I'm Charles Reid — and I've run small businesses

Hello, I'm Charles Reid, 41, from Austin, TX. I didn't come from tech, I've run small businesses. I know which AI tools actually work — and which ones waste your time.

My first company was a signage shop in Nashville. We had six employees, a van, and a spreadsheet that ran our entire operation. When I co-founded a scheduling platform for restaurants a few years later, I finally understood what it felt like to be on both sides — the one selling software, and the one who had to make it actually work on a Tuesday night during a dinner rush.

After selling that company in 2017, I spent five years consulting for independent businesses — retailers, restaurant groups, service providers. Smart, hardworking people who kept hearing that AI was going to change everything, but had no idea where to start or what was actually worth paying for.

In 2022, I started systematically testing AI tools with one simple filter: would this work for a real small business with a real budget? Not a startup with VC money. Not a Fortune 500 team. A business run by two to ten people who need results, not complexity.

Orizane is what came out of that process. Every tool I review, I've actually used. Every recommendation comes with a realistic cost breakdown and an honest verdict. If something's not worth your time, I'll tell you.
No fluff. No hype. Just what works.

Charles