Let me tell you about the dumbest thing I see businesses do with AI.
They don't use it. They say they don't need it. And then they wonder why their competitor who started six months ago is suddenly eating their lunch.
I've been working with small and medium businesses across the Netherlands, helping them implement AI. And the pattern is always the same: they think AI is for tech companies with deep pockets and data science teams. They're wrong.
The best AI implementation I ever did cost nothing. I gave a free presentation about AI to a room full of business owners. Zero cost. What it generated: awareness, leads, and three paying clients who realized they were years behind.
That's the thing about AI for small business. The barrier isn't money. It's mindset.
When I talk to business owners about AI, I hear three things over and over:
"We don't know what we need." This is the number one reason AI projects fail at SMBs. They're overwhelmed by options, try ChatGPT once, get a mediocre result, and conclude AI isn't for them. That's like test-driving a car in a parking lot and deciding cars are useless.
"We can't afford it." AI is the biggest cost-saving employee that exists. It works 24/7. It never stops. The more you invest in it, the smarter it gets. A single AI automation can replace 4 hours of daily admin work. Calculate what that costs you in employee time. Now calculate what the automation costs. The math is embarrassingly simple.
"We're too busy to think about it." This is the trap. You're too busy because you're doing everything manually. You can't afford to stop and implement new processes. But every day you wait, your competitors who DID stop and implement are pulling further ahead.
After working with dozens of businesses, I've developed a structured approach that actually works. It has three phases:
This is about getting your first win fast. No massive transformation. No six-month roadmap. Just results.
Week 1: Discovery
Week 2: First Win
That's it. Two weeks. One tangible result. This alone changes the conversation from "AI doesn't work for us" to "what else can we automate?"
Now you build on that first win:
Most businesses see measurable results within the first two weeks of this phase. Not six months. Not a year. Two weeks.
This is where most AI consultants fail, myself included in the past. They implement something, hand it over, and disappear. Six months later, the tools are abandoned and the business is back to manual processes.
AI isn't a one-time project. It's an ongoing evolution. New tools launch weekly. Capabilities that didn't exist last month are now standard. Your competitors aren't standing still, and neither should you.
A retainer relationship means continuous improvement: new automations, updated workflows, training on new tools, and someone who actually monitors whether things are working.
Let's talk numbers. Because "AI is expensive" is the laziest excuse in business.
Free tier (spend: $0/month):
Starter tier (spend: $50-200/month):
Growth tier (spend: $200-1000/month):
For context: a minimum wage employee in the Netherlands costs roughly 2,500 euros per month including employer costs. A comprehensive AI setup that handles the work of one full-time admin costs 200-500 euros per month. And it works nights, weekends, and holidays.
Stop planning. Start doing. Here are five things you can implement today:
1. AI-assisted email. Use Claude or ChatGPT to draft customer emails, follow-ups, and proposals. Time saved: 30-60 minutes per day.
2. Automated meeting notes. Tools like Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai join your meetings, transcribe everything, and generate summaries with action items. Never take manual notes again.
3. Smart document creation. Templates for proposals, reports, and presentations that AI fills in based on your input. Gamma.ai is excellent for this.
4. Customer FAQ automation. Take your 20 most common customer questions, feed them to an AI chatbot, put it on your website. Handle 60-70% of support queries without human intervention.
5. Social media content. AI doesn't replace your voice, but it accelerates your output. Generate first drafts, repurpose existing content for different platforms, schedule everything automatically.
I work with a recruitment agency that places AI specialists at client companies. Their selling point is literally "we help you implement AI." Guess how much AI they use internally? Almost zero. No automation. No AI workflows. Just ChatGPT for the occasional email.
This is embarrassingly common. And it's fatal.
The businesses that survive the next decade aren't the ones with the biggest budgets or the most employees. They're the ones that move fastest. Right now, speed is the ultimate competitive advantage. Every week you delay implementing AI is a week your competitor gets ahead.
You don't need a perfect plan. You don't need a massive budget. You don't need a data science team.
You need to start. Today.
How much does AI implementation cost for a small business?
You can start for free using tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and built-in AI features in software you already pay for. A more comprehensive setup typically costs 200-500 euros per month, which is a fraction of what a single employee costs.
How long does it take to see results from AI?
With a focused approach, you can see measurable results within 2 weeks. A full implementation typically takes 2-4 weeks. The key is starting with one specific, repetitive task rather than trying to transform everything at once.
Do I need technical skills to use AI in my business?
No. Modern AI tools are designed for non-technical users. Platforms like Make and Zapier let you build automations without writing code. The skill you need is understanding your own business processes well enough to identify what should be automated.
What if AI makes mistakes?
AI will make mistakes, just like humans do. The key is to keep humans in the loop for important decisions and use AI for the repetitive, lower-stakes tasks first. As you build trust and understanding, you can gradually give AI more responsibility.
Should I hire an AI consultant or do it myself?
Start yourself with the free tools. When you hit a wall or want to move faster, bring in help. A good consultant pays for themselves within the first month by implementing automations that save you significant time and money.
Mitchell van Rijkom is the founder of AI Survivors, helping small businesses navigate AI implementation with practical, no-nonsense guidance. His approach: start small, move fast, and never stop evolving.
