Most people searching for an AI consultancy picture a big firm with a glossy deck. Some businesses need that. Most of the owners I talk to don't. They need someone who can look at how the business runs, spot where AI pays back first, and then either build it or show the team how.

That's the job I do. I've been in marketing since 2003, I built, scaled and sold a digital marketing agency, and I've worked with brands like Twitter, Dropbox, IBM, monday.com and Greenpeace. Here's what an AI consultancy should give you, what the official numbers say about why firms stall, and how a project with me runs.

Why firms stall before they start

The Office for National Statistics published the clearest picture I've seen of this in March 2025. Its Management and Expectations Survey, which covers UK firms with at least 10 employees, found that only 9% of firms had adopted AI in 2023. Compare that with cloud computing, which 69% of firms had adopted.

The reasons are the interesting bit. The most common barrier wasn't cost and it wasn't technology. It was difficulty identifying activities or business use cases, named by 39% of firms. Cost came second at 21%, and AI expertise and skills third at 16%.

That's the gap an AI consultancy exists to close. If you don't know which jobs to hand over, no tool will fix it. Once you do know, the tools are the easy part.

• Can't see where AI fits: 39% of firms, the top barrier.
• Cost: 21% of firms.
• Skills and expertise: 16% of firms.

What my AI consultancy covers

I group the work into three areas, and most clients start with one piece and add others once they see it working. You can hire me for a single job or for the whole lot.

• Audit and strategy: a full review of your marketing and operations, scored by impact and effort, so you know what to fix first and in what order.
• Systems and builds: workflow automation in Make.com, Zapier and n8n, HubSpot builds, and custom AI agents and internal tools when nothing on the market fits.
• Revenue and growth: AI lead generation, AI-driven SEO, content engines, and getting your business named inside ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI answers.
• Training and coaching: your team learns the workflows I'd have built, so you build capability rather than depend on me forever.

How a project with me runs

Every engagement follows the same shape, even when the scope is very different. Timelines depend on what you need. Some things deliver in days, others take months, and I'll tell you which on the first call.

1. A free 30-minute call: you tell me what you're trying to do, and I ask the questions that show where AI helps most. If it isn't a fit, I'll say so before we hang up.
2. The audit: I map the jobs that eat your week and score each one by payback and effort.
3. The short list: we agree the first few changes, usually the ones that save hours straight away.
4. Build or train: I build it for you, build it with you, or train your team to do it.
5. Review: we check what moved, keep what works and drop what doesn't.

Why management habits matter more than software

One finding in the same ONS release surprised me, and it shapes how I run every audit. Among firms in the top tenth for management practice scores, 88% had adopted at least one of AI, cloud computing, robotics, specialised software or specialised equipment. In the bottom tenth, only 51% had.

The ONS also found that firms with higher management scores were more likely to follow through in 2024 on AI they'd planned in 2023. And technology adopters were associated with 19% higher turnover per worker, after controlling for management scores and firm characteristics. That's an association, not proof that the technology caused it, and I'd rather tell you that than oversell it.

The practical point is simple. AI sticks in businesses that already track what they do and review it. So part of my job is setting up the boring habits: a named owner for each workflow, a way to measure it, and a date to check it.

A big consulting firm or an independent consultant?

If you're a large enterprise with a data team, an in-house engineering function and a transformation budget, a big firm may suit you. They bring scale, and they're set up for multi-year programmes.

If you're a founder, a service business or a small team, you'll usually get more from one senior person who does the work. You talk to the person who builds it. There are no account managers in between, and nobody's billing you for a deck. That's how I work: I'm a one-person consultancy by choice.

Who I'm not the right fit for

I'm not the right AI consultancy if you want a research lab, a custom model trained from scratch, or a team of engineers on site. I'm also not right if you want AI for its own sake. I care whether the numbers move, and if a task doesn't need AI, I'll tell you to leave it alone.

If you'd like to compare how other consultants work before you decide, my guide on how to evaluate an AI consultant lists the checks I'd use myself.

My advice before you hire an AI consultancy

Write down the five jobs that take the most hours in your business each week before you talk to anyone. A good consultancy will ask for that list in the first meeting. If someone starts with a tool, a platform or a long contract instead, keep looking. And ask for one small win in the first month, so you can judge the work before you commit to more.

You can see the full menu on my work with me page, or read how I approach AI business consulting in more depth.

Frequently asked questions

What does an AI consultancy do?

An AI consultancy finds where AI can save time or bring in revenue in your business, then builds the workflows, trains your team, or both. Lilach Bullock's consultancy starts with an audit scored by impact and effort.

Why do businesses struggle to adopt AI?

In ONS figures for 2023, the top barrier for UK firms was difficulty identifying activities or business use cases (39%), ahead of cost (21%) and skills (16%).

Is an independent AI consultant better than a big firm?

For founders, service businesses and small teams, an independent consultant is often a better fit because the person you talk to does the work. Large enterprises with data teams may suit a big firm.

Does Lilach Bullock work with businesses outside the UK?

Yes. All work runs over video and in English, with clients in the UK, the US, Canada and Australia.

How do I start with Lilach Bullock's AI consultancy?

Book a free 30-minute call through the work with me page. You'll leave with a clearer picture of what would move the needle first.