Free AI course for small business owners
Put AI to work on the tasks that keep coming back. Learn to choose tools for the job, give better instructions, and check whether the results are worth keeping.
Eight self-paced modules, with worksheets, prompt templates, and practical assignments for your own business.
Start with work you already need to do
The customer replies still need writing. The meeting notes still need turning into actions. Trying an AI tool is one thing; knowing where it belongs in that work takes more thought.
You'll start by mapping the tasks that cost you time and attention. Then you'll decide which ones are suitable for AI, test your tools, and build a process with clear checks before anything goes out.
This course is for small business owners, freelancers, and people managing small teams. You can begin with little AI experience or use it to put more structure around tools you're already trying.
Build something you can keep using
As you complete the assignments, you'll create working documents for your business.
- An AI opportunity matrix to help you choose what to tackle first and what to keep human.
- Tool evaluations based on the same task, so you can compare results, cost, and fit before committing.
- A library of at least five reusable prompts for work you do regularly.
- Workflows for content, customer communication, and internal operations, with review steps and ways to measure the results.
- An AI use policy covering approved tools, information handling, responsibilities, and what to do when something goes wrong.
The worksheets give you somewhere to make those decisions. The assignments ask you to test them against your actual work.
Course modules
Start with the foundations, then apply what you learn to marketing, customer experience, and daily operations. Finish by putting rules around how your business uses AI.
Module 1
AI for small business: what's real, what's not
Understand what AI can and can't do, where owners get stuck, and how to set useful expectations. Complete an AI reality check for your business.
Module 2
Finding your AI opportunities
Map recurring tasks, weigh their potential value and risks, and choose your first opportunities. Build an AI opportunity matrix to guide your decisions.
Module 3
Choosing the right AI tools
Compare tools using work you actually need done. Record their results, costs, data handling, and limitations so you have a reason for the tool you choose.
Module 4
Prompting, the skill that makes or breaks your AI results
Give AI the context, instructions, and boundaries it needs. Build and test a starter prompt library you can adapt as your work changes.
Before Module 5
Before you begin: 3 essential data safety rules
Check what information belongs in an AI tool, check the tool's data settings, and review its output before you use it.
Module 5
AI-powered content and marketing
Build a content workflow from the brief through publishing and repurposing. Run a piece of content through it while keeping your expertise and brand voice in the work.
Module 6
AI for customer experience
Choose one customer workflow, such as answering common questions or drafting follow-ups. Define its scope, approved information, and the point where a person takes over.
Module 7
AI for daily operations
Apply AI to an internal task such as meeting notes, document preparation, or inbox triage. Test the workflow for a week and compare time spent, errors, and corrections.
Module 8
Data privacy, policies, and responsible AI use
Write an AI use policy for your business. Decide what information can be used, which outputs need approval, who is responsible, and how you'll review the rules.
Common questions
Is the course free?
Yes. The eight modules and their worksheets and templates are free to use. Any costs for third-party AI tools you choose are separate.
Do I need a technical background?
No programming background is needed. The course starts with AI basics and focuses on choosing tools, writing instructions, reviewing output, and improving business workflows.
Do I need to buy AI tools before I start?
You don't need to choose a new tool before you begin. The first two modules focus on your business and the work you want to improve. Module 3 gives you a way to evaluate tools before deciding what to use or pay for.
Is the course a series of videos?
The current course uses written lessons and interactive worksheets. You read one section at a time and work through the exercises at your own pace.
Will my progress and worksheet answers be saved?
Your progress and answers use your browser's storage. They don't sync across devices, and clearing site data or ending a private browsing session can remove them. Keep a separate copy of work you want to retain.
Choose your first task
You don't have to reorganize your whole business to begin. Start with the AI reality check in Module 1 and identify the work that's taking more time than it should.
You'll have a worksheet to work through and a starting point for the decisions that follow.
