This Community Voices column is written by Dawn Winterhalter Parks, director of Bizacccesshub at Haile College of Business at NKU and AI strategist.
Have you ever felt that your skills change faster than you can finish your morning coffee? You are not alone. If you are a small business owner of a certain age, you may feel like a younger generation has been handed a technical instruction manual.
The truth is that most local small businesses are run by veteran professionals who know the inside and outside of the industry. However, when it comes to AI and automation, it’s easy to feel a few steps behind.
Good news: you’re not late. You’re just busy. And the right tools can actually give you more time and can’t take it away.
To get through the noise, I contacted some of my favorite local AI celebrities and collaborators to answer some simple questions.
This is what they said.
1. Don’t overlook the tools you already have
Sociality Squared co-founder Helen Todd is looking into the tools he already uses before rushing out to buy something new. Platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Canva and Zoom quietly deploy powerful AI capabilities in standard products.
From automated writing help to suggest smart calendars, these features are already built in, but often underused. And, as Helen reminded me, more expensive isn’t necessarily better. Sometimes it’s just a matter of 10 minutes to explore new buttons you’ve been ignored.
2. Don’t start with the tools. Let’s start with the problem
Digital strategist Kendra Ramirez, owner of KR Digital Agency, was a reminder of the important things. No more technology is required. You need the right solution to the problem at hand.
Are you struggling to keep up with content? Do you want to juggle customer emails? Does it take too long to do repetitive administrator tasks? Let’s start from there. Once you understand what you are trying to fix, the right tools will appear. That change in mindset prevents you from wasting your time and money first, second, chasing the latest trends.
3. Use what you already have
Whitney Barkley, owner and branding coach of Speakerazzi, is looking at a common trap. Small businesses are constantly emphasizing creating new content while they are already sitting on money.
Webinars, podcasts, training videos, and client testimonies often collect digital dust. Whitney suggests using tools such as Opusclip to reuse these into short, socially-enabled clips that can be used over and over again. This kind of content will be even more difficult for you, especially if your team is lean or you are a solo act.
4. Get used to chatgpt (or try something friendly)
Another local AI and marketing pro, Greg Goshorn recommends Magay to anyone who wants to explore and take advantage of multiple large language models such as ChatGpt, Grok, Claude, and Prperxity at one low price.
Each tool has many of its current features. In addition to everyday things like email, content rewriting, data analysis, you can save conversations, group projects and even create a “personality” for certain types of writing and content.
5. Don’t you want to be on the camera? Let the avatar handle it
Video continues to dominate online content, but not everyone loves being in front of the camera. Helen Todd recommended Heygen, a tool that allows you to create realistic AI avatars that speak scripts. Perfect for onboarding videos, quick updates, or social content using the time, equipment, or nerves you need to film yourself.
This is especially useful when you want to view it online more consistently, but you don’t have the time or team to create sophisticated videos.
Final Thoughts: You are not late. You’re just busy
If you run a business at a certain age, you are already juggling more hats than most people notice. You don’t need to be a leading tech expert. You need some tools that will make your life a little easier.
Start small. Identify one problem. Then use AI tools to resolve all or part of them.
It brings experience, grit and business wisdom that apps cannot replicate. Help these tools meet you where you are and carry some loads.
So, what do you want to reduce the time this month? Perhaps there are tools that can help with that.
Note: This article was developed with support for AI tools. I’ve used ChatGpt and Perplexity.ai to notify you of the content. We also used grammar to check spelling, grammar and clarity. These tools helped me organize, refine and enhance the ideas presented, but all the sentences were reviewed and shaped by me. My thoughts and conclusions are my own.
If you have any ideas for a Community Voices column, please email Meghan Goth at mgoth@linknky.com.
Click here to read the Community Voice column.
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