Let’s be brutally honest: the world’s gone mad.

One minute we’re all arguing about the best place to get a meat pie, the next we’re hoarding toilet paper and attending staff meetings in our pyjamas over Zoom. Thanks, Covid.

But amid all this chaos, one truth has roared out louder than a V8 at Bathurst – if your small business isn’t online, it might as well be on Mars.

I live and work in Ingham – population: small, cane fields: plenty. And even here, in the tropical heart of North Queensland, the internet is king. You might have the best service, the friendliest staff, and a shopfront so charming it could make Bunnings weep – but if people can’t find you on Google, they’ll find someone else who is online. Possibly in another country. Possibly selling the same thing. Possibly cheaper.

Still not convinced? Fine. Let me spell it out with three simple reasons.

1. A Website Turns Your Business Into a 24/7 Money Machine

Imagine you’re tucked up in bed, dreaming of profits and fishing trips. Meanwhile, someone in Melbourne clicks “Add to Cart” on your website. Boom – you just made money in your sleep.

That’s the magic of an online store. No closing hours. No “Sorry, we’re shut” sign. Your products and services are now available to anyone, anywhere, anytime – whether they’re in Tully or Timbuktu. And thanks to modern shipping options, you can get those products to customers faster than a tradie on smoko.

Why would you settle for serving 5,000 locals when you could serve 5 million strangers?

2. Websites Let You Punch Well Above Your Weight

Back in the day, competing with the big boys meant massive budgets, flashy signage, and a marketing team larger than most school faculties. Today? All you need is a decent website.

With a clean layout, a clear call to action, and a sprinkling of actual customer service, you can look every bit as professional as the corporate juggernauts – without having to sell your ute to afford it.

Got quality products? Got a helpful team? Can you use a contact form without crying? Great – you’re ready to compete.

3. You Can Build a Loyal Following Without Leaving the Couch

Social media is no longer just for cat videos and political rants. It’s where your customers live – and more importantly, where they talk about you.

From customers flaunting your handmade earrings on Instagram to someone tagging their mum in your Facebook post about organic mango chutney, the word-of-mouth effect is turbocharged when your website and socials work together. Every hashtag, every retweet, every glowing review points back to one place: your business.

So what are you waiting for? A sign from above? (Spoiler: it’s this blog.)

If you’re a small-town business with big dreams, it’s time to stop playing it safe behind your counter and start playing to win online. Because in 2025, “no website” is the digital equivalent of saying, “I only take cheques.”

And that is not how you grow a business.

The idea of public speaking sends most small business owners into a cold sweat.

You’d rather scrub the office toilet with a toothbrush than stand in front of a room full of people, mic in hand, trying not to look like a malfunctioning wax figure.

But here’s the truth: if you want to grow your business — really grow it — you need to get comfortable with a bit of spotlight. Not the Hollywood kind, but the sort that puts you in front of the very people who could become your next loyal customers.

Who Should You Be Talking To?

Don’t bother with crowds that couldn’t care less about what you do. You want local business owners, community groups, industry meetups, networking breakfasts — anywhere people are trying to solve problems, learn things, or just escape their inbox for an hour with a muffin and a coffee.

Think of it this way: every person sitting in that room could be a customer, a referral, or someone who can open a door. And unlike an ad in the local paper or another shout into the social media void, public speaking gives you instant credibility. People trust the person with the microphone.

How Do You Get a Speaking Gig?

Simple: ask. No, really. Reach out to the organisers of business events, clubs, and groups. Offer to do a short, helpful talk that actually gives value — something like “5 Mistakes Small Businesses Make with Their Branding,” “How to Make Social Media Suck Less,” or even “What I’ve Learned Running a Business That You Shouldn’t Have to.”

Keep it real. Keep it relevant. And most importantly, don’t try to sell. If you sound like a walking ad, people will tune out faster than you can say “limited time offer.” But if you share real advice, stories, and the occasional laugh, they’ll remember you — and call you when they need help.

How Do You Speak Without Stuffing It Up?

