ZenBusiness enhances its AI copilot for new business owners with step-by-step blueprints

ZenBusiness Inc., a company that offers an all-in-one-platform to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses, today announced it’s expanding its Velo artificial intelligence guide, featuring new planning capabilities for people just getting their footing.

The physical and emotional reality of starting a business can take a toll on new owners who may have little access to the tools and knowledge they need to get into the trade. Regulations, digital infrastructure, paperwork and the day-to-day tracking of all the moving parts can quickly take their toll.

Velo acts as a source of personalized, always-on business guidance. Capitalizing on early success and broad adoption of the AI agent, ZenBusiness added Velo Blueprint, a step-by-step plan that focuses on providing a clear set of building blocks to grow businesses.

That allows users to quickly get started from standing still, instead of needing to stare at a blank page. From ZenBusiness’s own data, most owners do not begin by asking about a specific product or service; they describe their place in their journey, how prepared they are to hire, if they’re opening bank accounts or launching websites, or if they’re worried about licensing.

Entrepreneurs already have a goal in mind for their business; what they don’t have is the roadmap.

As users move through each step, Velo validates and understands much of the work for them. It generates business ideas, estimates startup costs and advises on entity selection. Customers that create a free account can save an initial Blueprint and pick up where they left off on any device, from web to mobile app.

“After helping nearly 1 million people start businesses, we’ve seen firsthand how many great ideas never make it past the planning stage,” said Chief Executive and co-founder Ross Buhrdorf. “We recently surveyed over 1,000 entrepreneurs and nearly 60% told us they’d turn to AI for guidance on starting or running a business.”

Buhrdorf said many owners find themselves mired in uncertainty when starting because they’re afraid of making mistakes, not knowing where to begin and not knowing what information to trust.

This is why ZenBusiness built Velo, which has handled more than 2 million conversations since its initial launch in July 2025. More than half the company’s customers have engaged Velo and more than 53% come back within the same month.

Today, Velo can handle almost 72% of conversations, routing users to human experts when judgement, empathy or added certainty is required. The company added that roughly 60% of those elevated calls happen because the AI agent determines a person is better suited for help, rather than just providing a summary, resources, the correct website, phone number or guidance.

According to ZenBusiness, Velo usage data shows that small business owners are not turning to AI for answers as much as using it to make decisions, seek reassurance, understand obligations and figure out what to do next.

“I set out to launch a new product line and wanted LLC protection for it, so I had Velo help me figure out whether the business idea even made sense,” said Ashley Rector, founder of social media marketing agency Quimby Digital. “It gave me the building blocks and had my brain marinating on what I needed to do next. From there, Velo kept me on track with everything from keeping my LLC in good standing.”

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