Every sprint starts from a dead stop.
Then you commit. All four feet off the ground.
This is what it looks like when you stop hesitating.
And mechanics can be taught. That's what I do.
I'm Clifford McKenna, founder of Stooplight. I help individuals and small businesses go from "we should probably look into AI" to actually running with it — real tools, real workflows, plain language.
A free consultation costs you thirty minutes. Standing still costs you every month it continues.
Book a free consultation CliffordMcKenna.comWhether you're one curious person or a small business owner wearing ten hats, I help you get past the noise and put AI to work in a way that actually fits. No hype, no jargon, no condescension. Just clear guidance from someone who uses these tools every day to write, create, and build — including Stooplight, the small-business website platform I founded.
Writers, artists, retirees, career changers, and the simply curious. You keep hearing about AI and want to actually use it, without losing your voice or your mind.
Owners and tiny teams wearing ten hats. You suspect AI could save you hours every week, but nobody has shown you where it fits in your actual business.
Need the website too? I built Stooplight for exactly that — sign up, and it's live in fifteen minutes.
See the business session
Clifford McKenna. Working with clients everywhere.
I'm Clifford McKenna. I've been building software for nearly three decades, and the most recent thing I built is Stooplight: a platform where a small business signs up, pays, and has a working website fifteen minutes later, complete with an AI concierge, lead capture, and events. I built it, and I run it, in partnership with AI.
That's not a one-off. AI is part of everything I make now: the code I write, the novels I publish, the music and video I produce, even this website. Years of daily, hands-on use have taught me what these tools are genuinely good at, where they fall flat, and how to keep the human voice at the center.
That's what I bring to a session. Not a sales pitch, not a framework promising ten times your productivity. Just an honest conversation about where you are, what you want, and what's actually worth your time. I taught myself everything I know, so I remember exactly what it's like to learn something new without a manual. That's where most of my clients are with AI.
15 minutes · No charge
A short, no-pressure chat to figure out where you are with AI and whether I can help. Bring questions or just curiosity.
60 minutes · $120
A focused one-on-one session. You bring a project, a goal, or plain curiosity. We work hands-on with the tools that fit your life and your voice.
60 minutes · $120
A working session on your actual business. We walk through your week, find where AI genuinely saves hours, and set up workflows you'll really use.
4 sessions · $400
For people building something real, personal or professional. Four hour-long sessions over a month or two, plus async check-ins between calls.
Pick a time on the booking calendar below. Fifteen minutes. No prep needed, just show up with whatever's on your mind.
You tell me what you're trying to do or figure out. I listen, ask questions, and tell you straight whether I can help and how.
Maybe it's a strategy session. Maybe it's just a couple of free resources. Maybe it's not the right fit. All fine.
YOUR-CAL-USERNAME in the page source to activate it.
Especially for you. Most of my clients start at zero. The free intro call exists for exactly this reason: come with whatever level of "I have no idea" you're at, and we'll figure out where to begin.
Anything from "how do I use ChatGPT without getting overwhelmed" to "I'm a writer and want to use AI without losing my voice" to "I run a small business and keep hearing I should be using this stuff." If it involves AI tools and a real human goal, it's probably in scope. And if you're a developer curious about AI coding tools, that's familiar ground: I've been writing software for 27 years and use AI in my own coding every day.
That's exactly who the business session is for. You don't need to become technical. We look at your actual week (email, marketing, quotes, bookkeeping, customer questions) and find the two or three places AI genuinely saves you time. You leave with a simple written plan, not a pile of new software.
Plenty of people are: a photographer with a business, a writer with a shop. Book the free intro call and we'll sort out where to start. The paths share the same booking calendar, so nothing is locked in.
All sessions are remote, over video. Wherever you are, we can work together.
Free intro calls are free. Paid sessions are charged through the booking system when you reserve a time. If something comes up, you can reschedule.
Book the free call anyway. If we get on the phone and decide the answer is "you don't actually need this," I'll tell you. I'd rather send you off with a couple of useful pointers than sell you something you don't need.
I founded Stooplight so you don't need me to: sign up, pick a plan, and the site builds itself with an AI concierge, lead capture, and events already wired in. It's live in about fifteen minutes. If you'd rather have a hand, book a session and we'll set it up together in an hour.
No. I'm helping you use AI so your job (or your art, or your business) works better for you. Tools should serve people. Everything I do starts from that premise.
Not ready to book a call but you've still got questions? Send them here and I'll get back to you personally.
I read every message. No spam, ever.
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An occasional email with plain, useful advice on getting more out of AI tools. Short, honest, and written by a human.
No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
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The design, the code, the words, the dark mode, the tips: all of it, made in partnership with AI. It's the same kind of collaboration I help people learn, and this site sits alongside the rest of my Created with AI portfolio. Curious how it works?
Ask me how