--- name: al-494-replace-a-software-subscription-you-only-half-use-with-a description: "Small companies often pay for whole software platforms when they only use a small part of them. AI Business Plays writes up a self-reported LinkedIn post by Tobi Oredein, CEO and founder of Black Ballad, a UK media and data company. Using Claude Code, her team built their own versions of three tools they had been paying for and cancelled the subscriptions; she says that put £20,000 back into cash flow over nine months, and part of it went to the people on their Weekender media team. It is self-reported. Tools you build yourself still need someone to keep them running, backed up and secure, and that time is a real cost, so start with an internal tool that doesn't hold customer payment data. Use when the user wants help with build in-house tools to cut software subscriptions (business strategy) for a small business." --- # Replace a software subscription you only half use with a small tool you build: have an AI coding agent rank your paid tools by how easy they'd be to rebuild, spec only the features you use, and run both side by side before you cancel Small companies often pay for whole software platforms when they only use a small part of them. AI Business Plays writes up a self-reported LinkedIn post by Tobi Oredein, CEO and founder of Black Ballad, a UK media and data company. Using Claude Code, her team built their own versions of three tools they had been paying for and cancelled the subscriptions; she says that put £20,000 back into cash flow over nine months, and part of it went to the people on their Weekender media team. It is self-reported. Tools you build yourself still need someone to keep them running, backed up and secure, and that time is a real cost, so start with an internal tool that doesn't hold customer payment data. ## Inputs to collect first Ask the user for anything below that they haven't already given you. Don't guess missing facts. - Tool, yearly cost, what we actually use it for, how many people use… - None, some, a developer ## Instructions Do the task below with the user's inputs in place of each [bracket]. Help me decide which software subscription I could replace with a small tool we build ourselves with an AI coding agent like Claude Code. Here is everything we pay for: [tool, yearly cost, what we actually use it for, how many people use it, what data it holds]. Our technical skill: [none, some, a developer]. 1) Rank the tools from easiest and safest to replace to hardest. Rule out anything that handles payments, sensitive customer data or legal records, or that we'd struggle to keep secure. 2) For the top pick, list only the features we actually use, the data we'd need to export from the old tool, and what we'd lose. 3) Estimate the yearly saving and the time we'd spend maintaining, backing up and updating our own version, so I can see the real net saving. 4) Write a step-by-step build plan for a coding agent: a simple first version, how data gets imported, who can log in, and how it's backed up. 5) Give me a one-month side-by-side test plan listing what has to work before we cancel the paid tool, and a way to switch back if it doesn't. ## Safety checks (share these with the user) - Check every figure, price and total against your own records before anything is sent, posted or booked. A person approves refunds, discounts, payments and price changes. - Anything legal, tax or compliance-related is a first draft for a qualified person to check. It is not professional advice, and clause references and deadlines must be checked against the source. - Remove names, contact details, account numbers and other personal data the task doesn't need before you paste, and check your AI tool's data and training settings. - Read and edit the draft before it reaches a customer or goes public. If you later automate this prompt, start with "draft and notify me", not "send automatically". - Say clearly which parts need a person to review or approve before anything is sent, paid, posted or filed. ## About this skill - Works with: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor - Based on this real-world example: https://aibusinessplays.com/plays/media-company-replaces-3-software-tools-saves-20000-pounds/ - Free prompt from AgentPlaybook Real Estate: https://agentic-library.netlify.app/prompt/al-494-replace-a-software-subscription-you-only-half-use-with-a-sma/ - To install in an agent that supports Agent Skills, save this file as SKILL.md in a folder with the same name as `name` above (for example in your skills directory). Install steps for Claude.ai, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex: https://agentic-library.netlify.app/skills/