My best Small Business Owner Hack: AI as a Thought Partner

Running a small business is rewarding, but it can also be lonely. If you're the only one in your organization who understands the full picture—financials, operations, hiring, marketing, and long-term strategy—it’s easy to get stuck in your own head. If you nerd out about business strategy as much as I do, you’ve probably already bored your family with your ideas, too. I’m guilty on both counts.

That’s where AI, like ChatGPT, has become one of the most powerful tools I use regularly.

It’s easy to assume AI is just a writing assistant. But for me, it’s a real thought partner. I use it to think through decisions, test assumptions, and explore options I might not have considered otherwise. 

For example, when I was evaluating customer pipelines and cash projections for Blazer Strategies, I used ChatGPT to simulate different growth scenarios. It helped me stress-test cash flow assumptions and ask better questions. What happens if our pipeline stagnates? What type of ROI should we look for in specific marketing initiatives? What if we don’t get it? 

I was able to model these changes in minutes instead of hours based on some data and analysis happening outside my own head.

One feature I really value is the ability to shift the tone or mindset of the AI. I’ll often ask it to take on a highly skeptical voice and tear apart a plan. Other times, I want a more optimistic tone to help me imagine growth possibilities. I often ask AI what level its cynicism is on a scale of 1-10, then adjust it up or down based on what I’m looking for. This customization allows me to explore opposing strategies, identify potential failure points, and even analyze what a competitor might do next.

I even ask AI to evaluate my use of AI as a thought partner and to give me advice on how to use it more effectively. This allows me to continue to improve leveraging the tool. 

To be clear, this doesn’t replace human input. In-person resources like Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and local Chambers of Commerce are incredibly valuable. I’ve worked with the SBDC many times. They’ve helped me refine business models, prepare for big public announcements, and evaluate major decisions. That kind of relationship is irreplaceable.

I have a real CPA and two different attorneys that I use when the situation calls for it. AI can’t replace legal guidance when the stakes are high. 

But those resources usually require scheduled time and sometimes you aren’t sure if a situation rises to the level of needing to call (and pay) an attorney. AI can help me figure out if the situation is worthy of paying legal fees or not. If I do need to talk to an attorney, I am more informed on the issue and prepared for the conversation. 

If you're a solo founder or part of a small team, AI can give you the thinking space you’re often missing. Use it to draft, explore, question, and challenge your ideas—then take those thoughts into your conversations with mentors, advisors, or team members.

At the rate that AI use is proliferating the market, a business owner should assume that their competitors are already leveraging it to help their business. Learning to use AI to fill strategic gaps can be a real game changer. I use it almost every day.