Is it worth hiring an AI consultant for a 20-person company?
For a 20-person company, an AI consultant is worth it when they'll look at how your business actually runs, find the work that's costing you, and build the fix with you. It isn't worth it if what you'd get back is a report, or if the answer is already sitting in software you pay for and just need set up. Sometimes the honest answer is that you don't need AI yet at all.
I'm an AI consultant, so take that with whatever salt you want. I'd still rather tell you when it isn't worth it.
When it isn't worth it
When you'd be paying for advice nobody is hired to carry out. A lot of companies have a good deck in a drawer and the same problems they had before it.
When your information lives in 3 places. AI will just be confused in 3 places. The first job there is getting it into one, and that may not need a consultant with AI in the title.
When the tool you need already exists and you already own it. Most businesses pay for software that could do far more than they use it for. A distributor I work with has close to 100 clients, and the fix started with software he already paid for: every customer in one place, clear stages for an order, and a rule for what happens when someone goes quiet. AI helps write the follow-up emails. The rule was the win.
When it is worth it
When the problem is real but nobody inside has the time or the distance to see it. That's not a character flaw. You're close to it, and you're busy.
When there's work that should happen every time and doesn't, and it's costing you customers or hours. That's where AI tends to pay for itself.
When nothing on the market does what you need. A sales organization had no idea why they were losing deals. Reps were calling with no research and no structure, and CRM notes were inconsistent or missing. Nothing off the shelf did what they needed, so we built an AI platform that researches prospects before calls, records and transcribes them, flags objections, writes coaching insights, and syncs it all to the CRM. That's rare. Most of the time the answer is already in something you own.
What it should cost
Here's how it works at Good Business Group, so you have something to compare against. The first Vent to Me Meeting is free. You get a First Read, then Where to Start, which is the plan and the proposal in one short document, also free. If you want the full written read first, the Operational Diagnostic is $1,500 and credited toward the project.
AI work starts at $5,000. Projects start at $3,500, and custom software at $7,500. Each phase gets a fixed price before it starts, and you can stop after any of them. No retainer, no monthly minimum.
If someone wants you on a monthly retainer before they've found the problem, I'd be careful.
Talk it through
I work with companies in Lafayette and across Acadiana. There's more on how I approach this on the AI consulting page. If what you're really dealing with is that everything runs through you, the fractional COO page is closer.
Book 30 minutes and vent. If AI isn't the answer, I'll tell you.