Here’s the trick: don’t try to be a “motivational speaker.” No one wants that. Just be you, but louder. Tell stories. Make them laugh. Be honest about the mistakes you’ve made and what you’ve learned. Use plain language, not jargon. And for heaven’s sake, keep the PowerPoint simple. No charts. No walls of text. No 2005 clip art.

The goal isn’t to impress — it’s to connect. Let them see the human behind the business. The one who gets it. The one they’d trust to do the job or solve the problem.

The Bottom Line?

Public speaking is free marketing that works. One presentation can land you more business than a month of boosted Facebook posts and fridge magnets combined.

So next time you’re invited to speak, say yes. Even if your knees are knocking and your voice shakes a bit — say yes. Because when people know who you are, what you do, and that you’re not a robot, they’re far more likely to buy from you.

And who knows? You might even enjoy it. (Okay, maybe not. But it will work.)

Let’s clear something up straight away – ChatGPT is not Google.

It’s not there to serve up a bunch of links you’ll never click, or tell you how tall Chris Hemsworth is (although yes, it can do that too).

ChatGPT is much more than that. It’s like having an entire team of experts crammed into your laptop — and they don’t ask for a lunch break or spend half the day in meetings that should’ve been emails.

But — and this is a big but — if you treat ChatGPT like it’s just a cleverer version of Ask Jeeves, you’re using about 2% of what it can actually do. That’s like buying a Ferrari and only using it to drive to the letterbox.

So, What’s the Trick?

To make the most of ChatGPT, you’ve got to think differently. Don’t ask it random one-liners like you’re shouting into the void. Instead, treat it like a collaborator — a consultant, even. Someone (or something) that can take on a specific role, understand the brief, and deliver results without muttering about their KPI dashboard.

Here’s how I use it. Whether I’m wrangling website code, whipping up social media ideas, or fixing WooCommerce problems that make grown men cry, I follow this dead-simple formula — and it works.

The Prompt Blueprint That Doesn’t Suck

1. Start with the Role
Tell ChatGPT who it needs to be.

“You are a business consultant…”
“You are a copywriter…”
“You are a web developer with 20 years of experience and a caffeine addiction…”

This sets the tone. Otherwise, it’ll respond like a shy librarian guessing wildly.

2. Clearly State the Task
Spell out what you want — properly.

“Write a 5-day meal plan…”
“Create a basic marketing plan for a homewares store…”
“Fix this CSS that’s making my website look like a dog’s breakfast…”

3. Give It Context or a Goal
This is where the magic happens. Tell it why you need the thing.

“…for busy mums with toddlers.”
“…for a business on a tight budget.”
“…for someone who thinks Excel is a type of dishwashing liquid.”

4. Specify the Format (Optional, but seriously, do it.)
Guide the output.

“Bullet points under 500 words.”
“Step-by-step guide.”
“Table format with deadlines.”

5. Set the Tone
Because no one wants a funeral speech when they asked for a blog post.

“Friendly and engaging.”
“Professional but supportive.”
“Like Jeremy Clarkson on a caffeine high.”

Put it all together…

You are a small business coach. Write a simple 1-page business plan for a new eco-friendly laundry service in regional Australia. It’s for a sole trader just starting out, and the tone should be supportive but professional. Use bullet points and keep it under 500 words.

Boom. That prompt will get you something usable — not some vague, AI-generated waffle about “synergising your scalable detergent solutions.”

So, next time you open ChatGPT, remember: you’re not talking to a search bar. You’re giving instructions to the world’s most versatile intern. Use it well — and it might just make you look smarter, faster, and dangerously efficient.

Now if it could only make coffee…

Right. Let’s get one thing straight.

Artificial Intelligence is not just some terrifying robot uprising waiting to happen. It’s not HAL 9000. It’s not going to steal your job (unless your job is mind-numbingly boring, in which case — fair enough). And it’s not just for billion-dollar tech companies in Silicon Valley who name their children after Wi-Fi passwords.

No, my friend. AI is for everyone — even a web developer running a small business in regional Australia. Like me.

