Your AI Questions Answered: Real Talk from Small Business Owners

We asked, you answered. Our comment section has been blowing up with questions about AI, and honestly? We love it. That means you're thinking about this stuff, even if you're not sure where to start.

So we're doing something different today. No interviews, no case studies—just straight answers to the questions you've been asking. Whether you work with your hands, run a small business, or you're just trying to figure out what all the hype is about, we've got you covered.

Let's dive in.

"I work with my hands. Why should I care about AI?"

Asked by: Welding with Sarah

Here's the thing—AI isn't just for people writing code or analyzing spreadsheets. If you're doing metalworking, welding, woodworking, or any hands-on craft, AI can transform the parts of your business that aren't the actual craft.

Where to start:

Think about your customer journey. How do people find you? Probably Etsy, Instagram, your website, or word of mouth. Now ask yourself: What do they see before they decide to buy?

• Your storefront graphics: Use tools like Nano Banana (part of Google's Gemini suite) to create killer product photos and branded graphics that make your work stand out

• Your product descriptions: Run your current copy through ChatGPT and ask it to make it more compelling while keeping your voice

• Your social media: Instead of spending hours crafting captions, use AI to brainstorm 5-10 angles, then pick one and add your personal touch

The craft itself? That's all you. AI can't weld a perfect bead or cut intricate metalwork. But it can handle the marketing, admin, and customer service that eats up your time.

The bottom line: You should care about AI because it handles the business stuff you probably don't enjoy anyway, giving you more time to do what you actually love—creating with your hands.

"I'm not a tech person. Is AI even for people like me?"

Asked by: justaregularguys87

Let's address the elephant in the room: You don't need to be technical to use AI effectively. Like, at all.

Think about it this way—you probably use AI-powered tools right now without realizing it. Your phone's autocorrect? AI. Netflix recommendations? AI. That spam filter in your email? You guessed it.

Here's the reality check:

Someone who knows nothing about programming can now build functional tools in a single day that would take a traditional developer weeks or months. That's not an exaggeration. The barrier isn't technical knowledge anymore—it's the ability to describe what you want.

If you can explain a problem to another human, you can explain it to AI.

Here's how to get started if you're not "tech-savvy":

1. Use the voice feature in ChatGPT. Don't type—just talk. Ramble if you need to. The AI is smart enough to figure out what you're trying to say, even if you're not articulating it perfectly.
   
   
   

2. Talk to it like a person. Seriously. Don't try to use "robot language" or be overly formal. Just say what you need in plain English.
   
   
   

3. Start small. Don't try to revolutionize your entire business on day one. Pick one annoying task and ask AI how to make it easier.
   
   
   

One of our colleagues is 65 years old. He talks to ChatGPT on his phone like it's a regular conversation, and he's building stuff now. If he can do it, you absolutely can too.

"I've played around with ChatGPT, but I feel like I'm only scratching the surface. What am I missing?"

Asked by: TechSavvySparky

This is probably the most common question we get. You've opened ChatGPT, asked it a few questions, maybe had it write an email or two, and now you're thinking, "Okay... now what?"

Here's the hack that changes everything:

When in doubt, ask AI how to use AI better.

No, seriously. Type this into ChatGPT right now:

"I use you occasionally but I feel like I'm not getting the full value. What are ways I could integrate you into my daily workflow? Ask me questions about my business and daily tasks so we can figure this out together."

Then answer its questions. It'll give you specific, personalized suggestions based on your actual needs.

But here's what you're probably missing:

Most people use AI like a better Google search. They ask one-off questions and move on. The real power comes from treating it like a creative partner and executive assistant rolled into one.

Daily workflow integration:

• Morning: Give it your schedule and have it optimize your day

• Throughout the day: Use it to draft responses, brainstorm ideas, or solve problems as they come up

• End of day: Reflect with it—what went well, what didn't, what should tomorrow look like

The secret sauce: Add this phrase to the end of your prompts: "What questions do you have?"

This makes the AI ask clarifying questions instead of just giving you a generic answer. You'll get way better outputs.

Pro tip: Don't worry about perfect prompts with proper punctuation. Just throw context at it—messy, incomplete, whatever. It'll figure it out and ask follow-ups if needed.

"Forget the hype. What can AI do TODAY that will save me time or make me money?"

Asked by: Marcus_Builds (in all caps, we noticed)

Marcus, we love the energy. Let's cut straight to the actionable stuff.

Today: Save Time with Automated Scheduling

This is the lowest-hanging fruit that will blow your mind.

