24 lessons · 360 minutes total

AI for Small & Medium Business

A structured programme for owners and managers introducing AI without wasting money or breaking trust.

Start from your processes, not from the tools. You finish with a ranked list of AI opportunities, a costed pilot, a usage policy your team will actually follow, and a way to measure whether it worked.

Who it's for
Owners, directors, ops and marketing leads in businesses of roughly 5–250 people.
Format
24 lessons × 15 minutes · templates, policy pack and ROI calculator · optional live consultancy

Curriculum

Five modules, from business case to a measured pilot.

1 · The business case, honestly

You can tell the difference between competitive advantage and expensive theatre.

  1. 01

    Where AI actually creates margin

    15 min

    The four value levers: labour hours, error rate, response speed, and revenue per customer.

  2. 02

    What competitors are really doing

    15 min

    Separating press-release AI from operational AI, with sector examples.

  3. 03

    The cost of doing nothing

    15 min

    Quantifying drift: quote turnaround, quality inconsistency, staff churn on dull work.

  4. 04

    Why most SME pilots fail

    15 min

    Tool-first thinking, no owner, no baseline, no adoption plan. Avoid all four.

2 · Finding the opportunities

You have a ranked, evidence-based shortlist instead of a wishlist.

  1. 01

    Mapping your processes in 45 minutes

    15 min

    A lightweight method for capturing how work really flows, not how the manual says it does.

  2. 02

    Spotting AI-shaped work

    15 min

    Repetitive, text-heavy, judgement-light, high-volume — the signature of a good candidate.

  3. 03

    Scoring and ranking with ICE

    15 min

    Impact, confidence, effort. Turning twenty ideas into three worth funding.

  4. 04

    Setting your baseline

    15 min

    Measure before you change anything, or you'll never prove the return.

3 · Function by function

You know the proven plays in each part of the business.

  1. 01

    Sales and quoting

    15 min

    Lead qualification, proposal drafting, CRM hygiene, follow-up sequences.

  2. 02

    Marketing that stays on brand

    15 min

    Content systems, repurposing, SEO briefs, and brand-voice guardrails.

  3. 03

    Customer service and support

    15 min

    Triage, draft-reply assist, knowledge bases, and when a human must take over.

  4. 04

    Finance, admin and back office

    15 min

    Invoice handling, reconciliation prep, reporting narratives, supplier chasing.

  5. 05

    Operations and scheduling

    15 min

    Forecasting, rota drafting, documentation, and quality checks.

  6. 06

    HR, hiring and onboarding

    15 min

    Job specs, sifting fairly, onboarding packs — plus the legal traps in automated screening.

4 · Risk, governance and trust

You can adopt AI without a data incident or a client conversation you regret.

  1. 01

    Your data, their servers

    15 min

    What vendors do with your inputs, training opt-outs, and the questions to ask in procurement.

  2. 02

    GDPR and confidentiality in practice

    15 min

    Lawful basis, DPIAs when needed, client contracts and subprocessor clauses — in plain terms.

  3. 03

    Writing an AI usage policy

    15 min

    A one-page policy staff will read, with approved tools, red lines and escalation.

  4. 04

    Human-in-the-loop by design

    15 min

    Deciding which outputs need sign-off, and recording that they got it.

  5. 05

    Vendor and lock-in risk

    15 min

    Pricing changes, shutdowns, model swaps, and keeping your data portable.

5 · Running the pilot

One change is live, adopted, and measured.

  1. 01

    Scoping a 30-day pilot

    15 min

    Narrow scope, named owner, success threshold agreed before you start.

  2. 02

    Buy, configure or build

    15 min

    A decision tree covering off-the-shelf tools, automation platforms and custom work.

  3. 03

    Bringing the team with you

    15 min

    Addressing job-loss fear directly, choosing champions, training in short bursts.

  4. 04

    Measuring ROI credibly

    15 min

    Hours, error rate, cycle time and cost per unit — with the included calculator.

  5. 05

    Scaling or stopping

    15 min

    Kill criteria, rollout sequencing, and building the 12-month roadmap.

Start with your whole team.

Team licences from £2,900 (up to 15 seats). Everyone new to AI can begin with AI Without the Jargon while leads take this programme.

Enrol or enquire