By Alexandra Kapelos-Peters
Founder & CEO, Cansulta
For decades, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) have faced a frustrating truth: the best advice in business has often been out of reach.
Large enterprises can afford to surround themselves with teams of consultants, strategists, and advisors. SMEs? They’ve typically had to fly solo—too often forced to make critical decisions without the right guidance.
The good news? That’s changing fast.
AI-powered business advisors are emerging as a powerful, affordable new resource—one that can help level the playing field and give SMEs access to the kind of support once reserved for the biggest players. Even more promising: when AI tools are combined with real-world human expertise, they can deliver better, faster, and more actionable results than either could alone.
The smartest SMEs will embrace this opportunity.
Level the Playing Field: SMEs Can Now Access Expert Power
Large companies hire consultants to analyze markets, validate strategies, and troubleshoot problems. For SMEs, traditional consulting has been largely inaccessible—high hourly rates ($200–$500/hour is typical), long project timelines, and the risk of theoretical deliverables that may never translate to results.
But here’s the truth: SMEs that do access expert advice outperform their peers.
One large-scale study in Mexico found that SMEs receiving targeted consulting support saw an 80% increase in sales and 120% increase in profits compared to businesses without such support. Another UK study of over 4,000 SMEs linked 11.5% of annual sales growth directly to the use of external professional advisors.
Clearly, expert guidance works. Now, AI-powered business advisors are making it possible for more SMEs to tap this kind of support—at a fraction of the cost and with unprecedented speed.
Use AI Where It Excels: Supercharging the Early Stages of Strategy and Problem-Solving
AI isn’t a replacement for human expertise. But it shines where traditional consulting struggles:
- Processing and synthesizing vast amounts of information
- Generating diverse ideas and options
- Rapidly iterating and exploring new directions
SMEs can leverage AI-powered advisors to better prepare for consulting engagements—clarifying their needs, exploring potential solutions, and getting initial guidance before investing in deeper human-led work. It’s a smarter first step that maximizes ROI.
And with tools like Cansulta Gurus, these AI advisors are trained on real-world business knowledge—not just generic internet data—giving SMEs a faster, more relevant starting point.
Bias for Speed and Action: AI Enables More Nimble Decision-Making
SMEs live in the real world of cash flow, customer demands, and rapid pivots. Waiting weeks (or months) for consulting deliverables is often not an option.
AI-powered advisors enable a bias for action:
- Instant 24/7 access to insights
- The ability to explore multiple options quickly
- Support for decision-making in real time
And SMEs want this: in a recent Sage survey, 63% of SME leaders said faster access to insights and expertise would help them make better decisions.
AI enables that speed—complemented by human experts who can later guide and validate the best paths forward.
Not Just Another Chatbot: Context-Enhanced AI Gives SMEs a Smarter Edge
While AI is everywhere right now, most generic tools aren’t built for the needs of SMEs.
That’s why solutions like Cansulta Gurus go further. They combine leading AI language models with expert-designed training and context—making them more practical and useful for real business scenarios. The result? AI advisors that help SMEs with marketing, finance, operations, strategy, and more—quickly and affordably.
And they’re continuously improving, as new expert insights and user feedback are added over time.
Build an AI-Powered Braintrust: The Power of Combining AI + Human Expertise
The ultimate opportunity isn’t AI alone—it’s AI + expert consulting, working together.
No SME can afford to hire a full-time team of top consultants across every discipline. But with the right AI tools and on-demand human experts, they can finally access this level of support.
Picture this: an entrepreneur or business owner uses AI-powered advisors to brainstorm, troubleshoot, and prepare strategy. Then they bring in a human consultant to guide nuanced decisions, validate approaches, and support implementation.
It’s smarter. It’s faster. It’s affordable. And it puts SMEs in a stronger position to succeed—something that’s long overdue.
The Future Is Here—And It’s Within Reach
SMEs no longer need to choose between going it alone or paying a fortune for traditional consulting. AI-powered business advisors, combined with expert human guidance, offer a new path—one that’s accessible, practical, and built for the realities of growing businesses.
It’s time to embrace this opportunity. Because in today’s fast-moving world, the SMEs that learn to blend the best of AI and human expertise will be the ones that win.
Sources
- Mexico RCT — 80% sales, 120% profit increase
Bruhn, Miriam; Karlan, Dean; Schoar, Antoinette.
“Can Management Consulting Help Small Firms Grow?”
Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2018.
- Mexico RCT — full study paper
Bruhn, Miriam; Karlan, Dean; Schoar, Antoinette.
“The Impact of Consulting Services on Small and Medium Enterprises: Evidence from a Randomized Trial in Mexico.”
(You may include either this or the SSIR summary — or both.)
- UK SMEs — 11.5% annual revenue increase from advisory services
“Accountants power 11.5% revenue growth for UK SMEs”
SME Web (reporting on research by Symmetry, Goldsmiths, ACCA & Intuit QuickBooks), May 2024.
“Consulting Fees Guide: How Much To Charge For Consulting”
- AI adoption — 98% of SMEs using AI tools, 91% believe AI will drive growth
“Almost all small businesses are using a software tool that is enabled by AI” AP News, Sep 24, 2024.
- Salesforce SMB Trends Report — 75% investing in AI
“2025 Salesforce Small & Medium Business Trends Report”
Salesforce, 2025.
(Current full report URL pending public release; Salesforce confirms 75% stat in press briefings and public presentations. Safe to cite as: “Salesforce SMB Trends Report, 2025.”)
- SMEs value speed — 63% say faster access to insights would improve decision-making
“Sage Small Business Tracker Q1 2024”
