# Practitioner notes Source: https://getstartedwithai.net/blog Site: Get Started With AI Tagline: Build AI automations that actually run your business. Audience: solo professionals, freelancers, consultants and AI implementers in training Contact: hello@getstartedwithai.co.uk This Markdown companion is generated from the prerendered page for AI crawlers. # Practitioner notes Dated posts on AI implementation, working systems and the patterns Richard sees across 120+ projects. New posts every week or two. All posts are practitioner-voice and back the WIRE Method. ## Recent posts Most recent first. Each post represents one specific take, story or lesson. ### How much does AI implementation cost a UK small business 10 May 2026. AI implementation cost for a UK small business in 2026, broken down by audit fee, first build, sprint, retainer and tooling pass-through. [Read post](/blog/how-much-does-ai-implementation-cost-uk-2026) ### Zapier vs Make for UK small business: the practitioner's pick 9 May 2026. Zapier vs Make for a UK small business in 2026. Which to pick, when each wins, and the credit-pricing trap that catches most operators on Make. [Read post](/blog/zapier-vs-make-uk-small-business-pick) ### AI for UK construction businesses: where the wins actually are 8 May 2026. AI for UK construction SMEs in 2026. The four candidate workflows that ship inside a week, the named owner pattern, and where the saved hours actually land. [Read post](/blog/ai-for-uk-construction-businesses) ### AI for UK law firms: the electrician's view, not the panel's 7 May 2026. AI for UK law firms in 2026. The four jobs a 12-partner firm should ship first, the named owner pattern for SRA-regulated outputs, and what to skip. [Read post](/blog/ai-for-uk-law-firms-the-electrician-view) ### AI for UK recruitment agencies: what actually works in 2026 6 May 2026. AI for UK recruitment agencies in 2026. The screening and outreach tasks that ship safely, the GDPR traps, and the WIRE Method audit on a 12-person agency. [Read post](/blog/ai-for-uk-recruitment-agencies) ### What AI in accounting actually delivers in practice 30 April 2026. AI in accounting is sold as transformation. The honest answer: about eight hours a week per fee earner, a 90 percent reconciliation hit rate, and zero replacement of qualified judgement. Here is what to expect. [Read post](/blog/what-ai-in-accounting-actually-delivers) ### The fortnight of output review nobody else talks about 29 April 2026. Every WIRE Method build is reviewed daily for the first two weeks. Two weeks of every output, read by a human. The reason this step is missing from most AI projects is the reason most AI projects drift. [Read post](/blog/the-fortnight-of-output-review) ### How small businesses should think about AI ROI 23 April 2026. AI ROI for a small business is not the same calculation enterprise consultants use. The number that matters is hours saved per week, costed at the rate of the person who used to do the work. Here is the working. [Read post](/blog/how-small-businesses-should-think-about-ai-roi) ### The first-build rule: ship something working in week one 22 April 2026. Most AI engagements lose momentum in the second week. The fix is the first-build rule: a working automation in week one, no exceptions. [Read post](/blog/first-build-rule) ### What an AI implementation method actually is 16 April 2026. AI implementation method is the order in which the steps run. The technology is the easy part. The order is what decides whether the build survives past month three. The four-step shape that holds up in practice. [Read post](/blog/what-an-ai-implementation-method-actually-is) ### When AI is the wrong answer 15 April 2026. A short list of work where I tell clients not to use AI. Not because AI cannot do it; because the cost of failure is asymmetric, the volume is too low to pay back, or the work needs a human signature. [Read post](/blog/when-ai-is-the-wrong-answer) ### Why I stopped selling AI strategy 15 April 2026. In 2024, I sold strategy decks. The decks were good. The clients did not act on them. So I stopped. [Read post](/blog/why-i-stopped-selling-strategy) ### Are AI consultants worth the money? An honest practitioner answer 9 April 2026. AI consultant rates in the UK in 2026 range from £1,500 for an audit to £15,000 a month on retainer. When the spend pays back and when it does not, drawn from real engagements. [Read post](/blog/are-ai-consultants-worth-the-money) ### The handover document that survives the builder 8 April 2026. The handover document is the part of the WIRE Method that decides whether the build outlives the engagement. Six items, one