What AI in Your Business Actually Looks Like (Even If You Think You’re Not Using It)
Think You’re Not Using AI? You Probably Already Are.
Let’s be real. When most people hear “AI,” they picture something straight out of a sci-fi movie. Robots, code, maybe a hoodie-wearing engineer in a dimly lit office.
If you’re a creator, coach, or digital product business owner, it’s easy to assume AI is for other people. The techy ones. The big brands. The ones who hire entire teams just to automate a webinar funnel.
But here are the facts:
You’re probably already using AI in your business... even if you don’t realize it.
And if you’re not yet? No need to overhaul your whole business. You don’t have to “be into AI” to use it. You just need to know what tools can make your life easier—and where they actually make sense in your workflow.
Let me show you what that looks like.
Wait—What Even Counts as AI in Business?
AI sounds complicated, but in simple terms?
It’s any tool that learns, predicts, or adapts without you telling it exactly what to do every time.
You don’t need to understand the backend. You just need to know what it can do for you.
A few sneaky ways AI might already be showing up in your business:
Your email platform sends messages at the best time for each subscriber (that’s AI at work)
Canva magically removes the background from your product photo
ChatGPT gives you a first draft of that blog post you’ve been putting off
Zapier suggests an automation you didn’t even know you needed
Facebook Ads figures out who to show your stuff to (yep—AI)
If you’ve ever thought, “Huh… how did it know that?”
That’s probably AI.
AI vs Automation: What’s the Difference?
This question comes up a lot, so let’s clear it up:
In plain English?
Automation is “if this, then that.”
AI is “I noticed something, so I adjusted.”
You’ll probably use both. They play nicely together.
Real Ways Creators & Business Owners Are Using AI
Still not sure what this actually looks like for you? Let’s break it down by business type.
Course Creators
A GPT trained on your course content that answers student questions while you sleep
AI habit tracker that checks in with students between modules
Turning lesson transcripts into blog posts, newsletters, or social captions
Instant summaries of student feedback forms so you can spot what’s working fast
Digital Product Sellers
Auto-generated Etsy or Shopify descriptions, SEO tags, and FAQs
Tripwire emails that sound good and convert (written in 2 minutes)
AI chatbots that handle “Where’s my download?” questions for you
Turning testimonials into product blurbs without rewriting everything yourself
Coaches & Consultants
Voice clones that send your clients a pep talk in your voice
Smart summaries of Zoom calls so your clients don’t have to rewatch them
Chatbots that keep your clients accountable or answer, “What do I do next?”
AI that writes the awkward “just checking in” messages you hate typing
Service Providers
Canva Magic to batch out social graphics
Proposals that write themselves (or at least start themselves)
AI-generated onboarding checklists or SOPs
A smart portal that helps your clients get what they need, before they even ask
You don’t need to use all of these. But even one could save you a few hours a week. (That’s an extra Netflix episode, or an actual lunch break. Worth it.)
But My Business Is Already Working—Do I Need This?
Maybe not.
You don’t need AI because you’re failing.
You use it because you’re growing.
If your to-do list is longer than your energy levels or if you’ve got ideas you never have time to act on, AI can be your backup brain.
Here’s what AI can do for you:
Buy back your time from low-value tasks
Create space to think bigger (and stop spinning your wheels)
Keep your customers engaged between calls or modules
Help you publish more consistently without burnout
Think of AI like a digital assistant who’s always ready—but doesn’t need coffee, vacation days, or Slack access.
Not Sure Where to Start? Try This.
You don’t need a 90-day AI strategy to begin. Just ask yourself three things:
1. What do I do on repeat?
That email you rewrite every week.
That checklist you copy/paste into every client portal.
That blog post outline you keep starting from scratch.
That’s where AI can help first.
2. Where do my students or clients get stuck?
If they keep asking the same questions or ghost between sessions…
AI can fill in the gaps. Without adding more to your plate.
3. What drains my energy more than it should?
If writing, onboarding, or customer support makes you want to close your laptop and run…
Let a tool take the first draft. You can always tweak it later.
TL;DR — You Don’t Need to “Be Into AI” to Use It
You’re not behind.
You’re just building smarter.
AI doesn’t replace your creativity, your strategy, or your voice.
It just lets you do more of what actually moves the needle—and less of what keeps you busy.
Even using AI a little bit can:
Save you hours
Help you show up consistently
Turn “I’ll do it later” into “Done in 10 minutes”
Start with one tool. Test one use case. Keep what works. Toss what doesn’t.
🌿 Meet Sage, Your AI Upgrade Guide
Sage is a free tool I created for coaches, course creators, and membership site owners who want to use AI—but don’t know where to begin. In just 2 minutes, Sage will help you:
Identify your biggest opportunities for using AI inside your offer
Discover 2–3 easy tools to implement right away (like onboarding bots or custom GPTs)
Walk away with a clear, personalized upgrade plan—tailored to your unique offer
👉 No tech skills required. No overwhelm. Just smart recommendations to help your students get better results, while saving you time.
