AI consulting · Burton upon Trent

AI consultant in Burton upon Trent

AI workflow reviews · Measured pilots · Implementation · Staff training

I’m Martin Holecek, an independent AI consultant and full-stack developer based in Burton upon Trent. I help small businesses across Staffordshire, Derby and the Midlands work out where AI genuinely saves time, prove it with a small measured pilot, and implement it properly.

Book a free consultation See what I offer
If AI is not the right answer for your business, I will tell you. Sometimes the better fix is simple automation or a proper database.
Sound familiar?

Everyone keeps talking about AI. Where would it actually help?

Repetitive emails and quotesStaff write the same kinds of customer emails and quotes over and over, from scratch every time.
Retyping from PDFsInformation arrives in PDFs, invoices and attachments, then gets typed into spreadsheets by hand.
Slow quote preparationPreparing a quote means digging through old jobs, price lists and long email threads.
Manual reportingWeekly reports are assembled by copying numbers from one system into another.
Unstructured AI useSome staff already paste things into ChatGPT with no guidelines, no consistency and no idea what is safe to share.
No time to evaluateYou suspect AI could help somewhere, but nobody has time to work out where, or whether the hype applies to your business.

An AI workflow review answers this with numbers: what each repetitive task costs you now, and where AI (or something simpler) would make a measurable difference.

What I offer

Practical AI services, from first review to working solution

Everything starts small and measurable. You always know what a stage costs, what it delivers, and what the numbers say before committing to the next one.

AI workflow review Stage 1 · Diagnose

from £300 remote · from £500 on site

We go through the repetitive admin your team actually did last week: emails, quotes, documents, reports, data entry. Remotely that is a video call with examples you send over in advance; on site, around Burton and the local area, I watch how the work really happens. Either way, I map each task, estimate what it costs you per year in staff time, and give you a short written report on where AI would genuinely help, where simpler automation would do a better job, and what to try first. The fee is credited against a pilot or implementation if you go ahead.

AI workflow pilot Stage 2 · Prove it

from £900

A small fixed-price first project: one clearly defined process, improved with AI and measured properly. We agree the process, measure how long it takes today, build a small working solution, and measure again. For example: an enquiry email arrives, AI drafts the reply and the job record, your staff check and send. You get real before and after numbers for your own business, not a vendor’s case study, before committing to anything larger.

AI implementation & integration Stage 3 · Build

quoted individually

When a pilot proves its value, I build it into your real systems: connected to your database, your admin system and your existing workflow, with proper access control. This is where being a full-stack developer matters. I can build the software around the AI, not just the prompt.

AI tools setup & staff training Standalone

quoted individually

For teams already using ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot or similar in an unstructured way. I set up business accounts properly: usage guidelines, what is safe to share, reusable prompts for your common tasks, role-specific workflows, and hands-on training for your staff.

Do you need the review before a pilot? No. If you already know which process you want to improve, we can start straight at the pilot; it always begins by measuring the task as it works today. The review is for when you are not sure where AI would help, and its fee is credited against a pilot or implementation if you carry on. Whatever a pilot produces is yours to keep: the working setup, the prompts and the before and after numbers.

Where AI helps

Typical tasks worth reviewing

These are the kinds of everyday tasks where AI assistance tends to pay for itself. Your review looks at your actual workload, not a generic list.

Drafting customer emails & replies
Extracting data from PDFs & invoices
Sorting & categorising enquiries
Preparing quotes faster
Summarising customer & job history
Searching internal documents
Generating weekly reports
Turning messy notes into records
The numbers

What does a repetitive task actually cost you?

Before building anything, put a number on the problem. This is the same calculation an AI workflow review starts with.

Try it with one of your tasks

Staff time on this task
5 hours/week
Cost per year
£5,200
Cost after AI assistance
£2,080
Estimated saving per year
£3,120

A worked example: quotation preparation

  1. 12 quotes a week, at 25 minutes each. That is 5 hours of staff time every week.
  2. At £20 an hour, the business spends roughly £5,200 a year preparing quotes.
  3. An AI-assisted drafting step cuts each quote to around 8 minutes. The same work now costs about £1,700 a year.
  4. That is an estimated saving of around £3,500 a year, from one task.

The point is not the exact figure. The point is that once the cost is named, “should we try AI for this?” becomes a business decision instead of a hype decision.

Illustrative figures only. An AI workflow review measures your real numbers, and a pilot verifies the saving on your own work before any larger commitment.

