Hands-on business, sales & AI consulting

    Build the capability inside your business

    I help founders and teams build growth systems they actually own. From developing your own in-house business development function and tightening your CRM to training your team on Claude, ChatGPT and OpenAI tools, everything is built with you and embedded into the way your business works.

    You keep the systems, the knowledge and the capability. You also keep our support when you need it.

    Business systems | In-house BDM development | AI implementation | CRM training | Team workshops
    Mick working with a team
    Claude team training
    Trusted by businesses scaling their operations
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    Introduction

    Your business should own the system, not depend on an outsider to run it.

    Advice is easy to give. Building something your team can confidently use is the part that matters.

    My approach is practical and hands-on. We work together to understand where the business is getting stuck, design a better way of operating, build the right systems and train the people who will run them.

    That could mean developing an in-house Business Development Manager, rebuilding the way leads are managed, improving accountability inside your CRM or helping an entire team use AI properly across their daily work.

    The goal is not to make your business dependent on another consultant. It is to leave you with stronger people, clearer processes and systems that work without everything needing to come through you.

    What we can build together

    Practical support where your business needs it most.

    Every engagement is shaped around the real bottleneck in your business. We focus on what will make the biggest operational or commercial difference, then build it into the day-to-day.

    Build your internal growth system

    Turn disconnected sales and marketing activity into one clear process your team can follow.

    We can map the full journey from first contact to closed client, define what needs to happen at each stage and build the CRM pipelines, follow-up, automations, reporting and accountability needed to support it.

    The result is a system that gives your team clarity and gives you visibility over what is actually happening.

    Develop your own in-house BDM

    An effective Business Development Manager needs more than a job title and a list of leads.

    I help you create the structure around the role, then coach the person responsible for running it. This can include defining your ideal customer, improving the offer and messaging, building prospecting and follow-up processes, setting activity targets, using the CRM properly and creating a rhythm for reviewing performance.

    Whether you are developing someone already inside the business or establishing the function for the first time, the aim is to build a repeatable business development capability that belongs to you.

    Implement AI across your business

    Most teams have tried AI. Far fewer have turned it into a reliable way of working.

    I help you identify where tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and OpenAI can save time, improve output or remove repetitive work across sales, marketing, operations, customer service and leadership.

    We then turn the best opportunities into practical workflows, shared prompt libraries, internal assistants, processes and team habits that people will actually use.

    Make your CRM work for the team

    A CRM should make the business easier to run. If it is full of incomplete data, unclear pipelines and manual work, it quickly becomes another problem.

    I help teams simplify their CRM, define how it should be used and train staff around the real tasks they complete every day. That can cover lead management, follow-up, pipeline stages, tasks, automation, reporting and internal handovers.

    The training is practical, relevant and delivered around your actual setup.

    AI training for real teams

    Training that changes how your team works on Monday.

    This is not a generic presentation about the future of AI.

    Team workshop

    Before the session, we identify the repetitive work, slow processes and missed opportunities inside your business. The training is then built around those real situations, using your team's roles, responsibilities and workflows.

    During the session, your team learns how to use tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and OpenAI confidently and responsibly. More importantly, they apply them to work they already need to complete.

    Training can include:

    • Finding the best AI use cases for each department
    • Using Claude, ChatGPT and OpenAI tools effectively
    • Building reliable prompts and reusable workflows
    • Improving research, planning, writing and decision support
    • Using AI within sales, operations and customer communication
    • Connecting AI activity with your CRM and internal processes
    • Creating shared playbooks so good practice spreads across the team
    • Setting sensible boundaries for data, quality control and human review

    Your team leaves with working examples, clear next steps and a practical plan for making AI part of the business, not another tool everyone forgets about.

    Built with you

    From business bottleneck to internal capability.

    Understand what is really happening

    We look at the people, process and technology behind the problem. We identify what is slowing the business down, where opportunities are being missed and what needs to change first.

