How AI Powers Sisu Analytics: The AI Toolkit Behind My Consultancy 🚀

Written By Garret Saarinen

Running an analytics consultancy as a solo founder means juggling a lot—client meetings, deep-dive data work, marketing, and more. Efficiency is everything, and that’s where AI comes in. At Sisu Analytics, I use AI tools to streamline workflows, generate insights, and stay ahead of the curve. Here’s a look at my AI-powered toolkit and how it keeps my business running smoothly. ⚡

 

1. ChatGPT: My AI Business Coach & Productivity Partner 🧠

ChatGPT is like my all-in-one business sidekick. It helps with fresh ideas, tech troubleshooting, marketing support, and quick customer insights, saving me hours of work. But beyond just a smart chatbot, it has become an extension of my workflow, allowing me to move faster and make better decisions.

  • 💡 Idea Machine: From brainstorming new Power BI features to shaping product roadmaps, ChatGPT keeps the creativity flowing. I use it as a sounding board for business strategy, product improvements, and even for helping refine my business messaging. Having an AI-powered second opinion helps me approach problems from different angles.

    A really cool way to use ChatGPT is something I picked up from Shaan Puri on the My First Millions podcast. When you often don’t know where to begin with a question or problem, tell ChatGPT to ask you questions one-by-one about the problem, and then when it feels like it has enough context, answer my question/problem. Game changer!

  • 🛠️ Tech Troubleshooter: Whether I’m stuck on a tricky SQL query, need help optimizing DAX formulas, or debugging a Python script, ChatGPT helps me problem-solve in real time. Instead of endlessly searching forums, I get quick, actionable insights that help me move forward faster. Python notebooks + API docs = amazing data extraction tools.

  • ✍️ Content Creator: Writing is a huge part of my business, whether it’s blog posts, LinkedIn updates, client proposals, or internal documentation. ChatGPT helps me refine my tone, structure content more clearly, and even generate creative marketing copy that resonates with my audience. I go back-and-forth here about how much it should be used as authenticity these days is extremely valuable. Key here is helping me start and not succumb to “blank page” syndrome.

  • 📊 Customer Research: AI-powered research lets me dive into industry trends, competitor analysis, and market positioning much faster than traditional methods. Instead of spending hours manually sifting through reports, I use ChatGPT to extract key insights and summarize findings quickly. While I’ve only used it a little, OpenAI’s new Deep Research feature has blown me away. I highly suggest checking it out.

By integrating ChatGPT into my daily workflow, I can iterate on ideas, troubleshoot technical issues, and improve client communications more efficiently.

 

2. Fireflies AI: Meeting Notes & Action Tracking 📓🎤

As a solo consultant, keeping track of meeting notes and action items is critical. Fireflies AI records, transcribes, and organizes my calls, making sure I never miss important details. But what makes it truly powerful is how it integrates with my core project management and CRM tools—HubSpot, Asana, and OneNote—acting as an automated project coordinator.

  • 📝 No More Manual Note-Taking: It transcribes meetings so I can stay focused on the conversation instead of scrambling to take notes. This is extremely important as it’s allowed me to be more present on calls. I still have an open OneNote page there for quick notes but Fireflies is my main notetaker. There is a lot of back and forth about which AI notetaker is better and honestly, just pick one to try and go from there. They each have their own unique qualities. I tend to really like Fireflies for it’s integrations, features, and API capabilities.

    I’ve even gotten a few customers to check it out as they’ve liked how my notes have proved useful for them. (I should ask Fireflies for referral revenue 😂).

  • 🔗 Seamless CRM Integration: Fireflies connects with HubSpot to automatically log meeting notes under client records, keeping my CRM organized and up to date. I haven’t dug too far into HubSpot’s own AI tools but it’s amazing that the notes seem to find their way to the correct contacts and even deals.

  • 📌 Asana for Action Items & Tasks: When action items come up in a meeting, Fireflies AI sends them directly to Asana, ensuring that follow-ups don’t slip through the cracks. Each customer has their own project so it's easy to have tasks go from meeting to my project management system. I typically have all the tasks land in a single project to start and then I move them accordingly to the correct project. This still keeps a “human in the loop” mentality but eventually I want to leverage more automation here.

