Practical AI for Small and Local Businesses: What to Use, What to Ignore, and What Actually Works
- amy winner
- Mar 25
- 12 min read
Last week, I had the pleasure of presenting at SRP Credit Union’s Small Business Power Luncheon in Augusta, GA. The topic was a popular one: Practical AI for Small Business. My presentation was designed to weed out the hype, and bring information and actionable recommendations to business leaders across the tech savviness spectrum, from AI enthusiasts to those who had never even opened ChatGPT.
I'm sharing the full presentation here, along with my talk track for each section. I've also included the worksheet we used during the session. Download it below and work through it as you read the recap.
Want the worksheet? Download it here. It walks you through finding your first AI use case, tackling your HR problems with AI, and designing your own custom AI assistant. |
AI is not new to you. You’ve been using it for years, you just haven’t been calling it “AI”. When Netflix recommends something you end up watching for three hours, that’s AI. When your bank texts you about a suspicious charge before you’ve even noticed it, that’s AI. When Google Maps reroutes you around traffic before you even hit it? AI.
These experiences have something in common: They anticipate what you need, make things frictionless, and work quietly in the background to make your life easier.
That trend isn’t slowing down. It’s accelerating into every tool, platform, and industry. The difference is that up until now, AI has been passively baked into the software you already use, doing things FOR you. The businesses that win in the next five years won’t just benefit from that passively built-in AI, they’ll be the ones who use it intentionally.
That’s what this presentation is about. Not overhauling your whole business. Just deliberately applying the same technology you already trust—with your money, your time, and your entertainment—to your own day-to-day work.
This isn’t about becoming an AI power user. It’s about buying back your time and making smarter decisions. We covered six areas and I challenged everyone to leave with at least three things they could try the very next day.
Here’s the full rundown of the themes we covered:
The Foundational Mindset Shift: AI as a Junior Operator
Hyper-Personalization Without a Big Team
AI-Supported Decision-Making
Hiring, Managing, and Training People with AI
AI Search Visibility (SEO → AEO)
Building Your Own Custom AI Assistant
SECTION 1: Use AI as a Junior Operator, Not a Search Bar
You bring the expertise. AI brings the hours.
Most people use AI the same way they use Google: Type in a question, skim the results, move on. And that’s fine but it’s leaving most of the value on the table.
The people who are actually moving the needle with AI aren’t using it as a search bar. They’re using it like a capable new hire, someone who works for free, never sleeps, and just needs good direction. We joked in the room that it’s a lot like an overeager intern: incredibly enthusiastic and genuinely helpful, but if you don’t give it clear direction, it can go completely off the rails. The quality of what you get out of it is almost entirely determined by how well you explain the task.
The “prompt” you give the AI chat bot is how you explain the task. A good prompt has three elements:
Context: Set the stage for your answer. Tell it the perspective of the asker, your role, what you’re trying to accomplish, the objective of this question.
Task: Specifically, what do you want the chat bot to do? Do you want it to poke holes in an argument, act like your competitor, or answer concisely.
Rules: What do you want the answer to look like? Should it be an outline? What tone? How long? Do you want it to deliver a Word doc, or a HTML chart?
Now that you have that skill in your toolbelt, here are four things every small business owner can do this week:
Respond to a bad Google review professionally, in 60 seconds
This was the example that got the biggest reaction in the room. Most business owners either ignore bad reviews (bad) or fire off an emotional response they immediately regret (worse). A well-prompted AI response takes 60 seconds and looks like you have a PR team. More importantly, potential customers who read that review see a business that handles problems like a professional.
Try this prompt: “Write a professional, calm response to this Google review for my [business type]. The customer complained that [issue]. I want to acknowledge the concern, apologize without admitting fault, and invite them to contact us directly. Tone: warm but professional.” |
Write a price increase letter
Done manually, this is one of the most emotionally loaded tasks in any service business. AI removes the paralysis of finding the right words when you’re anxious about the reaction.