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    Design the right system

    We create a practical model for how the work should flow, who owns each part and what tools, training or automation are genuinely needed.

    Build and train together

    The system is developed alongside the people who will use it. Your team learns how it works while it is being implemented, rather than receiving a handover they do not understand.

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    Embed, review and improve

    Once it is live, we support the team, review performance and tighten the process until it becomes a reliable part of the business.

    Flexible support

    The right level of support for what you are building.

    Founder and leadership consulting

    Direct support to help you solve growth, operational and technology challenges, make clearer decisions and turn ideas into practical action.

    In-house BDM development

    Build the role, systems, messaging, targets and management structure your internal business development person needs to perform.

    On-site AI training

    Practical, tailored training for leadership teams, departments or the wider organisation, based on the real work your people complete.

    CRM training and implementation

    Improve the way your team manages leads, customers, tasks, pipelines, follow-up and reporting inside the CRM.

    Embedded implementation support

    Ongoing help to build, document, launch and improve the systems your business needs, with wider technical support from Gateway AI where required.

    Michael Macfarlane, founder of Gateway AI
    Practical experience, not theory

    Led by someone who builds and uses these systems every day.

    I am the founder of Gateway AI, where we help businesses use CRM, automation, AI and modern growth systems to operate and grow more effectively.

    My work spans strategy, sales, systems, technology and team implementation. I have worked hands-on with businesses across recruitment, construction, healthcare, professional services and hospitality, helping them turn ideas and disconnected tools into processes their teams can actually run.

    That means the consulting does not stop at telling you what should happen. I can help you design it, build it, train the team and make sure it works in practice. Where more technical implementation is needed, the wider Gateway AI team can support the build.

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    Mick Macfarlane
    Founder of Gateway AI
    What this should leave you with

    A more capable team and a business that runs with greater clarity.

    Growth and operational systems your business owns
    A clearer and more accountable sales process
    An in-house BDM with the structure and support to perform
    A CRM your team understands and consistently uses
    Practical AI workflows built around real business needs
    Less repetitive work and fewer disconnected tools
    Internal knowledge that stays inside the company
    Ongoing support without long-term dependency
    Who it is for

    This is a strong fit if...

    You want to build sales or operational capability internally

    You are developing an in-house BDM and need the right structure around them

    Your CRM exists but your team is not using it properly

    Your people are experimenting with AI but there is no shared approach

    You want practical implementation rather than another strategy document

    You need someone who understands the commercial, operational and technical sides of the problem

    Let's build it properly

    Build it inside your business. Keep it inside your business.

    Tell me what you are trying to build, where the team is getting stuck and what capability you want the business to own.

    I will help you identify the biggest opportunity, the practical steps needed to move it forward and the right level of support to make it work.

    Start the conversation

    Tell me what you want to improve, build or implement inside your business.

    Frequently asked questions

    Straight answers to fair questions.

    The things business owners ask most before we start building together.

    Is this coaching, consulting or implementation?
    It can include all three. Some businesses need strategic direction and accountability. Others need systems built, people trained and changes implemented. The engagement is shaped around what will produce the best result.
    Can you help us develop an existing team member into a BDM?
    Yes. I can help define the role, build the sales and prospecting system around them, set clear targets and coach them as they begin running the process.
    Do you deliver training in person?
    Yes. In-person sessions can be delivered for leadership teams, individual departments or the wider business, with remote support available afterwards.
    Is the AI training suitable for beginners?
    Yes. The training is adapted to the current ability of the team. The focus is on useful business applications, clear processes and confident adoption rather than unnecessary technical detail.
    Can you train our team on the Gateway AI CRM?
    Yes. Training can be built around the exact pipelines, automations, processes and responsibilities used inside your Gateway AI CRM.
    Will our business own what is created?
    Yes. The purpose of this work is to build capability within your company. Your team should understand the system, be able to run it and continue improving it with our support when needed.