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Build an AI Roadmap for Your Small Business

  • How to assess your business for AI readiness
  • How to define clear outcomes instead of chasing fancy features
  • A simple way to prioritize AI opportunities
  • A 30-60-90-day action plan to get started
  • Tips to manage change with your team
  • Practical risk, budget, and training considerations

Where You Are Now: Inventory Your Processes and Tools

Start by laying out what your business already does every day. Before bringing in new tools, it’s important to understand your current workflows and systems.

  • Map your core areas: marketing, sales, customer support, admin, fulfillment.
  • Identify repetitive or time-draining tasks like copywriting, scheduling, data entry, or email replies.
  • List your current software tools. Are any outdated? Could some be upgraded or integrated?

Tip: Don’t overthink it. Whether it’s sticky notes or spreadsheets, whatever you’re using now counts as part of your business system.

Pick Business Outcomes, Not Features

Forget buzzwords. Focus on the results you actually want.

Examples of clear, outcome-first goals:

  • “I want to respond to customer inquiries faster.”
  • “I want to create marketing content with less manual effort.”
  • “I want better insights from my sales data.”

Rather than saying “We need ChatGPT” or “We should use machine learning,” get clear on what AI should help your team achieve. Tools come later.

Prioritize with Impact vs. Effort

Not every opportunity is equally valuable. Focus on what delivers the most and costs the least in time and money.

Low Effort High Effort
High Impact
🔥 Quick wins – Start here		 High Impact
✅ Plan for these next
Low Impact
🤔 Optional		 Low Impact
🚫 Defer or drop

Ask yourself:

  • Will this save time or money quickly?
  • Can we test this without needing a full rollout?
  • Does it connect with tools we already use?

Build a 30‑60‑90 Day Plan

First 30 Days

  • Choose just one business process to improve with AI.
  • Set success metrics (like “reduce email drafting time by 50%”).
  • Test 1–2 simple tools or plugins in low-risk areas.

Days 31–60

  • Evaluate what worked (and what didn’t).
  • Teach your team simple usage habits.
  • Build small automations or reusable templates.

Days 61–90

  • Start connecting workflows across areas (e.g., AI content + email automation).
  • Set up regular team input sessions.
  • Decide on long-term tools to keep and expand.

Budget and Owner Roles

Using AI doesn’t require big spending—but it does require intention.

Budget for:

  • Team time to test and learn
  • Paid tools (many start under $100/month)

Assign a clear owner for each AI-powered process. Ownership, even part-time, keeps things moving. If your team’s stretched thin, consider outside support—you don’t have to do this alone.

Change Management and Training Plan

Bring your team along with honesty and clarity.

  • Share why you’re testing AI: “We want to save time, not replace jobs.”
  • Celebrate early wins widely—build trust and momentum.
  • Keep documentation simple and share what’s working.
  • Use short training formats: screen recordings, how-to checklists, internal demos.

Risk & Guardrail Checklist

AI can save time—but still needs rules to stay safe and useful.

  • Always review AI-generated content before publishing.
  • Double-check any data or reports AI produces.
  • Don’t upload sensitive customer information to public tools.
  • Keep human control over anything customer-facing.

Next Steps

  • Every quarter, step back and ask: What’s working? What’s not? What should scale up?
  • Experiment thoughtfully—tie every tool to a clear business outcome.
  • When in doubt, ask: Does this save us time, improve quality, or increase revenue?

Conclusion

You don’t need a PhD or a big tech budget to make AI work for your business. Start with what you already have: your workflows, your goals, your people.

Go step by step. One process. One outcome. One win at a time.

With time, you’ll build a roadmap that makes your business more efficient, more creative, and more resilient to change.

Helpful Resources

  • Explore how we support small businesses with hands-on AI Strategy Coaching.
  • Check out our AI Solutions Overview to see practical use cases that might fit your needs.

A small business AI roadmap isn’t about doing everything—it’s about doing the right things, at the right pace, for the right reasons. Whether you’re just getting started or thinking about your next move, we’re here to help make it simple.

What part of your business would you like to improve first?