Ai Consultants work with organisations who need to understand and communicate with Small Businesses.
We research barriers to business growth, particularly around technology adoption such as IT and web technologies. And we produce training programmes to educate SMEs or organisations that want to reach them. Needless to say this is as much about leadership as about technology
Our unique insights come from experience (we've been running small businesses since 1981) and from working with government agencies, corporate players and Universities to develop training programmes to engage small business with technology.
Why we can help you
If you want to reach small businesses, you will know that they are difficult to reach and don't like parting with money. If you want to spend your money wisely, you need to be able to research and develop a proposition, know what appeals to them and what their psychological drivers are and be able to deliver it in a way that's attractive and appealing. You know that psychology and leadership is as important as features and benefits. We can help you connect to this most difficult of audiences - because we understand what technology can do for them AND we understand their psychological and logistical barriers.
Our Story - why we do what we do.
We have run businesses together since 1981. One of us focuses on marketing and finance, the other on software development and IT management - although there's a fair overlap. We've successfully dealt with the issues of business innovation and growth ourselves. After 15 years running IT companies, In 1995 one of us had the opportunity to build and direct the Executive Studio. This was a West London e-business and IT training and demonstration centre funded through the TEC and the Business Link.
This led to our current focus on Small Business Research and Training.
It enjoyed a budget of 500k per year and we did much good work. From 2001 after a management buy-out we carried out a series of contracts for mainly public sector organisations. These were research or content development projects. We devised and delivered training programmes and diagnostics in IT and e-commerce for Business Link for London, Ukonline for Business, various Universities and UFI. We ran various governnment funded training programmes. We carried out research and consultancy work for Royal Holloway, Ukonline for Business, ODPM, the London Development Agency, Hewlett Packard and e-skills
Eventually we founded our current company Free Spirits Ltd at the end of 2003 and have continued with research and content develpment projects but we have also developed an internet trading business, Plants4Presents which trades successfully in it's own right and provides useful case study material.
As Ai Consultants we have developed training materials and guidelines for PCWorld, the Small Business Service, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Virgin Atlantic, the EU Leonardo Project plus some materials of our own. We have carried out research and consultancy projects for One London, Brunel University, Royal Holloway University, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Team Working, and the Government of Wales. Full details are found in Our Track Record. We work both independently and with some carefully chosen partners. We employ 8 people in total and are qualified to give business, marketing and IT advice, deliver coaching and implement web-related IT projects. The business turned over over around £450k in 2007/8.
Almost all of the Ai Consultants business comes by referral.
