How much should small business AI automation cost?
The honest answer is that cost depends on scope. The useful answer is that the first build should be small enough to pay back and specific enough to judge.
Typical Benri engagement shape
Benri starts with a paid audit, then scopes one pilot workflow. The audit keeps the build from becoming a vague consulting engagement with no finish line.
The discovery call comes first and is free. The paid audit only happens if there is a real workflow worth mapping.
What drives price
Integrations, edge cases, data quality, security requirements, and the number of human approval paths matter more than whether the page says AI.
A small workflow with one data source and one review path prices very differently from a workflow that touches five tools, multiple user roles, regulated data, and customer-facing messages.
How to judge whether the price makes sense
The first build should have a clear business reason. If it saves ten hours a week, protects revenue, shortens a follow-up loop, or replaces an expensive software workaround, the price is easier to judge.
If the workflow is vague, low-frequency, or mostly a nice-to-have, it should wait.