AI Consulting & Coaching for owner-led companies
AI. Just.
Done.
I bring clarity to your brand and AI into your operation — so the right customers find you and your team spends time on the work that actually moves the business.
AI Consulting & Coaching for owner-led companies
I bring clarity to your brand and AI into your operation — so the right customers find you and your team spends time on the work that actually moves the business.
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The problem
Between customers, operations, and the back office, there is nothing left. AI sounds great — but when exactly are you supposed to figure it out?
A new AI tool every week. ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, a hundred wrappers — which of these will actually move the needle in your business?
What does it cost? Will the team adopt it? And what happens to your customer data? Money invested in the wrong direction does not come back.
Services
I bring AI and modern digital processes into your business — from first inquiry to final invoice. No long retainers. Help-to-self-help: I build it with your team, they run it without me.
German clients: all consulting services are eligible for 50–80% BAFA subsidies.
Entry
Where is your operation losing the most time and margin? In 60 minutes we find out. You walk away with 3–5 concrete moves — from quoting and follow-up to AI in the back office.
Consulting Sprint
In 4 weeks you get a clear plan: which workflows to simplify, where AI saves real time, and what to implement first. With ready-made templates, checklists and a step-by-step playbook.
„Inquiries and back-office under control" — AI, marketing and operations in one system.
Over 12 months we build a system that runs without me: more of the right inquiries, clean processes from first touch to final invoice, AI tools embedded into the daily flow, and an internal owner who can keep it running. By the end you don't need an external vendor anymore.
Online acquisition — the right customers find you, not the other way around
Automated follow-up — no inquiry falls through the cracks
AI in the back office — quotes, invoices and documentation on demand
Team enablement — your people can run and evolve the system themselves
What you get
Less time bleeding in the back office
Faster responses, faster closes
More revenue with the same headcount
Everything documented, nothing forgotten
Independent of outside agencies
Implementation support
You execute, I cover your back: weekly calls, prioritization when things get noisy, and quality checks. So nothing gets stuck.
Weekly cadence
Book an intro call →Training
Small group, 100% hands-on. How do you actually use AI for quotes, customer requests, and day-to-day operations? With real examples from skilled trades and mid-sized businesses.
Remote or on-site
Book an intro call →If we don't hit the agreed outcome, I rework it at no extra cost — within the scope of your engagement. No risk on your side.
Years of experience
Companies advised
Projects delivered
Awards
Avg. client rating
Clients
(Selection) — Over 25+ years I delivered marketing, brand and digital transformation projects for these and other companies.
Brand names and logos shown are property of the respective companies and are displayed solely to illustrate past project experience.
In their words
Florian set up a lead campaign for our eyewear manufactory that brought in over 40 qualified leads. The collaboration was straightforward — from video production to campaign optimization, everything from one source.
Dirk Margotte
Margotte GmbH, Krefeld (Germany)
Market analysis, positioning, execution — all from one mind, all consistent. What stood out was the combination of strategic thinking and hands-on, in-the-trenches delivery.
Marco Grafmüller
Optik Schenk, Ditzingen (Germany)
Further clients
(Selection) — Current and past projects in consulting, marketing and AI for regional businesses and mid-sized companies across the DACH region.
Brand names and logos shown are property of the respective companies and are displayed solely to illustrate past project experience.
Your industry on this page?
No pitch. Just a concrete, honest read on whether AI is the right move for you right now — and where it would create the most leverage in your operation.
Book an intro callAbout
My grandfather ran his own paint-contracting business. My brother is a master mechanical engineer — the kind of technical mind a company leans on when something has to actually work. I grew up between the workshop floor and the engineering bench.
After 20+ years at international corporations — Head of Strategy & Brand at Jungheinrich, Executive Vice President Marketing at Rittal (Friedhelm Loh Group), senior roles at Publicis, and projects for Siemens, BMW Group, ZF and MAN — I know how large enterprises digitize their operations.
