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Quick question for you small business owners out there… What is ONE THING you wish you had more of? Everybody, answer all at once –

That’s right – time!

If only we had more time in the day, then surely we would get caught up and not feel so rushed. I’m guessing I’m not the only one who is constantly thinking “Maybe next week I’ll get caught up and be able to spend more time on x”.

Well, I have good news and bad news for all of us when it comes to managing time. The world of AI automation is upon us. There now are so many tools out there that we should be able to automate all sorts of tasks that we do manually now. That sounds like good news, doesn’t it? So why do I say that it’s good news and bad news?

Save Time with Automation!

The trick is to determine WHAT to automate and WHAT to hold onto. Case in point. I recently received an email from someone selling a tool to me. See what you think:

Did you read this and think – Wow! This person must have done some serious research on you Kelly! They know where you live and that you run roundtable groups for small business owners! AND – they made it into a cute poem! How creative!

Or did you think (as I did) – Wow! This totally sounds like an AI-generated message that found where I live and what I do from my website, and tried to incorporate that into the message to make it feel like they know me. This is not personal at all! They probably sent thousands of strange poetic messages like this to thousands of companies without any concern about what I do and who I serve. I wonder if this actually ever works?

Don’t Automate Personal Messages

That, my friends, is a suggestion on what NOT to automate. In a situation like sales or lead generation, the more personal you ACTUALLY are, the better. Your prospective customers would never expect you to comment vaguely on their town or business services. Instead, they want to know that you understand their business issues and have a solution to help. Personal details (Altoona! Peer Groups!) are not the same as personal connections.

Instead, take the time to really understand your prospects and how your particular product or service will help them make money, or save money or time. And if you are going to reach out by email it should ideally be to people who know you already. I’d hazard a guess that unsolicited emails are not the most productive method of sales outreach. And unsolicited emails written by an AI bot are even less productive or successful.

Now you could certainly consider a little content writing help from your favorite AI chatbot, nothing wrong with that. But don’t post anything until a human has read it, as still has a tendency to hallucinate – and it also has many “tells” that point out that the content is not coming from a human.

Some Helpful Places to Automate

So where does it pay to try to automate processes? To some extent that depends on the size of your business. However, in uncertain times (like now) where small businesses are hesitant to hire too quickly, finding ways to automate tasks can really be beneficial.

• eCommerce: Are you selling any products or services online? Maybe it’s time to look into it, even if what you’re selling doesn’t seem to lend itself to online sales. Research shows that about “85% of B2B organizations now operate an eCommerce storefront or self-service portal” and nearly three-quarters of B2B buyers are Millennials or Gen Z who prefer to purchase online. Are you selling anything online?
• Project & Task Management: Have you taken advantage of the AI capabilities of your project management tools like Asana or Monday? Or even from your Google or MS365 platform? Gemini(Google) and Copilot (Microsoft) can help manage your email, generate content, write summaries, create slides, and more.
• Calendar management: If you’re not already using Calendly or a similar calendar management tool, it’s time to set one up. Why wouldn’t you make the “schedule a meeting with me” option so much faster and easier? Prospective customers, vendors or employees can access your calendar and schedule a Zoom call or phone call without you being involved at all. And of course these tools have added AI capabilities to make things run more smoothly (although I have not yet taken advantage of them).
• Other options: Consider automating your social media posts so you don’t have to do that yourself or assign the task to someone else. Make sure your purchase order and invoicing system is as automated as possible. Same thing with payroll.

AI & Robots aren’t replacing humans – yet!

If you have been paying attention to the news at all lately, you know that Big Tech firms are already laying off thousands of employees, claiming AI is taking over their jobs (which remains to be seen still).

Some of the predictions are quite dire – expecting a total loss of all white collar jobs and then a total collapse of the economy. Then add to that self-driving cars and trucks, robots preparing and serving food, and even robots putting up, taping and mudding sheetrock!

In reality, at least today, AI is a great TOOL to make your life easier and to address rote tasks or help you expand your knowledge and capabilities – not a REPLACEMENT for you. Future predictions are all over the map – from AI will create new jobs and shift what we do, similar to the rise of the personal computer or the Internet – to we will all live in a horrible dystopia where everyone is unemployed and homeless – or even worse, humans are the energy source for AI! (see this humorous video of that future)

Large businesses are embracing AI, not only as a fabulous tool but also as a great excuse for layoffs and the resulting bump to their stock prices. But what about small businesses? What about YOUR business?

We know that small businesses operate differently. For one, we clearly don’t have the budget for AI tools that the big companies do. And, we like our employees and want to keep them employed with us!

I’d be willing to hazard a guess that you have never laid off hundreds of people by email or text message!!

Small Business, AI, and a Personal Touch

A recent study from Goldman Sachs shows that just over three-quarters of small businesses are currently using AI, and over 90% of those using it report positive results for their business. Increased efficiency and productivity is the primary benefit, but small business owners expect AI to help them increase revenue and augment (not replace) their employees’ capabilities.

The study also shows, however, that only 14% of small business owners say that “AI is fully embedded in their core operations.” In other words, we’re all still figuring things out. Additional training might be helpful.

So, are you using AI at all? Are you using it to its fullest capabilities? Maybe you’ve had a few chats with a chatbot or had it help you generate some text but haven’t gone much further? It’s time to have AI become an additional team member in your small business.

My recommendations for getting going with AI?

1. Follow the AI News: Things are changing FAST in the world of AI tools. Pick a newsletter to keep you up to date on what tools are out there that might be worth trying. Consider options like Ben’s Bites, AI for Non-Techies, or The Rundown AI. For a marketing focus, I really like Raquel Hunter’s AI Marketing Substack.

2. Ask your Employees: Do your employees use AI tools at all – for work or at home? What tools do they like? Can they find ways to automate the routine tasks they don’t like? Or to learn new skills with the help of AI summaries? Challenge your employees to find ways to use AI tools by giving them time in their schedule to explore. Challenge yourself too, while you’re at it!

3. Keep the Humans in the Equation: Remember, AI is a TOOL not a replacement for a human. There are still major issues with hallucination. The tools are sometimes a little TOO eager to please, agreeing with everything you say rather than providing unbiased information.

And – most important of all – when you are a small business owner, people want to do business with YOU. Leaning too hard on AI tools just makes you seem less authentic, less in touch with your customers’ needs, and less likely to be able to provide the personal solutions and service that small businesses are known for.

Remember – the world loves small business owners! You are the job creators, the community supporters, and the collaborators that keep things running in your industry and your town. As I mentioned in the past, one of your key assets as a small business owner is your personal connection with all the people in your work circle – your employees, customers, and suppliers. Let AI or robotics enhance what you do – but not replace that value!

How do you use AI?

What AI tools and platforms are you using? Are they helping? Have you had any huge leaps in productivity thanks to AI? Share what's working for you with me - just email me at Kelly@SecondStageGrowth.com!

Want to have a conversation with other small business owners about challenges like AI, hiring new employees, and the possible dystopian future where your business is fully replaced by AI and robots? Hop on my calendar to talk about joining a peer group! I am actively forming a second group right now!