How it works

Small steps, each one earning the next

Free initial call

A short 20 to 30 minute conversation about your business and the repetitive work your team deals with. We decide together whether a review is worth doing. No obligation.

AI workflow review · from £300

We map your repetitive tasks and put a yearly cost on each one. Remote by video call from £300, or on site around Burton from £500. You get a short written report: where AI would measurably help, where simpler automation wins, and what to try first.

AI workflow pilot · from £900

One process, improved and measured. Time per task before, time per task after, in your business with your real work. The result is evidence, not a promise.

Implementation

What the pilot proves gets built properly: integrated with your systems and data, with sensible access control. Quoted individually before any work starts.

Ongoing care

If MHDev hosts what we build, a monthly care plan from £79/month keeps it hosted, backed up, updated and supported.

If the review shows AI is not the right answer, I will say so. You keep the report and the numbers either way. Sometimes the best recommendation is simple automation or a proper database rather than AI.

Why MHDev

AI is not always the answer, and I am fine with that

Many AI agencies sell exactly one thing: AI. My main business is building custom systems for companies that have outgrown spreadsheets, so I have no reason to force AI into a workflow where a simple database, an integration or a well-designed admin screen would work better.

When AI is the right tool, the same skills mean it gets implemented properly: connected to your systems and your data, with sensible controls, rather than a demo that falls over after the first week.

Read about custom business systems on the main page →

Measured, not promised

Every pilot has a before and after number. You see the saving in your own business before spending more.

Tool-agnostic

Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or no AI at all. The recommendation follows the problem, not a vendor deal.

Built by a developer

Full-stack development background: databases, APIs, admin systems and integrations, not just prompts.

Honest scope

Clear fixed starting prices, small stages, and a genuine willingness to say “you do not need AI for this”.

Based locally

An AI consultant based in Burton, working across the Midlands

I live and work in Burton upon Trent (often written Burton on Trent). For local businesses the first conversation can happen in person over a coffee. I also work with companies in Derby, Swadlincote, Lichfield, Tamworth and Birmingham, and remotely across the UK.

You talk directly to the person who reviews, builds and supports the work. No sales team, no outsourcing, and no pressure to buy tools you do not need.

Areas I cover

Burton upon Trent Stretton Branston Winshill Stapenhill Swadlincote Uttoxeter Ashby-de-la-Zouch Lichfield Tamworth Derby Birmingham Remote across the UK

Common questions

Which AI tools do you use?
Whichever fits the problem. That might be Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, a smaller model running privately, or no AI at all. I am an independent consultant, not a reseller, so the recommendation is based on your workflow and budget rather than a partnership with any vendor.
Is our business data safe with AI tools?
Data handling is agreed before anything is built. I use business-tier AI services with appropriate controls rather than free consumer accounts, sensitive data can be excluded or anonymised, and nothing from your business is shared without agreement. Clear guidelines for staff are part of the setup and training service.
Do we actually need AI?
Possibly not, and that is a genuine answer. The AI workflow review exists to answer this question with numbers. If simple automation or a better system would serve you better, the report says so.
What does AI consulting cost?
The first call is free. An AI workflow review starts from £300 remotely, or from £500 with an on-site visit around Burton. A pilot project starts from £900, and larger implementation work is quoted individually before anything starts. Ongoing hosting and support plans start from £79 a month.
Do I have to buy a review before a pilot?
No. If you already know which process you want to improve, we can start straight at the pilot, which always begins by measuring the task as it works today. The review is the right first step when you are not sure where AI would help, and its fee is credited against a pilot or implementation if you go ahead.
What happens if the pilot shows AI does not help?
You still get the measurements and a written recommendation of what would help instead. A clear negative result on a small pilot is far cheaper than discovering the same thing after a large project.
Do you only work with businesses near Burton upon Trent?
No. Burton is home and local businesses get easy in-person meetings, but I work with companies across Derby, Staffordshire, Birmingham and the wider Midlands, and remotely across the UK.
Can you train our staff to use AI properly?
Yes. The setup and training service covers usage guidelines, safe data handling, reusable prompts for your common tasks, and hands-on sessions for the people who will use the tools day to day.
Get in touch

Tell me about the tasks that eat your week

The best first step is a short, free call. Tell me about the repetitive admin in your business, and we will work out together whether an AI workflow review is worth it.

Go to the contact form

Prefer to talk? Call 01283 807262, message me on WhatsApp, or email [email protected].