When to Hire an AI Software Consultant vs. a Dev Shop

Not every software problem needs a dev shop. And not every one needs a full-time hire. Here's a quick way to think through which kind of help fits your situation.

A consultant like me makes sense when...

• You've got a specific operational problem: a dashboard, an admin panel, a workflow that needs automating
• You want someone to come look at it in person before quoting a build
• Speed matters and you'd rather not wait a quarter for a first version
• You want one senior person who owns the whole thing instead of a team you have to manage
• You're trying to figure out where AI actually fits in your operation

A dev shop makes sense when...

• You're building a consumer product that needs ongoing feature work
• You need dedicated design, PM, and QA over a year or more
• You've got the budget for a team and someone internal to steer it

Hiring in-house makes sense when...

• Software is your core product and you need permanent engineering capacity
• There's enough steady work to justify full-time salaries and the management that comes with them

The local angle

If you're in Michigan or the Detroit metro, the in-person part is a real advantage, not a nice-to-have. I can come walk your facility, see how your team actually operates, and build something that fits that reality instead of guessing at it from a call.

Not sure which bucket you fall into? Book a discovery call and I'll give you a straight answer, even if the answer is "you don't need me for this."