Think your business should be using AI but don't know where to start? You're not alone.
Someone in your business has probably said it by now: "We need to be using AI."
Maybe it was you? Maybe it was at a board meeting, or in conversation with another business owner. Either way, the next question is always the same: "Okay... but what for?" And that's where it gets awkward.
Last week, I was referred by a client to meet with with the owner of a successful metal fabrication business experiencing serious AI FOMO.
"What should I be using AI for?" he asked. When I turned it back on him, asking what problem keeps him up at night and suggesting he start there, he leaned back in his chair and gave me an honest answer. "Shane, I'm a 68-year-old metal basher. I haven't got the first f*cking clue about technology let alone AI." I smiled and told him the truth: "Mate, you're already using it."
He looked at me like I'd grown a second head.
This conversation isn't uncommon. I had nearly identical ones five times in October alone. Business owners are anxious. They're hearing the hype, worried their competitors are getting ahead, feeling pressure to "do something" with AI.
But the bigger challenge isn't that businesses aren't using AI. It's that they don't understand what they're already using, what's actually possible, or where to start being more intentional about it.
That metal fabricator? He's running a successful business with online quoting systems, inventory management software, fraud detection on his accounts, and email filters that save him hours a week. All AI. He just doesn't call it that.
AI is already woven into your daily life. Think about the last time you asked Siri to set a timer or used "Hey Google" to check the weather. That's AI. Netflix recommending shows you actually want to watch or Spotify building playlists tailored to your taste? Also AI. Your phone autocorrecting typos, grouping photos by person, unlocking with your face - all AI. When Google Maps reroutes you around traffic or your credit card company flags a suspicious transaction, you're experiencing AI in action.
It's not some futuristic thing. It's been quietly making your life easier for years.
The three types of AI business owners need to know about.
Traditional AI: The Pattern Spotter
This is the AI that's been working in the background for years. It learns from historical data to predict outcomes and spot patterns.
You're already using this if you have:
Fraud alerts on business accounts
Product recommendations in your e-commerce platform
Sales forecasting tools
Spam filters on your email
It's not sexy, but it's incredibly useful. And it's everywhere.
Generative AI: The Content Creator
This is the ChatGPT stuff everyone's talking about. It creates new content (text, images, even video) based on massive training sets.
You might be using this for:
Drafting emails or reports
Creating marketing copy
Generating images for social posts
Writing code snippets
Summarising long documents
The speed and creativity boost is real. But so is the risk of it making things up if you're not careful.
Agentic AI: The Task Handler
This is the newest kid on the block. It doesn't just give you an answer or create content. It actually plans and executes multi-step tasks across different tools to reach a goal.
Think:
A system that receives a support ticket, pulls customer history, drafts a response, and sends it for approval
Software that processes invoices end-to-end
Tools that prepare quotes by gathering data from multiple systems
This is where the real workflow transformation happens, but it also needs proper guardrails.
So where should you actually start?
Here's my honest advice for business owners looking to be more intentional about AI:
Check what you're already paying for. Most modern software (your CRM, accounting platform, project management tools) has added AI features in the last 12 months. You might be paying for capabilities you don't even know exist. Five minutes with your software provider could unlock tools that save hours.
Talk to the people doing the actual work. Don't brainstorm AI opportunities in the boardroom. Go talk to your team on the coalface. They know exactly which tasks are repetitive, annoying, or ripe for automation. The best opportunities usually come from the bottom up, not the top down.
Run small experiments. I'm not talking about throwing money at consultants or massive projects. I mean a modest budget to run short, timeboxed experiments. Pick one specific problem that your team flagged. Give yourself a minimum of 2-4 weeks, but never longer than 90 days. Your team can probably handle this themselves with a few online tutorials and tools you're already providing, like Copilot. Or try a one-month subscription to a piece of software instead of investing thousands upfront. If it works? Great, scale it out. If it doesn't? You've learned something and you haven't built a white elephant.
Keep humans in the loop. Even when experiments work, don't flip a switch and walk away. Pilot properly, refine, then expand. The best AI implementations have people overseeing the critical bits.
The bottom line?
Your competitors probably aren't miles ahead of you. Most are in the exact same boat, trying to figure out what's real and what's marketing fluff.
The competitive advantage won't come from using AI first. It'll come from being first to understand it well enough to use it wisely in your specific operations. And you've got more of a head start than you think.
And as for old mate, the self-confessed metal basher? I reckon we're going to become good friends, and I'm looking forward to helping him run some of those AI experiments.
Working with growing family businesses ready for succession is my jam. Whether that's family taking the reins, prepping for a sale, or just making the business less dependent on you, using tech to protect what you've built is what lights me up. If you know someone wrestling with what's next, I'd love an introduction.