Our story

Built for small businesses first

Last updated

We have spent more than 25 years building new kinds of software early, for people who move fast. Here is what we built, and when.

Key takeaways
  • MyZone AI's founder and his teams have built software for small businesses since 2000.
  • Earlier work includes social apps in 2000, our own online ticketing in 2003, and an AI support bot for the Glow Christmas lights festival in 2019.
  • The first clients started using Ai1 in early 2026, and every plan has run on a private server since April 2026.
  • Each date is when that piece went live for clients or first appeared on our public pages.
  • When one client hits a problem, their agent reports it with their approval, and the tested fix is released to every client server it applies to.
Start with the milestones See it working
  • Our founder's small business automation work since 2000

Milestones

What did MyZone AI build before Ai1?

Before Ai1, our founder and his teams spent decades building things for small businesses and their customers, usually before there was a name for them.

  1. 2000

    Social apps1

    Social apps that went viral around the world, years before Friendster and MySpace, let alone Facebook.

  2. 2003

    Our own online ticketing2

    At a big tech conference we couldn't find ticketing that fit, so we built our own.

  3. 2016

    Business systems

    Custom business systems for event and retail clients, so they could run sales, stock and operations in one place.

  4. 2018 to 2019

    Chat automation and an AI support bot

    For Glow, a Christmas lights festival and our partner: Messenger marketing in 2018, then an AI support bot in 2019 that handled 85% of support tickets.

  5. 2026

    Ai1

    A team of AI agents that works for a small business on its own private server. What we built, and when, is below.

What has Ai1 added, and when?

Each date is when the piece went live for clients or first appeared on our public pages.

  1. Early 2026

    The first clients start using Ai1

    Their own portal, with their agents' work, briefings and approvals in one login.

  2. April 2026

    A private server for every client3

    Every plan runs on a server that belongs to that business alone.

  3. April 2026

    Agents draft, you approve4

    Agents prepare emails and replies overnight, and nothing goes out until you say yes.

    A phone showing one request and a large green approve button

  4. April 2026

    Your own AI account3

    You bring your own AI provider account and pay it directly, with no markup from us.

  5. April 2026

    A ready-made library of agents, with training3

    Pick what you need from a catalog, and your team gets training sessions to put it to work.

  6. June 2026

    One live board for all your agents' work

    See what is running, what is waiting and what is done, and act from the same screen.

    Small robot assistants sorting paperwork and handing a person a short summary with three checkmarks

  7. June 2026

    CRM, living SOPs and Council

    A CRM your agents keep up to date, procedures that stay current as your tools change, and a panel of AI advisers that weighs a big decision step by step before you choose.

    See the CRM

    Two versions of a procedure side by side, with the step that differs flagged and magnified

  8. June 2026

    Ai1 Tasks

    One task board where your staff and your agents work from the same list.

    See Ai1 Tasks

    A task board: new tasks arrive from email, chat and calendar, and a person approves one as it moves to done

  9. August 2026

    Whisper voice notes

    Speak a note anywhere, and it is written up and sent to the right place.

  10. September 2026

    A status page for each piece of work, and the Needs panel

    Share where a job stands with your team or clients, and see every question your agents have for you in one list, not lost in a chat.

    Emails, chat messages and meetings all landing on one tidy checklist, with a net catching the one that nearly fell

Sources

  1. Clubvibes.com, Internet Archive copy, November 10, 2000
  2. Techvibes.com selling event tickets online, Internet Archive copy, December 12, 2003
  3. Our pricing page, Internet Archive copy, April 19, 2026
  4. Our approvals page, Internet Archive copy, April 19, 2026

How we work

Why does MyZone AI move so fast?

We move fast on purpose. When something new becomes possible, we try it, put it in front of real clients and keep what works.

We decide quickly and fix quickly. A small change shipped this week teaches us more than a perfect plan shipped next year.

And we learn in public: workshops, recordings and dated pages, so you can see what we built and when.

Three months can matter more than you think

Two businesses grow at the same speed: ten times a year. One starts three months before the other.

