Every System We Sell
Runs Our Business First
Ential is an AI consultancy for founders doing $1M-$20M with teams of 5 to 50, the stage where everything still routes through you. We build the systems that change that, and we run every one of them in our own business first.
The track record
- Working in AI since2018
- Founded in Brisbane2020
- Projects delivered50+
- Clients acrossAU, US & UK
- 35 client reviews★★★★★
You're in good company
The name
enterprise potential
Two Words Doing One Job
Enterprise and potential: the front of one, the tail of the other. It isn't wordplay for its own sake. The name is the work, taking a real, running business and closing the gap on everything it's capable of becoming.
Makers First, Consultants Second
Ential is an AI consultancy founded in Brisbane in 2020. We design and build the systems that run lead generation, sales, operations and delivery for established businesses, then we hand you the keys. No black boxes, no dependency.
The work spans AI consulting, agents, automation, training and the Ential Marketing Hub. Behind it sits hands-on experience with brands like Tatts Group, Yourtown Lotteries, InterContinental Hotels, Coles and Tourism & Events Queensland.
One rule we hold to: we get our hands dirty, and we're our own first client. Every system we sell runs inside Ential first. If it can't survive our operation, it never reaches yours.
Who we work with
Your inbox, Tuesday morning
Mercer quote is due at 9. Can you price it? They only want it from you.
Supplier contract needs your call today. Renewal lapses Friday.
Three invoices overdue. Want me to chase, or are you across those?
Monthly report attached! Leads are down, but engagement is up 200% 🎉
Client's chasing their proposal. Where's the latest pricing doc?
Five threads, one bottleneck: you. If that's familiar, and you're running $1M-$20M with a team of 5 to 50, you're exactly who we built Ential for.
Eight Years of Getting Our Hands Dirty
Big-data machine learning in 2018. AI agents in production today. The through-line never changed: build it, run it on ourselves, hand over the keys.
- 2018
Machine learning, before the hype
Ryan was deep in big data and machine learning (billions of data points) at an international martech company with brands across the UK, US and Australia. Zapier came calling for an interview that year too.
- 2020
COVID opens a side door
When COVID hit, Ryan automated most of his own day job. Then word got around. He started consulting to business owners on their systems, operations and automations, and Ential was born in Brisbane.
- 2021
Modern Business Accelerator
Ryan launched Modern Business Accelerator, a mastermind he ran for three years, consulting founders at every stage, including businesses that went from zero to seven figures inside a few years.
- 2022
Early to everything
Writing with Jasper. Generating with early Midjourney and Runway, back when the outputs were still weird. Inside ChatGPT in its first week. Being early is a habit here, not a fluke.
- 2023
From projects to partnerships
One-off builds turned into ongoing partnerships. Audits and strategy work joined the toolbox, because the biggest wins kept showing up before any automation was built.
- 2024
Across borders
Australian clients were joined by US and UK ones. Same playbook: find the bottleneck, build the system, hand over the keys.
- Today
Builders, still
AI agents in production, workshops that fill rooms, and the Ential Marketing Hub running client growth end to end. Still the same rule: nothing ships to a client that we have not battle-tested on ourselves.
Built Different, by Design
Core belief
We build for ourselves first
We're not consultants who've never shipped. We build AI products daily, and we eat our own dog food. If a system hasn't survived our own operation, it never reaches yours.
We hire the best
Other agencies profit by hiring cheap. We know one world-class engineer outperforms ten mediocre ones. So we only hire the best.
We use AI (a lot)
You'd be surprised how many "AI consultants" still type letters one at a time. We build our own acceleration tools.
We charge on outcomes
We measure success by what we deliver, not hours billed. Everyone aligned on output, velocity, and results.
We move fast
Two-week sprints. Daily standups. Real-time collaboration. We embed into your workflow like we're on payroll.
Your AI Architects
Makers, entrepreneurs and technical experts: the people actually building your systems
This could be you
We hire makers: people who'd rather ship the thing than write a deck about it. Remote, async, AI-first.
