AI for smaller businesses, without the hype
Start with AI without wasting a year guessing
I am Ian. I help smaller businesses figure out where AI actually fits, then put it to work on the jobs that eat your week. No jargon, no enterprise price tag, no pilot purgatory.
Ian Bell
Founder, The Digital Employee
Based in Warwickshire, working UK-wide & internationally
Connect on LinkedInWhy I started The Digital Employee
Big companies are racing ahead with AI, backed by huge budgets and teams of consultants. Smaller businesses, the ones that actually keep the economy running, are being left to figure it out alone.
The large firms are not much help. They charge thousands just for an assessment, hand over a thick report, and leave you to work out the rest. That never sat right with me.
I have spent years building AI systems for businesses, from LLMs and agents to the data pipelines behind them. For the last six months I have turned that toward something different: sitting with smaller businesses, cutting through the hype, and finding the handful of things that genuinely save them time.
The quiz on this page is the same first conversation I have with everyone I work with, and I share what I learn along the way in the open.
How it works
A simple, no-pressure way to find your starting point with AI.
Take the 2-minute quiz
Answer a few quick questions about your business and where you think AI could help.
Get your personalised plan
See where you are today and the first moves worth making in the next 90 days, tuned to your sector.
Book a call with me
We talk through your plan and the fastest way to get a real win on the board.
What makes this different
Founder-led, practical, and priced for businesses like yours.
You work with me, not a faceless firm
It is my name on this. You get a straight answer from someone who has actually done the work.
Built for smaller businesses
No enterprise price tag and no jargon. Just practical AI that fits how you already run.
First wins, not 100-page decks
We start with the jobs that eat your week and find something that pays for itself quickly.
I build in public
I share what works and what does not on LinkedIn, so you can see the thinking before you ever pay me a penny.
Ready to find your starting line?
Take the free 2-minute quiz and get your personalised first moves. When you are ready, book a call and we will map out the fastest path to a win.