Hi

Let’s be honest. Creating content regularly for your business can be a slog. Whether it’s website copy, blog posts, email newsletters or social media – the pressure to be consistently creative can wear you down.

You’ve probably wondered if AI could help. Maybe you’ve even tried it. But if it felt a bit flat or formulaic, you’re not alone.

Here’s the real issue: most people are using AI as a vending machine. They punch in a prompt and hope it spits out a polished blog post. But that’s missing the point. AI isn’t meant to replace your voice. It’s meant to amplify it.

So the real question isn’t “Should I use AI to write my content?” but “Is there a better way to use AI to unlock my creativity?”

Think of AI as your creative research assistant

Every business owner hits creative blocks. You’ve got a nugget of an idea, but no time to explore it. Or worse, everything you write starts to sound the same. That’s where AI comes in.

Used well, it’s like having a well-read, slightly nerdy assistant who can:

• Offer 5 fresh angles on your core topic
• Suggest analogies from unexpected places (e.g. “what does cashflow management have in common with tending a vegetable garden?”)
• Surface blind spots and common misconceptions
• Help you break free of the “this is how it’s always done” mindset

It’s not doing the thinking for you. It’s just expanding your mental playground.

Practical ways to use AI in your content process

Here are four specific ways small business owners can use AI as a thinking tool – not a replacement writer:

1. Angle Generator

Instead of saying, “Write me a blog about budgeting,” ask:

• “Give me 7 surprising metaphors for explaining small business budgeting to a non-finance audience.” or:
• “How might a chef, an architect, and a football coach each approach budgeting differently?”

You'll get interesting ways to explain familiar topics – in language your clients might actually remember.

2. Perspective Shifter

We all get stuck in our own industry bubble. Ask AI to help you step out of it:

• “Explain invoice financing like you’re teaching it to a 12-year-old.”
• “What questions would a business owner who’s never heard of management accounts ask?”

Suddenly your content becomes more accessible – and more human.

3. Structure Suggester

Even when you know what you want to say, structuring it can be a hurdle. Try:

• “What are three different ways I could structure a blog post about increasing gross margin?”
• “Give me a Q&A format for explaining VAT registration thresholds to startups.”

This keeps your content varied and engaging – and avoids every post sounding like a list.

4. Creative Constraint Breaker

When your ideas feel stale, it might be because you’re sticking too closely to your industry norms. Use AI to nudge you out:

• “How would an artist think about pricing services?”
• “What if I explained payroll using characters from a detective novel?”

Sounds odd, I know. But sometimes the odd angle makes the idea stick.

Let’s be clear. AI isn’t going to write better content than you. It can’t draw on your lived experience. It doesn’t know your clients. It can’t hear the tone of voice you use on a  Zoom call. It’s not emotionally intelligent, and it doesn’t understand nuance.

But it can help you uncover fresher ideas faster. It’s a tool to break the creative block, not bypass it.

The mistake is assuming AI is only about speed and volume. For switched-on business owners, the opportunity is actually this: using AI to think more deeply, not more shallowly.

Use it to ask better questions. To test assumptions. To surface analogies and angles that make your content more relatable. And to create resources that resonate because they’re grounded in your insight, not generic content.

Most business owners I work with aren’t short on opinions or insights. What they’re short on is time to craft those into shareable, useful content.

AI won’t write your next newsletter for you. But it might just help you get it done in half the time – and with twice the flair.

So, here’s my challenge: next time you’re stuck, don’t ask AI to “write it for you.” Ask it to surprise you. Ask it to stretch your thinking. Then bring your voice to the table. That’s where the real value is.

Noel Guilford