Today I combine that experience with state-of-the-art AI: I help owner-led companies digitize and accelerate their operations with AI — from first inquiry to final invoice.
Direct. Hands-on. No corporate politics.
Dr. rer. pol. — PhD in brand management (1.5/5.0, University of Bayreuth)
BAFA-accredited consultant (1.2/5.0) · INQA Coach · AI Innovator 2026 · Certified AI Consultant & Agent Builder
45+ awards, incl. German Design Award Gold and Deutscher PR-Preis
Published author (Springer Gabler, Nomos) and guest lecturer at 6 universities
Member of the German Association of SMEs (BVMW)
In the media
wirtschaftsjournal.com · March 2026
AI marketing only pays off with clear processes — not as a tool collection. 8Komma3 shows SMBs how AI-driven automation lightens day-to-day work.
unternehmensportal.com · February 2026
AI helps SMBs only when introduced as a process — not as a pile of tools. The principle: AI prepares, humans decide.
DUP Unternehmer Magazin · Mar/Apr 2026
It's not the tool that decides — it's the workflow. AI has to plug in where time is lost: inquiries, quotes, documentation. Measure first, then improve step by step.
weristwer.com · 2026
The name "8Komma3" stands for structure as an organizing principle — AI efficiency presupposes ordered processes. Consulting that combines technical implementation with human guidance.
gewinner.de · December 2025
Successful AI integration starts with process clarity, not technology selection. Hybrid human-AI teams beat fully-automated solutions — small, high-leverage steps outperform big transformation programs.
Podcast & video
Guest on Oliver Gassner's podcast #how2ai — what can AI actually deliver today for owner-led and small businesses? From automated quoting to voice-bot lead qualification: concrete examples you can implement in 90 minutes. (Episode in German.)
Audio only
Oliver Gassner talks with experts about applied AI. Also available as audio-only.
About the podcast
Oliver Gassner is a blogger, podcaster and productivity advisor. His podcasts are among the most-listened to in Germany. #how2ai brings together practitioners who don't just discuss AI but use it daily. The conversation focuses on what AI can practically deliver today for local businesses, skilled trades and small companies — from automated quoting to voice bots and email qualification. With timestamps, transcript and shownotes on his blog.
Next step
In 30 minutes we'll figure out where AI has the biggest leverage in your business. No sales pitch — just an honest read.
Book an intro callCredentials
State-vetted and independently certified — that's quality you can count on, and in Germany it unlocks subsidies.
BAFA-accredited
German federal SME consulting accreditation
INQA Coach
Additional German subsidy for team & people development
AI Innovator 2026
Independently verified AI expertise
Certified AI Consultant
Independently audited AI consulting competence
Dr. rer. pol.
PhD in brand management and AI
AI Agent Builder
Certified AI Agent Builder
AI Automation Expert
Certified AI Automation Expert
AI certifications
AI Master Course · AI Business Pilot
Hard-earned craft — in previous roles I led teams behind these awards.
German Design Award
Gold 2019 · Jungheinrich
German Design Award
Winner 2019 · Jungheinrich
German Brand Award
Gold 2018 · Jungheinrich
German Brand Award
Winner 2018 · Jungheinrich
Further awards: BCM Award (Content Marketing Forum) · BCP Award (Best of Corporate Print) · World Media Festival Grand Award (EADS/Airbus) · GWA Profi Gold + Special Prize (ZF) · Deutscher PR-Preis (Siemens) · European Excellence Award (Siemens) · HR Excellence Award · further Gold and Special Prizes.
This craft goes into every engagement — want it working for your business?
30 minutes, free, no pitch.
Judging others' work sharpens your own standards — that know-how flows directly into your engagement.
BCM Award
Best of Content Marketing
BCP Award
Best of Corporate Print
BICC Award
Best of Influencer & Content
BoB Award
Best of Business-to-Business
Active exchange in industry associations and AI communities — so you benefit from the latest practice.
