Using ChatGPT is a user skill. Building AI into your business is an operational skill.
Most companies understand the first. Very few are focused on the second. Most companies are using AI to write content, summarize information, brainstorm ideas, and answer questions.
That has value.
It is the surface layer.
The amuse-bouche.
Five years ago, building customer workflows often meant hiring developers, purchasing expensive software, and waiting months for implementation.
Today, a small business can build surprisingly powerful systems using tools like Notion, Airtable, Zapier, and AI.
Over the past few weeks, I've been building a customer tracking system in Notion. Five years ago, I would have needed developers, custom software, and a much larger budget.
This time, Claude became a thought partner. It helped design the database structure, identify missing fields, think through workflows, and improve the system as I built it.
- Notion became the database.
- Calendar tracks follow-ups.
- Meeting notes are captured and organized using Wispr Flow and Granola.
- AI helps connect the pieces and improve the process.
- AI is no longer answering a question. It is helping the business operate.
The value is not the model. The value is the workflow.
This is where many companies are spending their time. They are getting better at the surface layer when they should be focused on business processes, bottlenecks, and systems. I am not advocating for business owners to become experts in AI.
Years ago, I did not want my clients becoming experts in Microsoft Exchange, VPNs, or server infrastructure. I wanted them focused on their business. What mattered was understanding where inefficiencies, manual tasks, and barriers to scale existed.
The same principle applies today. The companies creating the most value from AI are not using better prompts.
They're building better systems.