We Embed Like We're on Payroll
You've rented results from agencies before. Here's the difference you'll feel in week one.
Renting results
On payroll
A monthly PDF report on "engagement"
A shared Slack channel with the engineers doing the work
Locked into a 12-month retainer
Two-week sprints: you reset the priorities every fortnight
Strategy decks that never become systems
Working systems demoed at the end of every sprint
Built on their tools, under their logins
Built in your stack, documented, your team trained on it
Dependency by design
Zero lock-in: fire us and everything keeps running
Trusted by Founders and CEOs
★★★★★ 35 five-star reviews · Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and New York City
Implemented what I learned that weekend, saving hours of time
"I recently did the 'Claude in a Day' Adelaide Workshop with Ryan Drake. AI/Claude was a skill I was wanting to learn this year, and I knew I'd learn it so much faster with the help of someone like Ryan who is a whizz with AI and systems. What I loved about this workshop was working in a small intimate group, where we could be engaged, try things as we learned. There was so much to take in, but it opened my mind to all the possibilities on how to use Claude to make my life and business so much simpler. On the weekend after the training - I spent hours in my office implementing what I'd learned - saving me HOURS of time in the future! 10/10 recommend this training and working with Ryan. He's such a genuine guy, and a great teacher."
Daniel MarshallFinancial Coach & FacilitatorBlown away by how much we learnt in just a day
"Our team recently undertook a full-day intensive with Ryan and were blown away by how much we learnt in just a day. It already feels like I'm finding ways to create the software that didn't exist for our agency. Highly recommend!"
Sam SidneyFounder, Milkbar DigitalWalked out genuinely blown away by how much is actually possible
"I did the Claude in a Day workshop last week and walked out genuinely blown away by how much is actually possible. Ryan breaks everything down so clearly. I didn't think I could use a coding app until I went through this training, now I know how to use Claude and Claude Code efficiently across my life and my business. Honestly, every individual, every business, and every team should do a session with him. If you want to truly unlock what AI can do for you, Ryan is your guy. Highly recommend."
Sarah JeavonsModel, Actress & Winner of SAS AustraliaChanged the way I think about AI
"I did a six and a half hour AI deep dive with Ryan last week, and honestly it's changed the way I think about using AI in my business. He showed me frameworks and little tactics I hadn't seen anywhere else, but the thing that really stuck with me was how patient he was. No question felt too small, he never rushed, and you could tell he actually cared about me understanding why something worked, not just how to do it. I walked away with a bunch of practical stuff I can use straight away, and a much clearer way of thinking about where AI fits in. If you're a business owner trying to get serious about AI, I can't recommend Ryan enough."
Addison ForbesFounder of Paidfunnels.com & Meta Ads ExpertAutomated a process that eats 5 to 10 hours a week
"Ryan's workshop was genuinely useful. No fluff, no theory for theory's sake. He focused on the actual problems I was dealing with and, by the end of the day, had helped me automate a process that typically eats 5 to 10 hours a week. Beyond the practical wins, his ability to cut through the current AI hype and identify what's actually worth your time is just as valuable."
Chris ChanExercise ScientistA system I can rely on daily
"Ryan was incredibly helpful in setting up AI in a way that actually works for real life. He took the time to understand both my personal and professional needs and tailored the setup so it genuinely streamlined how I think, plan, and work. The result has been more clarity, better organisation, and a system I can rely on daily rather than another tool that gets ignored. Ryan explains things clearly, without jargon, and makes the whole process feel practical and empowering. Highly recommend if you want to use AI properly, not just experiment with it."
Sammi CulhaneMotherCome Build the Real Thing
If you'd rather ship systems for real businesses than write decks about them, and you want your fingerprints on the tools we use ourselves, you'll like it here.
Done Being the Bottleneck? Let's Build Your Way Out
Every engagement starts with an audit. We map how your business actually runs, show you what to fix first, and you keep the map either way.