Shameless Promotion · Free resource guide

AI Tools for Small Business

Everything from the Elite Professional Partners AI talk in one place: which tool to try, what it costs, prompts to copy, real examples, and how to use AI safely. No technical background needed.

Beginner friendlyFree tools includedNo sign-up required

Which AI should I try?

Pick what you want to get done

These are starting points, not rules. The tools overlap a lot, so start with what you already have and try another free tool when you hit a limit.

The right AI for the right job

Tools and prices at a glance

• ChatGPT — Do a bit of everything: writing, ideas, file analysis, images, design mockups. Free · Plus $20/mo
• Claude — Build things: dashboards, calculators, simple tools, polished writing. Free · Pro $20/mo
• Google Gemini — Work inside Gmail, Docs and Sheets. Free · AI Pro $19.99/mo
• Microsoft Copilot — Work inside Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams. Free app · Business ~$21/user/mo*
• Perplexity — Research with sources: competitors, industries, quick facts. Free · Pro $20/mo
• Canva — Design marketing: social graphics, flyers, branded materials. Free · Pro ~$15–18/mo

US list prices as of October 2026. Prices and features change often, so check each site before you buy. *Add-on to a Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Premium plan. A $20 plan has usage limits, and it doesn't include hosting for custom software.

What's possible

Three levels of AI

Most of the value is in the first two. The third is an option, not a requirement.

LEVEL 1

Do it yourself today

Free to about $20/month

Emails, proposals, research, summarizing documents, spreadsheets, marketing, brainstorming.

LEVEL 2

Build it yourself (really)

Often inside a plan you already pay for

Dashboards, calculators, interactive reports and simple tools made from your own data.

LEVEL 3

Get help if you want it

Depends on complexity

Connecting your systems, automated customer workflows, portals and tools that need to run reliably.

Ideas to start with

What AI could do in your industry

Saving time is only part of it. AI can also help you spot your most profitable services, see why leads aren't converting, and improve customer service.

• Contractors & home services — Estimates, job tracking, photo-based project summaries, customer follow-ups, job profitability
• Finance, banking & insurance — Summarizing documents, renewal follow-ups, client letters (with data safeguards)
• Real estate & inspections — Listing descriptions, neighborhood reports, market comparisons, report summaries
• Law, consulting & advisory — Research, meeting summaries, proposals, process documents
• Nonprofits & education — Grant research, donor updates, event planning, reports
• Retail, hospitality & printing — Promotions, customer feedback analysis, order and inventory reporting

Copy and paste

Prompts to try this week

Replace anything in [brackets] with your own details. The more context you give, the better the answer.

Ask your inbox

Prompts for searching your email

Once an AI tool is connected to your email, you can ask it questions instead of scrolling. These work in any tool that has access to your inbox.

Catch up on a client

Find my emails with [client name or email] from the last [30 days]. Summarize what we discussed, list any promises or commitments either of us made with dates, and flag anything still waiting on a reply.

What did I promise?

Search my sent emails from the last two weeks for anything I said I would do, like “I’ll send” or “by Friday.” List each promise, who it was to, the date, and whether I followed up.

Before a meeting

I’m meeting [name] on [day]. Look through our recent emails and give me a short refresher: what we’ve talked about, open questions, and anything I should bring.

Find a detail

Find the email where [vendor or client] sent [the quote / the contract / the address] for [project]. Tell me the key details and the date it was sent.

Who’s waiting on me?

Which emails from customers in the last 7 days haven’t I replied to? List the sender, subject, and what they need from me, most urgent first.

Tool by tool

What each tool needs, and a prompt to try first. Plans and features as of October 2026; they change often.

ChatGPT

Plus plan or higher. Connect Gmail or Outlook in ChatGPT’s settings. It can search and draft, but it won’t send for you.

Search my email for messages with [client] since [date]. Summarize the main topics, any decisions we made, and what I still owe them. Quote the email for each point.

Claude

The Gmail connector works on every plan, including free. Microsoft 365 works with work accounts. It searches and drafts, but doesn’t send.

