Bace Agency vs Big Consultancies
McKinsey will sell you a $500K deck about AI. We'll build a working system for a fraction of that.
Big consultancies are built for big companies. They excel at enterprise-wide digital transformation across multinational organizations. But for a North Shore insurance agency, law firm, or financial advisory practice, the big-firm model breaks down fast. You don't need 12 consultants running a 6-month discovery. You need one expert who knows your industry, identifies the highest-impact automations, and deploys them in weeks.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Bace Agency | Big Consultancy |
|---|---|---|
| Typical AI project cost | Fraction of big-firm pricing. Every dollar goes to working systems. | $150K-$500K+ for strategy alone. Implementation billed separately. |
| What you get | Deployed AI automations, trained team, documented ROI. | Strategy deck, roadmap, recommendations. Build is a separate engagement. |
| Time to working system | Weeks. First automations running in the first engagement. | 6-18 months. Discovery, strategy, vendor selection, then implementation. |
| Who does the work | Michael Pavlovskyi. Directly. From audit to deployment. | Senior partner sells it, junior analysts deliver it. High turnover on accounts. |
| Industry knowledge | 97+ projects in insurance, legal, and financial services. | Broad knowledge. Teams rotate across industries. |
| Local market understanding | Based in Lake Forest. We know North Shore firms and their workflows. | Fly-in teams. Limited local context. |
| Ongoing support | 30-day post-launch support included. Retainers available. | Separate support contract. Often a different team entirely. |
| Training | Hands-on team training included in every project. | Change management is a separate workstream with separate billing. |
The Bottom Line
Big consultancies exist for a reason. If you're a multinational bank with 10,000 employees, you probably need one. They have the scale and the bench to handle enterprise-wide transformation.
But for a professional services firm on the North Shore, hiring McKinsey for AI automation is like hiring a general contractor to change a lightbulb. The overhead, the layers, the timeline -- none of it matches the problem you're trying to solve.
We've delivered 97+ projects with a 95% retention rate. Our clients see a 37% average productivity increase and save 22 hours per week. No six-figure decks. No 18-month timelines. Just working systems that pay for themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are big consultancies better for large-scale AI transformations?
If you're a Fortune 500 company overhauling operations across 40 countries, yes. A McKinsey or Deloitte engagement makes sense at that scale. But if you're a 15-person insurance agency or a mid-size law firm on the North Shore, you don't need a 200-slide deck and a 6-month discovery phase. You need someone who can walk in Monday and have automations running by Friday. That's us.
How much do big consultancies charge for AI projects?
Entry-level AI strategy engagements at major firms start around $150K-$500K, and that's before any code is written. Implementation is billed separately, often by a different team. Our engagements include strategy, implementation, training, and support -- at a fraction of that cost. Every dollar goes toward a working system, not a presentation.
Do big consultancies actually build the AI systems themselves?
Usually not. The strategy team produces a recommendation. Then they hand off to an implementation team -- often subcontracted -- that may or may not understand the original vision. We don't hand off anything. Michael Pavlovskyi leads your project from audit to deployment. One team, one vision, one accountable person.
What if I need the credibility of a big-name firm?
We get it. A Deloitte logo on a board presentation carries weight. But your board cares more about results than brands. We'll give you documented ROI: hours saved, error rates reduced, revenue impact. After 97+ projects with a 95% retention rate, our track record speaks louder than a logo.
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