AI · Analytics · Operations
AI Consulting & Automation for Ambitious Business Owners
Digital Consulting helps established businesses find revenue leaks, scale what is working and cut the manual work, through AI consulting, analytics and automation, led by a founder who has run companies, not just advised them.
For owners who need senior thinking and hands-on delivery without hiring a full-time data, AI or transformation executive. Most engagements start with a fixed-scope audit from R15,000.
Our founder, the person you would work with directly, brings:
C-level operatorOperations, finance, BI, IT and more
Analytics leaderModels, dashboards and reporting at scale
Scaling operatorGrew operations and restructured to profit
Hands-on builderBuilds automations and dashboards directly
PRACTICAL AI CONSULTING FOR ESTABLISHED BUSINESSES
The problem is rarely AI. It is unclear operations, unused data and money leaking out of everyday work.
Most businesses do not need a chatbot bolted onto a messy process. They need someone to understand how the business actually runs, where customers and margin leak out, what data is already available, and which manual work should disappear. Digital Consulting turns that into practical systems, dashboards and automations you can use.
This is for you if:
- You make big decisions on gut feel, because your reports cannot give you data-driven answers.
- Customers, time or margin are leaking somewhere across operations, sales, delivery and follow-up.
- Your team spends too much time on admin, reporting, copying, checking or chasing.
- You know AI should help, but you need someone who can separate useful change from theatre.
- You need senior analytics and operating judgment, but not a full-time executive hire.
Typical fit: founders, MDs and CEOs of established South African businesses, roughly R10m to R100m turnover, 20 to 300 staff.
Find the leaks, and the levers to grow
When growth slows, the instinct is to spend more, hire another person, or buy another tool. Often the better move is to map how the business actually runs, end to end: how you win and keep customers, how the work gets done, where time and margin are lost, what your reports do and do not tell you, and which decisions are made without good data. That map shows both the leaks quietly costing you and the places where a focused change would scale what is already working, which is where the useful AI, analytics and automation opportunities usually sit.
What we actually do
Three practical levers, pointed at whatever moves your numbers most.
See the business clearly
Turn scattered data into dashboards, forecasts and decision views that show what is working, what is slipping, and what needs attention next.
Find leaks and growth levers
Map where customers, time and margin are won or lost across operations, sales, delivery and follow-up, then fix the leaks and double down on what is already working.
Scale without adding headcount
Remove the repetitive reporting, admin and handoff work that holds you back, with practical automations and AI-enabled workflows, so the business can grow without simply hiring more people.
How the work starts
1Operator diagnosisA focused conversation about how the business runs, where the pressure is, and whether Digital Consulting can genuinely help.
2Leak map and roadmapA fixed-scope audit that maps the data, operations, workflows and AI opportunities into a prioritised, costed plan.
3Build or guideWe build the first solution, or stay involved as your senior analytics and automation partner on retainer.
Ways to work together
Start small, prove the opportunity, then build only what is worth building.
Operator-Led Opportunity Audit
from R15,000Fixed scope, 1 to 2 weeks
A practical diagnosis of where AI, automation, analytics or process improvements can create the most leverage in your business.
- Review of workflows, data, tools and customer journey
- Prioritised leak map and opportunity roadmap
- A clear first move with cost, effort and expected value
- Presented in plain business language
Solution Build
from R30,000Fixed scope and price
We build one useful system end to end: a dashboard, an automation, a workflow, a reporting layer or a predictive model.
- One solution scoped and built
- Built and tested on your real process
- Handover, documentation and walkthrough
- Designed so your team can actually use it
Expert on Retainer
from R15,000/monthScoped to your requirements
Senior operator and analytics input without a full-time hire, for businesses that need ongoing direction and hands-on delivery.
- Senior thinking without permanent headcount
- Ongoing roadmap, prioritisation and implementation support
- Hands-on build capability, not only advice
- Scoped to your requirements and budget
What affects the price: the complexity of your systems, how many workflows or business areas are in scope, the depth of discovery required, and, for the retainer, the time required each month.
Prices last reviewed: June 2026.
Based in South Africa, working with clients here and remotely.
Why Digital Consulting is different
This work is led by our founder, who brings a rare combination: executive operating experience, analytics leadership, founder-level commercial judgment, and the ability to build the actual systems.
- Former C-level operator (COO and Managing Director) in a large outsourcing business, with oversight across operations, finance, BI, IT, HR and compliance.
- Led restructuring and profitability work that moved a business from losses to sustained profitability.
- Senior analytics leader in a global SaaS business: predictive models, company dashboards, executive reporting and operating rhythms.
- Built an online retail business from scratch, grew it to the top of its market, and later sold it.
- Practical and educated: BCom, MBA cum laude, an MSc in Data Science in progress, plus hands-on SQL, Python, BI and AI-automation experience.
In practice, that means Digital Consulting does not arrive with a generic AI toolkit. We look at the business model, the customer journey, the operating rhythm, the reports people trust, the manual work people tolerate, and the decisions leaders struggle to make. Then we build the smallest useful system that changes the outcome.
“The opportunity is usually already inside the business. The work is seeing it clearly, proving what matters, and building the system that makes the better way repeatable.”Digital Consulting
How Digital Consulting compares
Your honest options when you need senior AI, analytics and operating help.
| Digital Consulting | Full-time senior hire | Large consultancy | Doing it in-house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | From R15,000, scoped | R1m+ per year | Large project fees | Your team’s time |
| Commitment | Month to month | Permanent headcount | Long engagements | Ongoing distraction |
| Understands the operating reality | Former COO / MD | Depends on the hire | Often abstracted | You already carry it |
| Builds it, not just advises | Yes, hands-on | Sometimes | Often a separate team | If they have capacity and skills |
| Connects data, AI and business outcomes | Core offer | Depends on profile | Often siloed | Usually fragmented |
| Time to first result | Weeks | Months to hire | Months | Whenever it gets done |
*Comparisons are indicative and reflect typical market options at the time of writing.
AI consulting FAQs
It depends on scope, but Digital Consulting keeps it transparent: an operator-led opportunity audit starts at R15,000, a solution build at R30,000, and an expert on retainer from R15,000 a month. We agree the scope up front so the price holds.
The audit diagnoses where AI, automation, analytics or funnel fixes can create leverage. The solution build delivers one specific system end to end. The retainer gives you ongoing senior operating, analytics and automation support without a full-time hire.
Both. The difference here is that the same person who helps diagnose the business problem can also build the dashboard, automation, workflow or reporting change, or direct the team that does. You get an operator who ships.
No. It is for established businesses, roughly 20 to 300 staff, that rely on getting operations, marketing, customer experience and decision-making right. Any business sitting on unused data, manual work, unclear reporting or slow, repetitive processes is a fit.
Digital Consulting is based in South Africa and works remotely with clients here and elsewhere, with occasional on-site sessions where they help. Because the work is analytics, automation and advisory, most of it is done remotely, which keeps it efficient and affordable.
No, it usually complements them. Digital Consulting can set the direction, define the operating requirements, build the missing pieces, or help your existing people execute against a clearer plan.
Book a 30-minute call
Tell us where the business feels stuck. We will say honestly whether we can help, and where we would start.
