AI Consulting
A consulting-style review of your books and operations that ranks every saving, pricing gap and process fix by value, effort and payback. AI does the weeks of data work a firm would bill for; a person checks every finding.
The free assessment: 30 minutes, your top three opportunities and a rough estimate. The review: 3 to 5 weeks inside your books, with every opportunity sized from your own data.
Counted savings, year one
Half of anything that depends on a negotiation
Total: $186,000 counted of $348,000 identified
Margin usually leaks out in small places nobody has had time to check.
Every expense line, trended. Vendor price creep, overlapping subscriptions and contracts worth renegotiating.
Margin by job, product, service line and customer, and where prices have fallen behind costs.
Where your team’s hours go, where work gets redone and where handoffs stall.
Receivables, payment terms, inventory and the cash they tie up.
What each marketing channel and customer type really costs, and what it returns.
A second fictional business: Larder & Flame Kitchen Co., two restaurants and a catering kitchen. Watch the agent read its P&L, rank the savings and lay out the roadmap.
See all six demosDays 1–30 · Quick wins
Day 30: $25,560/yr in place
Days 31–60 · Core fixes
Day 60: $61,200/yr in place
Days 61–90 · Grow direct
Day 90: all five live · $79,200/yr identified ($39,600 counted)
P&L · trailing 12 months
Opportunities
Counted = half of identified, because each saving depends on your decisions or a negotiation. Revenue held at $3.6M; opportunities modeled independently.
EBITDA margin · counted savings
Larder & Flame Kitchen Co. · $3.6M revenue
90-day roadmap
Days 1–30 · Quick wins
Day 30: $25,560/yr in place
Days 31–60 · Core fixes
Day 60: $61,200/yr in place
Days 61–90 · Grow direct
Day 90: all five live · $79,200/yr identified ($39,600 counted)
Typically 3 to 5 weeks from kickoff to readout, mostly gathering data. Not a guarantee.
This demo needs JavaScript. Here's the step-by-step version instead.Motion is reduced, so every step is shown at once. Press Play to step through them one at a time.
Simulated demo. Larder & Flame Kitchen Co. and the people named are fictional. Figures are modeled estimates.
AI reads every transaction and builds the models. A person checks the findings and makes the recommendations.
Categorizes and trends every expense. Flags price creep, duplicate tools and spending that has grown faster than revenue.
Shows which work makes money and which quietly loses it, down to the line item.
Finds discounting patterns, underpriced services and costs that have outrun prices, with scenarios for adjusting.
Uses system data and short staff interviews to show where time goes and where work stalls.
Estimates hours per task, cost per hour and what an agent could take on, ranked by value.
Receivables aging, payment terms and inventory turns, and what tightening them would free up.
Tests “what if” questions, like a price change, a new hire or a lost customer, with the assumptions visible.
Every opportunity ranked by expected savings, effort and payback, with an owner and a first step.
Where AI fits your business and where it doesn’t, the data and policies you need, and a plain AI use policy for staff.
Just what you need to decide and act, and the working model behind every number.
01
Two pages: what we found, what it’s worth and what to do first.
02
A spreadsheet of every opportunity with estimated value, effort, payback and owner.
03
A chart that walks from today’s margin to your potential margin, one opportunity at a time.
04
The first moves, in order, with owners and dates.
05
What to automate, fix or renegotiate next, and when.
06
The working spreadsheet behind every number, yours to keep and update.
The model and the opportunity register are yours to keep, whether or not we keep working together.
Typically 3 to 5 weeks from kickoff to readout. Most of that goes to gathering data and fitting short interviews into your team’s week. The analysis itself takes days, not weeks of billed hours.
We agree on goals, constraints and the questions that matter most, then send a short data request.
Typically week 1
You share 12 to 24 months of financial and operational data, read-only or as exports. We handle the cleanup.
Typically weeks 1 to 2
Short conversations with the people who run the work, usually 30 minutes each.
Typically week 2
AI does the heavy lifting across every transaction. A person checks every finding before it reaches you.
Typically weeks 2 to 4
We walk you through the findings and the plan, and answer every question.
Typically weeks 3 to 5
Optional: we implement. Hand the roadmap to your team, or have us build the agents that deliver it. Your call.
Timing depends mostly on how quickly data can be shared.
From public records: what each kind of provider charges for this work, and how long you wait for recommendations.
