I have now applied some AI learning to create this AI driven Podcast of this newsletter, so if you would prefer to put this on in background, and listen, then be my guest. Read on to read how I learned this.
This week I have had the honour of learning new skills, thanks to some amazing fellow business owners. It prompted me to ponder the challenge of keeping up and I thought I would share this with you and perhaps help you consider ‘how are you keeping up?’
The world seems to be accelerating at an unprecedented pace. With AI revolutionising the workplace, we’re all facing a future where today may be the slowest day we’ll ever experience. It brings to mind Darwin’s theory: survival isn’t about the strongest but about adaptability. In this whirlwind of change, the question becomes: how do we stay agile, learn what we need to know, and adapt without losing our footing?
Here are 5 things I pondered that I hope you can find value within:
- Time: The Precious Resource For small business owners, time is a perpetual challenge. We’re balancing client services, operations, finance, and marketing, yet we also know we need to keep learning. The pressure is on to absorb new skills quickly, but how? Plus in the limited time we have, what’s the most effective way to learn?
- Learning from Those We Respect While there are courses and formal training, few of us can afford the time. For many in small businesses, the best learning comes from our peers—those we trust and respect. This peer-based learning is invaluable because it’s grounded in real experiences, shared challenges, and insights that resonate deeply with us.
- AI Wisdom in the BIP100 Community Within BIP100, we’ve been diving into AI and how it’s reshaping our workflows, a fundamental part of business innovation, progress and ultimately survival. We’re fortunate to have members who bring both wisdom and empathy to the AI conversation. James Pick has guided us through Google NotebookLM, showing us new ways to organise information and create audio podcasts from content, such as this newsletter; Thomas Power is always nudging us with prompts to make ChatGPT even more useful; Hannah Power shares strategies for using AI prompts to build authentic personal brands; and Erik Schwartz shows us how BOTs can handle repetitive tasks, freeing us to focus on higher-value work.
- Motivation to learn – Building More Human Connections All these skills help us streamline tasks, allowing more time for what really matters—human connection. Reducing our workloads means more opportunities to nurture relationships with clients, suppliers, and, of course, each other in the business community. These connections are the heart of what we do, and they’re what help us thrive.
- The Confidence of Staying Current Finally, there’s a quiet but powerful confidence that comes from keeping up and knowing we’re learning together. When we share knowledge, validate each other’s experiences, and offer support, we gain both the courage and capability to move forward in this fast-paced world.
This is a lovely voice message that we transcribed from Lesley Thomas, an amazing BIP100 member, just a great way to show you how much we seek to bring everyone into the most recent tech:
“Thomas, I just to say to you all the encouragement you have given us with regards to AI is so gratefully received. If I wasn’t in BIP100, I am not sure I would be as comfortable with AI as I am now. I clearly remember back in January 2023, you telling us all, we had to get on to this thing called Chat GPT. I just wanted to say a big, big thank you and Penny, for all that you have brought in, in championing it, because it’s been amazing. And I think bringing notebook LM into my life is going to be even more amazing”.
Thank you for joining me in these reflections. Here’s to learning, adapting, and thriving—together.
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