As a small business, you probably don’t think automation or artificial intelligence will have an impact on your business. But take it from three small business leaders who work in the tech space – it will, and now is the time to learn how you can get ready (and make the most of tools already available).
Take administrative tasks off your to-dos. Would you rather work on day-to-day items or your business’s goals and strategy? The reality is that the average entrepreneur spends 68.1 percent of their time on the day-to-day and 31.9 percent working on goals and strategy, according to a survey from The Alternative Board. That’s why at SALT, Bill Sinclair’s team uses tools like Clara Labs to automate appointment bookings and Lattice to add customer feedback to the staff’s performance reviews.
Create a culture that’s quick to adopt, quick to adapt – but stay true to your goals. There can be so many tech options out there, that it can be easy to get distracted “shiny object syndrome,” says Tinman Kinetics’ Frank Trevino. He should know – his company was born out of the IBM Watson AI XPRIZE, and they work to empower small and mid-sized businesses with software they need to work smarter. But, he cautions that technology can’t substitute for focusing on your people and your process.
Don’t forget the foundation of your business. That means not forgetting the human element, no matter what you automate in your business. Mark Spiecker is building a pharmacy where prescriptions will be filled by robots. While that will make STAQ Pharma different from pharmacies across the country, he says that the relationships that make his business run are still key.
Want to hear more? Join us at State of Small Business on Wednesday, Nov. 7.
Sara Crocker is the communications manager for the Denver Metro Chamber.