Here's the exact workflow:

1. Sign up for Claude Pro ($12/month) - yes, you need the paid version

2. Download the Claude app on your phone (this specifically works better on mobile)

3. Text yourself or write out everything you need to do this week

4. Copy that into Claude and say:

"Here's my schedule for the week. Put it in my iCalendar. Give me 15-minute breaks between each event. I want a 30-minute lunch around 12:30. I need to be done by 5pm. Make it happen."

Boom. Done. Your entire week is scheduled optimally, and it took you five minutes instead of an hour.

Why this matters: You don't need to hire a $50,000/year executive assistant. Claude just became your assistant for $144/year.

Today: Make Money with Whop

If you want to make money with AI right now, here's the play: Build tools for creators on Whop.

What is Whop? It's a platform where creators sell digital products, courses, and memberships to their communities. They have an app store where developers can build tools that creators then white-label for their audiences.

Why this is huge:

• Whop gets 15 million visitors per month

• There are only about 70 apps in their store (massive opportunity)

• Creators are making serious money and need better tools

• You can charge $39/month or more for a good app

How to do it (even with zero coding experience):

1. Go to Whop and browse what creators are selling

2. Identify a problem or tool they need

3. Use Claude Code, ChatGPT, and Gemini to vibe-code a solution

4. Upload the developer docs to your AI (you don't even need to read them)

5. Launch it and get instant feedback from real users

One of us built a functioning Whop app in a day using AI and zero traditional coding knowledge. That's not a flex—that's just reality now.

Today: Save Money with AI-Powered Financial Tools

Tools like Ramp use AI to automatically track spending, categorize expenses, and show you exactly where you're bleeding money.

But even if you're not ready for new software, you can:

• Upload your financial statements to Claude

• Ask: "What patterns do you see? Where am I wasting money?"

• Get specific recommendations for cutting costs

The mindset shift: Saving time = making money, as long as you reinvest that time wisely. If AI saves you 10 hours a week, what could you do with those 10 hours to grow your business?

"How much does this cost? Can regular people actually afford this stuff?"

Asked by: Budget_Creator_Life

Let's talk real numbers, no BS.

The core tools you need:

• ChatGPT Plus: $20/month

• Claude Pro: $12/month

• Gemini: FREE (and honestly pretty good now)

So you're looking at $20-32/month to access the most powerful AI tools available. That's less than most people spend on streaming services.

Our recommendation: The 10% Rule

Take 10% of your income—personal or business—and allocate it toward AI. That includes:

• Software subscriptions

• Learning resources

• Experimentation budget

If you make $3,000/month, that's $300/month for AI. If you make $50,000/year from your business, that's $5,000/year.

Why 10%? Because the ROI is massive. You'll save way more in time and money than you invest, as long as you actually use it.

Free options if you're really tight on budget:

Start with Gemini (free) and see what you can do. Learn the basics. Then upgrade when you're ready to unlock more power.

The real question isn't "Can I afford AI?"

It's "Can I afford NOT to use AI?" Because your competitors are figuring this out. And they're going to move faster, operate more efficiently, and eventually eat your lunch.

One more thing: Tools like Origin (AI-powered budgeting app) will actually save you money by tracking your spending and identifying waste. When you track data, you manage it better. It's like weighing yourself daily—the awareness alone changes behavior.

"Is this another overhyped tech bro thing? What makes AI different this time?"

Asked by: The_Painted_Tradesman

Fair question. We've all seen "game-changing" tools come and go. Remember Google Glass? Clubhouse? The Segway that was supposed to revolutionize transportation?

So why is AI different?

Let's look at history:

When cars were first introduced, the CEO of GM (who used to sell horse-drawn carriages) said they were overhyped. Too clunky. Only for the rich. Not practical.

Then Henry Ford showed up with the assembly line and affordable cars. Guess what happened to the horse-drawn carriage industry?

Every major technological shift follows the same pattern:

1. Early adopters get called crazy

2. Skeptics say it's overhyped

3. A few years pass

4. The skeptics are scrambling to catch up

5. Eventually, the new technology becomes the baseline expectation

This happened with:

• The printing press

• Electricity

• Telephones

• The internet

• Smartphones

• And now AI

Here's the difference with AI: It's not replacing ONE industry or ONE type of job. It's a foundational technology that impacts everything. Just like electricity didn't just power light bulbs—it transformed manufacturing, communication, transportation, and every other industry.

The "tale as old as time" principle:

There used to be an entire industry built around whale oil. People went out on ships, caught whales, and extracted oil for lamps. It was the #1 industry in the United States at one point.

Then John D. Rockefeller discovered you could just dig in the ground and get oil. Way easier. Way cheaper.

And yet, there were still people out there catching whales and insisting their way was better. Guess what happened to them? They got smoked.

The uncomfortable truth: Technology wins. Every. Single. Time.

