14/05/2026
I'd like to say I saw it coming. But I didn't. At first, I thought it was me; a lot of painful soul searching followed. Then I thought, no, it's the economy. Most consultants I speak to think the same as I did and put it down to the economy...
The economy is always a factor, of course. But it wasn't the reason.
I started tinkering with AI in 2022. I'm an early adopter of many things, curious about technology and change in general. I thought AI was exciting and an amazing piece of tech, and would help me save time.
Then, in early 2023, I saw a prompt. Something like: "Act as a Marketing Strategist with 25 years of experience in digital marketing strategy..." Then I saw the output. A 20-page strategy. And the penny dropped.
AI could literally replicate the knowledge I had spent 25+ years building. Not perfectly. Not with judgment. But well enough to make a client think twice about the invoice.
That was three years ago. Slowly at first, it began eating into my client pipeline.
But I didn't just sit back and watch it happen. I rebuilt my entire business model.
I stopped selling the "heavy lifting." I decided not to just say 'I know all about AI' (we already have too many AI gurus). I invested in my own learning, qualified in AI, and automated my back office. I ruthlessly repositioned my business to sell the one thing AI could not touch: my Judgment Premium.
The result? My consultancy now operates at higher margins and with higher-tier clients than at any point in my career. I now serve as an AI Strategic Counsel on Governance and Compliance, helping independent law firms and solo experts embed their AI Advantage.
That is why the AI Advantage work I do means something to me personally. I have been through the squeeze, and I built the blueprint to beat it. It wasn't easy or cheap.
Because something has quietly and drastically changed for independent consultants. Most wont say it out loud. Most clients won't admit it either.
AI has dramatically raised the DIY Threshold.
AI tools can produce outputs that clients consider credible enough. Credible enough to avoid the external invoice.
The output is not as good as yours. But in their mind, it no longer needs to be. This is the Insourcing Threat—and it lands hardest on the people whose entire business is built on what they know.
The consulting market has bifurcated.
Outsourced consultancy work has dropped by 30% in the last 12 months alone. But consultants who explicitly integrate AI into their workflows are earning 44% more, not by competing on price. They are selling the one thing AI cannot replicate: The Judgment Premium.
The question is not whether you have that advantage.
The question is whether you are using it deliberately.
That is what my new AI Advantage Programme is built around. A 90-minute Diagnostic. A bespoke 90-day Blueprint. Not a course. Not a template.
Launching very soon. I have space for 8 non-law firm clients for the rest of 2026.
DM me "AI Advantage" for more.