German Association of SMEs (BVMW)
Expertenrat Technologiemarken
Founding member
Finest Empire
Official Member
German Fed. of Business Economists
AI Training Institute
AI community
Clever Mangos
AI community
AInauten
AI community
AI Automation Society+
AI community
8 publications with Springer Gabler, Nomos, and at international conferences.
Agility and Networking in B-to-B
Maier, F. (2018). Springer Gabler.
Identity-based Management of B-to-B Brands
Burmann, C./Maier, F. (2018). Springer Gabler.
Agile Brand Management in Business-to-Business
Maier, F. (2016). Springer Gabler. PhD dissertation, grade: 1.5/5.0.
Human-Centered Communication Planning
Maier, F./Schneidermeier, T./Schricker, F. (2013). HCI International, Las Vegas. Springer.
The Cluetrain Manifesto: Publicis Conversation Reader
Maier, F./Löffler, R. (2010–2015). Nomos. 1st–3rd edition.
Economics of Cyberspace
Maier, F./Schiml, M. H. (2007). oeconomy.com.
Usability & Accessibility of Content Management Systems
Maier, F. (2005). Master's thesis, University of Bayreuth.
Guest lecturer at six universities — from MBA programs to invited talks.
Koblenz University of Applied Sciences
Guest lecture: insights from B2B brand management.
Steinbeis University Berlin
Multi-day MBA seminars on Industrial Marketing.
HAM – University of Applied Management
Guest lecture on brand management, Hamburg campus.
University of Bremen
Doctoral research talk at LiM (Chair of Innovative Brand Management).
University of Bayreuth
PhD in brand management (grade: 1.5/5.0). Lectures at the Chair of Marketing & Information Systems.
THWS Würzburg-Schweinfurt
Guest lecture: e-business and digital transformation.
30+ talks at expert forums, universities and industry conferences — from AI in practice to B2B brand management.
AI Assistant with CustomGPT — your ExecutiveGPT in 30 minutes
Maier, F. (2025). KI-in-Unternehmen.com, AI Power Hour. Talk.
B2B Brand Management — guest lecture
Maier, F. (2022). Koblenz University of Applied Sciences. Talk.
Industrial Marketing — multi-day seminar
Maier, F. (2019). Steinbeis University Berlin, MBA. Lecturer.
Is the brand dead? — CEO-profile workshop
Maier, F. (2019). 4th Expert Forum, Expertenrat Technologiemarken. Workshop.
Communication strategy in industry
Maier, F. (2019). Expertenrat Technologiemarken. Talk.
Marketing organization — best practices
Maier, F. (2019). EGN – Executive Group Network. Talk.
Second brand vs. premium brand in B2B
Maier, F. (2018). Expertenrat Technologiemarken. Talk.
Agile marketing organization
Maier, F./Hennigs, N. (2018). EGN – Executive Group Network. Talk.
Brand as a C-suite priority
Maier, F. (2016). 3rd Forum Unternehmensfitness. Talk.
Brand research workshop — Agile Brand Management
Maier, F. (2015). LIM doctoral colloquium, University of Bremen. Research talk.
E-Business — guest lecture
Maier, F. (2011). FH Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS). Guest lecture.
Hands-on training programs for SMBs and owner-led companies — from AI use cases to business management.
NIW – Institute for Integrative Business Promotion
Lecturer and regional lead for SMB management courses — marketing, sales, AI — in cooperation with local economic-development agencies.
KI in Unternehmen
AI consultant within multi-disciplinary specialist teams. Speaker at the AI Power Hour.
Team Gold
Trainer for marketing and AI. Hands-on workshops on productive use of AI tools in day-to-day operations.
For German clients
As a BAFA-accredited consultant and certified INQA Coach, my engagements with German SMBs qualify for state subsidies — clients pay only a fraction of the investment.
I handle the full subsidy application and administration — you focus on the business.
International clients: engagements are quoted directly in USD or EUR per scope. The same delivery model — without the German paperwork.
Check eligibility Contact
In 30 minutes we'll figure out whether and how AI can help your business. No-strings-attached, concrete, to the point.