Let me tell you about the dumbest thing I see businesses do with AI.
They don't use it. They say they don't need it. And then they wonder why their competitor who started six months ago is suddenly eating their lunch.
I've been working with small and medium businesses across the Netherlands, helping them implement AI. And the pattern is always the same: they think AI is for tech companies with deep pockets and data science teams. They're wrong.
The best AI implementation I ever did cost nothing. I gave a free presentation about AI to a room full of business owners. Zero cost. What it generated: awareness, leads, and three paying clients who realized they were years behind.
That's the thing about AI for small business. The barrier isn't money. It's mindset.
When I talk to business owners about AI, I hear three things over and over:
"We don't know what we need." This is the number one reason AI projects fail at SMBs. They're overwhelmed by options, try ChatGPT once, get a mediocre result, and conclude AI isn't for them. That's like test-driving a car in a parking lot and deciding cars are useless.
"We can't afford it." AI is the biggest cost-saving employee that exists. It works 24/7. It never stops. The more you invest in it, the smarter it gets. A single AI automation can replace 4 hours of daily admin work. Calculate what that costs you in employee time. Now calculate what the automation costs. The math is embarrassingly simple.
"We're too busy to think about it." This is the trap. You're too busy because you're doing everything manually. You can't afford to stop and implement new processes. But every day you wait, your competitors who DID stop and implement are pulling further ahead.
After working with dozens of businesses, I've developed a structured approach that actually works. It has three phases:
This is about getting your first win fast. No massive transformation. No six-month roadmap. Just results.
Week 1: Discovery
Week 2: First Win
That's it. Two weeks. One tangible result. This alone changes the conversation from "AI doesn't work for us" to "what else can we automate?"
Now you build on that first win:
Most businesses see measurable results within the first two weeks of this phase. Not six months. Not a year. Two weeks.
This is where most AI consultants fail, myself included in the past. They implement something, hand it over, and disappear. Six months later, the tools are abandoned and the business is back to manual processes.
AI isn't a one-time project. It's an ongoing evolution. New tools launch weekly. Capabilities that didn't exist last month are now standard. Your competitors aren't standing still, and neither should you.
A retainer relationship means continuous improvement: new automations, updated workflows, training on new tools, and someone who actually monitors whether things are working.
Let's talk numbers. Because "AI is expensive" is the laziest excuse in business.
Free tier (spend: $0/month):
Starter tier (spend: $50-200/month):
Growth tier (spend: $200-1000/month):
For context: a minimum wage employee in the Netherlands costs roughly 2,500 euros per month including employer costs. A comprehensive AI setup that handles the work of one full-time admin costs 200-500 euros per month. And it works nights, weekends, and holidays.
Stop planning. Start doing. Here are five things you can implement today:
1. AI-assisted email. Use Claude or ChatGPT to draft customer emails, follow-ups, and proposals. Time saved: 30-60 minutes per day.
2. Automated meeting notes. Tools like Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai join your meetings, transcribe everything, and generate summaries with action items. Never take manual notes again.
3. Smart document creation. Templates for proposals, reports, and presentations that AI fills in based on your input. Gamma.ai is excellent for this.
4. Customer FAQ automation. Take your 20 most common customer questions, feed them to an AI chatbot, put it on your website. Handle 60-70% of support queries without human intervention.
5. Social media content. AI doesn't replace your voice, but it accelerates your output. Generate first drafts, repurpose existing content for different platforms, schedule everything automatically.
I work with a recruitment agency that places AI specialists at client companies. Their selling point is literally "we help you implement AI." Guess how much AI they use internally? Almost zero. No automation. No AI workflows. Just ChatGPT for the occasional email.
This is embarrassingly common. And it's fatal.
The businesses that survive the next decade aren't the ones with the biggest budgets or the most employees. They're the ones that move fastest. Right now, speed is the ultimate competitive advantage. Every week you delay implementing AI is a week your competitor gets ahead.
You don't need a perfect plan. You don't need a massive budget. You don't need a data science team.
You need to start. Today.
How much does AI implementation cost for a small business?
You can start for free using tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and built-in AI features in software you already pay for. A more comprehensive setup typically costs 200-500 euros per month, which is a fraction of what a single employee costs.
How long does it take to see results from AI?
With a focused approach, you can see measurable results within 2 weeks. A full implementation typically takes 2-4 weeks. The key is starting with one specific, repetitive task rather than trying to transform everything at once.
Do I need technical skills to use AI in my business?
No. Modern AI tools are designed for non-technical users. Platforms like Make and Zapier let you build automations without writing code. The skill you need is understanding your own business processes well enough to identify what should be automated.
What if AI makes mistakes?
AI will make mistakes, just like humans do. The key is to keep humans in the loop for important decisions and use AI for the repetitive, lower-stakes tasks first. As you build trust and understanding, you can gradually give AI more responsibility.
Should I hire an AI consultant or do it myself?
Start yourself with the free tools. When you hit a wall or want to move faster, bring in help. A good consultant pays for themselves within the first month by implementing automations that save you significant time and money.
Mitchell van Rijkom is the founder of AI Survivors, helping small businesses navigate AI implementation with practical, no-nonsense guidance. His approach: start small, move fast, and never stop evolving.
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