named owner and a monthly review. Most teams either skip it or overcomplicate it. [Read post](/blog/the-handover-document-that-survives-the-builder) ### Six months running my consulting practice on Claude 8 April 2026. I switched my primary assistant to Claude in October 2025. After six months, here is what changed in my practice and what did not. [Read post](/blog/six-months-with-claude) ### Why I charge for the audit before the build 1 April 2026. Free audits sound generous. They are usually a polite way to do a sales pitch. I charge for the audit because the audit is the work, and the work is worth being paid for. [Read post](/blog/why-i-charge-for-the-audit) ### The Monday morning test for AI implementations 1 April 2026. A simple test for any AI implementation: can your team run it on Monday morning without you in the room? If not, you have not finished. [Read post](/blog/the-monday-morning-test) ### The seven words that disqualify a prospect 25 March 2026. On a discovery call, certain phrases tell me the prospect is not ready for an AI implementation engagement. Saving the conversation early saves both sides time. The seven words I listen for. [Read post](/blog/the-seven-words-that-disqualify-a-prospect) ### The pattern I keep seeing in failed AI projects 25 March 2026. After 120+ AI implementations, the same failure pattern repeats. It is not the model and not the tool. It is the missing owner. [Read post](/blog/the-pattern-i-keep-seeing) ### The Monday Morning Test on my own practice 18 March 2026. I run the diagnostic on my own work twice a year. The most recent pass found three candidates I had been ignoring. This post is the candidates, the costing and the build I picked. [Read post](/blog/the-monday-morning-test-on-my-own-practice) ### How I run discovery calls in 30 minutes 18 March 2026. Most AI consultants run 60-minute discovery calls. I cut mine to 30. The conversion rate went up. [Read post](/blog/the-30-minute-discovery-call) ### The 30-minute discovery conversation that surfaces a £40k engagement 11 March 2026. My discovery conversation runs 30 minutes. It produces a candidate list, a costed Time Tax and the audit-engagement scope, every time. Here is the structure I use. [Read post](/blog/the-30-minute-discovery-conversation) ### The exact AI tools I use to run my consulting practice in 2026 11 March 2026. My current AI stack: 9 tools, £92 a month, runs every part of a consulting practice from sales to delivery to billing. [Read post](/blog/the-tools-i-actually-use) ### The tools I actually use this quarter 4 March 2026. A short list of the AI tools I have used most days in the last 90 days, and what I have used them for. Honest, not promotional. Updated quarterly. [Read post](/blog/the-tools-i-actually-use-this-quarter) ### Why I describe myself as the electrician, not the professor 4 March 2026. Most AI consultants are professors. They explain the field. Clients need electricians who wire it up. The metaphor that changed how I sell. [Read post](/blog/why-the-electrician-not-the-professor) ### The hire I keep recommending: a practitioner ops lead, not an AI engineer 25 February 2026. Most small businesses asking about AI engineers should be hiring a practitioner ops lead instead. The role and why it is different. [Read post](/blog/the-hire-i-keep-recommending) ## How posts are chosen Every post traces back to a real engagement. The pattern, the build or the decision came from client work, not theory. If a post does not have a number, a process or a name attached, it does not get published. ## Topics covered - AI implementation patterns: what reliably ships and what stalls in week two. - Tooling decisions: when paid earns its fee and when free is enough. - The WIRE Method in practice: case-study breakdowns from real builds. - Pricing and packaging AI work for small businesses. ## Questions people ask before they start ### Do I need to code? No. Most builds run on ChatGPT, Claude, Zapier, Make, Notion or Canva. Code tools are only used when they are the fastest route to a working outcome. ### How much time does each build take? Most starter builds ship in 30 to 90 minutes. Each one states the outcome, the time to ship, the tool cost and the running system you should have when you finish. ### Is this for beginners or consultants? Both. The site is calibrated for solo professionals who want the working system for themselves first, then repackage the same build as paid client work. ### Where should I start? Start with the free Starter Kit, then ship the first ChatGPT project and the first Zapier flow. That gives you one assistant and one live automation by the end of the week.