  • 📖 OneNote for Knowledge Management: Fireflies automatically syncs meeting notes to OneNote, giving me a structured knowledge base that I can easily search and reference later. Similar to Asana, I have the notes land in single notebook, and then move them accordingly. Typically, I copy the AI notes into the note I already started for the meeting for quick “scratch” notes. I’ve started to build quite a repository for my notes so getting this connected to some sort of chat interface via a RAG app, is a next step.

  • ⚡ Instant Recap: Instead of digging through long transcripts, I get a concise summary of key takeaways and next steps, making follow-ups easier and more efficient. I've found that I'm rewatching and "chatting" with some bigger meetings on the weekends (I'm a super fun weekend hang-out lol 🤓). 

With these integrations, Fireflies AI doesn’t just capture information—it keeps my entire business organized and running smoothly without extra effort.

 

3. Replit: Software Product Ideation & MVP Generation 🖥️💡

While analytics consulting is my core business, I love exploring AI-driven software ideas. Replit makes it easy to turn ideas into working prototypes without the headache of setting up complex environments. It has become my go-to platform for rapid experimentation and proof-of-concept development.

  • 🚀 Rapid MVP Development: Replit allows me to quickly build and test new software ideas without setting up complex infrastructure. Whether I’m exploring AI-powered analytics tools or internal automation scripts, I can iterate fast.

  • 🤖 AI-Powered Coding: With built-in AI-powered code suggestions, Replit speeds up development by helping with function generation, debugging, and syntax corrections. This allows me to focus more on the logic and less on repetitive tasks.

  • 📡 Cloud-Based & Always Accessible: Because Replit runs in the cloud, I can switch between devices seamlessly and continue working on projects from anywhere.

  • 👨‍💻 Easy Collaboration: If I bring in a developer, Replit makes working together seamless with real-time code collaboration and built-in version control.

  • 🔄 Integration with AI APIs: I use Replit to test and integrate different AI models and APIs into analytics workflows, making it a powerful sandbox for innovation.

 

4. Cursor: AI-Assisted Code Generation 🏗️🤖

Building custom analytics solutions often involves writing complex scripts, automations, and integrations. Cursor acts as an AI-powered coding assistant, making development faster, more efficient, and less prone to errors.

  • ⚡ Fast Code Generation: Automates Python scripts, SQL queries, and API calls to streamline analytics work. Cursor’s AI suggestions help me generate functional code quickly without spending excessive time on syntax or debugging.

  • 🐛 Debugging Buddy: Coding errors are inevitable, but Cursor’s AI-driven debugging significantly reduces the time spent troubleshooting. Instead of manually searching for solutions, Cursor highlights issues and suggests fixes in real-time.

  • 📈 Smarter Development: Cursor doesn’t just write code—it also helps optimize and refactor it. Whether I’m working on performance improvements, automation scripts, or API integrations, it provides alternative solutions to make my code cleaner and more efficient.

 

What’s Next? Expanding My AI Toolkit 🔮

AI is evolving fast, and so is how I integrate it into my business. Here are the next tools I’m adding to my AI-powered workflow:

  • 🛠️ n8n: This tool will help me link multiple AI workflows together, effectively acting as a project manager. It will track tasks that need to be completed, organize all my notes in a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) setup, and leverage APIs for deeper system integrations.

  • 📊 Infranodus: I’ll use this to analyze market trends and identify gaps where Sisu Analytics can expand. By mapping out connections between industry topics, it will help uncover new opportunities for growth.

  • 🤖 Self-Hosted OpenAI Models: Moving toward a more controlled and customized AI environment, I plan to host OpenAI or other AI models myself. Combined with an enhanced RAG-based knowledge base, this will allow me to build a deeper and more context-aware AI system tailored specifically for my consultancy’s needs.

  • 📈 Custom Data-Adjacent Software Solutions: I plan to develop specialized software tools that extend beyond traditional analytics, helping my customers integrate AI into their workflows more seamlessly. These solutions will bridge gaps in reporting, automation, and AI-driven insights tailored to each client’s unique needs. I’ve seen a lot of gaps, especially in data governance software for small to medium business, and I’m looking to address this specifically with Replit, the Power BI APIs, and a lightweight database. Exciting stuff!

 

By continuing to refine and expand my AI toolkit, I can keep improving efficiency, decision-making, and the value I provide to my clients. My good friend Zac Engler at Bodhi AI is helping me jump even further ahead with more and more automations.

The future of AI-driven analytics is exciting, and I’m all in. 🚀

Want to chat about AI-powered analytics? Let’s connect!

Garret Saarinen