Hi, I'm Thomas

I live in Toronto, and I walk the streets I check. I search for local shops the way their customers do, and ask AI about them. Then I leave a handwritten card with what I found.

I believe the right customer should find the right local business. Being hard to find online says nothing about your craft.

Now you can invest in word of mouth

We had a Christmas tree farm. Every year my dad ran a raffle for a dinner. The ticket asked one question: how did you hear about us? About 80% said word of mouth.

Each year he chose where to spend on ads: the Ingersoll Times, the London Free Press, or the radio. And each year he'd say, "It's too bad you can't invest in word of mouth."

The Ingersoll Times is gone now. It closed in 2018. The way people find a business has changed with it.

Today, word of mouth runs through a search bar or an AI. When someone asks for a good florist nearby, AI doesn't show a list of web pages. It picks a few names, based on what it can find about you online.

So now you can invest in word of mouth. It starts with your digital storefront.

I've been that customer.

On a trip to Lindsay, Google sent me to a boarded-up barbershop, a house, and a place that was closed. I drove past the right one on my way out of town.

That shop never knew I existed. I believe the right customer should find the right business on the first try.

Not AI hype. Not AI fear. AI used well.

AI is already inside every Google search. Your customers use it to find you, whether they know it or not. I use it too, carefully. AI helps me draft. I check every fact myself. And I never promise what I can't verify.

My promises

Some shortcuts can win this month and cost you later. I don't take them.

• I never promise a ranking. Nobody honest can.
• I never buy reviews, offer discounts for them, or only ask happy customers. Google removes those reviews and can penalize your listing.
• I never add keywords to your business name. Google can suspend listings for it.
• I never ask for your password. You add me as a manager, and you stay the owner.
• I never change your name, address, category or map pin without your written OK.
• I never use fake addresses, fake listings or fake "best of" articles.
• I never pass off AI-generated photos as real photos of your business.
• I never name another business negatively in public.
• If I make a mistake, I tell you the same day and fix it at no cost.