Where should a small business owner start with AI?
Start by finding the one problem that's costing your business the most, then decide whether AI is the right fix for it. For most owners that's missed calls, slow follow-up, quotes nobody chases, or hours of retyping the same information. Measure it first. Sometimes AI is the answer, and sometimes a simple workflow does the job better.
Why not just start with an AI tool?
Because a tool can't tell you what's broken. It's easy to buy something because a friend swears by it. Six months later, can anybody say what it changed? As measured by what? That's the first thing I'd want to know, and if nobody can answer it, there's no way to tell whether the tool helped.
The order that works is the business problem first, then what's causing it, then the fix. Technology comes in where it helps.
How do I find the problem worth fixing first?
Look for the work that's slipping or eating hours. Where do leads go quiet? What does your team do every day that doesn't need a person? What do you find out about too late, like the quote nobody followed up on or the review request that never went out?
Put a rough cost next to each one for a normal week. A range is fine. The biggest number is usually where you start.
What does AI handle well in a small business?
AI is good at work that's repetitive, time-sensitive, or heavy on reading and writing. That means answering calls and messages when nobody's free, following up on leads and quotes on a schedule, pulling details out of documents and listings, and drafting replies a person checks before they go out.
In my land business, a rules layer screens listings first, then a set of AI steps checks the history, the comps and the pricing. Over a few months it screened about 3,000 listings and flagged about 37 worth pursuing. Then I take over and underwrite them by hand. Here's how that works.
When is AI the wrong first move?
When the problem is upstream of the work you'd automate. If leads aren't converting because the offer's off or the wrong people are calling, automating the follow-up won't fix that. You'll reach the wrong people faster.
In that case I start with GTM strategy or RevOps work, and AI comes in once the basics hold.
Do I need to be technical to use AI?
No. You need to know your business, and you already do. The tools change every few months. Human psychology, repetition and value haven't changed in the almost 30 years I've been doing this, and those are what decide whether something works.
What should I do this week?
Pick one problem and measure it for two weeks so you know where you started. Then fix it the simplest way that works, whether that's AI, an automation, a checklist or a phone call. If you'd rather talk it through first, that's what a discovery call is for.
Talk it through with me.
Bring the problem, even if it's still fuzzy. We'll talk about what's going on, what might be behind it, and whether I'm the right person to help. If I'm not, I'll tell you.