AI for Small Business: From Prompts to Practical Workflows
Use AI with confidence—from better prompts to practical, repeatable business workflows.
One repeatable four-stage process—choose, brief and verify, apply, systemise safely—applied across marketing, research, documents and everyday business tasks. Includes a task-based tool-selection guide and three complete worked walkthroughs. Designed for Australian small businesses.
What you’ll learn and practise
- A four-stage working process: choose, brief and verify, apply, systemise safely
- How to choose an AI tool and working mode for different tasks, using a task-based selection guide
- A practical method for writing clearer, more useful prompts
- How to research, compare sources and check AI-generated claims
- Ways to use AI in marketing and customer communication
- Practical applications for documents, meetings and everyday business tasks
- Three complete walkthroughs showing the full process from task to reviewed output
- How useful prompts can become repeatable business workflows
- An introduction to connecting workflow steps with Make
- Key Australian privacy and responsible-AI considerations
- How to create a practical AI playbook and 30-day implementation plan
What's included in AI for Small Business
Preview the course
Start with two selected free lessons, then enrol when you are ready to continue.
Choose a Useful, Low-Risk Business Task
Start with a task that is useful, easy to check and unlikely to cause harm if the first draft is wrong.
Give AI Useful Context
Help AI produce a more relevant result by explaining the task, the business context, the audience and the required output.
Full course access
Enrol to unlock the complete AI for Small Business course, including all modules, quizzes, practical tasks, templates, checklists and implementation resources.
How the course is structured
The modules follow one repeatable four-stage process, so each stage builds on the previous one instead of repeating it.
Choose
Decide when AI is useful and which type of tool fits the task.
- Get a Useful AI Result
- AI in 2026: The Essentials
- Choosing the Right Tool and Working Mode
Brief and verify
Provide useful context, research carefully and review the result.
- From Prompts to Better AI Collaboration
- Research, Accuracy and Better Decisions
Apply
Use the process across realistic marketing and business work.
- AI for Marketing and Customer Communication
- AI for Everyday Business Productivity
Systemise safely
Turn suitable tasks into controlled, repeatable workflows.
- Building Repeatable AI Workflows
- Build Your First Controlled Workflow in Make
- Safe and Responsible AI for Australian Small Business
- Build Your Practical AI Playbook
Course curriculum
Quick Start.Get a Useful AI ResultChoose
4 lessonsQuick Start helps you complete one useful AI-assisted task without needing technical knowledge. You will choose a low-risk task, give AI enough context, improve its first draft and complete a final human review.
- QS.1Choose a Useful, Low-Risk Business Task6 min
- QS.2Give AI Useful Context8 min
- QS.3Improve the Result Through Conversation8 min
- QS.4Check the Result Before You Use It8 min
Module 1.AI in 2026: The EssentialsChoose
3 lessonsUnderstand what modern AI is, how generative AI produces outputs, where it can assist a small business and why human judgement remains essential.
- 1.1AI, Generative AI and AI Agents15 min
- 1.2What AI Can and Cannot Do10 min
- 1.3Human Judgement and Responsibility10 min
Module 2.Choosing the Right Tool and Working ModeChoose
5 lessonsLearn how to select an appropriate AI assistant or working mode, decide when live search or deeper research is needed, work safely with files and business context, and test tools against real business requirements.
- 2.1General AI Assistants10 min
- 2.2Search, Research and Deeper Reasoning11 min
- 2.3Working with Files, Images, Voice and Data11 min
- 2.4Projects, Memory and Business Context20 min
- 2.5Which Tool Should I Use for This Task?16 min
Module 3.From Prompts to Better AI CollaborationBrief and verify
5 lessonsLearn how to move beyond vague one-line prompts by defining the goal, providing useful context, setting clear requirements and improving results through structured follow-up.
- 3.1The CLEAR Prompting Method15 min
- 3.2Adding Context and Trusted Source Material10 min
- 3.3Setting Requirements and Output Formats10 min
- 3.4Improving Results Through Follow-Up9 min
- 3.5Creating Reusable Prompts11 min
Module 4.Research, Accuracy and Better DecisionsBrief and verify
4 lessonsLearn how to recognise unreliable AI answers, choose when current research is required, check sources and use evidence to support—not replace—business judgement.
