In this exclusive interview on The Small Business Show, Melinda Emerson, CEO of Quintessence Group and small business expert, shares her insights on how small business owners can effectively harness AI to boost productivity and efficiency. From creating content to automating workflows, Emerson explains the potential and the best practices for using AI to its fullest.
While acknowledging the early adoption of artificial intelligence among small businesses, Emerson emphasizes that most owners aren’t utilizing it to its full potential. AI can handle many tasks for small businesses, from writing blogs and ad copy to generating social media graphics, short-form videos, and even complex workflows. AI can also create sales funnels, manage customer relations, schedule reminders, and automate proposals. However, Emerson notes that AI tools respond only as well as they’re directed, and for optimal results, users need to be precise and clear about their expectations.
She recommends using “prompt engineering,” a process where users craft specific instructions to AI tools to produce more customized and high-quality outputs. A vague one-sentence prompt won’t produce impactful content, and understanding how to interact with AI effectively is key to its success.
One of Emerson’s core recommendations is to adopt the CRISP method to engage with AI effectively. This acronym stands for:
- C: Context — defining the goal of your content and target audience
- R: Role — specifying what role AI should play (e.g., marketing expert, copywriter)
- I: Inspiration — clarifying the emotion you want your content to convey
- S: Scope — determining content type, format, and platform
- P: Prohibitions — setting boundaries, like avoiding certain language or tone.
It’s also important for businesses to invest in paid AI tools for better functionality. The free version of AI tools will not provide access to advanced features that can elevate productivity. For example, the paid version of Chat GPT allows integrations with tools like Canva to create both text and graphics seamlessly.
Emerson also highlights the broader impact of AI for small business owners. She notes how AI has already had a transformative impact on her personal productivity, increasing her output by 200%. It’s important to remember that AI is not only a tool for content creation but can automate many back-end business processes, from research to contract generation. In doing so, it allows business owners to focus more on strategy and growth.
Many people are hesitant to harness artificial intelligence and have underlying fears that the technology will replace them. However, it’s vital to realize that this tool isn’t designed to take jobs–it’s about creating new ones and making businesses more efficient.
"AI will create 97 million jobs — it's not just about taking jobs, it's about creating new ones." – Melinda Emerson
