AI for Mom and Pop? Small businesses need help with AI

AI is a major disrupter, offering great benefits and free labor. However, small companies are being left behind while larger companies are embracing this new tech, writes Christine Telyan

In theory, AI represents a major opportunity for businesses of all sizes to unlock new opportunities and markets and to radically overhaul their operations. In some quarters, AI is being touted as a cure for all business ills. No matter what problem a business has, AI can solve it, enthusiasts say.

But while AI is certainly a disruptive force, we would be mistaken in thinking that its benefits are being distributed evenly. As it stands, AI is simply more useful for experienced teams than it is for solo entrepreneurs or, indeed, Mom-and-Pop type stores and businesses.

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Small businesses, the vast majority of which have two employees or fewer, simply don’t have the time, knowledge or expertise to take full advantage of these new AI tools. Yes, theoretically, AI could save them vast amounts of time and enable all sorts of new activities. But many small business owners are so heavily focused on the day-to-day of their companies that learning how to effectively use new software, even a relatively straightforward one like ChatGPT, is more challenging and daunting than people think.

We surveyed our own customers and received over 800 responses. The message on AI was very clear. Only a quarter of small businesses regularly use AI-powered tools. So, despite all the commentary and discussion, 75 percent of small businesses have yet to embrace these new tools—even though many are low cost relative to the time saved. While other studies have shown that small businesses are widely adopting AI, such studies consider small businesses to be companies with up to 100 employees; the experience of such businesses is vastly different from the mom-and-pops we surveyed.

Indeed, for larger businesses, things look rather different. Surveys suggest that roughly 75 percent of medium and large businesses are using AI regularly. These results suggest that, rather than being a leveler and democratizing force, AI is creating a chasm between larger businesses and small ones. As one of my team suggested, AI could stand for ‘Absolute Inequality’, unless small businesses get some help.

Our survey revealed that nearly half (48%) of small business owners work more than 60 hours per week, with more than 73% working over 40 hours weekly. So small businesses are still working very long hours. So why aren’t they employing digital tools to make life easier? We all know tech can be used to schedule meetings and client calls, improve inventory management, track expenses, create targeted marketing and more. But why aren’t small businesses using it?

Well, of course some are, and the 25 percent in our survey who regularly use AI are saving up to five hours per week. But it seems that some need more encouragement, help and, probably, the support of platforms that do more of the heavy lifting for them.

So, what steps can small businesses and organizations take to better embrace AI? Here are some simple steps and questions that I would recommend business leaders to consider.

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Identify low-hanging fruit

Let’s start where it’s easiest to find success. Looking for simple, repetitive tasks is a good place. Make a list of activities that you do regularly and which eat into your time. Even if you don’t know how to automate these yet, at least be aware of what the problems are. Also, add to the list things you’d like to do more regularly but don’t have the time to do properly. A list of problems might not sound like a good start but these are low-hanging fruit for you to pick later.

Look for help

Don’t suffer alone. Now that you know areas where you can potentially automate, it’s worth asking others how to do this. Engage with small business development centers (SBDCs), business networks and professionals that can help.

Use voice-powered tech

One of the big pluses of AI is that so much can now be done with voice. You can speak so much faster than you can type text, so get into the habit of using your voice to write and issue commands. A very simple but powerful application of this is to use tools like Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot which integrate with Gmail or Outlook respectively to draft, send, and manage emails via voice commands. This can extend further into task management.

Find user-friendly platforms

There are many AI-powered platforms covering everything from accounting to calendar management to website creation. Look for what others in your network are using. But if it feels like too much, then look for a platform that comes with a service attached, too. Some banks and accounting firms are now using AI tools to help business owners gain better insight into their spending patterns. At UENI, our web design and copywriting experts leverage AI in our proprietary tools to deliver powerful SEO content for pennies you’d pay elsewhere. It’s a smart strategy to work with organizations that know how to get the most out of AI for small businesses.

Do it only if it adds value

AI should either save you time or give you insight into how to do things better. If you are able to usefully save time with a chatbot on your website without compromising your customer’s experience too much or personalize email content, then it is worth carving the time to set these things up or getting help to do it. But always start with what your business uniquely needs to drive the tools you use.

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