Look through my emails with [client] from the last month. List every commitment either of us made, with the date and a short quote from the email it came from.

Google Gemini

Built into Gmail on eligible Google Workspace and Google AI plans. Open the Gemini panel inside Gmail.

Summarize my recent emails from [name] and tell me what they’re waiting on from me.

Microsoft Copilot

In Outlook for business accounts, the Summarize button sums up a thread. Asking about your whole mailbox needs the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on.

Summarize this thread, list the action items for me, and note any dates or deadlines mentioned.

Perplexity

Its email assistant is only on the $200/month Max plan. A better everyday use: research someone before you reply.

I have a meeting with [company] in [city]. Give me quick background: what they do, recent news, and three good questions to ask. Include sources.

Before you connect: the AI can read everything in your inbox. Use a business plan for client email, check its privacy settings, and add “Quote the email each point comes from, and tell me if you can’t find something” so you can check its answers.

Turn your work into marketing

From a finished project to a social video

This walkthrough of the Gig Harbor Film Festival website was made with AI. You can do the same with a finished job, a before-and-after, or a product you're proud of.

From the presentation

Real examples

Projects shown during the talk, with the tools used for each.

LEVEL 1 · CHATGPT + CANVA

From an idea to an editable design

ChatGPT created a flyer mockup from a plain description. Canva's AI then rebuilt it with editable text, shapes and images. Look closely: Canva dropped the logo and turned "9/30" into "39," a good reminder to check AI's work against your original.

LEVEL 1 · CLAUDE

Monthly client statements in one pass

A month of hours turned into a consistent statement for every client, ready to check and send. (Sample shown.)

LEVEL 2 · CLAUDE

Haunt Your House voting dashboard

A spreadsheet export of 82 votes became a dashboard showing the leaders, votes by house and votes per day.

LEVEL 3 · GIG HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL

A festival planner for 87 films

A filterable film lineup, schedule and personal planner that flags overlapping screenings. Try the planner

Things to watch out for

AI dos and don'ts

The short version is below. The full dos and don'ts guide (PDF) covers privacy, prompting, checking the work, customer-facing content and images in more depth.

Check the facts

AI can sound completely sure and still be wrong. It sometimes invents numbers, names or sources. Verify anything important.

Protect client data

Keep sensitive customer information out of personal AI accounts. Business plans usually have stronger privacy settings, so check yours.

Read before you send

Treat AI's work as a first draft. You're still the one signing it.

Check images against your original

AI redraws what you upload. It changes faces, warps logos and misspells text. Compare side by side before you publish.

Know your industry's rules

Finance, legal, health and insurance may have extra requirements for client information and communications.

Prompts that stop AI from making things up

Before you start

Any AI

Don't make anything up or guess. If the information I gave you has gaps, use placeholders like [price] or [date] and list what's missing at the end.

Stick to my sources

Any AI

Only use the documents I've provided. If the answer isn't in them, say so.

After you get an answer

Any AI

Does everything you gave me come from the resources I gave you? Point out anything that didn't, and tell me which parts are your assumptions.

Editing an image

Image tools

Keep my logo, faces and all text exactly as they are. Only change [background / layout / colors]. Then list every change you made compared with the image I uploaded.

Your homework this week

Pick one task you repeat. Ask AI to help.

Here's a task I do every week: [describe it]. Ask me a few questions about how I do it now, then suggest three ways AI could make it faster, starting with the simplest.

Want help getting started?

Book AI office hours with Lindsey

Most of this you can do yourself, and you should try. If you get stuck or want a second set of eyes on an idea, book a 30-minute intro session to work through a task, a tool or an idea together. You can test your idea on my paid AI tools before you pay for your own.

30-minute intro session: normally $49, free for EPP members through December 31, 2026. Use code EPP at checkout.

Book your intro session →Prepared by Lindsey Krogle, Shameless Promotion, for Elite Professional Partners. This page, the presentation and the dos and don'ts guide were all made with Claude, with Lindsey's ideas and review. Tool recommendations are starting points, not endorsements. Prices last checked October 2026.