Most people think you need to be a developer or data scientist to sell AI consulting.
You don't.
If you work in HR, Operations, Finance, Marketing, or Project Management, you already have what local businesses are desperate for. They need someone who understands workflows, processes, and business problems and can implement AI solutions around them.
Here's the audit framework I teach:
Step 1: Identify repetitive tasks
Every business has 3-5 tasks that eat hours every week. Document generation, scheduling, data entry, and email responses. These are your targets.
Step 2: Map the tool to the task
There's an AI tool for almost everything, and it doesn't have to be complicated. A $97/month tool that saves 10 hours/week is worth thousands to a small business.
Step 3: Calculate the ROI before you pitch
"This will save you $6k a month in labor costs. My retainer is $2k a month." That's the pitch. That's it.
Step 4: Implement, document, and retain
You build the system once. They pay you monthly to manage, update, and expand it.
The professionals doing this aren't building products or chasing VC money. They're applying skills they already have, in a new context, to businesses that are underserved by AI consultants.
If you're a corporate professional sitting on years of process knowledge, this is worth paying attention to.