I use it every single day at Tropical Coast Web Design. And not in a “look how futuristic I am” sort of way — I use it to get stuff done faster, cleaner, and without losing my mind. Here’s how.

1. Writing Code Without Losing the Will to Live

Ever spent three hours trying to figure out why your website’s menu is refusing to sit in the right place? I have. And once upon a time, that meant scrolling through forums from 2009 written by someone named “CSSWizard88” who hasn’t been seen since the MySpace era.

Now? I ask ChatGPT. “Why is this div not aligning?” Boom — instant answer. And if it’s wrong? I refine it. No ego, no fluff. Just results.

It’s like having a coding assistant who doesn’t take lunch breaks, never asks for a raise, and doesn’t hum loudly while working.

Clarkson Verdict: Faster than Googling. Cheaper than therapy.

2. Emails That Don’t Sound Like They Were Written During a Seizure

My brain goes faster than my fingers. The result? Emails that look like they were typed by a caffeinated raccoon. Typos, missing words, and the occasional sentence that just… stops.

So I throw it all into ChatGPT. It cleans it up, tidies the grammar, and makes me sound like someone who’s slept in the past 48 hours. And yet — crucially — I still sound like me. Friendly, casual, with just the right amount of personality.

Clarkson Verdict: Think of it like autocorrect, but smarter.

3. Creating Images That Don’t Look Like Stock Photo Nightmares

Need a futuristic tractor? A cartoon parrot in sunglasses? A majestic Egyptian tomb with a food court? Done. AI image tools can whip these up in seconds. I use them for mockups, blog posts, and design ideas — all without paying a stock photo site $47 for a picture of a handshake.

BUT — and it’s a big but — always check the usage rights. If your AI-generated image looks suspiciously like something Disney owns, you might find yourself being sued by a mouse in white gloves.

Clarkson Verdict: Brilliant. Just don’t get sued.

4. SEO Without the Snake Oil

Remember when SEO companies charged you $1000 a month to tell you that your website needed more “keywords” and a faster load time? Yeah, those days are over.

Now I use AI to:

• Improve page content
• Check meta descriptions
• Optimise local keywords
• Audit the entire site like a digital Sherlock Holmes

What used to take a week now takes two hours — with actual results, not just a 12-page PDF full of buzzwords.

Clarkson Verdict: SEO without the smoke and mirrors. Finally.

What’s the Point of All This?

AI isn’t magic. It’s not going to replace you. But used properly, it’s like strapping a turbocharger onto your business.

The trick isn’t just having access to tools like ChatGPT — it’s knowing how to use them. Not to play around. Not to write poems about cats. But to actually do your job better, faster, and with fewer headaches.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I’ll show you next: how to make AI work for you — not the other way around.

If you’ve spent any time on Facebook lately, you’ve probably seen ads offering full websites for as little as $199.

Sounds like a bargain, right? As a website developer who’s been helping regional small businesses for nearly two decades, I’m here to wave a big red flag: you get what you pay for—and in some cases, even less.

Let’s break it down.

The $199 Website Dream

A recent example I found in my Facebook feed was a web design business calling itself “Australian Marsupial Web Design” (not it’s real name). With a .com.au domain and plenty of Aussie lingo sprinkled through their advertising, they present themselves as a local operation. But a quick Whois lookup tells another story.

The domain name is indeed registered in Australia—but the actual domain owner? Not here. Searching on LinkedIn revealed that the owner is based in Pakistan. While that in itself isn’t a crime, but it does raise some serious questions, especially when the business is marketed as “local.”

If the person building your website is being paid peanuts to do it, what kind of service quality and attention to detail do you think you’re going to get?

Template Factories and Zero Support

These $199 sites are often just recycled templates, churned out in bulk and reskinned with your business name and logo. You might think, “That’s okay, it’s only a basic site”—but consider this:

• That same template could be used on hundreds of other sites, including your competitors.
• The images and copy often aren’t tailored, which hurts your SEO and makes your business look like a clone.
• And if something goes wrong? Good luck.

