AI ADOPTION & AUTOMATION
AI Adoption Consulting
Practical AI adoption for small and mid-sized businesses — from a developer who ships working automations into production, not slide decks.
IN SHORT
I'm Jeff Cadet, a full-stack developer who builds and deploys AI tools in production — including an MCP serversubmitted to Anthropic's directory and AI-driven automation across my own SaaS platform. I help businesses find where AI actually pays off, pick the right tools, and get working automations live. Typical engagement: a $1,500–$5,000 opportunity audit, then build per project.
What is AI adoption consulting?
AI adoption consulting helps a business answer three questions: where does AI actually save us time or money, which tools should we use, and how do we put it into our real workflows safely? The work spans an opportunity assessment, tool and model selection, implementation, data-privacy guardrails, and training your team to use it.
The difference between consulting that works and consulting that doesn't comes down to one thing: whether the engagement ends with a working toolor just a deck. Most AI for businesses fails not because the technology can't do the job, but because nobody ever shipped it past the recommendation stage.
Why work with me
I'm a full-stack developer who builds AI into real products. I don't theorize about AI — I ship it:
- I built and submitted an MCP serverto Anthropic's directory — the protocol that connects AI assistants directly to live business tools and data.
- I run AI automation in production across TradeProof, my compliance SaaS with 3.6M+ records across all 50 states.
- I handle the full stack. Assessment, code, deployment, and security — one person, no handoffs, no agency markup.
- Security-first. I led a 130-finding security audit on my own platform before it took a dollar. Your data guardrails come built-in.
Where AI actually pays off right now
| Use case | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Document & data automation | Extracting, summarizing, and routing repetitive paperwork |
| Customer support | Drafting replies, triaging tickets, answering from your docs |
| Knowledge search (RAG) | Ask questions across your own files and get sourced answers |
| Lead research & outreach | Automated prospect research and personalized first drafts |
| MCP tool integration | Connect an AI assistant directly to your CRM, DB, or app |
Pricing
Transparent ranges, scoped before any work begins. These reflect typical independent-consultant market rates.
| Engagement | Typical price |
|---|---|
| AI opportunity audit (scoped report + roadmap) | $1,500–$5,000 |
| Hourly advisory / strategy | $100–$300 / hour |
| Build & deploy a custom automation | Quoted per project |
How it works
1. Audit.We map your workflows and find the handful where AI delivers measurable ROI — and the ones where it's a distraction. 2. Plan. You get a prioritized roadmap with tools, costs, and risks spelled out. 3. Build. I implement, deploy, and secure the highest-value automation, then train your team to run it.
Frequently asked questions
What is AI adoption consulting?
AI adoption consulting helps a business figure out where artificial intelligence actually saves time or money, chooses the right tools, and integrates them into real workflows. Good AI consulting ends with working automations and trained staff — not just a strategy document. It typically covers opportunity assessment, tool selection, implementation, data and security guardrails, and team enablement.
How much does an AI consultant cost?
Independent AI consultants typically charge $100 to $300 per hour, or $2,000 to $15,000 for a scoped project, depending on complexity. A focused AI opportunity audit for a small business usually runs $1,500 to $5,000. Building and deploying a custom automation is quoted per project. Working with an independent developer-consultant avoids the large retainers that agencies and big firms charge.
How is this different from a big consulting firm?
Most AI consultants produce slides and then hand implementation to someone else. I build the software, so I deliver working automations, integrations, and internal tools — not just recommendations. You get one person who can assess the opportunity, write the code, deploy it, and secure it, with no handoffs and no agency overhead.
What can AI realistically do for a small business right now?
The highest-ROI uses today are automating repetitive document and data work, customer support drafting and triage, internal search over your own documents (retrieval-augmented generation), lead research and outreach, and connecting AI assistants directly to your tools through MCP integrations. The biggest risk is adopting AI for hype rather than for a measurable workflow — a good audit starts by finding the workflows that actually pay off.
Do you handle data privacy and security?
Yes. I led a 130-finding security audit on my own SaaS platform before it processed a single payment. AI adoption raises real questions about where your data goes, what gets sent to model providers, and how to keep customer information safe. I build with those guardrails from the start, including self-hosted and privacy-preserving options when sensitive data is involved.
Talk through your AI opportunities
Curious where AI could actually help your business — without the hype? Tell me about your workflowsand I'll give you an honest read on what's worth doing. The first conversation is free, no sales pitch.
By Jeff Cadet — full-stack developer building AI and automation in production. Get in touch.