AI Consulting Questions, Answered
Straight answers to what small business owners ask before hiring an AI consultant: cost, timing, tools, data safety, and whether to hire in-house instead.
Cost and value
How much does an AI consultant cost for a small business?
At Mirak, the first call is free, the in-depth AI Readiness Audit is $750, and builds and training are quoted at a fixed price after the audit. Monthly support is optional.
Is AI consulting worth it for a small business?
It is worth it when the hours are there. The audit measures them first: if a 6-person team spends 4 hours each per week on data entry, follow-ups and reporting, that is 1,248 hours a year to work with. We only recommend a build when the time it saves clearly beats its price.
Why start with a paid audit?
Because guessing is expensive. The audit maps your real workflows and ranks what to build, so the first project goes after the biggest time drain instead of the most exciting tool.
Getting started
What does an AI readiness audit include?
The in-depth audit covers a 60 to 90 minute discovery workshop, mapping of 3 to 5 core workflows, a full technology stack review, an AI opportunity matrix ranked by ROI and effort, dollar and time savings estimates, a 12-month roadmap, a 15 to 25 page PDF report and a 30-minute review call.
How long until something is working?
We build the first workflow right after the audit, starting with the task that saves the most hours for the least effort.
Do we need technical staff to work with an AI consultant?
No. We build AI into the tools your team already uses and train the people who run each process. You need one person who knows the work and can give us an hour a week.
Tools and data
Which AI tools do you use?
Claude and Claude Cowork first, plus ChatGPT, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. For automation we use Make, Zapier and n8n. We pick the tool that fits your process and your budget.
Is our data safe?
We set up business accounts, limit access to the people who need it, and walk you through each vendor's data terms before anything connects to your email or files.
We already pay for ChatGPT or Copilot. Why bring in help?
Paying for a tool and building it into daily work are two different jobs. We connect it to your files and processes, set it up for your team, and train everyone on the workflows that matter to you.
Consultant vs in-house
Should we hire an AI consultant or an in-house AI person?
For a team of 1 to 20, start with a consultant. You pay a fixed price for a defined project instead of a full-time salary, and you get people who have built across many tools. Hire in-house once AI work fills a full-time role.
Working with Mirak
What size businesses do you work with?
Businesses with 1 to 20 employees, where the owner still runs operations.
Do you work on site?
Yes. We work at your office across Greater Philadelphia, and remotely for teams outside the area.
Is Mirak the same company as Mirakl?
No. Mirak is an AI consulting firm in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Mirakl is an unrelated marketplace software company.
AI consultant vs in-house AI hire
| AI consultant | In-house AI hire | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Fixed price per project | Full-time salary and benefits |
| Time to start | After a one-week audit | After recruiting and onboarding |
| Range | A team that has built across many tools | One person's skills |
| Best for | Teams of 1 to 20 | Companies where AI work fills a full-time role |
Talk to an AI Consultant in Blue Bell
Book a free 30-minute call. We will look at where your team loses time and tell you what AI can take over first.