Time for a reality check.
AI can't call on years of industry experience to fix a nuanced problem. It can't demonstrate empathy over shared frustrations or build strong human connections. It won't even laugh at your bad jokes unless you tell it to.
However, for small business leaders, the choice often isn’t between a human and AI, it’s between doing everything yourself, or not doing it at all – this is where AI can really help.
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I've launched 4 successful businesses in the last 10 years, all whilst working a full time job. During this time I have been always been looking for smart ways to save time and money whilst getting more done. AI has totally changed how I run my current side hustles, here are some of the tools I swear by.
AI automation
You wouldn’t want to hire someone for $50k, only to have to explain over and over again how to do the same task.
So why would you want to do that with AI?
Automation is often overlooked by those looking to leverage AI. But continuously prompting your AI to do the same tasks chips away at your time.
Platforms like Google Gemini offer built-in automation tools that allow you to create one-off prompts that you can use again and again. For example, you may create a prompt that details your brand voice and preferred blog format, then you can feed a topic in whenever you want and let the AI create a blog post for you.
OpenClaw takes this one step further, allowing you to execute real-world tasks such as file management, browsing the internet, and sending emails. Where AI could previously only answer questions, with OpenClaw, it can execute commands. Although OpenClaw is free to use, you will need to host it, either on your own machine or through a managed hosting service like Hostinger.
A Stream Deck lets you connect automations to physical buttons that sit on your desk, helping you streamline common processes. For example, you may set up one button that automatically collects sales data from the last 30 days, populates it as a PDF, and emails it to you.
AI marketing
Marketing is an essential, yet time-consuming task for any small business. AI can take many of these tasks off your hands, whilst helping you to double down on what works.
By feeding an AI website builder a few prompts, you can get a purpose-built, fully populated website in just a few minutes. Although you will likely need to edit the AI’s output, you will still save considerable time when compared to building a website from scratch.
Canva AI works in a similar way for design. Describe what you want, whether that be an engaging social media post or a high-impact presentation, and let the AI do the work for you. Opus AI can be used to quickly turn long-term video into social media-optimized clips at the click of a button.
Vibe coding platforms like Hostinger Horizons offer a flexible way to build any web app. Small businesses on a budget can use them to create anything from CRMs to digital products.
AI admin
Using AI to take on admin tasks can be a massive time saver for small businesses.
Notion has been a popular workspace platform for small businesses for years, helping them store everything from leads and documents to project management plans and databases. In 2026, it introduced AI agents, that users can ask to do anything from lead vetting to customer outreach.
Zapier offers a range of platforms, ranging from marketing and sales to IT and customer support. Zapier’s AI agents help automate any process within its ecosystem of tools, allowing you to use AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini to orchestrate your business.
Note-taking is now a breeze thanks to AI. Investing in a voice or video + voice AI note taker will let you keep records of all meetings without the massive time drain of handwriting notes.