Try calling for support and you’ll likely get radio silence, a chatbot that doesn’t help, or emails that go unanswered for days—if at all. There’s no accountability, no local knowledge, and certainly no face-to-face service.

False Economy

Sure, $199 sounds appealing—especially if you’re just starting out. But when that bargain site breaks, disappears, or fails to rank in search engines, you’ll end up paying more to fix it or rebuild from scratch. It’s the classic case of false economy.

And let’s not forget the risk of offshore data handling, especially if your website collects customer information. Do you really want your clients’ details stored on servers who-knows-where, managed by someone you’ve never spoken to?

What to Look For Instead

When choosing a web developer, look for someone who:

• Actually lives and works in your region.
• Takes the time to understand your business and your goals.
• Can offer ongoing support when you need it—not when they feel like answering an email.
• Delivers custom design that reflects you, not a recycled template.

Final Thoughts

I know every dollar counts in small business, but your website is your digital shopfront—it’s often the first impression you make. Don’t hand that over to a faceless bargain-bin operation on Facebook.

Ask questions. Do your homework. And if you’re not sure, give someone local a call – you might be surprised how affordable genuine support and quality actually are.

Need help or advice? I’m based right here in North Queensland and have been building websites for local businesses since 2007. No bots, no offshore handballs—just honest support and designs that work.

Imagine you’re starting a small business—maybe you’re baking award-winning brownies, restoring old motorbikes, or finally launching that dog grooming salon you’ve been banging on about since 2019.

You need a website. Naturally. And someone tells you, with a suspicious sparkle in their eye, “Why not use WIX AI? It’s fast, cheap, and builds itself!”

Let me stop you right there.

That is the digital equivalent of building your dream house on sand. Worse – it’s like building it on someone else’s land, with their tools, under their rules. And when they decide to change the game? Tough. You’re out of luck. Or in this case, out of business leads, buried under broken contact forms and Google penalties.

Don’t build your house on borrowed ground.

Here’s a few very good reasons why relying on WIX AI, Squarespace, or any other point-and-click magic wand is a fundamentally bad idea if you’re remotely serious about your business.

1. You Don’t Own It

You might think you own your site because you paid a tenner a month to WIX. But you don’t. What you’re doing is renting. You’re squatting on someone else’s digital turf. And the moment they change their terms, go bust, or decide your business violates some obscure policy they made up five minutes ago—you’re toast.

You can’t just pack up your files and move somewhere better. It’s like trying to take the wallpaper when you move flats. It doesn’t work. What you’ve built is locked in. Permanently.

2. You Get What You’re Given

AI builders are impressive. They’ll ask you a few questions—“What do you do?” “What’s your favourite colour?”—and then throw together a website faster than a teenager microwaving a pizza.

But the end result? Generic. Limiting. And about as unique as a flat white in a North Queensland café.

Want to add a custom booking system? Specific e-commerce logic? A real brand voice? Good luck. WIX AI isn’t a designer or strategist. It’s a glorified template slot machine.

3. Performance Is Often Terrible

Sure, WIX looks great on the surface. Nice animations. Shiny menus. But behind the scenes? It’s dragging a caravan of bloated code around every time someone visits. Your beautiful homepage loads slower than a pensioner doing the three-legged race.

And when your site’s slow, Google gets grumpy. And when Google gets grumpy, your search rankings go into freefall. Goodbye, free traffic. Hello, obscurity

4. Support Is Basically a Myth

Something breaks. Your contact form stops working. Customers can’t check out. Panic ensues. Who do you call?

Not WIX. You’ll get a chatbot named “Sam” or “Jess” who answers the wrong question five times in a row. Then it’ll send you a link to an article written by someone who’s never used the internet. Actual human support? Rare. Personalised help? Nonexistent.

And if you’re thinking, “Well, my nephew can fix it,” I’ve got news for you: he’s gone to uni, and he’s ignoring your calls.

