Custom AI tools for Vermont small businesses.

I help local business owners use AI in practical, human ways by building assistants, automations, and workflows around how your team actually works.

Not a one-size-fits-all app.
Not another dashboard to manage.
A hands-on process that starts by sitting down with you.

Schedule a working session phone (802) 255-6443

AI should make your people stronger, not replace them.

Most small businesses do not need an "AI transformation."

They need practical help with the work that keeps repeating:

forum Customer questions

notifications_active Missed follow-ups

folder_open Scattered documents

assignment Intake forms

calendar_month Scheduling

swap_horiz Internal handoffs

policy Policies

alarm Reminders

checklist Little daily tasks

I help you turn that mess into simple tools your team can actually use.

Your Knowledge, Instantly

A system that knows your business.

I take everything your team relies on - handbooks, policies, procedures, vendor docs - and turn it into an AI assistant your staff can just ask. Real answers, from your actual documents.

When needed, the AI assistant shows the exact page it came from, even if I have to scan in the documents myself.

Trained on your documents, not the internet
Cited sources so your team can verify
New hire ramp drops from months to weeks
Always available, always patient

Your AI Assistant

What's our cancellation policy?

Patients must cancel at least 24 hours in advance. A missed appointment fee of $50 applies after two no-shows within 12 months. Exceptions are made for emergencies at the provider's discretion.

description Employee Handbook - p. 14, §3.2View in PDF

Less Repetitive Work

Automate the tasks that eat your day.

I identify the tasks that eat time every day, and reduce or remove them. Scheduling gaps, follow-ups, internal handoffs - the things your team does on autopilot that shouldn't need a person at all.

Every business is different. The goal is the same: your team spends less time on busywork.

Automated follow-ups and reminders
Smart scheduling and gap-filling
Internal handoffs that don't fall through the cracks
Review and reputation management

event

Trigger

→

psychology

AI Decides

→

check_circle

Action

Example automations

inbox New inquiry comes in →
gets categorized, routed, and followed up on

phone_missed Customer calls at 10pm →
gets a helpful text message with booking link

assignment_turned_in Form is submitted →
the right person gets the right task, right away

schedule Recurring reminder →
happens automatically, not in someone's head

How It Works

Simple, personal, effective.

No jargon. No sales pitch. Just a clear process that starts with listening.

handshake

Step One

I Sit Down With You

I spend a half-day with you and your team. I learn how your business actually runs: where time gets lost, where things break, and what your team deals with every day.

assignment

Step Two

You Get a Clear Plan

I show you exactly what I'd build, what it would change, and where it saves time. We can move ahead, or you can say no. Either way, you leave knowing what AI can and can't do for your business.

rocket_launch

Step Three

We Build It Together

AI should work alongside your team, not replace them. My job is to equip your people with superpowers - reducing the tedious parts while making them shine.

Start with a half-day session

Why Common Path?

Vermont-based. On-site. In your corner.

I'm John Driftmier, an AI consultant based in Essex Junction, Vermont. I'm not a Silicon Valley company. I'm not outsourced support. I sit down with Vermont businesses and build practical AI tools that save time and reduce headaches.

AI should work alongside local Vermonters, not replace them. I figure that AI is coming one way or another, and it's up to us to find the right way to use it here at home. I see a lot of well-funded AI products sold online and not a lot of people who are willing to help. That's why I started Common Path: we're in this together, and it's up to us to figure out how to use AI well in our own communities before the corporations figure it out for us.

I'll come to your business, learn your processes, and build something that fits how your team actually works - not how an international software company thinks you should work.

John Driftmier

Founder & AI Consultant, Common Path