Same speed, three months apart Two lines that both grow ten times a year. The early starter begins three months before the later starter. After 24 months the early starter is at 100 and the later starter at about 56. The gap between them grows from about 0.8 to about 44 units, while the ratio stays about 1.78 to 1. Illustration, not a forecast. 025507510006121824 3-month head start gapabout 44 100 56.2
Illustration, not a forecast. Same speed, three months apart: two years later the gap is about 44 units, and it keeps growing. This is when speed matters.
See the numbers
The numbers behind the chart
Months from the early startEarly starterLater starterGap
31.81.00.8
63.21.81.4
1210.05.64.4
1831.617.813.8
24100.056.243.8

Who we fit

Who is Ai1 a good fit for?

Our best clients understand that change is speeding up, and they want to be early. They are flexible, they like trying new things, and they adapt quickly when something better comes along.

If you want polished, decade-old software, there are great options. If you're ready to ride the wave, every small advantage compounds.

How Ai1 gets better

How does Ai1 get better over time?

When one client hits a problem, the fix can help everyone. Here is how it works.

  1. You hit an issue.

    Something doesn't work the way you expect.

  2. Your agent reports it.

    It writes up what happened, so you don't have to.

  3. You approve with one button.

    Nothing is sent to us without your yes.

  4. Our head-office agent fixes and tests it.

    The fix is checked before it goes anywhere.

  5. The fix goes out and is checked.

    It is released to the client servers it applies to, and checked on each one.

From our founder

Mike Schwarz

Founder & CEO

My brain loves stimulation and change. Since 2000 I’ve started , and more than once I was too early. Clubvibes had a big audience before there was ad money to pay the server bills.

In 2018 and 2019 we built chat automation and then an AI support bot for Glow, a Christmas lights festival we partnered with. That project showed me where this was going.

“We believe software should work in real time, improve itself, and belong to the people who use it. That is what we are building with Ai1: software that everybody owns.”

Connect with me on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)
Mike Schwarz, Founder and CEO of MyZone AI

The companies we started

ExclusivePromotions.net
1999A networking night that grew into an events-promotion website.
Clubvibes.com
2000A Vancouver nightlife guide that grew into a global social network.
Techvibes.com
2002Tech-networking events and news for Vancouver’s tech community.
clubZone.com
2003Nightlife listings that turned into a ticketing business.
clubZone China
2003clubzone.cn, our nightlife site in Beijing.
Massive
2005A technology conference and expo, with exhibitors and attendees signing up online.
AM2 Studio
2010Our development partner in Croatia from 2009, then part of our company in 2010.
ticketZone.com
2011Self-serve ticketing that promoters run for their own events. Our own online ticketing began in 2003.
myZone agency
2014Our agency, building client software with a distributed team.
ClothWristbands.com
2017Custom wristbands, printed and shipped from our own warehouse.
MyZone AIAI education and coaching, then automation services, workshops and AI agents for small businesses.
TopShot.Watch
2021Real-time alerts and price tools for NBA Top Shot collectors.
AgencySuite
2021Software that automates the daily work of running an agency.
White Rabbit NFTs
2021The website and community for an NFT art project.
MyZone Health
2021Rapid test kits imported into Canada: over $5 million in sales in 60 days.
MZ Tickets
2022NFT tickets that block scalpers and pay creators on resale.
Ai1
2026A team of AI agents on a private server for each business.

Glow and Enchant Christmas are not on this list: we were their partner, not their owner.

Frequently asked questions

How long has MyZone AI been building software for small businesses?
More than 25 years. Our founder and his teams have built new kinds of software for small businesses since 2000.
When did Ai1 launch?
The first clients started using Ai1 in early 2026, with their own portal for their agents' work, briefings and approvals in one login.
Who is Ai1 a good fit for?
People who like to move first: flexible, keen to try new things, and quick to adapt when something better comes along. If you want polished, decade-old software, there are great options.
Is anything sent to MyZone AI without my approval?
No. When you hit an issue, your agent writes up what happened, and nothing is sent to us without your yes. The fix is checked before it goes anywhere.
Can I bring my own AI account?
Yes. Since April 2026 you bring your own AI provider account and pay it directly, with no markup from us.

See what Ai1 can do today

We will show you what is live now and the parts that fit your business.

Book a call See plans & pricing
  • Your own private serverEvery Ai1 plan runs on a private server that belongs to your business alone.
  • Your data stays yoursStored on your server, not used to train AI models, and you can export everything you build at any time.
  • Choose your AI modelBring your own AI provider account and pay it directly, with no markup from us.
  • Plan termsMonthly plans start with a three-month minimum term, then continue month to month. Annual plans are a 12-month commitment. Everything you build can be exported.