Workflow automation
Intake, invoicing, scheduling, follow-ups — the back-office work that quietly eats payroll. We automate it with AI where AI earns trust, and plain software where it doesn't.
AI automation for operators
Self-paying
systems.
We build AI automation for real businesses run by real operators. Every system we ship has a payback period — usually weeks, not quarters. And if something won't reduce costs or increase revenue, we'll tell you straight, because we won't build it.
Operations systems
Catalog sync, order flows, reconciliation, reporting. Built the same way we run our own e-commerce systems: self-checking, observable, and boring on purpose.
AI with guardrails
Assistants and agents that know where the automation boundary is — and keep a human in the loop exactly where judgment still beats software.
How it works
three line items, one straight answer-
The teardown free
Send us one workflow that hurts. We map where the hours and dollars go and tell you what's worth automating — and what isn't.
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The build weeks
We ship a working system in weeks, on your data, with the checks that let your team actually trust it.
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The payback measured
We measure hours saved and revenue moved against what you paid us. The math is the deliverable.
Run by an operator, not a vendor
Payback Labs is run by Marc Pelberg, who builds and operates AI-driven e-commerce systems handling real money every day. The systems we sell are the systems we run ourselves.
Have a workflow that's eating your team's time?
Let's talk it through — no pitch, no jargon, no homework required. Tell us the process and the pain, and you'll get a straight answer about the payback period, even when the honest answer is "don't automate this."