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DEEP DIVE
🕒 Read time: 7 min | 📄 Word count: ~1050
TL;DR
Every new AI feature needs a check for bias, toxicity, hallucinations, and edge-case bugs. YC-backed Cekura just raised $2.4M and charges $1000 per client each month to do exactly that. If you can break things methodically and write a clear report, you can sell the same service; solo, remote, and on retainer.
🚀 Why this matters
AI launches are outpacing QA teams. Deloitte expects one-quarter of GenAI adopters to deploy agent based testing this year.
Ship fast; test faster. Startups push code before the coffee cools; sloppy AI outputs spark PR disasters.
Money talks. A founder will happily pay $1000 to you instead of hiring a full-time QA engineer with stock options.
Adoption curve is steep. Deloitte projects one-quarter of GenAI adopters will run agent based testing in 2025. (deloitte.com)
You already have the core skills. Curiosity, clear writing, and nit-picking edge cases outperform fancy credentials.
LET’S BREAK IT DOWN 👇
Curated Reads
Main Feature
🛠️ The 5-Step Blueprint for your QA-a-a-S
That’s a lot of A’s. But even more potential $$$’s.
Step 1: Pick a testing focus and skill-check yourself
Decide on one coverage area:
• Toxicity or bias (chat or voice)
• Hallucination spotting (knowledge agents)
• Accessibility (voice or screen-reader flows)Grab a public model on Hugging Face or the free tier of ChatGPT and run ten prompts that match your chosen focus.
Score your own outputs so you learn what “good” and “bad” look like.
Time yourself. If a run takes more than five minutes per prompt, narrow the scope until it feels repeatable.
💡Pro tip: Use everyday content from your inbox or social feeds as seed prompts. Real-world text surfaces edge cases fast.
Step 2: Build a lean test rig you can demo in two minutes
Create a new project in PromptLayer; turn on full logging.
Install OpenAI Evals or paste outputs into the free Anthropic harmlessness checker; save scores in a CSV.
Spin up a Notion database or Google Sheet with columns:
Prompt · Output · Issue flag · Severity 1-5 · Suggested fixDrop all files into a dedicated Google Drive folder; share-link set to “Anyone with the link.”
💡Pro tip: Record a Loom walkthrough that shows the three tabs (PromptLayer, evaluation, Notion). Founders often approve vendors on the spot when they see a clear workflow.
Step 3: Land your first client in under one week
Search Product Hunt, YC Demo Day, or Reddit r/startups for fresh “AI assistant,” “chatbot,” or “voice agent” launches posted within the last 30 days.
Build a five-line DM:
❝“Hi [Name]. I stress-test AI agents for bias and hallucinations. I ran your bot through ten prompts and spotted [one quick issue]. I can share the report in 24h. Free sample if you want it.”
Attach a screenshot of the flagged output (blur any sensitive data).
Follow up once forty-eight hours later with a short bump: “Still up for a free QA snapshot?”
💡Pro tip: Track every outreach in a simple Airtable so you can measure conversion rate and refine your message.
Step 4: Package a retainer that sells itself
Tier | Volume | SLA | Price | Deliverables |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Starter | 250 prompts per month | 48 hours | $500 | Weekly issue log; one summary Loom |
Growth | 1000 prompts per month | 24 hours | $1000 | Twice-weekly log; priority chat; fix suggestions |
Compliance | Custom | 24 hours or faster | $2000+ | Bias metrics; PDF audit; follow-up session |
Price per prompt, not per hour. Clients connect usage to value.
Include one monthly “health report” PDF that highlights trends and shows quick wins.
Use Stripe subscriptions for clean billing.
💡Pro tip: Offer a seven-day paid pilot at half rate; roll it into a monthly plan if they stay on.
Step 5 – Scale into a micro-agency without scope creep
Post a short job on Upwork: “AI output reviewer – must hit 95 % accuracy on sample set – $12 per hour.”
Onboard two reviewers; share your SOP and sample graded outputs.
Create a Notion dashboard: Inbox (new prompts) – In review – QA check – Client ready.
Spot-check ten percent of each reviewer’s work. If accuracy slips below 93%, retrain or replace.
Keep profit margin at 50% by charging flat per prompt and paying reviewers hourly.
💡Pro tip: Once your team handles day-to-day review, shift your time to sales calls and writing LinkedIn threads that showcase anonymized bug stories. Thought leadership attracts higher-budget clients.
That’s it. The exact same workflow Cekura scales with millions in funding can start on your laptop tonight for zero upfront cost.
💸 Monetization toolkit
Play | Tools | Typical rate | Upsell path |
|---|---|---|---|
One-off “Red Team” review | Voiceflow test console; PromptLayer logs | $300–$500 per model | Convert to monthly watch list |
Monthly QA retainer (up to 1 K prompts) | Notion test suite; GPT-4 evaluator | $1K – $1.5K | Extra languages; faster SLA |
Full compliance audit (finance / health) | CLAI; Fair-score; bias metrics | $2K+ per audit | Quarterly re-certification |
Keep overhead light; a prompt logger, a bias checker, and a clean Notion template are enough to start.
Your Next Steps
If this sounds interesting:
Draft a 10-prompt test suite in Notion and run it against ChatGPT for practice.
Film a 2-minute Loom showing how you log, tag, and score outputs.
Send five cold DMs using the template above, then follow up once after 48 h.
Land one paid retainer, then rinse and repeat with your dashboard as proof.
🗳️ Quick poll!
Most popular vote wins. I’ll cover the top pain point next week.!
Need a Notion test-suite template or a video walk-through? Just let me know and I’ll send it over.
A Final Note
P.S. - If this helped you, forward it to someone who's looking for a side hustle. They'll thank you, and I'll keep the quality content coming.
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
— Arthur Ashe
ROB LARA
Creator of ZeroToAI 🤖 - a weekly guide built for busy people who want to actually use AI to get more done and maybe even enjoy it.
Every tip is field-tested (sometimes obsessively) so readers can skip the overwhelm and get straight to results.
On a mission to help others create passive income and freedom through AI.
