AI Quick Start for Small Business Owners
One evening of practical AI for quotes, customers, marketing, and admin
Use everyday AI tools to write quotes and proposals, handle customer emails and reviews, produce marketing copy, and clear the admin backlog, without spending money on tools you do not need.
At a Glance
Who it's for
- Small business owners and sole traders doing their own quoting and admin
- Tradespeople and service businesses writing quotes and customer correspondence
- Retail, hospitality, and allied health operators managing reviews and marketing
- Consultants and freelancers producing proposals and client updates
- Practice managers and business partners running the back office of a small firm
Course Details
Course Overview
Running a small business means writing the quote, chasing the invoice, answering the review, posting the ad, and updating the website, usually after hours and usually yourself. This four-hour evening course is about getting real, practical help with that work from AI tools you already have or can access for free. You will draft and refine a quote and a proposal from your own business, write customer emails including the difficult ones about price, delay, and complaint, respond to a negative online review without making it worse, produce marketing copy for a service page and a social post, and clear a chunk of routine admin such as reminder letters, supplier correspondence, and standard operating notes. There is a straight-talking segment on choosing tools when your software budget is small, because most owners are being sold subscriptions they do not need. The closing module covers where AI creates genuine business risk: customer data under the Privacy Act 1988, claims and representations under Australian Consumer Law, invoice and payment fraud, and the point at which a problem needs proper IT support, cyber security help, or a developer rather than another prompt. The price is 395 AUD including GST, in a single Thursday evening session.
What You'll Learn
Course Curriculum
Module 1: Quotes, Proposals, and Winning the Job
1 hour- A five-part prompt structure applied to a real quote from your own business, start to finish
- Writing scope, inclusions, exclusions, and assumptions so a quote does not become a dispute
- Building a proposal that explains the value rather than only listing the price
- Producing reusable quote and proposal templates you can adapt in minutes rather than hours
- Checking every claim you make against Australian Consumer Law before it goes to a customer
Module 2: Customer Emails, Reviews, and Difficult Conversations
1 hour- Drafting the hard emails: price objections, delays, scope changes, and payment follow-ups
- Responding to a negative online review calmly and publicly without escalating it
- Replying to positive reviews and enquiries at volume without sounding automated
- Setting a consistent business tone of voice and reusing it across every customer touchpoint
- Knowing which messages you must write personally, and why customers can tell
Module 3: Marketing Copy, Admin, and Choosing Tools on a Small Budget
1 hour- Producing a service page, a social post, and a customer newsletter from a single brief
- Writing product and service descriptions that are accurate rather than merely enthusiastic
- Clearing routine admin: reminder letters, supplier correspondence, and standard operating notes
- Invoicing and payment chasing sequences that stay polite and still get paid
- Choosing tools sensibly: free versus paid tiers, what you already have bundled, and the subscriptions not worth buying
Module 4: Where AI Creates Business Risk, and When to Call for Help
1 hour- The red-line list: customer personal and health information, payment and bank details, credentials, staff records, and confidential commercial terms
- Customer data and the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988, in plain language for a small business
- Advertising claims, testimonials, and reviews under Australian Consumer Law, and how AI-written copy quietly creates exposure
- AI-assisted scams aimed at small business: invoice redirection, cloned voices, convincing phishing, and fake supplier emails, with the ACSC Small Business Cyber Security Guide as the baseline
- When to stop prompting and get professional help: IT support for systems and backups, cyber security for incidents and hardening, and a developer for anything customer-facing that handles data
Who Should Attend
- Small business owners, operators, and sole traders
- Tradespeople and service businesses quoting and invoicing directly
- Retail, hospitality, and allied health operators
- Consultants, contractors, and freelancers writing proposals
- Practice managers and office administrators in small firms
- Franchisees and family business partners handling their own admin
Prerequisites
Before enrolling, please ensure you meet these requirements:
- • You run, part-own, or administer a small business
- • Comfortable using email, a web browser, and a word processor
- • Access to a general AI assistant, or willingness to create a free account before the session
- • No technical, marketing, or prior AI experience required
- • Prompt Engineering Basics is helpful but not required
Delivery, Format and Logistics
Delivery Mode
Live online evening session, Thursday 6-10pm
Maximum 20 participants so everyone works on their own business
What You'll Need
- Computer with a working microphone and internet access (minimum 10 Mbps)
- Access to at least one general AI assistant such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, or Gemini
- A recent quote, proposal, or customer email from your own business to work on
- Basic familiarity with how your business quotes, invoices, and communicates with customers
- No technical, marketing, or prior AI experience required
What You'll Receive
- 4 hours of live, instructor-led training in one evening
- Hands-on work on your own quotes, emails, and marketing copy
- A small business prompt library covering quoting, customer replies, reviews, and marketing
- Quote, proposal, and payment follow-up templates you can use immediately
- A one-page business risk card covering privacy, consumer law, and AI-assisted scams
- Certificate of completion
- Live Q&A throughout, with a dedicated segment on your own business
Frequently Asked Questions
Not Ready to Enrol?
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25 per cent off with promo code AISEP26 at checkout, until 8 October 2026.
Secure payment via Stripe · Promo codes accepted
Next Intake
Thursday 24 September 2026 at 6:00 pm
3 dates scheduled this cohort
Format
Live online evening session, Thursday 6-10pm
Group & Enterprise Options
Discounted rates available for teams of 3+ delegates. Contact us for in-house delivery options.
Join the waitlist
AI Quick Start for Small Business Owners — September 2026 cohort
What's Included
- 4 hours of live, instructor-led training in one evening
- Hands-on work on your own quotes, emails, and marketing copy
- A small business prompt library covering quoting, customer replies, reviews, and marketing
- Quote, proposal, and payment follow-up templates you can use immediately
- A one-page business risk card covering privacy, consumer law, and AI-assisted scams
- Certificate of completion
- Live Q&A throughout, with a dedicated segment on your own business
Have questions about this course?