build tech that breaks in week two. To us, production-ready means your AI system is built with:
Multi-tenant foundation and row-level security (RLS) for absolute data isolation, backed by append-only audit trails.
t means your AI doesn't hallucinate because it uses a deeply grounded pgvector RAG knowledge base with exact citations [KB].
We bridge the gap between a cool pilot and a secure, audited enterprise deployment.
How fast can we get an AI agent live in our business?
A core conversational MVP prototype can be spun up rapidly, but a hardened, production-grade layer typically moves in focused 2-to-3-week sprints per feature program. For example, database setups, CI/CD pipeline deployments, and cloud migrations take 3 to 5 days each, while deeper compliance structures like full audit logging frameworks span 3 to 5 weeks. We align the build map directly to your timeline and operational pain points.
What kind of AI systems do you build, and how much do they cost?
We offer a modular, transparently priced capabilities menu so you only pay for what your business actually needs. Our core systems include:
Conversational Chat + RAG Knowledge Base: Grounded answers with strict source citations ($4K–$8K).
Voice-First Layer: Hands-free Q&A, PWA support, and text-to-speech read-outs ($5K–$9K).
Operator / Admin Consoles: Fleet management, chat oversight, and "view-as/act-as" capabilities ($5K–$10K).
KPI / Impact Analytics Dashboards: Data rollups, retention models, and no-PII exports ($4K–$7K).
Bilingual & Notifications: Multi-language support (EN/ES) and time-based web push nudges ($3–$6K).
What is your track record? Have you actually shipped this at scale?
Yes. Boots AI is founded by Damara Carlentine, an operator who built the conversational AI hiring system for McDonald's.
Can you connect the AI to our existing business software?
Absolutely. We specialize in secure integration services wrapped around the tools you already run. Every integration handles your credentials with strict environment hygiene. We provide custom:
Integration setups for CRM, HRIS, and scheduling systems ($3K–$7K, with a reliable CSV fallback included)
Single Sign-On (SAML/OIDC for $3K–$6K)
Stripe payments/billing ($2K–$5K)
Workflow automations via n8n or Zapier ($2K–$5K).
How do you handle security, privacy, and data isolation?
Security is built into our code from day one, not retrofitted later. Our specialty compliance add-ons ensure your system is secure-by-design. We build multi-tenant databases with strict row-level security (RLS) to ensure tenant data never bleeds. Additionally, we provide:
Docker containerization using safe multi-stage, non-root runtimes, provide append-only audit logging
Full SOC 2 readiness prep ($5K–$10K) to get your controls, evidence mapping, and policies completely compliance-ready.
Enterprise Expertise
Founded by Damara Carlentine, a former enterprise AI and operations leader, Boots AI brings a production-first approach to AI implementation. I’ve built the conversational AI hiring system at McDonald’s and now I’m bringing that same power to Main Street.
