Insights
How SMEs actually get value from AI
Field notes from diagnosis, training and deployment work with businesses of 10 to 250 people across the UK and US. No hype, no model of the week. Just what works, what it costs and what breaks.
The AI agent gap is widening. What the August 2026 data says SMEs should do about it
McKinsey, Salesforce and Google all shipped news in late August 2026 that changes the case for AI agents in a 10 to 250 person business. Here is what it means.
Read the guide →Custom AI agents for business: when to build rather than buy
How custom AI agents differ from off-the-shelf tools, which workflows justify a build, what one costs to run and how to test it before launch.
Read →A 90-day AI training plan for employees, week by week
A week-by-week plan to take a team from curious to capable with AI, including who to train first, what to measure and how to stop the drop-off.
Read →How much does AI consulting cost for a small or medium business?
Day rates, fixed-scope diagnostics and retainers explained, with what an SME should expect to pay for AI consulting and what should be included.
Read →AI voice agents for SMEs: what they handle well, and what they do not
Where AI voice agents pay off for SMEs: the calls they handle well, realistic per-minute costs, and the guardrails to set before going live.
Read →AI adoption strategy: a 90 day plan for a 10 to 250 person business
A week-by-week AI adoption plan for SMEs: diagnose, train, ship one workflow and set up governance inside a single quarter.
Read →30 AI use cases for small and medium businesses, ranked by payback
AI use cases that work in businesses of 10 to 250 people, ranked by payback, with effort and the failure mode to watch for each.
Read →AI consultancy in the UK: what SMEs should expect to pay and get
What UK SMEs pay for AI consultancy, how the market tiers work, UK GDPR and data residency points, and how to scope a first engagement.
Read →AI training for employees: a role-by-role programme that actually sticks
Why generic AI training fails, how to run leadership, manager and frontline tracks, and how to measure whether capability actually moved.
Read →How to choose an AI automation agency, and how to spot a bad one
How SMEs should choose an AI automation agency: supplier types, pricing models, the questions that expose weak firms, and contract terms.
Read →AI readiness assessment: the framework we run inside SMEs
What an AI readiness assessment covers, the six dimensions we score, and what a 10 to 250 person business should get out of one.
Read →Want this applied to your business?
Start with an AI Operating Review. Two to three weeks, a ranked and costed list of use cases, and an honest view of what to skip.