AI agency or an in-house hire

Answers · AI agency for your business

An AI agency is faster to start and brings builds it has already done; an in-house hire knows your business deeply and stays. Many businesses start with an agency to build and set up the first systems, then hire in-house once there is enough to run. The right choice depends on how much AI work you have and how fast you need it.

When an agency makes sense

You need something working within weeks. You do not yet know what to build. You do not have enough AI work to fill a full-time job. You want a team that has built similar systems before.

When in-house makes sense

AI is central to your product. You have a steady stream of builds and changes. You need someone inside every day who knows your systems and people.

Doing both

An agency can build the first systems and train the person who will run them. Westward sets builds up on your own accounts and trains your team, so nothing is locked to us if you bring it in-house later.

Who can do this for you

Westward builds these and sets them up. Each page shows what it does and what it has done.

Everything we build

Agents, a site that improves itself, a custom CRM, and team setup and training.

See the options

See everything Westward builds, look at real builds with screenshots, read more answers about AI for business, or get started using AI in your business with the founder.

The rules that apply, in their own words

“intended for voluntary use and to improve the ability to incorporate trustworthiness considerations into the design, development, use, and evaluation of AI products, services, and systems.”

NIST, AI Risk Management Framework. A good build keeps a person in charge of anything that matters and records what the AI did.

“unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce, are hereby declared unlawful.”

FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45(a)(1). Claims an AI drafts for you are your claims. Keep them true and checkable.

Sources

NIST AI Risk Management Framework: The U.S. standards body’s framework for using AI responsibly.
15 U.S.C. § 45 (FTC Act, Section 5): The federal ban on unfair or deceptive business practices, ads included.
15 U.S.C. § 7704 (CAN-SPAM Act): Rules for commercial email: honest headers, opt-out, address.

Questions

Is an agency cheaper than a hire?

For a defined build, often, because you pay for the build, not a salary. Westward quotes a fixed price per build in writing.

Will I depend on the agency forever?

You should not. Ask any agency whose accounts the work runs on. At Westward, they are yours.

Can you train someone on my team to run it?

Yes. Training is part of every setup.