RidgeForce AIA buyer's guide
How to choose an AI consultant
A lot of owners have already been burned once: a chatbot subscription nobody opens, a pilot that died in a slide deck. The problem usually isn't the AI. It's that nobody started from the job that was eating the week, and nobody stayed around to keep it running.
Here is what we'd ask anyone you're thinking about hiring, us included.
Start with the job, not the tool
Before you talk to anyone, write down the three jobs that eat the most hours in your company each week, who does them, and where the work lives (your phone, your inbox, your field software, a spreadsheet). That list is the brief. A good consultant will ask for it in the first ten minutes. A bad one will start with a demo of their favorite tool.
Price each job roughly: hours a week times the loaded hourly cost of whoever does it, times 52. That number tells you what the work is worth to get back, and it keeps the conversation about your business instead of about AI.
Ten questions to ask before you sign
1. Can you show me it running on your own business?
Anyone selling AI operations should run their own company on it. Ask to see it live, not in slides.
2. Which of my jobs would you start with, and why?
The answer should come from your list, not theirs. The first job should be one that pays back fast with little setup.
3. How will we know it's working?
You want a number measured against a baseline taken before anything is built: hours a week back, calls answered, invoices out on time. Ask how often you'll see it.
4. Whose name are the accounts in?
Your CRM, phone numbers, email, and books should stay in your name, paid by you. If they hold the accounts, they hold you.
5. What happens if we stop?
Get the exit terms in writing before you start: your data and what they built, exported or handed over.
6. Does it connect to the software we already run?
ServiceTitan, Buildertrend, Procore, QuickBooks, Microsoft 365. You shouldn't have to switch systems to use AI.
7. Who actually does the work?
The person who sold it, a team, or a subcontractor overseas? All can work. You should know which.
8. Who keeps it running after launch?
AI workflows break when vendors change their software. Ask who fixes them, how fast, and whether that's in the price.
9. Will you train my team?
If only the consultant understands it, it dies when they leave. Your people should be able to run it in plain English.
10. What's the commitment?
A short first term and then month to month is a sign they expect to earn the renewal. A long contract up front is a sign they don't.
Red flags
- A price before anyone has looked at how your business runs.
- Guaranteed results with no baseline to measure them against.
- Your data or phone numbers living in their accounts.
- A "proprietary platform" you can't take with you when you leave.
- A strategy deck at the end instead of something running on your data.
- Nobody can show you the thing working in a real business today.
What it should cost
AI help for a small or midsize company usually comes in three shapes. A single workflow, like an AI receptionist or estimate follow-up, built and handed over, typically runs a few thousand dollars, plus the software it runs on. An assessment or audit that maps your jobs and writes a plan runs from a few thousand dollars up, scaling with the size of the company. An ongoing partnership, where someone keeps building and maintaining, commonly runs from about $2,500 a month for smaller companies to $10,000 a month and up at the larger firms.
Whatever the shape, you should also expect to pay your software vendors directly, and the consultant should tell you what those bills will be before you sign.
Our answers, if you're asking us
We're RidgeForce AI, in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Our honest answers to the ten questions: we show you our own system running live on every call; we start from the job eating your week, priced in your free Time Back Score; we measure hours back against a baseline from the Blueprint and send a scorecard every month; your accounts stay in your name; the exit terms are in writing; we connect to ServiceTitan, Buildertrend, Procore, and QuickBooks; our founder does the work himself, with AI doing most of the typing; we maintain everything we build; we train your team; and after 90 days it's month to month. Partner plans start at $2,500 a month.
We're not the right fit if you want something installed once and left alone, or if you want a strategy deck without anything running at the end.
See what it looks like in your trade: AI for trades, construction, and real estate.
Quick answers
- What should I ask an AI consultant before hiring them?
- Ask them to show it running on their own business, which of your jobs they'd start with, how you'll measure it against a baseline, whose name the accounts are in, what happens if you stop, whether it connects to your current software, who does the work, who keeps it running, whether they'll train your team, and what the commitment is.
- How much does an AI consultant cost for a small business?
- A single workflow typically runs a few thousand dollars plus software. An assessment that maps your jobs runs from a few thousand dollars up. An ongoing partnership commonly runs from about $2,500 a month for smaller companies to $10,000 a month and up at the larger firms.
- What are the red flags when hiring an AI agency?
- A price before they've looked at your business, guaranteed results with no baseline, your data or phone numbers in their accounts, a proprietary platform you can't leave with, a strategy deck instead of something running, and no live example in a real business.