”Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci
Previously at the Volcano Base, I was explaining why I think small businesses have a huge advantage when it comes to automation and AI. Since then I’ve been networking, fretting, making stuff that works and discussing actual projects (in pretty much that order).
Mission Briefing
Stop working so hard
I used to be crap at networking. Mainly because it made me feel creepy, or that I had an obligation to try and sell something. What made it easier for me was a mindset shift. I started looking at it as research. Ask a bunch of questions, genuinely listen, help that person with anything relevant (connections, links) that I might have. Turns out I’ve got quite a lot of those.
And since the last newsletter I’ve spoken to loads of people. Most of whom I haven’t spoken to for ages. Yeah, something else I need to get better at.
Even though I’d created a “services” page to help me synthesise what I’m doing to help people, it was a list of atomic tactics. People were asking me, “so, right, yeah, I get it, but what’s the simplest way of saying what you help small businesses do?”
Fine. I help small businesses to stop working so hard. That’s it. The rest is tactics for achieving that. Many small business owners feel like they’re on a hamster wheel. I help them get off it.
Sort your foundations
I’ve mentioned this loads of times, but to successfully automate aspects of your operation, or get real benefits from AI, it needs to be incorporated into your workflow. This works best if you have a solid foundation in place when it comes to your data. If you have customer/client data all over the place, and nobody knows where to find document x, y, or z, you’ll struggle.
Minimalist stack
You don’t need anything fancy or expensive. You DO need something structured. So a simple CRM system and a logical way of filing docs. Again, to get helpful automations in place, you’ll need something that supports integrations with other software, and/or has some basic automation tools built in already.
Over the years I’ve gone deep with most CRM systems on the market. What I’ve adopted for Volcano Base, and what I recommend for the majority of small businesses that are starting on this journey, are products from Zoho. They have a good balance between cost and power, and you can go a long way for less than $10/month.
Try Bigin* if you have no CRM system at all, or you’re making the upgrade from spreadsheets. If, like me, you want an entire business operating system, have a look at Zoho One*.
I’ve made some decent AI-enhanced workflows using these tools, with a bit of n8n magic thrown in.
(*) I may receive commission from purchases made through these links, but I only recommend things that I use myself
Classified Intel
Anthropic considers new economy
Anthropic chief says AI could surpass “almost all humans at almost everything” shortly after 2027, saying a new approach to the global economy will be necessary. So, just a small bit of news there.
With the owner of X now doing Nazi salutes, and Reddit subs starting to ban links there, there’s been a migration off X to alternatives, especially bsky. However, bsky is a commercial operation just like X. I recommend the free, decentralised, user-owned Fediverse instead. Using Bridgy, users of bsky and the Fediverse can communicate with and follow each other.
Named after Sir Humphrey Appleby in “Yes, Minister”, Humphrey is a set of AI applications aimed at reducing the typical daily workload of civil servants in the UK, much of it centred around vast amounts of data that they are required to read and process.