5. It’s All Fluff, No Strategy

Your website should be a sales machine. A lead-generating, brand-building, customer-converting machine. But WIX AI doesn’t know your business, your audience, or your goals. It just vomits up a few pages and says, “That’ll do.”

It’s like buying a car with no steering wheel. Sure, it’s shiny and has Bluetooth. But where’s it going? Nowhere. Fast.

In Conclusion

If your business matters, then your website deserves better. You need something you control. Something built with a purpose, a voice, and an actual plan.

So skip the quick fix. Hire a proper web developer. Work with someone who understands marketing. Someone who listens to your goals and builds a site around you, not around a robot’s assumptions. Because when the storms come—and they will—you’ll be glad you didn’t build your house on borrowed ground.

So, you’ve got a website.

It looks nice. It has your logo, some pretty pictures, and maybe even a button that says Contact Us. And yet… nothing. No calls, no emails, no sales. It just sits there, about as useful as a handbrake on a canoe.

Meanwhile, your competitors—who have websites that look like they were designed in 1998—seem to be doing just fine. How? Why? Is the universe against you?

No. Your website isn’t generating business because it’s doing everything except what it’s actually supposed to do.

But don’t worry—I’m here to tell you exactly what’s wrong and, more importantly, how to fix it.

1. No One Can Find It (Because Google Thinks You Don’t Exist)

Your website might be brilliant, but if it’s on page 47 of Google, no one will ever see it. And since the only person who willingly goes to page 47 of Google is someone who has made a terrible mistake, your website is practically invisible.

What to do about it:

• Sort out your SEO – That means using the right keywords on your site so Google actually knows what your business does. If you sell handmade leather boots, but your website never actually says “handmade leather boots,” then congratulations—you’ve made yourself unsearchable.
• Get listed on Google Business – This takes five minutes, and yet so many businesses don’t bother. If you’re not on there, customers will assume you don’t exist.
• Start blogging – I know, I know. “I don’t have time for blogs.” But Google loves fresh content. If your last website update was in 2015, Google assumes you’ve gone bust.

2. Your Website Looks Like It Was Designed by a Drunk Octopus

Let’s be brutally honest. If your website looks like it was put together by someone whose only qualification is “I once used Microsoft Paint,” it’s not going to inspire confidence.

• If it’s cluttered with flashing banners, random fonts, and colours that make your eyes hurt—fix it.
• If the text is the size of an ant and impossible to read on a phone—fix it.
• If you still have an “Under Construction” page—delete your website and start over.

What to do about it:

• Keep it simple. Clean, professional, easy to read. Your customers aren’t here to admire your graphic design skills—they just want to find the information they need.
• Make sure it works on mobile. If your website looks fine on a desktop but turns into an unreadable mess on a phone, you’re losing customers.

3. Your Website Has the Personality of a Brick

Most small business websites read like they were written by a corporate committee trying not to offend anyone. They’re full of words like solutions, innovative, and synergy—but they say absolutely nothing.

If your website sounds like a robot wrote it, people will assume you’re boring, untrustworthy, or both.

What to do about it:

• Write like a human. Be clear. Be real. If you wouldn’t say it to a customer face-to-face, don’t put it on your website.
• Show personality. A little humor, a bit of storytelling—something that makes people think, Ah, this is an actual person, not a soulless corporate drone.

People buy from people, not from faceless websites filled with corporate nonsense.

4. There’s No Call to Action (So People Just Leave)

So, a customer lands on your website. They like what they see. They might even want to buy from you. But then… what now?

If your site doesn’t tell them exactly what to do next, they’ll leave. People need clear instructions.

What to do about it:

• Put clear, obvious calls to action everywhere. Want them to book a consultation? Say it—with a big, obvious button that says Book Now.
• Make your contact details impossible to miss. If people have to go digging to find your phone number, they won’t bother.
• Remove unnecessary steps. If your checkout process is as complicated as filing taxes, people will give up and go elsewhere.

You’d be amazed how many businesses lose sales simply because they never actually ask for them.

