Building ZenBusiness Velo™ in the Open

Sharing is the foundation of every thriving community

When we launched ZenBusiness Velo™, our AI Agent experience, a month ago, we benefitted immensely from others in the tech ecosystem who have openly shared their patterns, learnings, and tools. That generosity has helped us avoid mistakes, accelerate our thinking, and push further than we could have on our own.

Now, it’s our turn to pay it forward. Starting today, we’ll be building Velo™ in the open.

Why we’re doing this

Earlier this year, ZenBusiness made the decision to go “all-in” on AI. That choice came with enormous excitement — but also with challenges that are unique to companies that already have a thriving business.

Unlike AI-native startups, we weren’t starting from a blank page. We had hundreds of thousands of small business customers to serve, a platform already running at scale, and a brand built on trust and reliability. Every AI decision, technical or strategic, had to be weighed against the systems, promises, and expectations already in place.

That meant navigating hard tradeoffs: speed vs. stability, innovation vs. compliance, experimentation vs. reliability. These aren’t abstract questions - they show up in every design choice, every product iteration, and every line of code.

We know many other established companies are wrestling with the same issues. Many of you have helped us already. By sharing what we learn, we hope our experience can make our collective path a little easier.

What we’ll share

Each week, we’ll publish updates here and on LinkedIn to share

• The progress we’re making as Velo™ evolves.
• The setbacks and mistakes that teach us along the way.
• The tradeoffs we’re forced to make as we balance innovation with responsibility.

Some weeks these will be small observations, other weeks deeper reflections. Either way, our commitment is to share candidly and consistently.

What we hope to spark

This isn’t just about documenting our journey — it’s about contributing to a broader conversation. If our transparency helps even a few other companies navigate their own AI transformation, it will be worth it. And if some choose to share back, we’ll all be better for it.

Most of all, our goal is to ensure AI delivers real value to small business owners — the entrepreneurs, dreamers, and doers at the heart of our mission. That’s what drives us, and that’s why we’re excited to take you along on this journey.

We’re building ZenBusiness Velo™ in the open. We hope you’ll join us. Follow the journey here.