Q: How can I effectively apply location-based marketing strategies when I live in a country with a very small population?
A: Consider expanding your target geography in “concentric circles” around your location. Geography creates a human connection in outreach messages. Don’t immediately jump to large international markets where you’ll face more competition. Start with adjacent regions where you still have some geographic connection.
Q: Is this a terrible time to do outreach with the current market chaos and tariffs?
A: It depends on the industry. Businesses selling consumer products with imported components are stressed, but knowledge workers are mostly business as usual. The AI consultancy business model is actually somewhat countercyclical – during economic downturns, companies seek efficiency, which AI can provide. For most sectors, continue outreach unless they’re clearly in import/export businesses.
Q: Should my website be location-specific like my cold outreach?
A: Keep your website more generalized. You don’t want to filter potential clients by location on your website. Most leads won’t come through the website anyway, but you don’t want to turn away potential clients who might find you online but aren’t in your specified location.
Q: Any thoughts on offering AI training as a service?
A: Training is a good entry point with broad appeal. Start with general training about AI concepts and practical applications, then potentially expand into department-specific training that could become a retainer-like arrangement. Consider pricing it as a package (e.g., $2,000/month for 6 months) with prep sessions, main sessions, and follow-ups for each department.
Q: Any advice on pursuing a full-time opportunity while running an AI consulting business?
A: Doing both can make sense, especially in uncertain economic times. The key is to avoid employment agreements with restrictive non-competition clauses that would prevent you from running your side business. Long-term, you’ll likely gain more from owning your own business than from a high-paying salary position.
Q: I think my client needs an ERP system – any recommendations or experience with these?
A: ERPs are complex enterprise systems for inventory, warehousing, and billing. Most clients find them clunky. Don’t tie yourself to recommending a specific ERP – position yourself as an advisor who can help them evaluate options. There’s also low-hanging fruit in helping them with related process improvements like templating invoices and proposals.
Q: How can I demonstrate the financial benefits of AI to nonprofit organizations concerned about government funding?
A: Show ROI as time saved – this translates to either deploying employees for other tasks or running with a smaller team. For nonprofits, highlight automation of tasks like grant writing (e.g., reducing 200 hours of work to 20-50 hours). A Stanford report on AI impact was also recommended for reference.
Q: Any advice on switching from my original niche to a new opportunity (teaching AI to executive assistants)?
A: Take opportunities that come through word-of-mouth, even if they’re outside your stated niche. Executive assistants are an ideal audience for AI automation. Consider showing case studies rather than live demos (to avoid technical issues). Focus on their specific pain points (like calendar management) but also demonstrate email handling and other relevant automations.
Q: How do you build confidence that your AI solutions won’t have errors or get caught in loops?
A: Frame the project and set appropriate expectations with clients – explain that you’re implementing cutting-edge technology that requires monitoring and iteration. Design systems with humans in the loop rather than fully automated processes. Consider bringing in other members of the AI consultant community to test/review your work before deployment.
Q: When using paid tools like Zapier, should I use my own subscriptions or set up the client’s subscriptions?
A: The default approach should be using your account and including the cost in a retainer. For clients who prefer using their own accounts (often for security reasons), have them pay directly for the service while you charge a retainer for maintenance and improvements. Consider building the first year of retainer into the project fee, then transitioning to an ongoing service retainer.