If you're a business owner, you've probably seen a flood of AI posts and tools and thought some version of:
"I know I should be doing something with this… but I don't have time to figure out what or how."
You're not alone.
Most of the noise around AI is either super technical or super hyped ("this will replace your entire team next Tuesday").
Neither of those helps when you're trying to run a real business.
In this article, I want to give you a simple, practical way to think about AI, minus the technical jargon and wild promises, so you can start spotting where it actually fits in your business.
What AI actually is (For You as a Business Owner)
There are lots of technical definitions, but from a business perspective, you can think of AI as:
Software that can understand, generate, or act on information in a way that feels closer to how a human might.
In practice, that usually shows up in three ways:
Understanding
Summarizing long text
Pulling out key points from a call or document
Categorizing messages or support tickets
Generating
Drafting emails, posts, or outlines
Turning bullet points into something more polished
Creating variations of content (subject lines, headlines, etc.)
Deciding / Acting (with rules)
Routing a message to the right person
Tagging or updating records in your systems
Triggering follow-up steps based on what someone said or did
You don't need to know how the models work under the hood. You just need to know what they're good at and where they're not to be trusted blindly.
What AI is not
It's just as important to be clear about what AI is not:
It's not a magic button. You still need a clear process and a sense of what "good" looks like and what your desired output is.
It's not a replacement for your judgment. AI can draft, suggest, and organize. You decide what's correct and what's right for your brand.
It's not "set and forget." Good AI use still needs occasional checks and tweaks, just like any other system in your business.
Thinking about it this way takes the fear and perhaps complexity down a notch. You're not handing over your business to a robot; you're adding a new tool to your business arsenal.
The three places AI is most Useful in Small or Mid-Sized business
There are numerous use cases, but common practical ones for this stage fall into three buckets:
1. Thinking & Planning
This is where AI acts like a brainstorming partner or junior strategist.
Examples:
Turning your notes about a new offer into a clearer outline
Helping you structure a presentation or workshop
Asking, "What questions might a potential customer have about this service?"
You still know your business and your customers best. AI just helps you get out of your own head faster.
2. Communicating & Explaining
Here, AI is a writing and communication helper.
Examples:
Drafting initial versions of customer emails, follow-up sequences, or social posts
Rewriting something you've already written to be shorter, more formal/casual, or easier to understand
You can think of it as a first-pass copywriter: it gets you part of the way there, and then you adjust and refine the rest.
3. Coordinating & Tidying Up
This is where AI and automation start to overlap.
Examples:
Turning a messy meeting transcript into action items or a summary you can send to your team
Categorizing incoming inquiries (sales/support/other) so they're easier to route
Suggesting tags or fields to apply in your CRM or project tool
You still decide what happens in your business. AI just helps you keep the information organized and moving.
A Simple way to decide: “Is This a Good Fit for AI?”
When you're busy, you don't have time to evaluate every new tool you see in the headlines. So here's a quick checklist you can use.
When you look at a task in your business, ask:
Is this repetitive? Do we do something similar over and over (e.g., answering common questions, drafting similar emails)?
Is there text or information involved? Can the task be described in words, numbers, or checkboxes (not physical work like shipping or cleaning)?
Is there a "good enough" version? Would a solid draft or 70–80% version be helpful, even if a human still reviews it?
If you answer yes to at least two of these, there's a good chance AI can help.
A Quick 10-Minute Exercise for This Week
If you want to start spotting opportunities for ai implementation without overhauling your entire business, try this:
Think back over the last week.
Make a quick list of 5–7 things that:
Felt repetitive
Took longer than they should have
You procrastinated because they were mentally tiring
Circle 1–2 that involve writing or reading.
For example:
Drafting similar emails over and over
Pulling info out of long documents or messages
Writing social or blog posts from scratch
Mark them as "AI candidates."
These are great starting points for AI support: drafting, summarizing, organizing, suggesting next steps.
You don't need to solve all of them at once. Just recognizing them is a key first step.
Common traps to avoid as you get started
As you explore AI, a few gentle warnings:
Don't try to use everything. You don't need 20 AI tools. Start with one or two that fit clearly into your existing workflow.
Don't expect perfection. Treat AI as a helpful assistant, not a mind reader. You'll get better results by giving it clear context and examples, then iterating as you go.
Don't let it change your voice. If a draft sounds nothing like you, adjust your prompts or edit the output. Your personality and judgment still matter and should be reflected in the output.
Where we’ll go from here
In future issues of The Automation Edge, I'll be unpacking:
Specific examples of how business owners are using AI in these three buckets
How to evaluate tools without getting overwhelmed
Practical ways to plug AI into your existing systems instead of rebuilding everything from scratch
You don't have to become an AI expert.
You just need a clear path on applicable use cases and a few simple places to start.
That's what I’ll be sharing with you in upcoming issues.