| Provider | Typical cost for this scope | Time to recommendations | What's included | Access for a 20-100 person business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent consultant or fractional executive | $15,600 to $31,500$130 to $175/hr × 120 to 180 hours. | 8 to 17 weeksModeled; part-time retainers run longer | Details: Independent consultant or fractional executive
One senior person doing interviews, analysis and recommendations. Depth depends on that person's hours and specialty. Access Most accessible. Retainers from $2,400/month for 12 to 15 hours (2026 proposal); fractional executives typically $7,000 to $11,200/month (2026). | Most accessible. Retainers from $2,400/month for 12 to 15 hours (2026 proposal); fractional executives typically $7,000 to $11,200/month (2026). |
| Regional boutique consulting firm | $31,500 to $75,000$175 to $250/hr × 180 to 300 hours. Public operations reviews ran $34,990 to $145,000 (2017-2025). | 4 to 7 monthsPublic-sector operations studies | Details: Regional boutique consulting firm
Interviews, process and staffing analysis, written report with prioritized recommendations. Access Takes small and mid-size clients, usually through a scoped proposal. Public examples are municipal reviews. | Takes small and mid-size clients, usually through a scoped proposal. Public examples are municipal reviews. |
| Big Four / large advisory firm | $45,000 to $105,000Blended $250 to $350/hr × 180 to 300 hours, the same team hours as a boutique review, if they take work this small. Their public-sector projects run about $290,000 to $1.5M+. | 8 to 17 weeksModeled | Details: Big Four / large advisory firm
Multi-level team (partner, manager, staff), diagnostic, benchmarks and a report with recommendations. Access Built for large organizations. Public examples are six- and seven-figure engagements; small-business work is uncommon. | Built for large organizations. Public examples are six- and seven-figure engagements; small-business work is uncommon. |
| Contingency expense-reduction firm | No upfront feeThen 30% to 50% of verified savings for 36 to 60 months: about 18 months of the savings, paid as fees (30% × 60 months or 50% × 36 months). Not comparable as a fixed price. | Varies by vendor categoryNo published rangeNot stated in the public agreements | Details: Contingency expense-reduction firm
Audits of specific vendor bills (utilities, telecom, waste, bank and merchant fees) and renegotiation. No whole-operations diagnostic or roadmap. Access No upfront cost, but covers narrow vendor categories only, and fees continue for years. | No upfront cost, but covers narrow vendor categories only, and fees continue for years. |
| Global strategy firm | Rarely works with 20-100 person businesses. Modeled at $285,600 to $1,009,800 and 8 to 15+ weeks for this scope, off this chart’s scale. See how it was modeled | |||
| Halyard AI ConsultingAI does the reading and the math. A person checks every finding. | Fixed fee, scoped after a free assessmentA fraction of the cost of a traditional engagement | Typically 3 to 5 weeksKickoff to readout. The analysis itself takes days. | Details: Halyard AI Consulting
You get an executive summary, opportunity register, margin waterfall, 90-day action plan, 12-month roadmap and the working model. Access Built for 20 to 500 person businesses. This table uses a 20-100 person scope; larger companies get a larger scope (more entities, more locations), priced the same way: a fixed fee after the free assessment. | Built for 20 to 500 person businesses. This table uses a 20-100 person scope; larger companies get a larger scope (more entities, more locations), priced the same way: a fixed fee after the free assessment. |
Typical market costs from public records, 2021-2026 (sources: cons-06 to cons-39, lab-22). Totals for this scope are modeled estimates: hourly rate × 120 to 300 hours, or weekly team fee × weeks. GSA schedule hourly ceiling rates (federal contracts) and New York State not-to-exceed rates are maximums for public-sector buyers, not what firms charge small businesses; at one large advisory firm, 2025 commercial rates ran about 2 to 3 times its GSA ceilings for the same titles (cons-09, cons-18). Firm names appear only in source citations. Nearly 1,000 Small Business Development Centers also offer no-cost consulting (cons-41).
GSA schedule hourly ceiling rates (federal contracts) and New York State not-to-exceed rates are maximums for public-sector buyers, not what firms charge small businesses; at one large advisory firm, 2025 commercial rates ran about 2 to 3 times its GSA ceilings for the same titles (cons-09, cons-18). Firm names appear only in source citations. Nearly 1,000 Small Business Development Centers also offer no-cost consulting (cons-41).
Sources
In a traditional engagement you pay for consultant hours, and this scope takes a firm 120 to 300 of them. Even the most affordable option, an independent consultant or fractional executive, comes to $15,600 or more, and recommendations commonly take 8 weeks or longer.
In ours, AI does the reading, categorizing and modeling across every transaction. People spend their hours checking the findings and making the recommendations. That’s how the fee stays fixed and the work typically takes 3 to 5 weeks.
The free assessment comes first. You see the scope and the fixed fee in writing before any work starts. Have a quote from a consulting firm? Bring it, and we’ll compare it for the same scope.
A roadmap is only useful if you trust the numbers behind it.
Every figure links back to the source data it came from.
When an estimate could go either way, we use the lower number and say so.
Where the data is uncertain, savings are shown as a range.
AI does the reading and the math. A person reviews every recommendation before it reaches you.
Where data is missing or messy, we tell you how that limits the conclusion.
Your financials are used only for your analysis, accessed read-only and deleted on request when the work ends.
Back to Corran Valley Metalworks from the top of the page. Value comes from several modest fixes, and we count only half of any saving that depends on a negotiation.
Fictional custom metal fabricator · 160 employees
AI Consulting analyzes the ledger, vendor spend, overtime, quotes against actual job costs and software seats, then ranks each opportunity and delivers a 90-day roadmap.
Modeled value: $187,944 a year in the base case, up to $547,536 in the upside case.
