It’s only in the last couple of years that artificial intelligence has shifted from something experimental and “nice to know about” to something every business leader needs to actively embrace.
AI is now woven into everyday business tools, processes, and decision-making. It’s in your inbox, your marketing platform, your customer service, your analytics and your competitors are already using it to work smarter, faster, and more efficiently.
For SME owners, this is no longer a “nice-to-have” or something you can safely ignore until it matures. If you’re not exploring how AI can be applied in your business, you’re already behind.
Who’s Your AI Champion?
Every organisation needs someone tasked with owning this scanning the market, testing tools, and embedding AI where it adds value.
Who in your business have you appointed as the AI champion?
If the answer is “no one”, then that’s your first action step.
Because here’s the truth, AI won’t replace your business overnight. But someone using AI more effectively than you will.
A Leader’s Job Is to Look Ahead
As a business leader, your job isn’t just to run the day-to-day. It’s to look at where the market is heading and prepare your business for the changes coming down the track.
History is littered with examples of companies that failed to do this:
Woolworths – slow to adapt to changing retail habits and e-commerce.
Blockbuster – dismissed the threat of streaming until Netflix made them irrelevant.
Hoover – once a household name in innovation, now a cautionary tale about resting on past success.
They didn’t lose because their products stopped working overnight. They lost because they underestimated the power of new discoveries that changed the playing field — and by the time they reacted, it was too late.
This Isn’t Just About Tech – It’s About Survival
AI isn’t a passing trend. It’s an accelerant. It can optimise processes, free up time, reduce costs, and uncover opportunities you didn’t even know were there.
But it won’t happen by accident. Someone has to lead the charge — to explore, test, integrate, and ensure your team are confident using it.
Leaders who embrace this now will be the ones protecting — and growing — their businesses over the next decade. Those who don’t? They risk becoming the next cautionary tale.
Final Thought:
If you haven’t already, appoint your AI champion, set aside time to explore where AI can help you, and make it a standing agenda item at leadership level. This is no longer about “if” — it’s about “how fast.”
The market is moving. The question is: are you moving with it?
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