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Big-firm technology advice, sized for a small business.

We review how your business uses AI, software and the systems it runs on, then build and run what it needs. The people you talk to are the people who do the work.

Take the free AI risk checkTell us about a project
What we do

Advise. Build. Run.

Start with whichever you need. Each one leads to the next when you are ready.

How we compare

What you would hire a big firm for, and how we handle it.

The same kinds of work, sized and priced for a business without an IT department.

An independent opinionWe do not resell AI tools or software licenses, so a review reports what we found, not what we want to sell you.
Findings you can act onEvery review ends in a written report organized against a public framework (the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 or CIS Controls v8), with the fixes ranked by risk.
Someone to build the fixWe build it: websites, Odoo, sign-in and the connections between your tools.
Someone to run it afterwardsWe host and look after WordPress sites and Odoo, with nightly backups and updates.
A price you know up frontA fixed quote before anything starts. Nothing starts until you say yes.
The same people from start to finishNora and John. Your work is not handed to a junior team.
Proof

Work we can point to.

Our own company

Moody Teas

We built and run the systems behind Moody Teas, our tea company in Chicago: the Odoo ERP and point of sale, the online shop, staff sign-in, and the apps around them. It is where we test what we recommend.

Advise

Technology due diligence

An independent, read-only technical review of a commercial software platform, delivered as a written report. The client is confidential.

Build and run

Websites

Sites for lawyers, non-profits, caterers and consumer brands.

Who we are

We’ve been where you are.

We built Moody Teas, a small-batch loose-leaf tea brand, from the ground up in Chicago. Farmers markets, pop-ups, an online store, a production kitchen, and every system behind them. Founders kept asking how we did it, so we started Prickly Pear Consulting to help other small businesses do the same.

Now the questions come with AI attached: which tools to allow, what they can see, and who checks. We answer those too.

Read our story

John

Web, tech and operations

Builds the systems that keep businesses running: websites, integrations, automations and everything in between. Has built sites for lawyers, non-profits, caterers and consumer brands.

Nora

Branding and marketing strategy

Defines brand voice, identity and content strategy. Helps brands work out what they stand for and how to say it so real customers listen.

Questions

Before you start.

We are a small company. Is this for us?
Yes. The work is sized for businesses without an IT department. The review fits your team, and the quote fits the review.
Do you sell AI tools?
No. We do not resell AI tools or software licenses. We tell you which settings and rules fit the tools you already use, or the ones you are thinking about.
Do you still build and host websites?
Yes. Website builds start from $2,500, and WordPress hosting is $3 a month. See hosting.
Do we need to be in Chicago?
No. We are based in Chicago, and reviews, builds and hosting all work remotely.
What happens after the AI risk check?
You see your score as soon as you answer the last question. We read every submission ourselves and reply by email with what we would fix first. If a full review makes sense, we say so and quote it.

Start with the free AI risk check.

Ten questions about how your team uses AI. You see your score straight away.

Take the AI risk check