AI consulting for small business
End-to-end AI systems — built, shipped, and yours.
I'm Conner McElvain, an AI consultant & builder. I help small businesses and busy individuals get past "we tried ChatGPT" — to AI that actually moves the numbers that matter: strategy, hands-on builds, and systems your team keeps running.
What I do
Find the leverage
Most AI spend goes to demos that never ship. I start with your actual workflow and find the two or three places AI removes real hours or unlocks real revenue — and ignore the hype.
Build the thing
I don't hand you a strategy deck and leave. I build the working system — apps, automations, integrations — end to end, and get it in front of real users fast.
Make it stick
Tools only I can run are worthless to you. I set up the workflows, guardrails, and plain-English playbooks so your team keeps the gains long after I'm gone.
Own it — don't rent it
Replace the monthly subscriptions with tools you own: e-signatures (replaces DocuSign), invoicing & billing (Bill.com), an accounting ledger (QuickBooks), documents/PDF/OCR (Adobe, Dropbox), CRM & lead capture (HubSpot, Airtable), and automation (Zapier) — self-hosted, no monthly bills, no vendor lock-in.
Things I've built
- Frontier Realms — a live multiplayer turn-based strategy game, built from scratch.
- Dirty Birdie — live golf scoring and Cup play, web + mobile.
- Tag to Rack — a production marketing site with an automation backend for a real business.
What it costs
Fixed scope. Fixed price. No hourly. You know the number before we start, and it doesn't move. Every engagement ends the same way: the working system is yours, with the runbook to keep it going.
- Starter — $2,500 (~2 weeks). One automation, live in your business and owned by you. One workflow scoped end to end; built and tested against your real data; handover doc plus a walkthrough session.
- Growth — $6,500 (~4 weeks). Three connected systems, plus the training so your team runs them without me. Up to 3 workflows wired together; team training session and written playbook; 30 days of support after handover; you own the code and the accounts.
- Own-Your-Stack — $12,000 (~6–8 weeks). Replace the rented SaaS you pay for monthly with self-hosted systems you own outright. Audit of what you rent and what it costs; self-hosted replacements built and migrated; runbooks for backup, updates, and recovery; no monthly bill to me when it's done.
Timelines are estimates. Not sure which fits? Book a call and we'll scope it honestly — including telling you if you don't need me.
About
I'm a builder first. I run a private command center of real software — businesses, tools, and automations I designed, shipped, and operate day to day. So when we work together, you're not getting theory; you're getting someone who has actually built and shipped the kind of thing you need.
Contact
Let's find your highest-leverage AI move. Book a short call or email mcelvainconner@gmail.com.