Sprockets AI Built Trust in Hourly Hiring Before the Tech Took Off

When you’re a startup selling into old-school industries like QSR, hospitality, or retail, trust is your biggest roadblock — not your product.

That’s exactly what AJ Richichi, founder of Sprockets AI, ran into when building an AI-powered hiring assistant for hourly businesses. His platform worked. The tech was solid. But buyers weren’t convinced.

To break through, AJ went beyond product demos. He built authority — and positioned Sprockets as a trusted voice in the hourly hiring ecosystem through content, partnerships, and founder-led thought leadership.

Key Takeaways

• Sprockets sells an AI recruiter (Jojo) that automates hourly hiring
• Their ICP is multi-unit operators in food, retail, and hospitality
• Early friction came from perception — not product fit
• Publishing a book helped AJ reframe his authority and win buyer trust
• Content, consistency, and storytelling became core to GTM success

Hourly Hiring Is Broken — and Everyone Knows It

Turnover in hourly roles is brutal. Restaurants, hotels, and convenience stores see 100–150% churn, with managers spending thousands just to fill one role — and repeat it again 3 months later.

That’s what Sprockets is solving with Jojo, their AI assistant that handles:

• Sourcing
• Screening
• Scheduling

So managers can just show up and hire.

But early on, even when the product solved the right problem, AJ kept running into skepticism.

“If their son was five years older than me and couldn’t hold down a job, that bias carried into the meeting.”

It wasn’t a feature issue. It was a founder image issue.

When the Product Isn’t Enough, Build Authority

Instead of fighting back or faking credibility, AJ took a more strategic route — and wrote a book.

Partnering with Forbes, he launched Hourly: a 100+ page deep dive into the economics, psychology, and operations of hiring in the hourly labor market. It wasn’t a glorified product brochure — it was a playbook.

“We didn’t just want to pitch Sprockets. We wanted to define the space.”

The book included:

• Real industry data
• Operator testimonials
• Actionable frameworks for hiring and retention
• A clear voice on where the industry was going

And just like that — the conversation shifted. Sprockets became the company that wrote the book on this.

Turning Content Into a GTM Advantage

Since the launch of Hourly, AJ and the team have:

• Landed more inbound franchise deals
• Been invited to speak at national conferences
• Spun up a podcast and interview series
• Created a new layer of credibility for AJ as a founder — not just a product builder

This wasn’t about virality. It was about showing up consistently, owning a niche, and giving buyers a reason to believe.

“Being first to the message is almost as powerful as being first to market.”

Why Trust Is a Flywheel — and Authority Fuels It

Trust isn’t built with one slick pitch deck. It’s built through:

• Repetition
• Value
• Relevance
• Proof

And that’s what founder-led content unlocks — especially in spaces where you’re selling into legacy operators who’ve seen every tool come and go.

If you’re trying to win deals before you’ve raised your Series A — or trying to land enterprise accounts when your headcount is still under 20 — credibility becomes currency. And authority compounds.

“If you share what you know consistently, people stop asking ‘why you’ and start asking ‘what’s next.’”

Book a Free AI Assessment if you're selling into a trust-first industry and need to scale faster without adding headcount. We’ll help you identify high-impact opportunities for custom AI implementation, from automating manual workflows to enhancing buyer experience, and deliver a strategic roadmap to move from trust gaps to traction.