AI Service Lab · Stefan Ionescu
How to start an AI consulting business if you can already build with AI
Starting an AI consulting business is less about a new technical stack and more about packaging work you can already do. Pick a buyer and a business problem, define a scoped first offer, price it from the outcome and the effort, then find and deliver for a small number of clients. AI Service Lab by Stefan Ionescu helps people who can already build with AI get paid for it. Free Starter has the offer, pricing, proposal, and pipeline tools.
Who this is for and who it is not for
This guide is for people who can already build with AI and want to get paid for that work. You should be able to build, test, and explain a useful system. It is not for people looking for a certificate, a job posting, or AI trainer or annotation gigs. The next skill is turning your technical ability into an offer a buyer can understand.
Pick a problem and a buyer
Choose one type of buyer and one recurring business problem. Ask how the work happens today, where it gets stuck, who owns it, and what an improvement would be worth. For example, you could help an operations manager turn incoming requests into a review queue. Confirm that the buyer can provide the data, access, and decisions needed before proposing a solution.
Package a first offer
Write a short offer that names the buyer, problem, intended outcome, and deliverable. Define the inputs, integrations, timeline, acceptance criteria, and what is outside the scope. A first project could handle one request type with human approval before any action. Put responsibilities and change requests in the proposal so both sides know what completion means.
Price the work
Estimate the effort for discovery, building, testing, documentation, and handover. Add software and model costs, any ongoing support, and room for uncertainty. Then discuss the value of the outcome with the buyer, using their own estimates of time, errors, or delays. Set a price that covers delivery and makes sense for that value. Separate ongoing costs from the project fee and reduce scope when the budget cannot support the work.
Find the first buyers
Start with people who can introduce you to the buyer you chose. Send a brief, specific message about the problem and ask how they handle it today. Show a relevant demo with synthetic data, listen before proposing work, and record conversations and follow-ups in a simple pipeline. Use what you learn to refine the offer, then send a scoped proposal when there is a clear fit.
Deliver and hand over the system
Agree on acceptance criteria before building. Test representative inputs, failure cases, permissions, and human review with the client. Keep credentials secure and agree on how client data will be handled. Document how to run, monitor, and stop the system, who owns each account, and which costs continue. Walk the client through the handover and define the support period and process for later changes.
What to do next
Join free Starter and use the offer, pricing, proposal, and pipeline tools to work through your first offer. Pro is optional at $27 USD per month for additional support. A call can be a later step once you have a specific question about your work.
Join free StarterFor readiness, proof, and the skills beyond building, read how to become an AI consultant.
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