Final Thoughts: Your Website Is Supposed to Work for You, Not Just Sit There

Your website is not just a fancy online brochure—it should be bringing in business. If it’s not, it’s either:

1. Invisible (bad SEO),
2. Annoying to use (slow, ugly, or confusing), or
3. Failing to actually sell anything (no calls to action).

The good news? You can fix all of this.

So, instead of sitting around wondering why your competitors are getting all the business while your website collects digital dust, do something about it.

Make some tweaks, write like a human, and tell people what to do next.

And if you need help, your local web developer, Tropical Coast Web Design, is here to make it happen.

Otherwise, you might as well replace your website with a single-page PDF that says, “Please go away and buy from someone else.” Because right now, that’s what it’s doing.

Fifty years from now, artificial intelligence will either be the greatest thing to ever happen to humanity—or the reason we all live in fear of our toasters.

No one really knows which way it’ll go, but given how fast AI is advancing, we’re either heading for a utopia where machines do all the work, or a sci-fi horror film where we have to negotiate with our fridge just to get a snack.

So, let’s take a look at what AI could be doing for us in 50 years. The good, the bad, and the completely ridiculous.

The AI Utopia: Everything Is Easy (Maybe Too Easy?)

If AI develops the way its biggest fans predict, life in 50 years will be absurdly convenient.

• No More Jobs (But Somehow, That’s a Good Thing?) – AI will handle everything from accounting to surgery, leaving humans free to spend their time on “more meaningful” activities. Which sounds great, except most of us have no idea what we’d do with unlimited free time.
• Hyper-Personalized Everything – Your AI assistant won’t just recommend what to watch; it will predict your mood, order your food before you know you’re hungry, and maybe even schedule therapy sessions when it senses you’re in a bad mood.
• Fully Automated Cities – Imagine self-driving cars that never crash, traffic lights that actually work, and government departments that respond to queries instantly instead of putting you on hold for an eternity.
• AI Doctors That Never Make Mistakes – In theory, AI-powered medical care could diagnose diseases earlier, customize treatments for each patient, and even predict illnesses before they happen. Say goodbye to waiting rooms and misdiagnoses.

Sounds fantastic, right? But hold on—because every utopia comes with a few problems.

The AI Apocalypse: When It All Goes Horribly Wrong

Now, let’s talk about the slightly less exciting (but far more likely) future where AI gets too smart for its own good—or just makes life really, really weird.

• Total Dependence on AI – If AI takes over everything, what happens when it crashes? If AI controls transport, finance, and food production, a single glitch could throw the entire world into chaos.
• Surveillance Like You Wouldn’t Believe – If you think companies track you now, imagine a future where AI analyzes your every move, word, and thought. Privacy? Gone. Your smart home will know more about you than your own mother.
• The Rise of AI Overlords? – Let’s be honest—if AI gets too advanced, it might decide it doesn’t need humans at all. Maybe it won’t go full Terminator, but it could start making decisions we don’t like, and there won’t be much we can do about it.
• AI-Powered Misinformation – Right now, AI can already generate fake news, deepfake videos, and manipulate social media. In 50 years, AI could make reality itself feel optional—good luck figuring out what’s real and what’s been generated by a super-intelligent bot.
• The Great AI Divide – If only the richest corporations and governments control advanced AI, regular people might be completely at their mercy. The world could split into those who control AI and those controlled by AI.

So, Will AI Save Us or Destroy Us?

At this point, the only thing we can say for sure is that AI will be everywhere in 50 years. Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends entirely on how we manage it.

Best-case scenario? AI enhances human life, making everything easier, safer, and more enjoyable. Worst-case scenario? AI turns against us (or just makes everything so automated that life becomes unbearably dull).

Either way, in 50 years, one thing is certain: your toaster will be smarter than you. And that’s just a little bit terrifying.

Running a small business is like driving an old Holden ute.

Some days, it’s smooth sailing. Other days, it feels like the whole thing is rattling apart, and you’re just praying it holds together long enough to reach the pub.

