How much does an AI strategy cost?

Discovery is free. After it you receive a scoped proposal with a fixed price before any work starts. A larger rollout is quoted after discovery. The packages and prices are on our services page.

You send the contact form with a few lines on your business and what you are unsure about. We reply within 24 hours and book a free discovery. It ends with a plan, agreed metrics and a price.

Is this a long report that ends up in a drawer?

It should not be. The strategy ends in a first rollout with a fixed price and numbers to measure. The output is a change in how the business runs, with a way to check it worked.

What are the metrics?

They are the figures that show whether a change paid off, for example time spent on a task, how long a customer waits for a reply or how many jobs are finished in a week. We agree them with you before anything is built, and which ones suit you depends on your business.

Do we have to buy new AI tools?

Not as a starting point. We look at the tools and software you already have first. If a gap needs a new tool, we recommend one that fits your business and budget and explain why.

Can you promise a return on the first rollout?

No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. We pick the first rollout because the evidence from your own business points to a good result, then we measure it and show you the real figures.

What happens after the first rollout?

You can stop with the result in hand, or keep a monthly retainer in which 21Labs measures results and runs the next rollout. Nothing renews unless you choose it.

Services

AI Strategy for Small Business

2026-11-10

Find where AI pays off, then prove it. 21Labs helps owners of small and mid-sized businesses work out where AI is worth their money, agree the numbers that prove it and roll out the first change at a fixed price. We are an agency in Sydney that serves businesses across Australia.

What an AI strategy is

An AI strategy answers three questions in order. Where in this business would AI save time, lift quality or win work? Which of those is worth doing first? What figure will show it worked?

For a small business, a strategy is a short, practical plan rather than a slide deck about the future. It names a few opportunities, ranks them against effort and likely gain, picks one and defines the numbers to watch. Then it gets done.

The aim is to stop AI being a pile of experiments and start it being a sequence of changes, each one measured. Success is judged on what changed in the business.

Who it is for

An AI strategy suits you if you recognise some of these:

You know AI matters and cannot say where to start.
Competitors, suppliers or staff keep mentioning AI, and you have no considered answer.
You have a long list of ideas and no way to rank them.
You tried a tool or two and could not tell if they helped.
You do not want to spend on a big project before you know it will pay off.

If you are the owner or a team lead and you can describe how your business runs in a normal week, you are ready for discovery.

The problem in your words

"Everyone says I should be using AI, but I don't know for what." "I don't want to waste money on the wrong thing." "How would I even know if it was working?" These are strategy questions. They have practical answers once someone looks at how your business actually runs.

What 21Labs does

Look at how the business really runs

We talk to you and the people who do the work. We follow a normal week, from the first enquiry to the final invoice, and note where time is lost, where errors creep in and where work waits for a person.

Find and rank the opportunities

From that map we list where AI could help, with a plain assessment of each: the likely gain, the effort, the risk and what it depends on. Opportunities that look exciting and are hard to deliver go lower down the list.

Agree the metrics before anything is built

For the opportunity at the top, we define the figures that will show whether it worked and record where they stand today. The starting figure matters, since a result means nothing without something to compare it to.

Roll out the first change at a fixed price

We scope the first rollout as a defined piece of work with deliverables and a price you agree in advance. It uses the tools you already have where possible and is small enough to finish and measure.

Measure the gains and plan the next step

After the rollout, we report against the agreed numbers. If it paid off, we plan the next one. If it did not, you know that too, and you know it cheaply.

How the engagement runs

Every 21Labs engagement runs the same cycle.

1. Discovery is free

Start with a free discovery. We learn your business and come back with a plan and a price. For strategy, discovery produces a readiness picture and a ranked list of opportunities. The free AI readiness report describes how it runs.

2. Price agreed before work starts

You agree the price before we start, so there are no surprises. Instalments are allowed and the total stays fixed.

3. Delivery

We carry out the first rollout and hand over what your team needs to keep using it.

4. Measured results

We measure the numbers agreed in discovery and show you what changed.

5. Renewal on your terms

After delivery, we stay with you each month to keep improving the results. On a retainer we measure results and run the next rollout. When you need more, we scope the next step and keep going. You can stop at any point.

Timing is agreed with you at the first conversation, because it depends on the size of the business and how quickly the right people can talk to us.

Where to start

Begin with a free discovery. We learn how your business runs, then agree the right size of work with you. Get in touch to start, or read the packages and prices first.

Who it is not for

A business that already knows what it wants automated. If you can name the process, workflow automation gets you there faster.
A team that has the tools and does not use them. That is an adoption problem, and our AI adoption service is built for it.
A buyer looking for a guarantee of savings. We measure results and report them honestly. We do not promise a figure in advance.
Someone who wants a strategy document and no change. The point of the work is a first rollout and numbers, so it needs an owner willing to act.

Start with a free discovery

Tell us about your business and what you are unsure about. We will come back with a plan, agreed metrics and a price, and you will know where AI pays off before you spend on it.

good questions, straight answers

Frequently asked questions

How much does an AI strategy cost?: Discovery is free. After it you receive a scoped proposal with a fixed price before any work starts. A larger rollout is quoted after discovery. The packages and prices are on our services page.
How does it start?: You send the contact form with a few lines on your business and what you are unsure about. We reply within 24 hours and book a free discovery. It ends with a plan, agreed metrics and a price.
Is this a long report that ends up in a drawer?: It should not be. The strategy ends in a first rollout with a fixed price and numbers to measure. The output is a change in how the business runs, with a way to check it worked.
What are the metrics?: They are the figures that show whether a change paid off, for example time spent on a task, how long a customer waits for a reply or how many jobs are finished in a week. We agree them with you before anything is built, and which ones suit you depends on your business.
Do we have to buy new AI tools?: Not as a starting point. We look at the tools and software you already have first. If a gap needs a new tool, we recommend one that fits your business and budget and explain why.
Can you promise a return on the first rollout?: No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. We pick the first rollout because the evidence from your own business points to a good result, then we measure it and show you the real figures.
What happens after the first rollout?: You can stop with the result in hand, or keep a monthly retainer in which 21Labs measures results and runs the next rollout. Nothing renews unless you choose it.

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