Practicum for Volume 2, Chapter 5, "SMBs: AI as an affordable staff"
AI gives a small business access to a staff it could not afford before. Start with a customer problem and a financial result. Choose the tool later. This page helps you prioritize functions and begin without taking unnecessary risk.
What to do in 30 minutes
- Break the business into functions and prioritize them with the SMB staff map: functions × money × repeatability → 1 or 2 starting cells.
- For the chosen function, complete the getting-started checklist: one problem → assistant or autopilot → control loop → trial period.
Who this is for
- SMB owner: choose the function most likely to pay back first.
- Function leader: start without breaking current work.
Related materials
- Make the function resilient with Resilient automation, Chapter 4.
- Find current services for the function and your region in the tool map.
- Follow the full route in the Volume 2 workbook.
Version: 2026-07.