Try this prompt: “Write a short letter to my existing [service] clients letting them know prices are increasing by [%] starting [date]. I’ve been in business [X] years. Be direct but warm, explain costs have gone up, and reassure them quality isn’t changing.” |
Summarize a contract before you sign it
You still need a lawyer for the big stuff, but you don’t need to walk into that meeting feeling overwhelmed. Paste the contract text into ChatGPT and ask it to summarize in plain English and flag anything unusual. You’ll show up to your consultation informed and ready to ask better questions and get more value out of every professional meeting.
Try this prompt: “Summarize this contract in plain English. Flag anything that seems unusual, one-sided, or that I should ask a lawyer about before signing. [paste contract text]” |
Write a job posting in two minutes
Tell it the role, the hours, your town, the culture, and the tone you want. Done. Post it tonight.
Try a prompt like this: “Write a job posting for a part-time front desk receptionist at a hair salon in Augusta, GA. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9am to 2pm. Must be comfortable with booking software and handling phone calls. We’re a tight-knit team and culture fit matters as much as experience. Friendly, professional tone.” |
SECTION 2: Achieve Hyper-Personalization Without a Big Team
Your customers remember how you made them feel. AI helps you make them feel remembered.
It used to be that personalized marketing required a marketing team, a CRM, and a real budget. With AI, a solo operator can now communicate like a company with a full staff, if they know how to prompt well.
The key insight here is that you’re not sending generic blasts. You’re giving AI just enough context about this specific customer to make every touchpoint feel one on one. 30 seconds of extra detail changes everything. You can start small with personalization and see which efforts catch your customers’ attention. See which steps are really just adding a few extra seconds to your workflow, and which are a heavier lift. There’s no perfect formula for personalization, it’s dependent on your customers, your business, and the relationship you have with them.
To get you started, here are five customization tactics to try that make customers feel genuinely remembered:
1. The personalized follow-up email
After an appointment or interaction, jot down 2–3 details (what they came in for, something personal they mentioned, a concern they had) and hand it to AI.
Try this prompt: “Write a warm follow-up email to a customer named [name]. They came in for [service], mentioned [personal detail], and were concerned about [concern]. My business is [name] and my tone is [friendly/professional/warm].” |
2. Post-service care instructions
Instead of handing every customer the same generic printed sheet, give AI the specifics of what you did and who you did it for. Works for hair, skincare, lawn care, HVAC, personal training—any service business where follow-up instructions build trust and loyalty.
3. Proposals that feel custom written
The body of your proposal can still be templated. But the opening and framing should mirror exactly what that specific client told you they care about. That’s what wins the job.
Try this prompt: “Write a proposal introduction for a client named [name] whose top priorities are [priority 1], [priority 2], and [priority 3]. My company is [name] and we specialize in [specialty].” |
4. Social content for your specific niche
Generic posts get ignored. Posts that speak to a person’s specific problem get saved and shared. Give AI information about your audience, your location, and the specific problem they’re worried about right now. Specificity is the whole game.
5. Re-engaging lapsed customers
This one is wildly underused. You already have a list of people who hired you once and went quiet. Two minutes of effort, sent to 10 lapsed clients. Even a 20% response rate is new revenue with zero ad spend.
Try this prompt: “Write a short, warm [text/email] to a former client I haven’t heard from in [time]. They used to [service]. Don’t be salesy. Just open a conversation and mention something new.” |
✍ WORKSHEET BREAK #1: Find Your First AI Use Case
At this point in the session, we paused and gave everyone four minutes to do a quick exercise: Name one task you do repeatedly every week that takes too long—something you write, respond to, or explain over and over. Write it down.
This is Worksheet #1 in the downloadable guide. Work through it and you’ll walk away with your first concrete AI task to hand off. |
SECTION 3: AI-Supported Decision-Making
Like having a lawyer, accountant, and strategist on speed dial for free.
