Guide

How do you introduce AI when there is no IT department to hand it to?

The short answer: not with new software, but with a measurement. First you find out which recurring task costs your team hours every week. Then exactly that one task gets rebuilt, in the tools you already use. That does not take an IT department. It takes one person who measures, decides and builds.

The honest starting point: one task, measured

A company-wide rollout is the wrong first step for a small business. Pick one recurring, low-risk task, measure how often it runs and how many active minutes it takes, and decide from that. Do not try to change the whole business at once: one task, rebuilt properly and used every day, is worth more than five half-finished experiments.

Why "no IT department" is not the obstacle it feels like

Most small companies that want to use AI have no IT department: an owner, a small team, perhaps an outside provider for laptops and mailboxes. That is the situation DMello Advisory works for. Without in-house IT there are also no home-grown special systems that first need to be understood. The workflow that costs time today is usually quick to describe, and that is where the work starts.

Three things slow most starts down: buying licences before measuring the workflow, trying to change everything at once, and leaving open who owns the check step when something does not fit.

The path: Time Audit first, a decision per row, then build

The Time Audit is a task list of every recurring task in your business, with measured minutes instead of guesses. Every row gets a decision: automate, drop or keep. Only then does anything get built.

The Build Sprint builds one workflow in the tools you already use, with up to two integrations. Acceptance test: your team usually works with the new tool the next morning. To see what a measured task looks like, browse the examples from the task list.

What it costs

Every offer has a fixed price. The entry point is the Time Audit; the details are on each audit's own page.

Time Audit €1,490 ($1,700) · Cost Audit €1,790 ($2,040) · Build Sprint €4,900 ($5,570) · Ongoing Support €490 ($560) or €990 ($1,130) a month, minimum term 3 months · net + VAT

The Time Audit is credited 100% against a Build Sprint ordered within 30 days. We work with companies in any country, remote-first. Prices are net. VAT or other taxes are applied according to the rules of your country.

Is there funding for this?

Germany has state programmes for outside consulting, for example the BAFA programme (Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle, the German federal office that runs SME consulting subsidies) for consulting to small and medium-sized businesses. The order matters: the application comes before any consulting contract is signed. What the programme covers and what it does not is explained on the German page Förderung für KI-Beratung (in German).

Note: this page summarises our own research (as of September 2026). It is not legal, tax or funding advice.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I introduce AI in my small company without an IT department?

By starting with one measured task instead of a tool. The Time Audit shows which recurring task costs the most minutes, and the Build Sprint rebuilds exactly that one in the tools you already use. In the 20-minute diagnosis we work out where you start.

What is the first AI project a small business should try?

The task with high frequency and little judgment. A task that costs five minutes eight times a month often ranks above one that takes 15 minutes once a month. Which one that is for you, the Time Audit task list shows row by row.

Do I need to change my existing software or tools first?

No. The Time Audit measures the existing workflow, whatever inbox or tool you use, and the Build Sprint builds in the tools you already have. Licences and API costs are passed on at cost.

Is AI adoption realistic for a company under 50 people?

Yes, if it starts small. A company of that size rarely needs a platform; it needs one workflow that runs better, usually by the next morning. The Time Audit is built for exactly that situation, and the 20-minute diagnosis is free.

How is this different from hiring a big consulting firm?

One person for strategy and implementation, fixed prices instead of timesheets, and working software at the end instead of slides. Before the sprint, the metric is agreed in writing, in hours per week. All results belong to the client.

What does it cost to get started?

The Time Audit costs €1,490 ($1,700) net + VAT, delivered within 5 working days. It is credited 100% against a Build Sprint (€4,900 ($5,570) net + VAT) ordered within 30 days. The 20-minute diagnosis before either is free.

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