For the last few months, I’ve been in an AI deep dive.
I’ve been having conversations with business owners, writers, creatives, and developers. I’ve been following leaders, attending in-person events and virtual summits, and earning certifications to learn as much as I can about what AI is changing and what it means for the future.
My main question at first was: How does AI affect me?
I was worried about my business, and I was worried about myself.
But my question quickly changed to: How does AI affect my clients?
I’ve been working with small businesses since I launched Simply Stated in 2012. And when I say small, I mean the small. Most of my clients have one to five employees.
Over the years, many people have told me to move away from small business clients. I’ve heard time and time again that small businesses are difficult clients because they have high expectations and low budgets. But that’s rarely been my experience.
The majority of the small business owners I’ve worked with are not trying to squeeze me. They are being squeezed.
They are trying to launch, build, and grow all while working with limited resources. They don’t have big budgets or teams or time to research and implement on their own. They simply have an idea, passion, or expertise they want to share.
This is why my AI deep dive has led me to feel optimistic about AI.
I love working with founders and solopreneurs, but yes, it is difficult to provide the impactful deliverables and outcomes I’d like to when budgets are tight.
AI is now offering an opportunity for small businesses to jump over the limited resource hurdles holding them back from building and growing.
With AI, they can produce what they need to launch and promote their businesses faster and cheaper, without downgrading quality or exploiting cheap labor. They can save time and money by using AI tools and workflows that speed up their time to market and improve their ability to reach customers.
My deep dive has led me to find many reasons why AI can be a good thing for small businesses.
I know not everyone feels this way. There are a lot of concerns about AI, and rightfully so.
I have many of my own. I worry about how AI will impact the environment, employment, and media. I welcome regulations that prevent AI and tech executives from polluting communities, harming nature, stealing creative work, replacing jobs, and further disrupting our collective ability to understand when information is real, wrong, or fake.
I have these concerns, and I will continue to support elected officials, platforms, and leaders who share them.
But ignoring AI and choosing not to use AI will not solve these problems.
AI is here, and those who figure out how to use it will gain a competitive advantage. Those who avoid it will not gain or change anything. The toothpaste is out of the tube, and now, we need to find a way to make the most of it.
So, I’m choosing to be optimistic about AI.
I believe AI is a superpower for small businesses, and my goal is to highlight strategic ways for small businesses to leverage this technology, set themselves up for more success, and use it to get ahead, not left behind.
That’s what The AI Optimist newsletter will be.
I know AI can seem weird, complicated, and, even, ominous, but I hope I can help you reframe this technology into something to be optimistic about, especially if you run a small business.
The AI Optimist will be sharing tools, use cases, insights, and ideas about how small businesses can tap into the power of AI so you can bring your passions to life.
I hope you’ll follow along.
And more importantly, I’d love to know what you think.
I’m running a Small Business AI Optimism Survey to get insights from small business owners like you.
I’d love to hear from you, and I’d be so grateful if you could spare two minutes to share your thoughts.