You can bet against AI if you want. But no one has ever won a bet against technological progress. Not once in human history.

"Honest question: Is AI going to take our jobs?"

Asked by: Electrical_Tutorials_Daily

Okay, let's address this head-on because it's the question everyone's thinking about but not everyone is asking.

The short answer: It depends on what you do and how good you are at it.

The longer answer:

If you're bad at your job, yes, AI might replace you. But if you're good at your job, AI will enhance you and make you significantly more valuable.

Think of AI as a performance separator. It's going to create a bigger gap between the winners and the losers because the winners will know how to use it as leverage.

For hands-on work (like electrical tutorials):

AI can't rewire a house. It can't demonstrate proper electrical safety in real-world scenarios. It can't show the nuances and techniques that come from years of experience.

What AI can do:

• Generate scripts for your tutorials

• Edit your videos (or help you edit faster)

• Create thumbnails and graphics

• Handle comments and community management

• Analyze which topics get the most views and suggest future content

The real question isn't "Will AI take my job?"

It's "Am I doing what I actually want to be doing, and am I doing it in the most efficient way possible?"

Here's the framework: Make a list of everything in your workflow. Now separate that list into three categories:

1. Things you love doing (keep these)

2. Things you're okay at but don't enjoy (delegate or automate these)

3. Things you shouldn't be doing at all (eliminate these)

AI can handle category 2. Other people or better systems can handle category 3. You focus on category 1—the stuff that only you can do and that you actually enjoy.

The layoff reality check:

Yes, there will be layoffs at big companies. Amazon, consulting firms, tech startups—they'll all trim the fat. But for small businesses and blue-collar workers? We don't see massive layoffs coming.

Here's why: Small businesses are already lean. They don't have bloated teams. What AI does for them is make them MORE efficient so they can grow without needing to hire as quickly.

Instead of needing 20 people to run a business, you might only need 3 people plus AI. That's not about firing 17 people—it's about never needing to hire them in the first place.

The optimistic take:

We don't want small businesses laying people off because of AI. We want AI to make those businesses more efficient so they can save money, grow faster, and actually pay their people better.

AI should be the rising tide that lifts all boats, not the tsunami that drowns everyone.

The Uncomfortable Truth You Need to Hear

Look, we're not here to sugarcoat things. This podcast is either going to blow up because people finally get it, or it's going to drive people away because they don't want to hear the truth.

And the truth is this: AI is happening. Period.

You can resist it. You can complain about it. You can wish things would go back to "the good old days." But none of that changes reality.

The choice is simple: Adapt or fall behind.

Those who adapt will be rewarded. They'll operate more efficiently, serve more customers, and build better businesses. Those who refuse will find things increasingly difficult as their competitors lap them.

That's not meant to scare you. It's meant to motivate you.

Because here's the good news: You're not behind.

We're still in the early stages. Most businesses don't have Instagram accounts. Most websites are years out of date. Most small business owners have barely scratched the surface with AI.

You have time. But you need to start now.

Your Next Steps (Do These Today)

We've covered a lot. If you're feeling overwhelmed, just pick ONE thing from this list and do it today:

Option 1: Time Saver

• Sign up for Claude Pro

• Give it your weekly schedule

• Let it organize your calendar with breaks and boundaries

• Boom—you just saved an hour and gained structure

Option 2: Money Maker

• Browse Whop.com

• Identify a tool that creators need

• Spend the afternoon vibe-coding a basic version with ChatGPT

• Launch it and get feedback

Option 3: Skill Builder

• Open ChatGPT on your phone

• Turn on voice mode

• Spend 30 minutes just talking to it about your business

• Ask it to help you identify opportunities for efficiency

Option 4: Budget Optimizer

• Download Origin or a similar AI budgeting app

• Link your accounts

• Review where AI says you're wasting money

• Cut one unnecessary expense this week

Don't try to do everything. Just pick one. Get a win. Build momentum.

The Bottom Line

Every question we answered today comes down to the same core truth: AI is a tool. It's not magic. It's not going to do everything for you. But it will multiply your efforts if you actually use it.

The businesses that win in 2025 and beyond won't be the ones with the best products. They'll be the ones who figured out how to use AI to work smarter while everyone else was still "thinking about it."

So stop thinking. Start doing.

And for the love of all that is holy, share this podcast. If everyone shares it once, we double our audience. That's just compound interest, baby.

Got more questions? Drop them in the comments and we'll answer them in the next Q&A episode. Want to go deeper on any of these topics? Subscribe to The Hey Chat Podcast—where we break down AI for real people building real businesses.

P.S. - If you made it this far, you're already ahead of 90% of business owners. Now go implement something.