Except that the money people will be willing to offer will almost certainly not cover the amount required by any competent professional to pay for their time, i

Except that the money people will be willing to offer will almost certainly not cover the amount required by any competent professional to pay for their time, i.e USD 100+ per hour. And if someone is willing to pay, say, five hundred dollars for a complex solution that requires effectively half a days consulting, they'd probably be better to just hire an actual consultant.