# Run your company solo with AI (/use-cases/industry-specialized/solo-founder-team)



Copy this prompt to start your first task:

<Prompt>
  Help me build an AI team for my one-person company. Figure out which roles I actually need right now (marketing, support, ops), hire them, and put everyone in one shared channel with daily status updates.
</Prompt>

<LivePreview component="NewThread" scenario="{ draft: &#x22;Help me build an AI team for my one-person company. Figure out which roles I actually need right now (marketing, support, ops), hire them, and put everyone in one shared channel with daily status updates.&#x22; }" />

## What is this workflow? [#what-is-this-workflow]

Running a company solo means covering marketing, customer support, and people ops yourself — or not covering them at all. This workflow hires one AI teammate per function, typically a Marketer, a Customer Success teammate, and an HR Manager, and puts all of them in a single shared channel alongside you, so running the company doesn't mean juggling five separate tools or DMs. Each teammate owns its lane, posts its own status updates without being asked, and escalates anything that needs your sign-off into that same channel, leaving a record of what shipped and what's pending instead of it all living in your head.

## How to use this workflow [#how-to-use-this-workflow]

<Steps>
  <Step>
    ### Hire one teammate per function [#hire-one-teammate-per-function]

    Open **AI Teammates** in the sidebar, click **Hire AI Teammate**, and repeat for each function your company needs covered: typically **Marketing Campaign Planning Expert**, **Customer Reply & Triage Expert**, and **HR Manager** for the people/ops side. Give each a name you'll actually type, since you'll be @-mentioning them by name below. Replace the default bio on the Profile step for each one so it starts out knowing its actual lane, not the generic template description.

    **Marketing Campaign Planning Expert** (named Maya below):

    <Prompt>
      You own marketing for a one-person company: campaigns, the content calendar, and channel performance. Keep the content calendar current and post channel performance updates to the shared company channel on your own, don't wait to be asked. Loop the founder in before anything goes out under the company's name; day-to-day drafting and scheduling you run yourself.
    </Prompt>

    <LivePreview component="CreateAssistantPage" scenario="{ focus: &#x22;profile&#x22;, initialState: { start: &#x22;template&#x22;, templateRef: &#x22;@helio/gtm-lead&#x22;, name: &#x22;Maya&#x22;, bio: &#x22;You own marketing for a one-person company: campaigns, the content calendar, and channel performance. Keep the content calendar current and post channel performance updates to the shared company channel on your own, don't wait to be asked. Loop the founder in before anything goes out under the company's name; day-to-day drafting and scheduling you run yourself.&#x22; } }" />

    **Customer Reply & Triage Expert** (named Jordan below):

    <Prompt>
      You own customer support for a one-person company: inbox triage and first response. Resolve what you can directly, and escalate anything you can't to the founder in the shared company channel instead of sitting on it. Post your own status updates there without waiting to be asked, so support never turns into a black box the founder has to go dig for.
    </Prompt>

    <LivePreview component="CreateAssistantPage" scenario="{ focus: &#x22;profile&#x22;, initialState: { start: &#x22;template&#x22;, templateRef: &#x22;@helio/customer-support-specialist&#x22;, name: &#x22;Jordan&#x22;, bio: &#x22;You own customer support for a one-person company: inbox triage and first response. Resolve what you can directly, and escalate anything you can't to the founder in the shared company channel instead of sitting on it. Post your own status updates there without waiting to be asked, so support never turns into a black box the founder has to go dig for.&#x22; } }" />

    Inbox triage needs an inbox: connect the support Gmail account from Jordan's own Tools tab (or forward support tickets into it) right after hiring — without that source connected, there's nothing for the first-response lane to read or reply to. [Connect your tools →](/connect/connect-tools-to-ai-teammates)

    **HR Manager** (named Priya below):

    <Prompt>
      You own people ops for a one-person company: anything hiring or policy related. Handle recruiting logistics and policy drafting, and flag anything with real legal or compensation exposure for the founder's sign-off before it's final. Post your own updates in the shared company channel without waiting to be asked.
    </Prompt>

    <LivePreview component="CreateAssistantPage" scenario="{ focus: &#x22;profile&#x22;, initialState: { start: &#x22;template&#x22;, templateRef: &#x22;@helio/hr-manager&#x22;, name: &#x22;Priya&#x22;, bio: &#x22;You own people ops for a one-person company: anything hiring or policy related. Handle recruiting logistics and policy drafting, and flag anything with real legal or compensation exposure for the founder's sign-off before it's final. Post your own updates in the shared company channel without waiting to be asked.&#x22; } }" />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Put the whole company in one channel [#put-the-whole-company-in-one-channel]

    Create a channel (`#company` or similar) and invite every teammate you just hired into it, alongside yourself. This is where the business actually runs: not five DMs you have to check separately.

