AI consulting for SMEs: implementation instead of slide decks
Your competitors are experimenting with AI and your team already uses ChatGPT - but which use actually pays off for your company, and how does it stay GDPR-compliant? Olio advises SMEs with an engineer's eye: we prioritize use cases by impact, check data protection and the EU AI Act along the way, and implement what we recommend. Boutique agency from Mönchengladbach, Germany, working remotely across the EU.
AI in an SME: where to start?
The most effective AI deployments in SMEs are rarely spectacular: processing documents and email automatically, producing quotes faster, making internal knowledge searchable, taking load off support. In the assessment we walk through your workflows and score every candidate on three criteria: hours saved per week, data availability, and implementation effort. The result is a prioritized list with a business case - not a vision, but a plan whose first step can be in production within weeks.
Consulting that also builds
Classic AI consulting ends with a slide deck and a search for someone to build it. At Olio, the team that advises is the team that develops: the same engineers who score your use cases build the pilot - with guardrails, evaluation, and operations on EU infrastructure. That keeps recommendations honest, because we have to deliver what we propose. And when the best answer is an off-the-shelf product instead of custom development, we say so.
GDPR & EU AI Act: the AI Act check
The EU AI Act has been phasing in since 2025; among other things, Article 4 requires demonstrable AI literacy for employees working with AI systems, and high-risk applications carry extensive additional obligations. Our AI Act check creates clarity quickly: an inventory of your AI use (including shadow AI like private ChatGPT accounts), classification into the risk categories, a GDPR review, and a concrete action plan including an AI policy and training recommendation - at a fixed-price range of €3,000 to €8,000 depending on company size. So AI adoption happens on solid ground, not in a gray zone.
Using public funding
Depending on your German state, grants exist for SME digitalization and AI projects - in NRW for example voucher programs for consulting and implementation, plus federal offerings and the R&D tax allowance for development work. Programs change constantly and have deadlines; in the first call we check what currently fits your project, and we deliver the technical project description for the application as part of the job.
Why Olio
You talk directly to senior engineers who run LLM systems in production - not to a consulting layer that hands off implementation. We are vendor-neutral, so we recommend the model and tool that fit the task, data protection, and budget, and we build GDPR-compliant on EU infrastructure. And because we work with SME clients long-term, our yardstick isn't billable consulting days - it's the process that still runs a year later.
What you get with us
- Prioritized AI use cases with a business case - instead of a slide-deck vision
- AI Act check at a fixed-price range: risk classes, GDPR, AI policy, training plan
- Consulting and implementation from one team - the pilot follows in weeks, not quarters
- Vendor-neutral model and tool recommendations: OpenAI, Anthropic, or self-hosted
- GDPR-compliant architecture on EU infrastructure, including data processing agreements
- Funding check in the first call - including the technical project description for applications
Core Technologies
Let's talk about AI in your company
Frequently asked questions
What does AI consulting for an SME cost?
A compact assessment with use-case prioritization and an implementation plan runs €5,000 to €15,000. The AI Act check sits in a fixed-price range of €3,000 to €8,000. If implementation follows, we quote it transparently as a project - an AI pilot typically starts at €8,000 to €20,000.
Does the EU AI Act apply to small and mid-sized companies?
Yes. The obligations attach to the use of AI, not to company size: anyone deploying AI systems must ensure AI literacy among staff (Article 4), and certain applications carry further obligations. Most SME use cases fall into low risk classes - the AI Act check establishes that systematically.
Our team already uses ChatGPT - is that a problem?
Unregulated: yes, because customer data may be flowing into private accounts. The answer isn't a ban culture but a clear AI policy plus compliant tooling - company accounts with data protection agreements, or an internal solution on EU infrastructure. Both are part of our AI Act check.
How quickly do we see results?
The assessment takes two to four weeks depending on size and ends with a prioritized roadmap. The first pilot is typically in production 2 to 4 weeks after that - measurable impact within a quarter, not just a concept.
Do we need in-house AI expertise?
Not to start. We build the solution, train the affected employees, and hand over documentation. Long-term we recommend one responsible person in-house - and we deliberately build up their knowledge during the project instead of hoarding it.
Do you recommend off-the-shelf tools or custom development?
The assessment usually produces a mix: ready-made products for standard tasks, custom solutions where your processes are distinctive. We don't earn on licenses and are vendor-neutral - recommendations follow from the task, the data, and the costs.
How do you ensure GDPR compliance?
Technically and organizationally: EU hosting, EU endpoints or self-hosted models, pseudonymization of sensitive data before model calls, data processing agreements, role and deletion concepts. Your data protection officer is involved early instead of surprised at the end.
Is there public funding for AI consulting?
Depending on the state and project, yes - from consulting subsidies to digitalization vouchers (in NRW for example the MID programs), plus the R&D tax allowance for development work. Programs change constantly; we check the current situation in the first call.
What makes you different from a classic consultancy?
We implement what we recommend. Instead of a strategy deck you get a prioritized roadmap plus the working pilot - from the same team. That disciplines the advice: recommendations you have to build yourself are automatically realistic.
What company sizes do you work with?
Typically 10 to 500 employees: large enough for recurring processes with real leverage, small enough for fast decisions. For larger corporations we work at the department level.
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