Before we opened: all those forms

The leasing application was the biggest headache. After finding a place for our kitchen, the property manager sent us a form with a lot to fill in. And there were more forms behind it.

We also needed to register a new company for Chloe’s Mama Kitchen. Between the leasing application and the company setup, getting ready to open meant working through a lot of paperwork. When I think back to what felt hardest at this stage, it was filling in all those forms.

This was where we started using an AI agent to help with the work. We gave it the forms to fill in. It prepared them, and we signed the completed versions ourselves. Having someone else do the filling-in made that part much easier for us.

The agent could also handle the next step with the documents we had signed: submit them online, or send them to the relevant person, depending on how that application needed to be returned. We still supplied the signatures. The agent handled the preparation and the handoff.

In our first story, AI helped us research places and spot a confusing rental listing. Here, its role had grown to include getting actual paperwork ready and helping return it. That was a very practical use for a small business trying to get started.

I think form-filling deserves more attention when people talk about AI for small businesses. A long application is exactly the kind of job you would be glad to get help with. For us, having the agent prepare the forms meant we could pick up a completed version and sign it, instead of doing all the filling-in ourselves.

This is the second part of our small kitchen's AI diary. We had found the place, and AI was helping with the paperwork. Next time, we'll go back to the work before signing: reading the contract and understanding the solicitor’s advice.