Christian Tost · 2 min read
Where to start with AI in a small or mid-sized business
Most SMEs don't need an AI strategy deck. They need to find the one workflow where the pain is biggest — and fix it. A practical starting point.
Many leaders of small and mid-sized businesses know AI matters, but not where to begin. The tools change every month, and it's easy to end up with a pile of experiments that never become part of daily work.
01Start with the problem, not the technology
Don't ask how much AI you can put into the business. Ask what needs to work better. Where do people copy data between systems? Where do reports arrive too late? Where does a handover between teams keep failing?
Sometimes the answer is an AI agent. Sometimes it's a smarter workflow, a better integration or a simpler process. The right solution is the one that removes the pain with the least complexity.
02Rank opportunities by value and effort
List the candidates and give each a rough estimate: how many hours does it cost today, how often does it happen, and how hard would it be to change? The best first project is usually frequent, painful and fairly contained.
03Build it with the people who'll use it
A solution only creates value when it's used. Involve the team from the start, test with real cases and plan the handover. Then measure what changed and pick the next opportunity.
That's the Discover → Build → Implement → Improve method we use at PipeGrade — for larger projects and for monthly micro-workflow improvements alike.
Written by
Christian Tost
Founder of PipeGrade. Helps SMEs implement smart workflows and AI where the pain points are biggest.