The fast-growing, ambitious Southwest business came together for a roundtable hosted by Businessdesk.com and Shaw & Co to explore how entrepreneurs were navigating the current landscape and delivering their plans.
The panel includes Rob Starr, head of M&A at Shaw & Co, CEO of Steve Butterworth, Alan Bailey, Alan Bailey, Managing Director of Future Leap, James Brand & Sons, serial entrepreneurs of Purplex Marketing, Simon Pyne of Simon Pyne of Greener Energy Futures, Cate Sikora, cat of Ashley of Green and CEO of Green sikora stannp.
One important topic was how to leverage AI and automation to improve business efficiency and productivity across your business.
The panel agreed that AI is essential for growth and is increasingly used for sophisticated marketing tasks as well as completing daily tasks.
If you want to stay competitive, you can’t ignore AI. It has proven to be a very effective tool for small businesses to compete with large rivals. But it was moving very quickly.
This was highlighted by James Cowdale. James Cowdale has highlighted the importance of AI in changing the way clothing brand customers search for products, but it is also helping companies understand market changes and significantly increase the time between early designs and products that clash with the market.
Another major advantage for businesses like businesses that rely on customer loyalty was having an AI-driven “chat” section of the website.
“We have customers all over the world and we offer 24-7 services. We believe they give us a competitive advantage. Our customers have questions and need to answer them.
Sam Heaton of Stannp, a direct mailing business, said the entire process, which was previously labour-intensive, can be done “with a single click.”
Andrew Scott agreed that AI has become essential to driving innovation and business growth while increasing productivity. He saw it as a great opportunity, but it wasn’t a completely new opportunity.
“We were introduced to AI in 2000, and people saw it differently,” he told the Roundtable.
“We hired the first computer scientists and machine learning experts, and we were probably ahead of the curve.
“But people didn’t realize it would happen this way. It was about streamlining procedures, but they’re given competitive advancements in areas like SEO and digital marketing. Now it’s the heart of business.”
AI is now a central role in marketing, noting that in the US, where brands have a major impact on their connections with consumers.
“It changed our industry,” she said. “I don’t think any other sectors have seen that potential as much as we do.”
Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighborly, a community engagement platform that works with leading brands, said AI is beginning to be used in the charity sector after unwillingness.
“We are helping small charities see significant improvements to businesses that were previously unachievable,” he said. “They can provide fundraising campaigns and fill out grant applications. This is the biggest driver of innovation in all sectors and it’s interesting that they’ve reached ours now.”
However, there were major considerations regarding its ethical use. Alan Bailey said there is a need to implement a safe and efficient system.
Rob Starr outlined how Shaw & Co works with clients to maximize efficiency using AI.
To read the first part of this roundtable report, click here.
