TL;DR: Most consultants hide their pricing until you're deep in conversation. We typically work with projects ranging from $1K–$55K depending on scope, and we publish it because transparency builds trust, filters for the right fit, and respects your time. If the numbers don't work, you should know that before you call.
- Fresh Coast AI engagements typically range from $1K to $55K depending on company size and engagement length — published so you can plan before you call
- Hidden pricing creates information asymmetry that wastes both your time and the consultant's
- Ask any consultant: fixed price or estimate? What's included vs. extra? Do they earn vendor commissions?
- Published pricing is a signal of confidence in the work and respect for your time
The Day I Got Frustrated Trying to Hire a Consultant
A few years back, before starting Fresh Coast AI, I was in the market for consulting help. I had a specific problem, a rough budget in mind, and I wanted to know if professional help made sense. So I did what you probably do: I started searching.
I found some genuinely smart firms. Good work. Strong reputations. But the moment I tried to figure out what anything actually cost? The information just wasn't there.
No pricing on the website. No ballpark figures. No ranges. Just "Let's talk" buttons and contact forms. Every single one.
So I filled out forms. I took calls. I had multiple exploratory conversations that felt like job interviews where nobody was being straight with me. And after wasting weeks on this, I still didn't have a clear sense of whether any of these firms were even in my ballpark budget-wise.
That frustrated me. Not because pricing is simple—it isn't—but because I'm a business owner with limited time and a real need to know if something's feasible before I invest hours in conversations.
I promised myself that when I started Fresh Coast AI, we'd do better.
Why Most Consultants Keep Pricing Secret
Here's the thing: I don't think most consultants hide pricing out of malice. There's usually a business logic behind it.
The anchoring argument. Many consultants believe that if you don't know the price upfront, you'll value the conversation more. They get to explain the depth of the problem, the sophistication of the solution, and then anchor your expectations to a higher number. In theory, this works. You might justify paying $75K for something you would have dismissed at $40K if you'd known the price first.
The sticker shock concern. Some firms are genuinely worried that publishing a number scares people away before they understand the value. They think: "If they see $50K, they'll click away. But if we talk first, we can explain why $50K is actually a bargain."
The industry norm. Honestly, this is the biggest reason. Consulting has operated this way for decades. Hidden pricing is just what you do. It's expected. Your competitors do it, so you do it.
None of this is particularly sinister. It's just how the industry evolved.
But it doesn't mean it's good for the people trying to buy consulting services.
The Real Problem This Creates for You
Let me flip the perspective.
When you can't find pricing, you can't do basic math. You can't check if a consultant is even in the realm of possibility for your budget. You can't compare across options with any real data. You're starting a conversation with an information disadvantage.
And that disadvantage persists. Once you're on that first call, there's a power dynamic already in place. The consultant knows their pricing. You don't. They're waiting for you to reveal your budget or your pain point, and then they'll calibrate their offer accordingly. The whole exchange is structured to extract maximum value from you, not to find genuine fit.
It wastes time—yours and theirs. How many of those exploratory calls end with "That's actually outside our budget" or "I was hoping it would be $X, not $Y"? Those are conversations that didn't need to happen.
And it breeds a little distrust. If someone won't tell you their price until you're already invested in a conversation, what else aren't they being straight about?
Why We Publish Our Pricing
At Fresh Coast AI, we work with businesses on AI integration and automation. Our engagements typically range from $1,000 to $55,000 depending on company size, scope, duration, and complexity.
We publish these ranges because:
It builds real trust. Transparency isn't a marketing tactic. It's how you'd want to be treated. If you're evaluating firms, you deserve to know if they're even in your ballpark before you schedule a call.
It filters for fit. Not every business should work with us, and not every budget makes sense for what we do. By publishing pricing, we immediately help bad-fit opportunities self-select out. That's actually good for everyone. We focus on clients where our work genuinely makes sense for their budget and their needs.
It respects your time. If you're building a budget and our lowest engagement is $1K but you've allocated $500, you know where you stand. You can move on and find a better fit. Or if you have $80K and need something custom, you know to call us because we can work on that scale. Either way, you're making decisions with real information.
It sets an honest tone. When we talk to clients, we're not starting from a place of information asymmetry. We can focus on the actual problem and the actual fit, not on negotiation theatrics.
Questions to Ask Any Consultant About Pricing
If you're evaluating consultants (ours or others), here are things worth clarifying:
Is this a fixed price or an estimate? If it's an estimate, what's the confidence level? What would cause the price to change?
What's included in this engagement versus what's extra? Some consultants include implementation, others just do assessment and strategy. Some include ongoing support, others don't. Know what you're buying.
How does scope change affect the price? If you discover something mid-project that wasn't in the original scope, do you renegotiate? Do they eat it? Does it add days to the timeline?
Do they earn commissions or referral fees on tools or vendors they recommend? This isn't automatically disqualifying, but it matters. If they recommend expensive software and earn money when you buy it, that's worth knowing.
What happens if you're unhappy with the work? Is there a revision clause? A guarantee? What recourse do you have?
These aren't gotcha questions. They're just the questions a smart buyer asks before signing an agreement. Any consultant who's comfortable with transparency will answer them directly.
The Philosophy Behind It All
I've been in this business long enough to know that consulting relationships work best when both sides are honest from the start.
Hiding your pricing isn't strategic—it just delays the inevitable moment when both parties need to agree on money. Better to put the information out there, let people self-select, and then have real conversations with people who are actually in a position to work with you.
That's how we operate at Fresh Coast AI. It's nothing fancy. It's just straightforward.
If you're looking for consulting help, published pricing should be table stakes. It tells you something important about a firm's confidence in their work and their respect for your time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rarely. Our ranges reflect the real cost of good work. That said, sometimes a project naturally sits at the lower end of a range, or a client needs a scaled version of what we typically do. The conversation happens after we understand the scope. But we don't start with "what's your budget" and work backward.
We can do that. The $55K is our typical upper range for standard engagements, but if you need a longer or more complex project, we'll talk about it. These prices are typical ranges based on company size and engagement length, not hard ceilings.
We price based on the scope of work, the timeline, and the complexity—not on company size. A 200-person company doing a straightforward automation project might pay less than a 100-person company doing something more complex.
Because consulting isn't commodity work. A $1K engagement looks completely different from a $55K one. The ranges tell you what's typically possible and help you think about what makes sense for your situation, based on company size and engagement length. We'll give you exact numbers once we understand the actual scope.
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