A few weeks ago, I left employment and started working full-time on A & L Learning Ltd.
Like many small business owners, I quickly discovered that running a business means wearing a lot of hats.
When people ask whether AI will take people's jobs, my experience has been rather different - it has helped me to cover gaps that would otherwise slow me down.
That matters because many small businesses face the same problem. They do not need AI to replace people; they need practical support with the everyday work that has to be done but rarely fits neatly into one person’s job title.
So far, I’ve used Copilot to help with:
For example, when I was looking for local networking and speaking opportunities, Copilot helped me turn a broad idea into a practical shortlist of organisations to approach. I still had to decide which routes made sense, write the messages, and follow up properly, but it accelerated the research stage and gave me a better starting point.
I’m also working towards a simple Copilot agent to support my sales and marketing strategy. In simple terms, an agent is a focused AI assistant that can work with specific information and instructions to help with a particular task or process. My aim is to use trusted sales and marketing guidance as a reference point, so it can help me think through priorities, identify practical next steps and keep moving the business forward.
That does not mean Copilot runs the business for me. It does not make every decision, replace experience, or remove the need to speak to real people. What it does do is help me get started faster, test ideas, organise my thinking and reduce some of the blank-page moments that can slow a small business down.
For me, this is where the real opportunity sits: not in replacing people, but in helping people do the work they already know needs doing. Research, first drafts, planning, summarising, preparing, checking and organising are all areas where AI can provide useful support.
If you run a small business, where are the biggest gaps in your week? Sales, marketing, administration, research, planning, or simply finding enough time to move things forward?
A & L Learning Ltd helps organisations build confidence in Microsoft 365 Copilot and artificial intelligence (AI), through practical training, workshops and consultancy. We work with businesses to improve…