But here’s the thing—you don’t need to rebuild the engine to make it run better. Sometimes, a quick tune-up is all it takes. So, if you’re looking to give your business a bit of a jolt this week, here are five simple things you can do that actually work.

And no, none of them involve “manifesting success” or sitting in a circle chanting about growth potential.

1. Contact Past Customers (Because They Actually Like You)

Business owners are obsessed with chasing new customers, but let’s be real—getting strangers to buy from you is like convincing a cat to go for a swim. Meanwhile, past customers already know you, trust you, and might even like you.

• Send them a quick message or email—something like, “Hey, remember us? We’re still here, and we’ve got something new you might love.”
• Offer them a little something extra—a discount, a bonus, or even just priority booking.
• Ask them to leave a review. Because nothing builds trust like random strangers on the internet saying nice things about you.

It’s free, it works, and best of all—it takes about five minutes.

2. Fix That One Annoying Thing on Your Website

Your website is your digital shopfront. And if it’s a mess, customers will walk away faster than I walked out of that awful BMW X6.

• Is your contact info easy to find? If customers have to go on a treasure hunt just to call you, they won’t bother.
• Does your homepage actually explain what you do? If not, rewrite it. In plain English.
• Is your site mobile-friendly? Because if your website looks like an unreadable mess on a phone, you might as well be invisible.

A bad website doesn’t just annoy people—it loses sales. So fix it.

3. Post Something (Anything) on Social Media

If your business’s last social media post was in 2022, people will assume you’ve either gone bankrupt or been abducted by aliens. Either way, they won’t buy from you.

• Post a behind-the-scenes snap—people love a peek into real businesses.
• Share a quick tip that makes customers’ lives easier.
• Show off a great customer review (bragging is fine when someone else is doing it for you).
• Run a ridiculously simple giveaway—”Like this post and tag a mate for a chance to win [something cool].”

The key here is to be human, not a corporate robot. People don’t follow businesses for bland sales pitches—they follow for personality, humor, and interesting stuff.

4. Launch a Flash Sale (Because Everyone Loves a Deadline)

Want to shake things up and make some quick sales? A limited-time offer works because people are lazy. Give them a deadline, and suddenly they find the motivation to buy.

• 24-hour sale on a popular product or service.
• Bundle deals—buy one thing, get a little extra for free.
• VIP-only discount for email subscribers or past customers.

Whatever you do, keep it simple. No one wants to read a 17-paragraph explainer about how to claim your “exclusive, limited-time, members-only, unlockable platinum deal.” Just say: “Hey, this thing is cheaper today. Buy it before the deal’s gone.”

5. Make Life Easier for Your Customers (Because They’re Not Psychic)

Want more customers? Then stop making them jump through flaming hoops just to buy from you.

• If customers always ask the same questions, stick the answers on your website.
• If your booking process is clunky, streamline it.
• If your online checkout is an obstacle course, simplify it or lose sales.
• If people keep calling to ask how to pay you, maybe—just maybe—your payment options aren’t obvious enough.

Tiny fixes can mean the difference between a sale and someone giving up and buying from your competitor. And you don’t want that.

Final Thoughts: Get Off Your Backside and Do Something

Business doesn’t magically improve on its own. You can either sit around waiting for the economy to change, the stars to align, or Jeff Bezos to personally recommend your business…

Or you can do something practical this week.

• Contact past customers.
• Fix the annoying things on your website.
• Post something on social media.
• Run a quick sale.
• Make it easier for customers to buy from you.

Pick one (or all five), and take action this week. Because even a tiny improvement is better than sitting around doing nothing and hoping for the best.

Right then, artificial intelligence.

The two most terrifying words in business today—unless, of course, you’re the one selling AI. We’re told it’s going to revolutionize everything, making businesses more efficient, customers happier, and life easier.

But let’s not kid ourselves—there’s a fair bit of nonsense attached to all this AI hype.

Yes, AI can be useful, and for small businesses, it might just be the thing that keeps them competitive. But it also comes with some serious headaches. So, let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the downright idiotic parts of AI in small business.

