If you’ve been wondering what getting started with AI really costs, here’s the honest answer: there are two costs, they’re separate, and only one of them is paid to me.
Cost 1: the tools
The AI tools themselves, like ChatGPT or Claude, run on monthly subscriptions that you pay directly to the company. Most businesses need a paid plan, which usually runs about the price of a lunch out each month per person. Business and team plans often cost more per person than personal ones, and they come with shared workspaces and different data terms (I cover that in 5 rules for using AI safely in a small business). Prices change, so check the current pages rather than trusting a number in a blog post. I’ve linked them below.
Whoever sets things up, the accounts should be in your name. That way you control the billing, the chats and the settings.
Cost 2: the setup and training
This is the part where I come in. A tool alone gives you generic answers. Set up with your services, prices and tone, it sounds like your business. Here’s how my work is priced:
- AI Check-up, $350. A short questionnaire, a 60-minute call and a written plan with your top 3 AI wins, the tools to use and what each costs. If you book a setup within 60 days, the $350 is credited toward it.
- AI Setup + Training, $950 flat. Your AI tool set up in your name, a custom assistant loaded with your business info, a prompt library, a 90-minute training for you and up to 5 team members, and a written guide to keep.
- Connected Systems, from $1,950. Everything in Setup + Training, plus workflows across your apps and a hub that shows your business in one place. You get one flat quote before any work starts.
- Custom AI Builds, quoted per project. For teams already using AI who want it connected to their real tools and data.
What changes the price
For a setup, mostly the size of your team and how many tools are involved. For connected systems, how many apps need to talk to each other and how much your hub needs to show. That’s why those come with a flat quote after we talk, rather than a menu price.
Three examples of where people land
These are made-up examples, not clients, but they’re close to what I see.
- A solo owner who answers the same ten emails. Often the best first step is the free self-check, one paid tool, and a saved set of replies. If you’re unsure which tool, an AI Check-up settles it.
- A five-person office that writes quotes and emails all day. This is where AI Setup + Training fits: one assistant loaded with your business, and everyone trained to use it the same way.
- A business running on four or five apps that don’t talk to each other. That’s the case for Connected Systems, where the value is in the handoffs between tools.
What the setup price covers
The price of a setup isn’t for the tool. It’s for the thinking and the testing. I look at how your business actually runs, work out which tasks are worth handing to AI, write the instructions so the results sound like you, and test them with real examples until they hold up. Then I train you and your team so it keeps working after I’m gone.
The easiest way to see the value is to ask what you’d do without it. You’d spend your own hours reading about tools, trying settings, writing prompts and fixing results. Some owners enjoy that, and if you do, the self-check below is a good start. If you’d rather spend those hours on customers, setup is a way to buy them back.
What I won’t sell you
If a setting in a tool you already pay for does the job, I’ll tell you to use it. An AI Check-up includes a list of what to leave alone, because not every task should use AI, and I’d rather you spend on the few that pay off.
When you don’t need to pay anyone
If you’re comfortable experimenting, you can start on your own. Pick one task, try one tool, and keep your private data out of it. The free AI time-back self-check will show you where the biggest time savings are likely to be. I’d rather you start with something small and useful than buy something you don’t need.
Where I help most is when you want it set up properly the first time: the right tool, the right settings, instructions that sound like you, and a team that all uses it the same way.
Costs to keep an eye on afterward
- Tool subscriptions. Add them up once a quarter and cancel any you aren’t using.
- Extra seats. If your team grows, each person who needs an account adds to the monthly bill.
- Upkeep. Your assistant needs fresh information when your prices or services change. That’s a few minutes of your time, not a new invoice.
There’s no monthly fee from me for any of this. If you want help later, you can ask, and we’ll scope it the same way.
Questions I hear
Do I pay for the AI tool separately? Yes. Accounts are in your name, so you pay the tool directly. I’ll tell you what you need before you buy anything.
Can my whole team use it? Training covers you and up to 5 team members. A bigger team gets a quote.
Who owns the accounts? You do, always. You keep everything I set up.
What if AI isn’t a good fit for my business? Then I’ll tell you. That’s what the Check-up is for.
Not sure where you’d land? Book a free 20-minute call. I’ll tell you what I’d do in your shoes, even if that means you don’t need me.
Sources: ChatGPT pricing · Claude pricing. Check each page for current plans and prices.