Here’s the truth we all know about running a small business: You are constantly making decisions in areas you are not an expert in. Contracts, pricing strategy, hiring decisions, marketing, finance, compliance. And most of the time, you’re making them without enough information and without enough time.
AI doesn’t replace your attorney or your accountant, but it can make you a dramatically smarter client before you ever walk into that meeting. Think of it as having a brilliant generalist friend who went to law school, business school, and marketing school, and who will always take your call, never bill you, and never make you feel dumb for asking.
Here are four prompts that change the dynamic:
The “what am I missing?” check
Before any significant business decision, run it through AI as a thinking partner, not to get the answer, but to stress-test your own assumptions.
Try this prompt: “I’m thinking about [decision]. Here’s my reasoning: [explain]. What are the 5 biggest risks or blind spots I might not be thinking about?” |
Prep for a professional meeting
Ask AI for the 10 most important questions to ask your attorney, accountant, or banker before your next meeting. You show up prepared. They spend less time on basics. You get more value out of every professional relationship.
Try this prompt: “I have a meeting with my [attorney/accountant] about [topic]. What are the 10 most important questions I should ask?” |
Think through a pricing or operations change
This isn’t something you’d Google. And Google wouldn’t give a useful answer anyway. But AI will think it through with you like a business advisor, walking through pros, cons, and what to consider before committing.
Try this prompt: "I run a [business]. I’m considering [change]. What are the pros, cons, and what should I think through first?" |
Understand a document you received
Paste any contract, insurance certificate, lease addendum, or vendor agreement and ask for a plain-English summary with flags for anything unusual. This works on anything that’s making you nervous.
Try this prompt: “Explain this [contract/lease/policy] in plain English. Flag anything unusual I should ask a professional about." |
Important note: AI can be wrong, especially on legal and financial specifics. It’s a thinking partner, not a final authority. Always verify high-stakes decisions with a qualified professional.
SECTION 4: Hiring, Managing, and Training People with AI
Professional-grade people management, without the overhead.
This was the section that surprised the room the most and got some of the biggest reactions. For most small business owners, people problems are the hardest and most time-consuming part of the job. Hiring the wrong person, not having things written down, not knowing what to say in a hard conversation. AI won’t manage your people for you, but it can dramatically reduce the time and stress involved in all the structure around it.
Hiring
AI can write a compelling job posting with culture fit baked in, generate interview questions that actually screen for the qualities you care about, draft an offer letter or rejection email that’s professional and kind, and help you research fair pay ranges for your area and role.
Try this prompt: “Write 8 interview questions for a [role] at my [business type]. I need someone who [key qualities]. I’ve had issues with [past problem]. Include questions that help me spot red flags around [concern].” |
Onboarding and training
This one blew people away: You don’t have to be a good writer to create a great training doc. You just have to describe what you do, as messily as you want, and AI will turn it into a clear, step-by-step checklist a new hire could follow on day one.
Try this prompt: “I’m going to describe how we [process]. Turn this into a clear step-by-step checklist a new employee could follow on their first week. Here’s what we do: [describe it, as rough as you want]” |
Managing and difficult conversations
Every business owner dreads the performance conversation. AI doesn’t remove the discomfort but it removes the paralysis of not knowing what to say or how to open.
Try this prompt: “Help me prepare for a conversation with an employee who has been [issue] for [time]. I’ve mentioned it once but nothing changed. I want to be direct without being harsh. What should I say and how should I open?” |
You can also use AI to write clear, fair employee policies without an HR department—cell phone use, PTO, dress code, whatever you’ve been putting off formalizing. Tell it the rules you want, the tone, and the size of your team. Done in five minutes.
✍ WORKSHEET BREAK #2: AI for Your People Problems
We paused again here and asked the room: Think about the last time you hired someone, dealt with a performance issue, or tried to train a new employee. What was the most painful, time-consuming part? Write it down.
