An AI automation consultant who also builds the systems
An AI automation consultant finds the repeated work in a business, decides which parts AI and software should take over, and gets those systems running. I do that for US service businesses between $1M and $50M in revenue, and I build the systems myself rather than handing you a recommendation.
What an AI automation consultant does
The job has three parts. Find the work that repeats. Decide which of it a machine should do. Put the system in production and prove it saved something.
Most engagements stop after part two. You get a deck with a list of opportunities and an estimated saving next to each one. The deck is accurate and nothing changes, because the company that needed help finding the work also needs help doing it.
A recommendation nobody implements costs the same as one that is wrong.
My engagements include the building. On the audit that means a written map and a ranked roadmap. On a retainer it means systems running in your accounts with your team trained on them.
What gets automated in a service business
Service businesses have a similar shape, so the same six areas come up in almost every audit. These are the ones that pay back first.
- Intake and qualification
Inbound leads read, scored, enriched and routed before a human sees them, with the ones worth a call flagged. - Quoting and proposals
Scope and pricing assembled from your own past jobs instead of rebuilt from scratch each time. - Scheduling and dispatch
Jobs assigned against skills, location and availability, with the customer told automatically. - Data between systems
The CRM, the accounting system and the project tool kept in agreement without anyone re-typing. - Reporting
The weekly numbers assembled and sent, rather than a person rebuilding a spreadsheet every Monday. - Support and follow-up
Common questions answered from your real documentation, with anything uncertain handed to a person.
The first question in an audit is always whether the process should exist. Automating work that should have been deleted makes the work permanent and adds a monthly bill.
The tools
Most builds run on n8n, which is the workflow platform I hold a Certified Expert Partner listing for. Claude handles the reasoning-heavy steps where the output has to be right and explainable. GPT covers high-volume classification and drafting. MCP connects the models to your existing CRM, accounting and project systems so they read live data instead of a copy.
I hold no reseller agreements. If the correct answer to your problem is a $30 plugin and no AI at all, that is the answer you get.
Consultant or fractional officer
These are the same person at two levels of ownership, and the difference matters more than the title.
A consulting engagement has a scope and an end. You have a defined problem, you want it solved, and you will own what happens next. The $4,500 audit is the clean version of this: two weeks, a written map of where the hours go, a ranked roadmap, and no obligation.
A fractional seat has no scope and no end date. I own AI and automation as a function inside your company, decide what gets built at all, and am accountable for the number at the bottom of the monthly report. That is the fractional Chief AI Officer role.
| Audit or project | Fractional seat | |
|---|---|---|
| You are buying | An answer to a defined question | Ownership of a function |
| Length | Two weeks | Three months minimum, then rolling |
| Price | $4,500 one off | $6,500 or $12,500 a month |
| Who decides what gets built | You do | I do, reviewed with you monthly |
| Who builds it | Your team, afterwards | Me and my engineers on the Owner package |
| Good starting point when | You want evidence before committing | You already know the work is there |
Most companies start with the audit. It is credited in full against either retainer if you continue within 60 days, so beginning there costs nothing if you go on.
What this costs
Three-month minimum on either retainer, then 30 days notice from either side. Full breakdown and the comparison against a full-time hire on the pricing page.
Who I work with
US service businesses between $1M and $50M in revenue. Agencies, trades, professional services, field service and logistics. Companies that sell people's time and want to sell more of it without hiring at the same rate.
I work from Lisbon on US hours, and I have run engagements in the UK, EU and Australia. Fifteen years running businesses, $1M+ delivered through Upwork at Top Rated Plus with a 100% job success score, and two agencies of my own: 2V Automation and Shila.
What is an AI automation consultant?
How much does an AI automation consultant cost?
Do you build the automations or just advise?
Which platforms and models do you use?
How long before we see a result?
What if we already bought AI tools that are not working?
Written by Valerian Valkin, Fractional Chief AI Officer
Founder of 2V Automation and Shila. Fifteen years running businesses, n8n Certified Expert Partner. LinkedIn
Updated September 7, 2026
Want to know what is automatable in your business?
A 30-minute call. I will ask how work moves through your company and where it stalls. You will leave with two things worth automating and an honest read on whether you need a retainer at all.