LONDON – 17 April, 2026 – HeyBRB, the AI automation consultancy founded by Richard Thomas-Pryce, today announced the launch of AI Core, a new suite of services designed for UK service businesses with 5 to 20 staff, and the opening of its Fractional Chief AI Officer (CAIO) retainer — a first-of-its-kind offer that gives mid-market firms access to senior AI leadership at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.
The launch addresses what Richard calls “the messy middle” of UK AI adoption: companies large enough to feel the productivity gap, but too small to justify an £80,000-£150,000 in-house AI lead — let alone the six months it takes to recruit one.
“A real AI lead costs £80-150K per year, takes six months to recruit, and ties you to one person,” said Richard, founder of HeyBRB. “Our Fractional CAIO gives you senior expertise from week one — with the flexibility to scale up or step back whenever you need to. We built AI Core for the letting agencies, accountancy practices and building firms who’ve watched the AI conversation happen over their heads for two years and are finally ready to act.”
The AI Core product ladder
AI Core introduces three new tiers that sit above HeyBRB’s existing £499 AI Assessment:
| Offer | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| AI Core Audit | £1,500 | Deep workflow mapping and team interviews; identifies quick wins and a 90-day roadmap |
| AI Core Build | £4,950 | 4-6 week implementation of the automation stack, end-to-end |
| Fractional Chief AI Officer | £2,500 – £7,500 / month | Ongoing executive-level AI leadership, tiered by days per month |
The Fractional CAIO retainer is offered in three tiers — Advisor (1 day/month, £2,500), Operator (2 days/month, £4,500), and Executive (4 days/month, £7,500) — and is available exclusively to clients who have completed an AI Core Build.
“You can’t retain someone to run a system they didn’t build,” Richard explained. “The gating is deliberate. By the time a client reaches the retainer, we’ve already delivered measurable outcomes together — so the relationship starts from trust, not a sales pitch.”
Founding Clients Programme
To launch AI Core Build, HeyBRB is opening a Founding Clients Programme: three places at £2,950 (a 40% reduction) for businesses in letting, accounting, or construction willing to participate in a full case study with named metrics and a video testimonial.
“We’re not looking for logos — we’re looking for three operators who want to be the reference point for their industry,” said Richard. “One letting agency. One accountancy practice. One construction firm. Their results become the proof the rest of the market needs.”
Why now
UK SMB productivity has flatlined for nearly two decades, and recent ONS data continues to show mid-sized service firms lagging on digital adoption. Generic “AI strategy” consultancies price out of reach; DIY tool adoption creates fragmented, unsupported systems. AI Core is positioned as the practical middle path — boutique, measurable, and delivered by an operator, not a slide deck.
Richard brings a decade of operational and technical experience to the role, and has spent the last eighteen months embedding AI automation into UK letting, accounting and trades businesses through HeyBRB’s existing £499 AI Assessment — which remains available for solo operators and smaller firms.
Availability
AI Core Audit, AI Core Build, the Fractional CAIO retainer, and the Founding Clients Programme are available from today at heybrb.ai.
About HeyBRB
HeyBRB is a UK AI automation consultancy founded in 2025 by Richard Thomas-Pryce. The firm helps small and mid-sized service businesses identify, implement, and operate practical AI automations that save time, reduce admin load, and compound over time. HeyBRB is deliberately boutique, deliberately UK-focused, and deliberately measurable — every engagement ends with a written playbook the client owns.
Media contact
Richard Thomas-Pryce Founder, HeyBRB richard@heybrb.ai heybrb.ai · LinkedIn
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