Small business AI toolkit
How to run a 30-day AI pilot in a small business
Most owners don't need more AI tools. They need a short, honest test: pick a few jobs, try AI on them for a month, and keep only what saves real time. Here is a simple way to run that test.
1. List the work, not the tools
Write down ten recurring tasks from the last two weeks: drafting quotes, answering common questions, summarizing calls, researching a supplier. Note how long each one takes and how often it comes up.
Cross off anything that needs a licensed professional's judgment or touches sensitive customer data you aren't allowed to share.
2. Pick three candidates
Choose three tasks that happen at least weekly, have a clear finished state, and are easy to check. A task you can't check is a task you can't safely hand to AI.
3. Write a reusable prompt for each
For each task, write one prompt with the context, the format you want back, and what to leave out. Save it where you'll find it again. Reusing the same prompt is what turns an experiment into a workflow.
4. Track every use for 30 days
Keep a simple log: date, task, minutes before, minutes after, and whether the output needed heavy fixing. A spreadsheet with five columns is enough.
5. Decide: keep, fix or drop
At the end of the month, keep the tasks that saved time without extra rework, rewrite the prompt for the ones that were close, and drop the rest. Then pick the next three.
Common mistakes
- Starting with the hardest problem instead of a frequent, checkable one.
- Changing the prompt every time, so you can't tell what worked.
- Skipping the review step on anything that goes to a customer.