What’s a burning question on your mind relating to AI? Each week I pick 1-2 questions to answer. Send in yours here.
At the end of this email you can read this week’s question + answer (about winning clients with AI).
Over the past few weeks I've had a bunch of conversations about AI with people across different industries.
Same pattern every time.
They know they should be doing something.
They're not really doing anything beyond the occasional ChatGPT query.
The blockers are always the same combo: time, "where do I start", and skill gaps. I get it. I was the CEO of a software business. There's no space for "play" unless you create it. And creating that space feels impossible when you're already stretched thin.
But here's what's been bouncing around my head: even the tiniest consistent investment is enough to put you slightly ahead of the pack.
Because most businesses are treating AI like a marriage proposal. Either they're all in or they're running away.
It’s not that binary.
Instead, treat it like going to the gym. One hour a week. Consistent. Non-negotiable.
The challenge with AI adoption when you’re starting out: it's not deterministic.
You can't plan your way to the perfect automation. You can't wait for the perfect moment to start.
You just have to show up and mess around.
I've been watching this pattern for months. The businesses crushing it aren't the ones with elaborate AI strategies. They're the ones who blocked an hour every Friday to play with stuff.
Not implement. Not deploy. Play.
The market is splitting into three groups:
Group One is too busy to experiment. They're grinding out 60-hour weeks, proud of their hustle. In two years they'll wonder why their competitors are doing double the output with half the team.
Group Two went full AI religion. They've spent three months building the perfect system. It breaks the first time a client sends a PDF instead of a Word doc. Meanwhile their pipeline dried up.
Group Three gets it. They're running their business normally AND spending an hour a week in pure exploration mode.
Not implementation mode. Exploration mode.
Big difference.
Implementation mode needs ROI. Clear outcomes. Success metrics.
Exploration mode needs curiosity. That's it.
This is why the "one hour a week" frame works. It's small enough that you won't destroy your business. Large enough that you'll actually discover something useful.
The compound effect is stupid powerful. Month one, you save 2 hours on proposals. Month two, you automate invoice follow-ups. Month three, you discover AI can QA your client deliverables.
Six months in, you're operating at a different level. Not because you had some master plan. Because you showed up every week and tried stuff.
Here's your tactical blueprint:
Block one hour. Same time every week. Calendar it like a client meeting.
Come with problems, not solutions. "Email takes too long" not "I need to build an email automation."
Try three things in that hour. Don't polish anything. You're prospecting for gold, not building jewelry.
Keep what works. Delete what doesn't. Don't get attached.
Accept that 80% of what you try won't work. That's not failure. That's data.
The businesses that win the AI game won't be the ones with the best strategy. They'll be the ones who started experimenting while everyone else was still planning.
One hour a week. That's literally all it takes to not get left behind.
(But if you want to accellereate ahead of your comp, you’re gonna need to spend more time than that…)
You don’t have to revolutionize your business or ignore AI completely.
Turns out you just need to show up to the playground.
This week’s reader question: “How can I use AI to actually win more clients, not just save time?” – John P.
You should approach this from two vectors:
- direct: what can you do to increase your client wins
- indirect: how can you increase the time you can allocate to winning clients, by reducing the times spent on lower-ROI things.
I would start finding time-wins in the second category. Use the Automation Mapping Matrix to map out everything else.
Then use the Automation Brief process to implement the lowest hanging fruit first. Build from there.
Compound some wins in the indirect category first. Now you have created both time and earned experience to experiment with ways to bring leverage to your highest ROI activity; winning clients.
Good luck!
(Have a question? Send it here.)
If you have ideas you want me to write about, hit reply!
Until next week,
Martin
PS: Go connect with me on LinkedIn and say hi! It’s always fun to chat with readers
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