AI: The Miracle Worker (Sometimes)

The best thing about AI? It can handle the boring stuff. No one starts a business because they love answering emails at 2 AM or manually updating stock levels. AI can automate the tedious, brain-meltingly dull parts of running a business, which means owners can spend more time doing what they actually enjoy.

• Chatbots & Virtual Assistants – Sick of answering the same customer questions over and over? AI chatbots will do it for you, meaning customers get instant responses without you having to lift a finger.
• Marketing on Autopilot – AI can send emails, post on social media, and even personalize website content so customers feel special—without you actually having to talk to them.
• Inventory Management – AI doesn’t forget to order stock. It can predict what’s going to sell and restock accordingly, reducing the chances of running out of your best-selling items.

Sounds brilliant, right? Well, hold your horses, because here come the problems…

When AI Goes Horribly, Horribly Wrong

AI isn’t perfect. In fact, sometimes it’s as useful as a chocolate teapot.

• Customer Service Disasters – AI chatbots are great until they aren’t. If you’ve ever tried explaining a slightly complicated issue to one, you know what I mean. The moment things go beyond “Where’s my order?” or “What are your opening hours?”, they crumble like an old biscuit. Customers get frustrated, and suddenly, your “efficiency” is costing you business.
• Privacy Nightmares – AI is hungry for data. It wants to know everything about your customers—where they live, what they buy, what kind of biscuits they prefer with their tea. But with great data collection comes great responsibility. Mess it up, and suddenly, you’re in a legal battle because your AI-powered website leaked customer details all over the internet.
• Integration Hell – AI might be clever, but it’s about as cooperative as a cat at bath time when it comes to integrating with existing systems. Small businesses often use older software, which AI tools don’t always play nicely with. You’ll spend more time trying to make it work than actually benefiting from it.
• The “We Don’t Need Humans” Fantasy – AI evangelists will tell you it can replace staff, cutting costs and increasing efficiency. What they fail to mention is that customers still want to deal with actual humans. If your AI-driven customer service makes people feel like they’re talking to a robotic void, they’ll simply take their business elsewhere.

AI in the Future: Opportunity or Disaster?

The reality is AI isn’t going anywhere. But rather than taking over completely, it’s going to create a weird hybrid business environment where some things run like clockwork, and others go completely off the rails.

• AI-Generated Content – It’s already writing page content, social media captions, and even customer emails. But let’s be honest—it still reads like something written by a particularly uninspired intern.
• Cybersecurity Risks – AI is great at automating things, but it also makes cybercriminals more powerful. Hackers can use AI to break into systems, steal data, and make your life a living nightmare.
• AI Bias and Stupidity – AI learns from data, and if that data is flawed, it becomes as biased as your grumpy uncle at Christmas dinner. This can cause problems when AI is making hiring decisions, approving loans, or managing customer interactions.
• Over-Reliance on AI – Some businesses will rely on AI so much that when it fails, they’ll be completely useless. Imagine an AI-powered shop where the self-checkout system crashes, the chatbot refuses to help, and the human staff have no idea how to function without it. Absolute chaos.

Final Verdict: Should Small Businesses Embrace AI?

AI is not the enemy. Used wisely, it can save time, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. But small businesses need to remember it’s a tool, not a replacement for common sense.

Instead of going all-in on AI and replacing every human interaction with an automated system, businesses should:

• Use AI for the boring stuff – Automate emails, marketing, and admin, but leave real customer interactions to actual humans.
• Keep a human backup plan – AI will fail at some point. Make sure your staff knows how to take over when it does.
• Respect customer privacy – AI might love collecting data, but customers hate feeling like they’re being watched. Use AI ethically and transparently.
• Don’t get caught in the hype – AI is not magic. It’s just very fancy software.

So yes, AI has a future in small business. But before you bet your business on it, just remember—when it goes wrong, it goes spectacularly wrong.

And if you don’t believe me, just ask any business that’s had their AI-powered inventory system accidentally mark all their stock as ‘out of stock’ for a week.