3 to 7 hours back a month
Where the value comes from: Controller time, $1,944 to $4,536; Pricing on stale-cost quotes, $60,000 to $180,000; Materials, freight and software, $81,000 to $228,000; Overtime, $45,000 to $135,000.
$15,662 × 12 = $187,944Upside $45,628 × 12 = $547,536
Added revenue$60,000 to $180,000 a year
From repricing quotes on current material costs. The jobs cost the same, so all of it is gross profit.
Today
With the plan
| Source | Base | Upside |
|---|---|---|
| Controller time (Team time) | $1,944 | $4,536 |
| Pricing on stale-cost quotes (Added gross profit) | $60,000 | $180,000 |
| Materials, freight and software (Cost savings) | $81,000 | $228,000 |
| Overtime (Cost savings) | $45,000 | $135,000 |
| Modeled value a year | $187,944 | $547,536 |
The math
| Line item | Formula | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing: reprice quotes on current material costs | $6,000,000 × 2% = $120,000; count half | $60,000 |
| Overtime: better scheduling and realistic lead times | $900,000 × 10% = $90,000; count half | $45,000 |
| Materials: renegotiate and consolidate suppliers | $12,000,000 × 0.75% = $90,000; count half | $45,000 |
| Freight: consolidate and rebid carriers | $1,200,000 × 2% = $24,000; count half | $12,000 |
| Software: cancel unused seats | $240,000 × 10% = $24,000; in the client's control | $24,000 |
| Identified | $120,000 + $90,000 + $90,000 + $24,000 + $24,000 | $348,000 |
| Counted in year one | $60,000 + $45,000 + $45,000 + $12,000 + $24,000 | $186,000 |
| Counted savings per month | $186,000 ÷ 12 | $15,500 |
| Controller: recurring margin report | 30 × 10% = 3 hours × $54 (accountant) | $162 |
| Monthly value | $15,500 + $162 | $15,662 |
| Annual value | $15,662 × 12 | $187,944 |
| EBITDA margin with counted savings | ($2,400,000 + $186,000) ÷ $30,000,000 | 8.62% |
| Line item | Formula | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing at 4%, 75% counted | $6,000,000 × 4% = $240,000 × 75% | $180,000 |
| Overtime at 20%, 75% counted | $900,000 × 20% = $180,000 × 75% | $135,000 |
| Materials at 1.5%, 75% counted | $12,000,000 × 1.5% = $180,000 × 75% | $135,000 |
| Freight at 5%, 75% counted | $1,200,000 × 5% = $60,000 × 75% | $45,000 |
| Software at 20%, counted in full | $240,000 × 20% | $48,000 |
| Identified | $240,000 + $180,000 + $180,000 + $60,000 + $48,000 | $708,000 |
| Counted in year one | $180,000 + $135,000 + $135,000 + $45,000 + $48,000 | $543,000 |
| Controller (reports 25% faster) | 30 × 25% = 7 hours (rounded down) × $54 | $378 |
| Monthly value | $543,000 ÷ 12 + $378 | $45,628 |
| Annual value | $45,628 × 12 | $547,536 |
| EBITDA margin | ($2,400,000 + $543,000) ÷ $30,000,000 | 9.81% |
The upside case moves the rates that describe what the agent achieves to the optimistic end of the published evidence, all at once. The business’s own figures stay the same. Most results land in between.
What moves the number
Because much of a traditional fee pays for people reading your data by hand. AI does that part in days. You still get an experienced person checking every finding and building the plan, and you pay a fixed fee for the review, not an hourly bill.
The free assessment is a 30-minute call built on what you tell us, including the short intake form: your top three opportunities and a rough, modeled estimate. AI Consulting spends 3 to 5 weeks inside your books and operating data: every opportunity sized from your own transactions and ranked by payback, a 90-day plan, a 12-month roadmap and the working model. The assessment tells you whether a review is worth doing, and what the fixed fee would be, before you commit to anything.
Your accountant keeps the books accurate, compliant and filed. We use those books, plus your operational data, to look forward: where you’re losing margin, what to fix first and what it’s worth. We’re happy to work alongside your accountant.
Typically 12 to 24 months of profit and loss and balance sheet, a general ledger or transaction export, payroll summaries, vendor and customer lists, and any job, order or time data you have. Read-only access or exports both work. We send a checklist.
Typically 3 to 5 weeks from kickoff to readout. Most of that is gathering data and scheduling short interviews; the analysis itself takes days. The biggest factor is how quickly data can be shared.
No. The roadmap and the model are yours. Some recommendations need agents we can build. Others are a phone call to a vendor. You choose who does what.
AI does the heavy lifting: reading every transaction, categorizing spend, spotting patterns and running the models. A person checks every finding, adds business judgment and makes the recommendations. You get the speed of one and the judgment of the other.
Free AI assessment
On a free 30-minute call we’ll talk through your business and tell you where a review would likely find the most.
No cost, no obligation.
What you leave with
By estimated value and effort, specific to how your business runs.
A modeled estimate, with every assumption shown.
The first job to hand an agent, and what it would take.
Yours to keep, whether or not we work together.