Hi

If you’re running your own business, time isn’t just money — it’s everything. And now AI tools promise to save you hours, streamline your admin, and help you work smarter.

But there’s a catch.

If you’re simply trying to bolt AI onto your existing systems and processes without rethinking the way you work, you’re likely to be disappointed. Aishwarya Srinivasan from Fireworks AI put it bluntly: “Your 2010 business playbook with AI features bolted on is doomed to fail.”

She’s right. AI isn’t a plugin — it’s a shift in mindset.

So if you’re juggling marketing, sales, service delivery, admin, bookkeeping and everything else… how do you actually make AI work for you?

1. Don’t start with the tool. Start with your time.

Most people start with the shiny thing: “ChatGPT can write blogs — I should use that!”

Wrong way round. Start by auditing where your time goes.

Over the next few days, track your work. Write it down. How many hours do you spend replying to emails? Manually creating invoices? Following up with leads? Posting on social media?

Then ask: Which of these tasks require real, human thought — and which are just repeatable admin?

Once you’ve identified the repetitive stuff, then go looking for AI tools to help. Here’s the shift: you’re not trying to plug AI into your current process — you’re redesigning your process with AI in mind.

Try this: Make two lists —

• “Tasks only I can do”
• “Tasks I shouldn’t be doing anymore”

Focus your AI efforts on the second list. You’ll save time faster and avoid the frustration of trying to force a tool into a process that no longer makes sense.

2. Break out of your routine — it’s holding you back

The biggest barrier to adopting AI isn’t money or tech skills. It’s habit.

You’ve probably built a set of routines over years — email on Mondays, invoices on Fridays, marketing whenever you can squeeze it in. These routines feel efficient, but they might actually be slowing you down.

Try this: Pick one task that takes you 2–3 hours a week. Ask yourself:

“If I were starting this business today, knowing what I now know, with all today’s tools available, how would I do this task?”

You might discover you don’t need to do it at all — or that it could be handled in 20 minutes with the right automation or AI assistant.

3. Learn by doing — not by reading

Don’t wait until you’ve got a grand strategy or perfect use case. Just start playing.

You wouldn’t outsource your entire marketing before trying a few posts yourself.

Same with AI. To use it well, you need to understand what’s possible — and what’s just hype.

Try this: Block out 30 minutes a week in your calendar and call it “AI play time.”

No pressure, no outcomes. Pick one tool — something you’ve seen on LinkedIn or heard mentioned in a podcast — and give it a spin.

• Use a copywriting tool to draft a blog intro
• Ask ChatGPT to summarise a business book you’ve been meaning to read
• Try an AI scheduling assistant for client calls

Keep a note: what worked, what didn’t, and what surprised you.

After a few weeks, you’ll start building your own toolkit — not based on theory, but based on what genuinely helps you.

Entrepreneurial business owners don’t have time for bloated systems or trial-and-error tools that promise too much. You need lean, practical, effective solutions that save time and reduce effort.

So don’t treat AI like a new app to bolt on. Instead, treat it as a design prompt. A chance to rethink how you work.

Because in a business of one, how you work is your biggest lever for growth.

So here’s the question: Where are you still using 2010 solutions to solve 2025 problems? What would your business look like if you built it today — with AI in mind from day one?

To your success

Noel Guilford