Service
AI consultant for small business
An AI consultant for a small business finds the work AI can take off your team, builds it in your own accounts and trains one of your people to run it. I do this for owner-led companies with 10 to 200 staff. It starts with a 2-week Assessment for $2,500, then a retainer from $5K a month.
Starts with a 2-week Assessment. Retainer from $5K/month.
Who this is for
You don't need to be a tech company. You need one person who wants to learn.
I work with owner-led companies that have 10 to 200 staff. They have repeated work worth speeding up, and nobody with time to own AI. Crane Stationery sells stationery, not software, and it is one of my clients.
It fits if one of these is true
01
You bought AI tools, but few people use them.
02
You have ideas for AI, but nobody has time to own them.
03
A client or an investor asks what your AI plan is.
04
You want a full-time AI lead one day, but not yet.
What your team gets in the first month
The first two weeks are the Assessment. I talk to the people who do the work and look at your tools and data. You get a ranked list with the biggest payoff first, quick wins your team can start alone, and a 3-month plan. Then the weekly sessions begin.
- 1
Assessment
2 weeksI map your tools, your data and the work that eats your team's time. You get a ranked list of where AI pays off, and a 3-month plan. Not happy with it? I refund you in full.
$2,500 - 2
Coaching
Every weekA working session with your team. One person becomes your AI champion and learns to run what we build.
In the retainer - 3
Building
Every monthI build from the plan. AI agents, automations and internal tools, all in your accounts.
In the retainer - 4
Ongoing maintenance
After the main buildsA lighter plan. I keep everything running and make one small improvement a month.
From $1,500/month
Sometimes a process isn't worth handing to AI yet. If so, I tell you. I won't build something nobody uses.
See how it worksAI for small business, in practice
Robert Buhler, now CEO of Crane Stationery, got his best business from relationships. But nobody can track hundreds of contacts by hand. I built a system that watches his LinkedIn network for promotions, job changes and company moves. It sends a personal printed note through his own ERP. The result was a 300–400% return on the investment.
Signals
- LinkedInMaria Chen is now VP of Operations at Northgate Supply
- ResearchNorthgate opened a second warehouse in Ohio in August
- CRMBought from you twice. Last order 14 months ago.
- NotePrinted card ready to sign
Brief
Send Maria a note this week. Why now: new role, and a second warehouse to supply. What to say: congratulations on the promotion. Ask how the Ohio site is going. Next step: the card is ready for your signature. It goes to her office on Thursday.
+40%
customer lifetime value. The outreach engine behind a CEO's move into Crane Stationery.
10,000+
companies tracked. Market intelligence for a top global brokerage's Miami tenant rep team.
More results, clients not named
- 80–85% less time on cold email, and 3× the replies, for a web agency.
- 90–95% less research time with an AI research agent.
I start with the work that slows you down. Then I pick the tool.
Your team learns as we build
The person who wants to learn becomes your AI champion. I train them every week until they can run what we build and add to it.
“Dani, I could hug you. I could hug you if you were over here.”
“I'm hooked now… Can we do this again tomorrow?”
“You've been very good about staying macro with me, staying strategic with me, being clear on expectations first.”
“I felt like I had a real partner in the process and technologically and otherwise. His execution was awesome.”
“We see a lot of promises and then when we actually go to a program it doesn't deliver that much, but that's not the case here.”
“In one hour I… it felt like… five years of knowledge in my brain.”
What it costs
Published prices. No hourly billing.
2 weeks. A map of your tools and data, ranked opportunities, quick wins your team can do alone, and a 3-month plan.
Credited in full to your first month if the retainer starts within 30 days. Money back if you're not happy.
A weekly working session with your team. A monthly check-in with leadership. New builds from the plan every month. Replies within one business day.
3-month minimum, then month to month with 30 days' notice.
Monitoring, fixes, tool and model updates, and one small improvement a month. Replies within 2 business days.
Move back to the retainer any time you want new builds.
What you pay on top
You pay for software and AI usage directly, in your own accounts. I add no markup, and you own everything. The Assessment estimates these running costs before you commit.
If you are not happy with the Assessment, ask within 7 days of delivery and I refund the full fee. Larger teams may get a quote above the "from" price after the Assessment.
Consultant, agency or embedded partner
I sell the embedded option, so read the table with that in mind.
| Compare | Strategy consultant | Agency | Embedded AI Partner (me) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owns the result | No | For their project | Yes |
| Builds | No | Yes | Yes |
| Trains your team | Sometimes | Rarely | Yes |
| How you pay | Per project | Per project | Monthly retainer, from $5K |
| Commitment | Per project | Per project | 3-month minimum, then monthly |
Need one automation built, and no ongoing partner?
What an AI automation consultant doesYour team runs it without me
From the first week, the goal is that your team runs it without me.
It ends one of three ways. Your AI champion takes over, you hire a full-time AI lead with my help, or you stay month to month. However it ends, you get documentation, access to every account and a handover session.
Questions
What does a small business AI consultant do?
They find the repeated work AI can take on, get it built and train your team to run it. Some consultants only advise. I build as much as I advise, in your own accounts.
How much does an AI consultant cost for a small business?
With me, it starts with a 2-week Assessment for $2,500. The retainer after it starts at $5K a month, with a 3-month minimum. You pay software and AI usage on top, in your own accounts.
Do we need to be a tech company to use AI?
No. Crane Stationery isn't one. You need repeated work worth speeding up, and one person on your team who wants to learn.
Can a small business use AI agents without hiring a developer?
Yes. I build the agents and automations, and I train your AI champion to run them. The goal is that your team runs them without me.
Our data is a mess. Is that a problem?
It's normal. The Assessment maps what you have and ranks the work that fits it. Data cleanup is often part of the first builds.
What happens after the main builds?
You can move to maintenance from $1,500 a month. It covers monitoring, fixes, tool and model updates, and one small improvement a month. Move back to the retainer when you want new builds.
See if AI fits your team
In a short call, we look at the work that takes your team's time and check if the Assessment fits.