Behind the hype, AI is already having a real and measurable impact on the way thousands of SMBs operate, increasing efficiency and freeing up time and resources that can instead be focused on growth. We talk to the business owners and managers who have successfully integrated AI technology into their day-to-day operations.
By Chris Torney
Amid all the hype and froth, the acid test for AI is whether it can make a positive difference to businesses’ day-to-day operations. We hear from the entrepreneurs who are already reaping the technology’s benefits.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rarely out of the news these days: from soaring stock market valuations and massive data-centre investment to claims about the technology’s potential to transform the global economy, AI-related issues continue to dominate the headlines.
But away from all the hype, it is every bit as important to understand the role that AI is already playing in terms of enhancing business efficiency and supporting company growth. Today, AI is changing and improving the way thousands of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) operate, freeing up time and resources so that company owners and their staff can concentrate on more productive and profitable activities.
“The real challenge for AI is not whether it’s powerful or even whether it’s impressive: it’s whether people can trust it, understand it and confidently use it in the moments that actually matter to them,” says Steve Hare, CEO of Sage. “People aren’t asking for more intelligence in the abstract. They’re asking for fewer late nights, fewer errors and more certainty that the numbers they rely on are right. They’re looking at how to save time and make better use of what time they have.”
For AI to be a genuine success, Hare argues, it needs to address the problems and pain points that SMBs actually face. “This is where much of today’s AI hype begins to fall apart,” Hare says. “The focus should be real solutions for real people, not demonstrations that are designed to look impressive but which fail under day-to-day pressure.”
We’ve spoken to owners and senior staff at several SMBs to find out how they are using AI to support them in areas such as accounting, HR and marketing – and to highlight the positive impact the technology has had on the way they operate.
My AI clone handles my social media and marketing
Reverend Sydney Beth Francis is the founder of SoulGardener.me, a counselling and spiritual-healing businesses based in Sedona, Arizona. “I took a workshop at the end of 2025 in order to learn how to build an AI clone to be more effective with my time in my business,” explains Rev Francis. “I was mainly interested in streamlining my social media and marketing tasks, which can be very time consuming for a solopreneur.”
Rev Francis’s AI clone has been programmed to understand the firm’s wider strategic goals and its ideal customer avatar. After studying examples of Rev Francis’s own writing, the clone is able to ‘speak’ in her voice. She adds: “I use AI as a partner and consultant in my business. I ask it for feedback, brainstorming, and for helping me see my blind spots, as well as using it for marketing and other writing tasks. My daily business tasks have become much more efficient with AI – it is such a great research and problem-solving tool for small business owners."
AI takes the hard work out of competitor research
Stephen Frankel, managing director of manufacturing business Polypouch, has been using the ChatGPT large language model to help with his marketing and pricing strategies for the past two years. “One thing it is really useful for is looking at my competitors’ websites and picking out their key strengths,” says Frankel. “It can also gather detailed pricing information, which is incredibly useful for us when it comes to setting our own prices. Previously, it might have taken me half an hour to go through a site and get all the information I needed – but AI can do it in seconds.”
Polypouch, based in the south-east of England, has also used AI programs to write employment contracts and design web pages, saving the business significant amounts of money. “For small businesses that might not be able to afford to take on extra staff or pay for third-party support, this sort of help is invaluable,” Frankel adds.
AI removes friction and improves day-to-day decision-making
The software developed provided by London-based Suppeco helps businesses get more value out of supplier relationships by monitoring collaborations and performance. But it faced a challenge in keeping track of information that was spread across multiple systems and documents.
“This made it hard to get a clear and timely picture of risk and opportunity,” says Sheldon Mydat, CEO. The firm decided to work with technology consultant Journi to integrate an AI assistant into its platform. “This has given us the ability to ask questions in natural language and get answers from live data,” Mydat explains. In practical terms, he adds, this has meant much faster insights with greater accuracy compared to manual analysis. “We are seeing operational savings, earlier risk detection and stronger supplier outcomes as a result.”
AI helps me ask the right questions early
For Margaret Sadzynska, managing director of architectural joinery firm Haneker, one of the biggest challenges in expanding the business has been keeping track of its finances. “Growth is exciting, but it brought complexity,” she explains. “We had quotes in emails, numbers in spreadsheets, delivery notes on paper. I wanted more control without being involved in every tiny detail.”
When she heard about Sage Copilot, the potential value was immediately clear. “The idea of something that could help me understand our numbers more easily, without needing to dig for them, was really appealing,” Sadzynska says.
The software now plays a central role in the London-based company’s operations. “I use it for visibility: I can check how we’re tracking, what’s outstanding and where things look off. It helps me ask the right questions early.” In one example, Copilot helped Haneker identify a spike in supplier costs – flagging it as a ‘notable change’. “We found an ordering error that would have slipped through until month-end otherwise. That alone saved us time and money.”
