How It Works
Book Audit
Your Team’s Already Using AI.
The Real Question:
Can You Prove It’s Working?
Turning everyday AI chaos into measurable competitive advantage—without corporate red tape.
Helping UK professional-services firms uncover hidden AI waste and build lean governance that fuels innovation.
You're Moving Faster Than Enterprises—But Can You Keep It Up?
Six months ago, your team discovered AI.
Marketing grabbed Jasper. Sales found Clay. Developers got Copilot.
Everyone innovating—exactly what you wanted, right?
Fast-forward to today. The numbers tell a different story:
78%
of employees
use unauthorised AI tools right now
£8,000+
wasted annually
on overlapping or unused subscriptions
74%
of firms
can't prove AI ROI—or scale what works
The Nimble Firm Dilemma
You built your firm to move faster than the big players — but now the very freedom that made you successful is starting to cost you. Now that same freedom is creating risk:
Enterprise clients ask governance questions you can't answer—then pick competitors who can.
Partners demand AI ROI numbers—and you've got nothing solid.
Duplicate tools quietly drain £2,000+ monthly.
Your best innovations are invisible and unrepeatable.
Speed without proof isn't strategy.
It's drift.
It’s not that you moved too fast — it’s that you can’t yet prove where your speed is paying off.
I Know This Problem—Because I've Lived It
I’ve spent most of my career leading teams where creativity and chaos lived side-by-side.
For 15 years I ran agencies and led strategy—turning messy briefs into tight creative systems that produced brilliance under pressure
The pattern I discovered: creative teams with clear constraints delivered better work than those with blank canvases. Tighter brief, better solution. Every time.
I learned one truth: Constraints don't kill creativity—they focus it.
Shadow AI chaos is the same pattern.
Your teams aren't reckless—they're unbounded.
Add intelligent guardrails, and innovation accelerates.
Michael MacDonald
Founder, Brains Before Bots
Why This Expertise Matters Now
Experience built in creative chaos. Discipline for the AI age.
15+ Years Agency Leadership
Built systems that enabled creative teams to deliver high-performance results under real-world constraints.
Specialised in translating between messy stakeholder requirements and executable creative briefs—the same skill required to govern AI adoption across departments with competing priorities.
Comprehensive AI Governance Training
Certified in AI Strategy & Governance (Wharton), Generative AI Leadership (Vanderbilt), Business-AI Alignment (Northeastern), plus specialised training in Prompt Engineering, Change Management, and Trustworthy AI. Now advancing AI Governance with Oxford Saïd and Michigan.
Vendor-Neutral Approach
I don't sell tools—I help you govern what you've already got and prove what really works.
SMB Operator Perspective
I've built and run 5- to 50-person teams. I know where governance helps and where it hurts.
"Michael's depth of knowledge was top-drawer… He makes you feel he's simply an email or call away."
— NICOLA BRINK, CEO, SELF-CARE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA
From Chaos → Competitive Advantage
You don't need an "AI strategy."
You need to govern what exists, prove what works, and scale intelligently.
Step 1:
Audit Your Shadow AI
Surface every AI tool in use, quantify waste, map data risk, and find hidden winners.
Typical findings: £2,000+ monthly waste | 3–5 tools actually deliver value
Step 2:
Govern to Go Faster
Design minimal viable governance—3-4 simple rules that enable, not restrict.
No 50-page policies. No bureaucracy. Just clarity and proof.
Step 3:
Pilot & Prove
Select one revenue-critical workflow, define success metrics, measure, and document ROI.
You leave with a repeatable, board-ready playbook.
The result? You move from "We're using AI somewhere" to "We can prove 40% efficiency gains in client delivery."
Shadow AI Chaos Costs UK Firms £50,000+ in Trial-and-Error Waste
While you read this:
Someone on your team is signing up for another AI tool.
A competitor is proving ROI to your shared clients.
Governance questions are getting louder.
Firms that master this in 90 days don’t just save — they win market share. Those that don't will spend 2026 explaining why they can't answer basic questions.
Start with a Shadow AI Audit
£500
One-off strategy session (no ongoing fees)
Your fastest route to clarity, control, and measurable ROI.
One focused working session to reveal your Shadow AI reality, quantify waste, and design a governance roadmap.
You Walk Away With:
✓ Full AI tool inventory
✓ Quantified monthly waste (typically £2,000+)
✓ Data-risk heatmap & prioritised actions
✓ Identification of 3–5 high-value tools
✓ Governance roadmap tailored to team size & speed
✓ Average firms uncover £2–3K/month in hidden waste.
Guarantee: Find less than £500 in waste → Audit is free.
Not ready to commit? Start here:
What Happens When Firms Govern Intelligently
Based on research and emerging patterns from early Shadow AI governance work, here's what firms typically discover:
1
“15 Tools → 5 Winners” Simplification
Average £30K annual savings + clear ROI evidence for leadership.
2
Creative Constraints = Faster Innovation
Structure focuses energy → fewer options, better outputs, measurable impact.
3
Governance as a
Sales Advantage
Within 60–90 days, governance becomes a sales asset. Enterprise clients choose firms for their governance maturity.
Based on 120+ sources and early client data.
"Won't Governance Slow Us Down?"
It's the opposite — it removes friction.
That's the myth.
What's Really Slowing You Down:
  • Tool-sprawl & duplicate subscriptions
  • Re-work from bad prompts and outputs
  • Unanswered ROI questions in board meetings
  • Lost deals due to governance gaps
Governance isn't a brake—it's removing friction. Race cars go faster with guardrails than without them.
The Governed Innovation Framework™
3-4 rules. Clear definitions. Visible ROI. That's what the Governed Innovation Framework™ delivers.
The Shadow AI Waste Checklist
Not ready for an audit? Start here. Identify the 12 most common sources of AI waste and the right questions for each department.
Weekly Insights: Shadow AI Governance in Action
Join UK SMB leaders getting pragmatic, vendor-neutral governance tactics every week.
Building the Shadow AI Governance Category
Shadow AI Governance is new. We're defining it in real time—combining research (120+ sources), governance training, and 15 years of hands-on operations to help UK professional services firms get ahead of the curve.
Ready to Turn Shadow AI Chaos into Competitive Advantage?
£500 investment → typically uncovers £2,000+ monthly savings
© 2025 Brains Before Bots | Shadow AI Governance for UK Professional Services SMBs
Contact: hello@brainsbeforebots.com
[Company Name] | [Company Address Line 1], [Company Address Line 2], [Postcode]
Privacy Policy | Cookie Notice | Terms and Conditions