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One custom CRM replaced a patchwork of tools for a real-estate investment team.
AI consulting
An AI consultant who also builds what he recommends
Abdur Rehman is an AI consultant and engineer for small businesses, founders and operators. He helps you decide where AI is worth using, what to build first and what it will take, then builds it if you want him to. Because he ships production AI himself, his advice comes with realistic costs and risks rather than a slide deck.
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This is for you if
- You know AI could help your business, and you are not sure where to start or what is hype.
- You are about to spend real money on an AI build and want a second opinion first.
- A vendor or agency has pitched you, and you want someone on your side of the table to check it.
What you get
A look at how the work is done today
I walk through the processes that eat your team’s time, and the tools and data behind them.
A short written recommendation
What is worth automating, what is not, and whether each piece needs an AI agent, a simple automation or no change at all.
Build, buy or wait
For each opportunity: whether an off-the-shelf tool does the job, what a custom build would involve, and the risks to plan for.
A first step you can act on
A scoped first project you can take to me or to anyone else.
What does an AI consultant do?
An AI consultant helps a business decide where AI will actually pay off, and how to get it built safely. In practice that means looking at how work is done today, separating real opportunities from hype, choosing between buying a tool and building one, and setting out the cost, the risks and the order of work.
The useful ones also know what breaks in production, because most AI projects fail on data, permissions and cost rather than on the model.
When should you hire an AI consultant?
Before you commit serious money or time: when you are choosing between vendors, when a team keeps demoing AI that never ships, or when you need a second opinion on a proposal.
If you already know exactly what to build, skip the consultant and hire an engineer.
How much does an AI consultant cost?
It depends on scope and seniority. Google’s AI summary for this question currently quotes about $100 to $300 an hour for advisory work, $2,500 to $10,000 for a fixed first project and $10,000 to $50,000 for a full implementation. I do not bill by the hour: after a short call you get a fixed quote for an agreed scope.
I work to a fixed quote agreed up front, so you know the cost before we start.
Why hire a consultant who also builds?
Because advice is cheap when someone else has to make it work. I design and ship AI systems myself, so a recommendation from me comes with a realistic view of effort, running costs and what will go wrong. If you want it built, the person who scoped it builds it.
Is an AI consultant worth it for a small business?
Yes, when the engagement starts small and ends with something running. A small business does not need an AI strategy. It needs one or two pieces of work taken off the owner’s plate: the enquiries that wait for a reply, the quotes typed up by hand, the notes nobody files.
So the first step is short: a look at how the work is done today, then a written recommendation that says what to automate, what to leave alone, and whether each piece needs an AI agent, a plain automation or an off-the-shelf tool. For one trades business the answer was a simple automation between the website and Xero, with no AI in it. For a real-estate investment team it was a custom CRM with AI inside. The point is to find out which one you are before spending.
Work behind this advice
Strip It Out
Every website enquiry becomes a draft quote in Xero through a plain automation. No AI agent was needed, and none was built.
The technical execution was flawless, but his consultative approach added immense, demonstrable value to the project.
How a project goes
A first conversation
You tell me about the business and what prompted the question. No preparation needed.
A look at the work
I go through the processes, tools and data involved, with the people who do the work.
A written recommendation
What to automate, what to leave, build or buy for each piece, and the order to do it in.
Build it, or hand it over
I can build the first step, or you can take the plan to your own team or another vendor.
Questions people ask
Straight answers. If yours is not here, ask me.
Ask me directlyI read and answer every message.Do I have to build with you afterwards?
No. You get a recommendation and a scoped first step you can take to anyone.
Can you review a proposal or an existing AI build?
Yes. I can read a vendor proposal, a statement of work or a codebase, and tell you plainly what is sound, what is risky and what is missing.
What if the answer is that we do not need AI?
Then that is what I will tell you. Sometimes the right fix is a simple automation, an off-the-shelf tool or a change to the process.
How does pricing work?
After a short call I send a fixed quote for an agreed scope, so you know the cost before work starts. Larger builds are split into milestones.
Guides on this
Guide5 min read
How to build an AI agent that survives production
A practical, first-hand guide to building an AI agent: define one job, design the tools, limit its power, test on real examples and control cost.
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Not sure where AI fits in your business?
Tell me how the work gets done today. I’ll tell you where AI is worth it, and where it is not.
You’ll talk to me directly.On the call and in every message.
Or email hello@abdurrehman.dev