If you want to try AI in your business, don't start with anything big. Start with the boring stuff you already know how to do: the same emails, quotes, review replies, social posts and paperwork. Let AI write the first draft, read it over, and send it.
When I bring up AI with business owners around St. Louis, a lot of them picture robots, big software bills, or something they'd need to hire a tech person for. That's not what I see working. What works is handing off the small stuff that eats your evenings. Here are the five I'd start with.
1. The same customer emails, over and over
"Are you open Saturday?" "What do you charge for...?" "Can we move my appointment?" You've typed those answers a hundred times. Give AI your hours, prices and policies once, paste in the email, and it writes the reply. You read it, fix anything that's off, and hit send. Nothing goes out without you seeing it.
Cost: a business plan for ChatGPT or Claude runs about $20 to $30 a month per person.
2. Quotes and estimates
If you write quotes from scribbled notes or a phone call, this one's for you. Show it a couple of quotes you've already sent and your price list, then give it your notes for the new job. It'll lay it out the same way you would. Check the numbers before it goes out. It's good at formatting, and it still needs a person on the math.
3. Replying to Google reviews
I use it for this myself. Replying to reviews helps your Google listing, but it's easy to let them pile up. I paste in the review, it gives me a couple of options that actually mention what the person said, and I pick one and change a few words so it sounds like me. Takes about a minute.
4. Social media posts
Everybody knows they should post more. Nobody has time. Tell it what happened this week, like a job you finished, something new you're selling, or a tip for the season, and ask for a couple of short versions. Pick one, add a real photo from your phone, and post it. I do this for my own business too.
5. Retyping paperwork
If somebody on your team copies info from invoices, PDFs or signup forms into a spreadsheet, AI can usually do that first pass. Someone still spot-checks it. If you're doing a lot of these every week, a small custom setup can save real hours, and that's the kind of thing I build for people.
How I'd try it
Pick one. Just the one that bugs you the most. Use it for a month and keep checking everything it writes. Don't paste customer info into a free chatbot; pay for a business plan that doesn't train on your data. If it saves you time, add another chore. If it doesn't, you're out about $20. I wrote up a longer version of this in where to start with AI in a small business.
If you're not sure which one fits, tell me what takes up your week. I'll tell you straight whether AI will help or not, and what it would cost. The first 30-minute call is free, and I'm in Crestwood. More about how I help with AI.
Questions about this? Get in touch or book a free 30-minute consult.