AI Consulting for Small Business in Chicagoland
Put AI to work in your business, safely.
We find the tasks that eat your team’s time, set up the tools that fit, and put the security rules in place first. Start with a free AI plan in five minutes. A family-run IT team in Hoffman Estates since 1994.
AI consulting for small business, answered directly
By Joe Engelking, CEO. Published November 2026.
What is AI consulting for a small business?
Finding where AI can save your team time and money in the work you already do, choosing tools that fit, setting rules for your data, and helping your people use them. It is not a software sale. The first step is understanding how your business runs.
How does the LME process work?
Start with a free 10-question survey and get a Basic AI Plan instantly. If it looks promising, book the AI Assessment: a meeting with Joe and a written plan within 3 business days. Then you either carry out the plan yourself or have LME implement and support it.
Why use an IT company for AI?
AI tools read your email, files and customer records. Permissions, backups, security and staff rules decide whether that is safe. LME has handled those for Chicagoland businesses since 1994, so they are built into your AI plan rather than fixed afterward.
Will AI replace my staff?
That is not the goal. The work we target is repetitive: drafting, sorting, copying, chasing. Your people get time back for the work only they can do, and they review anything that reaches a customer, client or regulator.
| Step | What it is | What you get | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Free AI Readiness Survey and Basic AI Plan | Your score, top three quick wins, guardrails and a time estimate | Free | 5 minutes |
| 2 | AI Assessment | A meeting with Joe, then a written plan built around your real workflows | $999, credited toward implementation signed within 30 days | Plan within 3 business days |
| 3 | AI Implementation | We set up the tools, automations, permissions and staff rules from your plan | Quoted from the plan | Depends on the plan |
| 4 | AI Support | Ongoing help, improvements and security as your tools change | Monthly, quoted | Ongoing |
What we help with
AI assessments
Find where AI saves time and money in your real workflows, ranked by payoff and effort.
AI implementation
Set up the right tools and automations, connected to the systems you already use.
AI security and policy
Clean up file permissions, choose safe tools and write the staff rules before AI touches client data.
Staff training
Show your team what to do, what not to do and how to check AI output.
We use AI in our own work at LME, and we offer the AI Assessment to our managed IT clients and to other businesses. For Hartmann Electric, an electrical contractor we support, we helped set up a simple CRM and a project-planning workflow so leads, bids and jobs live in one place. See also our cybersecurity and backup and disaster recovery services, which protect the data AI depends on.
Start with the free AI plan
Ten questions, about five minutes, and a plan built for your industry. No credit card.
AI consulting questions
How much does AI consulting cost?
Starting is free: the 10-question survey gives you a Basic AI Plan at no cost. The AI Assessment is $999 and is credited toward any implementation you sign within 30 days. Implementation and ongoing support are quoted after the assessment, because they depend on what the plan recommends.
Do we need to be a Microsoft 365 company?
No. We work with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and mixed environments. We choose tools by the problem, so the answer may be a business-grade ChatGPT or Claude workspace, an automation tool, a CRM or meeting transcription. Copilot is one option, not the default.
Is it safe to put client data into AI tools?
Only in the right ones. Business-grade tools that do not train on your data, with file permissions cleaned up first and a written staff policy. Consumer chatbots are off limits for client or patient information. This is where an IT company adds value.
What will AI actually change in a small business?
Usually repetitive work: drafting emails and quotes, summarizing meetings and documents, sorting and entering data, scheduling and follow-ups, finding information in your own files. People still review anything that reaches a client or customer.
How soon can we start?
Today. Take the survey, or book the AI Assessment directly. Joe replies to survey leads himself, and the written plan after an assessment is delivered within 3 business days.
Prefer to talk it through? Book an AI Assessment or call 847-496-5196.