Worksheet #2 is in the downloadable guide. It’ll help you identify your most pressing people-management AI opportunity and map out a Monday morning action. |
SECTION 5: SEO → AEO → Decision Engine Optimization
If you’ve read our previous post on this topic, Getting Found in the Age of AI, a lot of this will feel familiar. But it’s worth covering here because it is one of the most impactful changes that AI is making right now.
Recent data shows that over 60% of all Google searches result in a zero-click answer. That means that 60% of the people who turn to Google for an answer aren’t clicking past that first search window. They aren’t going to the organic and paid links that Google has been delivering for decades. This trend will continue to evolve, so understanding it will be very important for any business that relies at all on the internet to drive awareness and demand.
Google gives you a list of links. AI gives you an answer and often recommends one business by name. If your business isn’t findable to AI, you may be becoming invisible to a growing slice of customers without ever knowing it.
Here’s what to do about it:
1. Find out what AI says about you tonight
Open ChatGPT and ask: “Who are the best [your business type] in [your city]?” Then ask: “What do you know about [your business name]?” If the answer is thin, vague, or wrong, that’s your starting point. And it’s often fixable in an afternoon.
2. Rewrite your Google Business Profile description
AI pulls from your Google Business Profile, your website, and your reviews. Most business descriptions are generic. Specific ones get recommended. Use AI to rewrite yours. Describe who your best customers are and the problems you solve better than anyone else.
3. Create content that answers real questions
AI recommendations are driven by whether your content matches what people actually ask. Use AI to generate the 10 most common questions someone in your area would ask before hiring a business like yours. Then, write short, clear answers to each one and post them on your website or Google Business Profile. That’s 10 pieces of optimized content in about 15 minutes.
4. Write review responses that work harder
Review responses are indexed and readable by AI. Most people leave them blank or write a generic “Thanks!” Build responses that naturally mention your city, your service type, and the specific experience. Over time you’ll build a body of content that trains AI to associate your business with the right services in the right location.
(Want a deeper dive on AEO? Check out the full presentation from our recent talk. Not using Google Business Profile yet? You’re missing out! Download our ebook for optimization tips.)
SECTION 6: Build Your Own AI Assistant with Custom GPTs
We ended with a question: What if you had an assistant who already knew your business (your tone, your services, your competitors, your best clients) and could help you write, respond, and create content in minutes?
That’s what a Custom GPT is. It’s ChatGPT, but trained specifically on your world. You feed it your website copy, your best past proposals and emails, your brand voice, even your competitors’ positioning and it learns to help you from that foundation. No coding required. If you can type and paste, you can build one.
What it can do once it knows your business:
Write content that sounds like you, not a robot
Draft proposals using your real pricing language and structure
Reply to common customer questions in your exact tone
Generate social posts, email sequences, and sales copy on demand
We ended with Worksheet #3, the big one. Each person in the room mapped out the foundation of their own custom bot: what their business does, their brand voice, their top competitors, the task they’d most want to automate, and the one thing a bot could do to save them time this week.
Worksheet #3 is included in the downloadable guide, including step-by-step instructions for how to build a custom GPT. Your answers are the foundation of a real Custom GPT you can build — some of you could have a working version by end of this week. |
If you’re looking for inspiration, here is a list of some of Wheels Up’s favorite AI-based apps. Pick one or two to download and start playing around with them. The more you use these types of tools, the more intuitive they’ll become. And, the better prepared you’ll be as AI continues to evolve and mature.
The closing thought of the day was this: AI won’t replace small business owners. But small business owners who use AI will replace those who don’t. The gap is opening faster than most people realize.
You’re already ahead just by being curious enough to learn and adapt. Wheels Up Collective is here to help you put any of this into practice. Drop us a line. And if you want support with your marketing, check out our Digital Marketing Packages for Small and Local Businesses.
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