Curious About AI? Let's Get Started
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the ways businesses operate, however many of the examples are not relevant to the majority of small business owners. It can feel overwhelming and owners get confused about where to start. First, is AI right for you? Second, if yes, where do you begin? The truth is before jumping into investing in any tool or tech, you need to begin with awareness and readiness - these are the key first steps for small business owners.
Here are 5 key considerations to help you explore AI for your small business:
Start by assessing and reviewing areas of your business that are repetitive, time-consuming, or data heavy. Are you spending hours manually following up with customers or leads? Are you struggling to analyze customer behavior patterns and purchasing trends? Do you spend too much time trying to figure out your marketing strategy and campaigns? Where are your pain points? Remember when you started your business you identified customers' pain points. What are yours as a business owner?
2. Educate Yourself First
Education is empowerment and AI tools vary widely, from chatbots and marketing automation to customer insights and forecasting. BEFORE investing in technology, take time to learn the basics and discern what would make sense for your business. Take advantage of free resources such as webinars, courses, events, meetups and guides to build your foundational knowledge.
3. Prioritize Data Readiness
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AI is data centric, it thrives on it. Ensure your business has clean, accurate data before implementing any AI solution. If your data is scattered across systems, inaccurate, outdated, an AI tool is not going to solve that problem.
4. Start Small
You're a small business owner and although you may have big vision, you don't need to overhaul your entire operation. Start with a small step, a manageable tool that addresses a specific challenge. Need an executive assistant as a sounding board, start there.
5. Maintain Human Oversight
AI requires human judgment and I will always mention this with an AI article. Despite using AI for emails, analyzing or some form of customer service, oversight ensures accuracy, brand alignment and ethical decision making.
As an Executive Director at a SBDC, I believe AI has the potential to be a powerful tool for small businesses, however success starts with awareness, readiness and thoughtful planning. In this series, I'll be sharing tips, tools an insights to help you explore AI with confidence. Stay tuned!
If you have questions about AI for your small business, drop them in the comments. We don't have all the answers, however we are beginning the journey to help guide people and would love to know what questions are out there!
Helping SMB Owners Scale, Lead & Build Sustainable Businesses | Business Growth Coach & Strategic Advisor
2 周Great article, insights, and conversation starter, Hope! AI is proving to be a game-changer for SMBs, but as you pointed out, strategic adoption is key. Many assume AI is too complex, costly, or only for large enterprises. Yet, Colorado SMBs face major challenges: -?64% struggle with hiring & retention?(NFIB Colorado) - Inflation & rising costs force pricing shifts & closures?(Colorado Sun) - Access to capital remains a hurdle?(BizWest & SBA.gov) With these pressures, Colorado SMBs need?scalable solutions?that drive efficiency without adding complexity. AI, when used right, can help Colorado's small business owners by: - Automating client engagement & reduce manual tasks - Streamlining financial forecasting & cash flow - Optimizing hiring & retention through AI screening A common SMB owner pain point I hear??Scaling without burnout.?AI, used strategically, can help owners step out of daily operations & focus more time on growth. Looking forward to your AI series!?What’s the biggest misconception you hear from SMB owners about AI?
Great idea! There was definintely a lot to process from the AI track at Founded in FoCo in a rapidly developing world of this technology. It does make me realize understanding ethics and privacy factors in AI as a businesss and consumer is critical when making decisions.