The Spark of One

You can't escape the AI headlines, they are everywhere.  One day, AI is going to cure cancer and solve climate change. The next, it's going to steal all our jobs and turn us into paperclips (thanks, Nick Bostrom!). As a startup founder – and, frankly, as a parent – I get it. The sheer speed of change is dizzying. The uncertainty is… unsettling, to say the least. I've spent my career in technology, and I've never seen anything like this. We're talking about a technology that's evolving faster than most of us can comprehend. And it's impacting everything . The Frightening Questions: You can't help but wonder: Will my business even exist in five years? What skills will be valuable in an AI-driven world? What am I supposed to tell my kids about their future careers? My son is going to college in a year and I don't know what to tell him.  How do I even begin to integrate AI into my business?  Will AI eliminate my business? Will I be replaced by ...

Let's talk about spreadsheets. We all use them. Heck, I still use them – for certain things. They're like the Swiss Army knife of the digital world: versatile, familiar, and seemingly capable of handling just about anything. You can whip up a quick budget, make a list, even do some basic data analysis. And when you're first starting a business? Spreadsheets are a lifesaver. They're cheap (often free), easy to learn, and flexible enough to track almost anything you can think of. Inventory? Customer contacts? Project timelines? Just create a new sheet and start typing. The Spreadsheet Sweet Spot: The truth is, spreadsheets are fantastic tools – for the right job. They're perfect for: Quick Calculations: Need to add up a column of numbers or perform some basic formulas? Spreadsheets are your friend. Simple Lists: Making a list of tasks, contacts, or ideas? A spreadsheet works great. Data Analysis (Small Datasets): Analyzing a small dataset to identify trends...

I've been spending time researching a bunch of new topics, whether it's on AI tools, no-code solutions, or how SMB's are thinking about technology.  I recently came across a feature/service that completely changed how I do research. As a SMB "co" owner myself at GraceBlocks, I know how precious time is and so any little hack you can find to save you time is a big win. Here, I'm talking about Google's Gemini Deep Research feature. Seriously, it's a game-changer. Having spent a lot of time building BrassRing, SmashFly and now GraceBlocks, it's always been on my "to do" list to research various topics.  I know it's important and I keep reading and reminding myself that Research is essential for making smart decisions, whether it's about competitor analysis, new technologies, or understanding market trends. The "big" companies have the money to pay dedicated people for this. They spend days, sometimes weeks, digging through...

You hear a lot of buzz about Artificial Intelligence (AI) these days. But for a small business owner, it can all seem a bit… theoretical. Like, "Okay, that's great for Google and Amazon, but what can AI actually do for my business?" The answer, surprisingly, is: a lot. And you don't need a team of data scientists or a massive budget to get started. Thanks to new tools and technologies (including the rise of no-code platforms!), AI is becoming increasingly accessible to SMBs. With all the hype, I wanted to research how small businesses are actually using AI today in their own companies. After researching dozens of websites and reading many articles, here are what I believe are the top 7 most common use-cases for AI today in SMB's today.  Maybe this can add some inspiration for your own business.  1. Content Creation and Optimization SMBs are using AI to automate and enhance their content creation processes. This can help SMBs save time and resources, allowing the...

Customer communication is vital to your business. How and when you communicate can be the difference between a happy customer and lost business.  When you're running a small business, your customers are your lifeline. You provide excellent service, but there's a recurring problem that's costing you time, money, and potentially, even clients: keeping those customers in the loop. Specifically, keeping them informed with accurate, up-to-date information about their account, their projects, or the services you provide. Sound familiar? The SMB Information Sharing Struggle (Especially for Recurring Services): For many small and medium-sized businesses, customer communication is a patchwork of emails, spreadsheets, and phone calls. You might be sending out: Proposals and Quotes: Often created in Word or Excel, emailed as attachments, and then… who knows? Did they open it? Did they see the latest version? Project Updates: Sent via email, buried in long threads, and easily mi...

For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), efficiency is everything. You're constantly striving to do more with less, to maximize your resources, and to outmaneuver your larger competitors. But too often, you're bogged down in manual processes, repetitive tasks, and inefficient workflows. What if there was a way to automate those tedious tasks, streamline your operations, and free up your team to focus on what really matters – growing your business? Enter no-code automation. What is No-Code Automation? No-code automation is exactly what it sounds like: automating tasks and workflows without needing to write a single line of code. Instead of relying on complex programming languages, you use visual, drag-and-drop interfaces to build automated processes. Think of it like creating a flowchart, but instead of just mapping out the steps, you're actually building the automation itself. This technology is rapidly gaining momentum. No-code automation is a driving force for bus...