- 4.1Why AI Gets Things Wrong17 min
- 4.2Live Research Versus Model Knowledge11 min
- 4.3Finding and Checking Sources12 min
- 4.4Comparing Evidence and Options12 min
Module 5.AI for Marketing and Customer CommunicationApply
5 lessonsUse AI to support research, positioning, content and creative development while protecting accuracy, customer trust and the business's responsibility for what it publishes.
- 5.1Customer and Market Research12 min
- 5.2Positioning, Offers and Campaign Ideas12 min
- 5.3Website, Email and Social Content20 min
- 5.4Images, Video and Creative Briefs12 min
- 5.5Reviewing Claims Before Publication14 min
Module 6.AI for Everyday Business ProductivityApply
7 lessonsUse AI to assist with emails, documents, meetings, procedures, planning, presentations and simple data analysis while keeping source information, decisions and approvals under human control.
- 6.1Emails, Documents and Summaries12 min
- 6.2Meetings, Actions and Follow-Up12 min
- 6.3Proposals, Presentations and Planning13 min
- 6.4Spreadsheets and Simple Data Analysis15 min
- 6.5Walkthrough 1: From Approved Information to a Customer Email18 min
- 6.6Walkthrough 2: Evidence-Based Business Research20 min
- 6.7Walkthrough 3: From Repeated Task to a Controlled Workflow20 min
Module 7.Building Repeatable AI WorkflowsSystemise safely
4 lessonsTurn a useful AI task into a documented, repeatable business process with clear inputs, approved context, structured outputs, human review and ongoing testing.
- 7.1Mapping a Repeatable Business Process18 min
- 7.2Inputs, Context, Steps and Outputs21 min
- 7.3Human Review and Approval Points11 min
- 7.4Testing and Improving a Workflow13 min
Module 8.Build Your First Controlled Workflow in MakeSystemise safely
5 lessonsIntroduces Make through one complete, low-risk practice scenario. It shows how information moves through a scenario, how fixed automation differs from an AI step, how to test safely and where human review still belongs.
- 8.1Meet Make and Choose a Safe First Scenario16 min
- 8.2Build the Basic Scenario: Trigger, Action and Mapping24 min
- 8.3Add Filters, Routes and Exception Handling18 min
- 8.4Add One Narrow AI Step20 min
- 8.5Test Failures, Approvals and the Activation Decision24 min
Module 9.Safe and Responsible AI for Australian Small BusinessSystemise safely
4 lessonsApply practical Australian privacy, consumer, intellectual property, fairness, transparency, staff-use and governance controls to everyday AI use.
- 9.1Privacy, Confidentiality and Data Handling15 min
- 9.2Australian Consumer Law and Business Claims13 min
- 9.3Copyright, Bias and Transparency15 min
- 9.4Testing, Monitoring and Accountability24 min
Module 10.Build Your Practical AI PlaybookSystemise safely
4 lessonsTurn the course into a focused small-business AI plan by reviewing opportunities, selecting priorities, documenting approved uses and creating a realistic 30-day implementation and review cycle.
- 10.1Prioritise the Right Use Cases21 min
- 10.2Build Your Practical AI Playbook15 min
- 10.3Create a 30-Day Implementation Plan14 min
- 10.4Measure Value, Review and Keep Learning14 min
AI for Small Business FAQs
- Is AI for Small Business self-paced?
- Yes. AI for Small Business is self-paced written training. You can work through the 50 lessons across 11 sections in your own time and pick up where you left off.
- Is AI for Small Business video-based?
- No. The lessons are written, with practical tasks, templates and worksheets you can apply straight away.
- Who is AI for Small Business for?
- Marketers who want stronger foundations, plus business owners, freelancers and consultants who manage their own marketing.
- How much does AI for Small Business cost?
- A$249/year, which includes 12 months of access. It renews annually unless cancelled before renewal, and we email you 21 days beforehand.
- Can I try part of the course first?
- Yes. Selected lessons are available as a free preview, so you can see the format before enrolling.