Robert Flaugher

Founder & CEO of Ingenuity Ventures, Inc.

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

Claude for Small Business Update #5

Just tried to benchmark HubSpot /call-list latency issue from a US-based Mac using MacInCloud's managed server plan.

Cowork threw a VZErrorDomain error on launch — turns out Cowork needs admin-level access to Apple's Virtualization framework, and managed server plans run with standard user permissions. Incompatible.

Our Bangkok baseline is 2:26. Still don't know if that's geography or platform architecture.

If you're running Cowork from a US-based Mac, I'd love to know your /call-list runtime. Drop it below.

#buildinpublic #claudeforsmallbusiness #CFSB

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

This is the first end-to-end vertical workflow I've seen someone demonstrate on CFSB. The measurement-to-estimate-to-QBO chain is exactly the kind of thing that makes the platform real for a specific industry. Where did you find the show-measurement MCP app — is that in the Cowork directory or did you build it?

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

@bFlood Exactly — and that gap between 'confusing to a developer' and 'completely stops an SMB owner cold' is what I'm trying to map. Good to know QBO acted the same for you. I'm interested to learn about your experiences with Claude.

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

Update #4

Today I connected HubSpot to Claude for Small Business and ran the /call-list skill against a test CRM with 10 contacts.

The result: a prioritized call list with talking points, a goal for each call, and suggested time blocks — generated automatically from CRM data.

2 minutes 26 seconds start to finish.

Is that fast enough for real SMB use? That's the question I'm stress-testing next.

Here's what I learned today 🧵

#buildinpublic

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

@alexabelonix Thank you, Alexa. 😊

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

Finding of the day: the HubSpot connector flow has a critical authorization step buried in a browser tab while a modal in the app says "complete sign-in steps in the new tab" — with no button, no arrow, and no obvious next action.

An SMB owner would have no idea what to do. I almost didn't either.

Platform immaturity as content opportunity. This is the job.

#buildinpublic

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

What it couldn't do (yet):

→ Gmail not connected = no email context per contact
→ Calendar not connected = suggested time blocks but no auto-scheduling
→ 2:26 runtime = too slow if you need this every morning before calls

All three should be fixable. Connecting Gmail and Calendar is next.

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

@mtnbikecanadian Thanks so much!

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

Today I’m calling the MVP “done enough” and putting it out there:
https://t.co/K8ZXdu0CHr

What it does:

* English → natural Thai (not robotic)
* Clean romanization that matches how I’m actually learning
* Audio pronunciation

The biggest lesson:
I stopped trying to make it “smart” and started making it **reliable**.

* Moved formatting out of the model into code
* Simplified the output
* Focused on how *learners* actually use it

Next step:
Show it to my Thai instructor and get brutally honest feedback.

If you’re learning Thai, I’d love your thoughts.

#buildinpublic

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

@kanwisher Thank you for your feedback.

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

@isnatious Thanks very much! I've had trouble understanding GT's romanizations sometimes. Mine make more sense to me.

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

Spent yesterday getting feedback on my Thai translation app from my instructor.

His reaction:
→ “I’d trust this.”

That was the goal.

We tested:

→ single words
→ simple sentences
→ real usage

Key insight:
Translations are correct, but not always how a Thai would actually say it.

Example:
“I like to drink coffee”
→ technically correct
→ but a Thai would often say “eat” (กิน) instead

Also:
Thai naturally omits words that English requires.
So “perfect translation” ≠ “natural Thai”

But it's good enough for an MVP.

#buildinpublic

https://t.co/bbL5rQnREg

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

No. Thai Translator is a vanilla HTML/CSS/JavaScript frontend with no framework, deployed on Vercel. It calls the OpenAI API with a carefully engineered prompt that enforces natural Thai phrasing and consistent, tone-aware romanization. Audio pronunciation is provided by the browser's built-in TTS engine which picks the best available voice on the user's device.

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

@therealdelairj This is cool! I'm going to have to try it out.

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

@ThailandLong Thank you!

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

Build in Public Update #3

Today I finally got Claude for Small Business connected to QuickBooks Online. It wasn't pretty. Here's what I learned the hard way. 🧵

CFSB's QB connector only works with a production QBO account. Developer sandboxes don't work. Anthropic confirmed it. A paid or trial subscription is a hard requirement for testing.

The connector also doesn't distinguish between an Intuit developer account and a regular QBO user account anywhere in the setup flow. I burned time authenticating with the wrong account type with zero guidance from the UI.

Once connected, I asked Claude in plain English: "What invoices do I have outstanding?" It pulled my test invoice — customer name, amount, due date — formatted it cleanly, and got it right.

That moment is why I'm doing this. An SMB owner shouldn't have to know any of what I went through to get that answer. That's the gap I'm building to fill.

Below is a link to a short video showing the QB query in action. Check it out.

#buildinpublic #claudeforsmallbusiness #SMB #AI

https://t.co/fs0pLFmSqR

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

Update #2 — Claude for Small Business
Spent today trying to connect the QuickBooks connector to an Intuit developer sandbox.

Short version: it doesn't work.

The connector routes you to a QBO trial signup instead of recognizing developer accounts.

Finding: testing CFSB's finance skills may require a paid QBO subscription.
Submitting a bug report. Pressing on.

#buildinpublic #claudeAI #smallbusiness #AI

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

Day 1 learning Claude for Small Business.
First observation: when connecting QuickBooks, it mentions an "OAuth flow" to authenticate.
No small business owner knows what that means.
If AI is going to work for SMBs, the onboarding experience needs to speak their language — not ours.
More to come.
#buildinpublic #claudeAI #smallbusiness #AI

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

After weeks of testing, prompt refinement, and feedback from Thai speakers and learners, I finally launched Thai Translator on Product Hunt today.

The goal wasn’t to build “another AI translator.”

It was to build something that actually helps English speakers learn and use conversational Thai:

- natural phrasing
- readable romanization
- fast pronunciation playback
- minimal UI

One of the most interesting lessons:
Native Thai speakers consistently preferred slightly more conversational phrasing over technically complete translations.

Would genuinely love feedback from:

- Thai learners
- expats in Thailand
- native Thai speakers

https://t.co/tGHEGo5pRT

[Robert Flaugher @robertflaugher]

@J0EBKK We do get to see some amazing cloud formations from our condos!