AI for SMEs: where to start without burning your budget

Most small businesses look at AI with a mix of fascination and anxiety. Fascination because results are real. Anxiety because the market sells rockets when there isn't even a runway.

The most common mistake

Starting with the model, not the problem. Hiring an "AI consultancy" before mapping where operational friction actually lives. Result: 30k spent on a chatbot nobody uses.

Where to start

1. Map repetitive tasks. Anything done more than 10 times a week is a candidate.
2. Measure the real cost. Time × salary × frequency. If under 5k a year, skip it.
3. Pick one case. One. Not three.
4. Prototype in two weeks. If it doesn't fit, the case is too big.

What to automate first

• Repetitive email responses
• Lead qualification
• Internal reporting
• Meeting summarization

What to avoid (for now)

• Autonomous agents without supervision
• Replacing humans in complex sales conversations
• Training your own models without data volume

How to measure

Two metrics: time saved per week and errors avoided. If neither moves after 30 days, kill the project.

AI isn't magic. It's leverage. And leverage only works with a well-chosen fulcrum.