Big AI Firms vs. Practical AI Solutions: Why Paying for Custom LLMs Isn’t Always the Best Choice
AI is transforming businesses, but not every company needs a custom-built Large Language Model (LLM) or expensive enterprise AI consulting. Many small businesses can achieve the same automation, efficiency, and customer service improvements using readily available AI tools—without the massive costs and complexity. At Skaggs AI Consulting, we focus on helping businesses leverage existing AI solutions, so they can get real results without unnecessary development, high fees, or long-term contracts.
How Large AI Firms Operate (And What It Costs You)
Big AI consulting firms specialize in custom LLMs and proprietary AI systems, but these solutions come with high costs that most small businesses don’t need.
Custom AI Development can cost hundreds of thousands to millions in training, data collection, and engineering. The process takes months or even years before delivering a return on investment. Once deployed, these models require constant fine-tuning and expensive cloud infrastructure, adding to ongoing expenses. Businesses locked into proprietary AI systems often face high switching costs if they need modifications or upgrades.
Beyond development, hosting fine-tuned AI models is expensive. Platforms like Hugging Face, AWS, and Google Cloud charge anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000+ per year in hosting and GPU costs. Self-hosting requires $10,000+ in hardware upfront, plus ongoing maintenance and electricity expenses.
For most businesses, these costs make little sense. Using pre-built AI tools offers the same efficiency and automation without the complexity or financial burden.
How We Do It Differently: Cost-Effective AI That Works for You
Instead of reinventing the wheel, we implement AI solutions that already exist—customized to fit your business.
Use Proven AI Tools – We integrate and optimize AI tools like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and pre-built chatbots instead of training costly custom models.
Faster Implementation – Instead of months-long AI development, our solutions can be set up and running in days or weeks.
Affordable Pricing – Our services start at a fraction of what large AI firms charge, making AI accessible to small businesses.
No Locked-In Systems – You retain full ownership of your AI setup and can manage it yourself after we configure it.
Who Should Use Our AI Solutions?
Small & Mid-Sized Businesses – Service businesses, local trades, and customer-facing industries benefit from AI without enterprise costs.
Companies That Need AI Now – No waiting months for development—get AI working immediately with existing tools.
Business Owners Who Want Control – You don’t have to rely on a developer to adjust your AI setup—we empower you to manage it yourself.