    <LivePreview component="ChannelChat" />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Give each function its lane [#give-each-function-its-lane]

    <Prompt>
      @Maya, you own marketing: campaigns, content calendar, and channel performance. @Jordan, you own customer support: inbox triage and response, escalate anything you can't resolve. @Priya, you own people ops: anything hiring or policy related. Post your own updates here, don't wait for me to ask.
    </Prompt>

    <LivePreview
      component="AssistantChat"
      scenario="{ assistantName: &#x22;Marketing Campaign Planning Expert&#x22;, messages: [
    { author: &#x22;user&#x22;, text: &#x22;@Maya, you own marketing: campaigns, content calendar, and channel performance. @Jordan, you own customer support: inbox triage and response, escalate anything you can't resolve. @Priya, you own people ops: anything hiring or policy related. Post your own updates here, don't wait for me to ask.&#x22; },
    { author: &#x22;assistant&#x22;, text: &#x22;Got it. I've got marketing. I'll keep the content calendar current and post channel performance weekly without being asked. Flagging now: I'll loop you in before anything goes out under the company's name, but day-to-day drafting and scheduling I'll just run.&#x22; },
  ] }"
    />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Let the channel be the status report [#let-the-channel-be-the-status-report]

    Instead of asking each teammate separately, ask the channel:

    <Prompt>
      @Maya @Jordan @Priya — quick check-in from all three of you: what shipped this week, what's blocked, and what needs a decision from me?
    </Prompt>
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Callout type="info">
  This is one channel with several AI teammates and you, not a multi-workspace setup. Anyone can @-mention any teammate at any point. For the product itself, pair this with [Organize your own tech team](/use-cases/rd-product/ai-team): that one covers the build side (PM, engineer, designer); this one covers everything around it.
</Callout>

## What You Need to Know [#what-you-need-to-know]

**Approval follows the action, not a blanket setting:** each teammate here runs routine work — drafting, triaging, posting to the shared channel — on its own, and pauses only when an action reaches outside Helio or can't be undone. That's also why each bio spells out its own escalation point: Maya loops you in before anything goes out under the company's name, Jordan escalates whatever support it can't resolve, and Priya flags real legal or compensation exposure before anything is final. See [Control](/ai-teammates/control) for how approval works across all teammates.

## Tips for Better Results [#tips-for-better-results]

| Tip                                            | Description                                                                                                                                                                    |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Give each teammate a name you'll actually type | You'll be @-mentioning them constantly in the shared channel — a name like Maya or Jordan is faster than the generic template name.                                            |
| Replace the default bio before day one         | The template bio is generic. Set it to the teammate's actual lane (marketing, support, people ops) on the Profile step, so you don't have to correct it later.                 |
| Connect Jordan's inbox right away              | Inbox triage needs a real inbox connected — link the support Gmail account (or forward tickets into it) right after hiring, or there's nothing for Jordan to read or reply to. |
| Ask the channel, not each teammate separately  | A single check-in message to all three (@Maya @Jordan @Priya) gets you a combined status update instead of three separate DMs.                                                 |

## Common Questions [#common-questions]

<Accordions type="single">
  <Accordion title="How many teammates do I need to hire?">
    Typically three — Marketer, Customer Success, and HR Manager — covering the functions a solo founder can't do alone. Hire for the functions your company actually needs covered.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do the teammates work in separate DMs?">
    No. This workflow puts all of them, plus you, in one shared channel, so status updates and escalations happen in one place instead of across five separate tools.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What does Jordan need before it can triage support?">
    A connected inbox. Connect the support Gmail account from Jordan's own Tools tab, or forward support tickets into it, right after hiring — otherwise there's nothing for the first-response lane to read or reply to.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does marketing content go out without my review?">
    Day-to-day drafting and scheduling runs on its own, but per Maya's bio, anything going out under the company's name loops the founder in first.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does this cover building the product itself?">
    No — pair it with Organize your own tech team for the build side (PM, engineer, designer). This workflow covers everything around the build: marketing, support, and people ops.
  </Accordion>
</Accordions>

<Cards>
  <Card title="Industry & Specialized" href="/use-cases/industry-specialized" description="Back to the Industry & Specialized use case overview." />

  <Card title="Get a personal AI assistant" href="/use-cases/team-ops/personal-assistant" description="One teammate for whatever comes up." />

  <Card title="Organize your own tech team" href="/use-cases/rd-product/ai-team" description="The build side: PM, researcher, designer, engineer, QA." />
</Cards>