FAQ

Agency, freelancer or DIY: which route for AI in your business?

There are three common ways to get AI working in a business. You hire an agency, you hire a freelancer, or you do it yourself.

Who does the work

DIY. You and your team do the work.

A freelancer. One person does the work.

An agency. A team does the work.

No route is right for every owner, so this page does not pick one for you.

Five questions to ask any of them

  1. Do they start from your business or from a tool? A good start looks at where customers are won or lost, where work gets stuck and where time or money is being wasted.
  2. Who approves what goes out and what gets spent? You should. Outgoing messages, published content and spending should wait for your approval.
  3. Will your team be able to run it? Ask whether your staff are trained to use the systems in their own roles.
  4. Is the cost written down before you commit? Ask for the scope and costs in a proposal before you decide.
  5. Can you say no after seeing the plan? You should decide what to go ahead with.

Where the assessment fits

If you are not sure which route to take, plan first. The Cortexia Lab assessment is a working session to plan how AI should work across your business. You leave with a practical plan for which systems to build first and a clear next step.

Any build comes afterwards. It is scoped and priced in a separate proposal, and you decide what to go ahead with.

If you do choose Cortexia Lab for the build, we set up the agreed systems, train your team and keep outgoing messages and spending under your approval.

Start your AI assessment

Questions: nizar@cortexialab.com

Should I hire an agency, hire a freelancer or do it myself?

It depends on who you want doing the work and how much of it you want to carry yourself. With an agency a team does it, with a freelancer one person does it, and with DIY you and your team do it. If you are not sure, start by planning: work out where AI should take on work in your business before you choose who builds it.

What should I ask before I hire anyone to set up AI?

Ask whether they start from your business or from a tool, who approves outgoing messages and spending, whether your team will be trained to run it, whether the scope and costs are written down before you commit, and whether you can say no after seeing the plan.

Will AI send messages or spend money without me?

No. You approve outgoing messages, published content and spending. AI can prepare work and recommend actions; you and your team stay responsible for decisions.

What does the Cortexia Lab assessment include and cost?

It is a working session to plan how AI should work across your business. You leave with a practical plan for which systems to build first and a clear next step. It is a one-time $999 payment at the current promotional price (list price $2,500). The build and ongoing retainer are priced separately in your proposal.

What happens after the assessment?

You receive a proposal for the AI systems to build, the work they will handle and the ongoing retainer. It sets out the scope and costs before you decide whether to proceed. If you go ahead, we build and connect the agreed systems, launch them and train your team.

Will my team have to run the systems?

We train your staff to use the systems in their own roles. AI can prepare work, coordinate agreed tasks and bring recommendations to the team. Your staff review the work and handle decisions.