What is Build With Billy?

Build With Billy is a personal brand and community from Billy Lewis — a self-taught builder running AI systems across a handful of small businesses from a farm in New Zealand. It’s a free newsletter, a free monthly community call, practical guides, and a couple of products (the Brain Kit and a cohort) for people who want to build real things with AI rather than just chat with it.

How much does AI consulting cost in New Zealand?

AI consulting in NZ ranges from free community workshops to $297–$497 for an AI Opportunity Map diagnostic, to custom retainers for managed automation. Build With Billy offers a free monthly community call, a time-savings calculator, and paid consulting starting at $297 NZD.

Do I need technical skills to use AI in my business?

No. Most AI tools have free tiers and simple interfaces. Build With Billy’s clients typically start with $0/month tools like Claude, Airtable, Supabase, and Vercel. Everything is explained in plain English for regular people doing meaningful work.

Can a small NZ business afford AI automation?

Yes. Most AI tools have free tiers. Build With Billy’s clients typically start with $0/month tools and only add paid services when the ROI is proven. The AI Quick Wins checklist shows 5 automations you can set up for free today.

A living knowledge base that remembers every decision, insight, and pattern. It grows with your work and gives your AI permanent context. Available as a starter kit from Build With Billy.

Build With Billy · AI for regular lifeMangaroa Farms · --:-- NZTBiweekly letter · Monday morningFree monthly call · First Monday 7pm NZTBroadcast from AotearoaSimple tools · more time · being humanBuild With Billy · AI for regular lifeMangaroa Farms · --:-- NZTBiweekly letter · Monday morningFree monthly call · First Monday 7pm NZTBroadcast from AotearoaSimple tools · more time · being human

✦ Human intelligence × technological possibility

Use AI with clarity to free up your time.

The wisdom is already in you — your clarity, your connection to life, your reason for doing this. AI just frees up the rest.

A short letter most weeks, and a free monthly call from a farm in New Zealand. Practical AI, grounded in what matters.

— people get this most weeks

You know AI could help. You just don't know where to start.

You've tried ChatGPT. Maybe you've played with Claude. Send a prompt, get an average answer. Get excited, see the possibilities, then hit a wall. AI is telling you what to do, rather than doing it for you.

Meanwhile, people are out there building dope websites in no time at all, automating their admin while they sleep, and running entire operations with AI — and you're still copying and pasting into a chat window.

Take 2 minutes to find out how much time you're actually losing →

The gap isn't intelligence. It's not even paid subscriptions. It's systems and awareness. Someone needs to show you how the pieces connect, in plain English, without the tech-bro energy. This is what I'm passionate about creating. Real, human interaction with grounded knowledge and practical outcomes.

Free · Monthly · Zoom

Join the community call.

Monthly on Zoom at 7pm NZT. 90 minutes. Bring what you're stuck on. Leave with ideas and inspiration. No pitching or replays. Just genuine human togetherness.

Next: Tue, 23 Jun · 19:00 NZT

Products

Tools for the work

✦

Available now

The Brain Kit

A living knowledge base that remembers every decision, every insight, every pattern. Not a chatbot. A system that grows with your work — permanently.

Explore→

Next intake

AI Cohort

A guided build, in a small group. You come with your idea — you leave with your own AI system, running and real.

Learn more→

Free guides

Real walkthroughs, no slop

Interactive starter kits, step-by-step builds, and examples of what I've actually shipped. All free.

Browse resources →

New here?

Start with the basics

A short, ordered path through the essentials — the exact first steps I'd take if I were starting today.

Start here →

What people say

"This has been super useful. I can see exactly how to apply this to what we're building."

Cam Watts · Race for Impact

"These newsletters are mindblowing to say the least."

Louis · Newsletter reader

"So much better than ChatGPT just agreeing with my thinking. Lovvvving the practical prompts."

Claire

"I'm reading your AI emails every week! I don't feel the need to keep my finger on the dystopian future as much."

Dan

"I'm keen to learn more and be part of this next technological age."

"This has been super useful. I can see exactly how to apply this to what we're building."

Cam Watts · Race for Impact

"These newsletters are mindblowing to say the least."

Louis · Newsletter reader

"So much better than ChatGPT just agreeing with my thinking. Lovvvving the practical prompts."

Claire

"I'm reading your AI emails every week! I don't feel the need to keep my finger on the dystopian future as much."

Dan

"I'm keen to learn more and be part of this next technological age."

What I've built

Recent AI builds.

Here's a couple of public sites I've built recently. Each one only took me a few hours, fully automated with databases, Zoom auto-registration, Stripe payments, Shopify connections and more. No templates. No manual code.

Just a chat with old mate Claude code.

Mangaroa Farms Meat Shop

Next.js · Shopify · Klaviyo

Lucid Living — Online Breathwork

Next.js · Stripe · Vercel

Ancestral intelligence

Sovereignty, not productivity

Your voice amplified, not replaced. Your systems working for you while you're outside, surfing, with your family — living. This isn't about doing more. It's about doing what matters.

✦

Who's Billy

I spent the last decade as a freelancer digital creative — videography, websites, brand work. All manual work. Very labour intensive. Crash-landed at a farm in New Zealand a few years ago, and slowly started a new chapter.

Now I run the marketing for Mangaroa Farms, and a few other digital brands. My goal is to be digitally efficient, and spend more and more time outside.

I believe AI alone is a black hole. A void of satisfaction and purpose. But when you combine it with real human outcomes (spending more time with family, creating meaningful work, etc), it becomes a powerful force for good.

10+

Years building

—

Monday readers

24/7

Systems running

AI-built sites

A free letter, most weeks.

Sharing insights, things I've built, and ideas for how to use AI to free up your time. First signup includes a starter kit to get you going today.

✦

By the way

This entire site was built by AI. The guides were written by AI. The emails are sent by AI. But really... Who cares?

AI alone is not impressive. Actually, it's a bit cringe. For it to be effective, we must have a genuine, clear human vision and understanding of how the tools work together. This is what I'm sharing.

I didn't build this to show off skills (Claude did most of the work). I built it because I needed it — and then I realised other people needed it too. Everything I share here is the real thing, in plain English.

— Billy

Talk to me

Got a question? Just ask.

This goes straight to my inbox, not a chatbot. I'll do my best to reply within 24 hours :)

Last updated May 2026

Free starter kit + Monday letter

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