Welcome to the first edition of Smarter Than Busy.

📰 AI News That Impacts SMBs

Insights and stories at the intersection of AI and small business: what’s changing, why it matters, and how it actually hits the ground

AI Errors (hallucinations) Are Costing Small Businesses Trust

A family-run pizzeria, Stefanina’s, discovered that AI-generated results online had changed its menu and operating hours incorrectly. Customers showed up when the shop was closed, leading to lost sales and frustration. This highlights how AI hallucinations are no longer just quirky mistakes—they’re hurting real businesses.

💡 Why This Matters

AI is quickly becoming the default interface between customers and businesses. If your information is inaccurate across directories, AI may misrepresent you, costing you trust and revenue. Small errors, like wrong hours or menus, can permanently damage credibility.

How This Plays Out

Imagine a local salon where AI says you open Mondays, but you’re actually closed. A first-time client arrives, feels let down, and leaves a negative review. One wrong answer becomes a reputation hit.

What This Means for Your Business

Audit your business info weekly. Check Google Business, Yelp, and local directories for accuracy. Don’t assume your website alone is enough—AI pulls from everywhere. Keep key details (hours, services, phone number) clean and consistent.

AI Overviews Are Steering Traffic Away From Small Sites

What’s Happening (source: Financial Times, August 21, 2025)

Google’s AI Overviews—summaries that appear at the top of search results—are drawing user attention away from website links. Reports show fewer clicks are flowing to businesses because users get the answer directly in the overview box.

💡 Why This Matters

Ranking high on Google used to guarantee visibility. Now, even if your site is #1, Google’s AI may summarize the answer without sending traffic your way. For small businesses, that means visibility depends on whether AI cites or describes you—not just your SEO rank.

How This Plays Out

A bakery that ranks for “best cinnamon rolls near me” may still get skipped if Google’s AI Overview highlights a competitor. Customers read the summary, choose from there, and never visit your page.

What This Means for Your Business

Shift your focus from just SEO to AI visibility. Make sure you’re listed in third-party directories, encourage customer reviews with descriptive language, and keep your business data clean. Test AI yourself: ask ChatGPT or Perplexity for “best [your service] near me” and see who shows up.

🛠️ Tool Updates / Feature Highlights

Two fresh updates this week that make everyday work simpler without adding headaches

🆕 Tool Update: ChatGPT Now Remembers You

Before, every time you used ChatGPT you had to re-explain who you are and what you do. Now it remembers your business and writing style across sessions. Think of it like a shop assistant who remembers your usual order.

🆘 How It Helps

This saves time and makes ChatGPT more useful for small business tasks like writing posts, drafting emails, or making flyers. You don’t have to re-type your background each time.

👀 Picture This

• Last week you told ChatGPT you run a bakery that sells sourdough bread. Today, you just say “write me another ad for my bread” — and it remembers the details.

• Or imagine you’re a plumber who writes invoices in a certain style — ChatGPT remembers that format for next time.

• Or a yoga instructor drafting weekly class emails — it keeps the same warm, encouraging tone without you retyping it.

Try it: “Remember that I run a local bakery focused on organic bread. I like short, friendly writing. Write me a product description for my new sourdough loaf.”

⭐ Feature Highlight: ChatGPT’s Custom Instructions

Many people don’t realize ChatGPT has a “Custom Instructions” tab in its settings. You can tell it about your business and your preferred writing style once — and it will apply that to every conversation.

🆘 How It Helps

This avoids repeating yourself and ensures outputs sound consistent. Perfect for solo business owners who juggle emails, social posts, and customer replies.

👀 Picture This

• A coffee shop can set: “I’m a neighborhood café with a friendly, casual vibe.” Every menu draft now sounds like you.

• A plumber can set: “Keep things simple, avoid jargon, write like you’re talking to a homeowner.”

• A consultant can set: “Professional but warm, focus on saving time for small business owners.”

🧭 Try This

Open ChatGPT → Settings → Custom Instructions → Fill in: “I run a [business type]. I want my writing to sound [tone].”

💡 Smarter Than Busy in Action

Real small-business owners using AI in simple, clever ways — the stuff that actually works in the wild.

Consultant Uses AI to Write Proposals in Half the Time

The Story: A solo marketing consultant shared on X how they use Claude to draft client proposals. Instead of starting from scratch, they feed in their past proposals and client notes, then let AI create a first draft. Editing takes half the time it used to.

Why It’s Smart: Proposal writing is repetitive and eats hours each week. By offloading the first draft to AI, this consultant saves time while keeping the final product personal and tailored.

Takeaway: Identify one repeat writing task in your business — proposals, emails, or job postings — and let AI handle the first draft. You’ll still make the final call, but you’ll cut the busywork.

Mega Prompt of the Week

🛠️ “What’s Falling Through the Cracks?” Prompt

Prompt:

“Act as a second brain for my business [paste what you do]. Based on my description below, tell me:

• 3 things I’m likely forgetting or doing inconsistently each month

• Why they matter

• A simple system to keep them on track going forward

Use Case:

Helps you spot small leaks—like missed invoices, skipped thank-you emails, or inventory checks—and fix them with simple systems.

That’s it for today. I want to thank you all for taking a few mins from your day to read Smarter Than Busy Edition #1

Until the next edition