Your inbox, your peers and your vendors are all saying the same thing: you need to be using AI. You are not sure where to start, or whether it is worth the time you do not have.
The pressure is real, but the results are more mixed than the headlines suggest. A New York Fed report on a 2025 survey of 5,248 employer firms found that 46% use AI tools, and another 15% planned to within a year.
Only 31% reported higher sales from AI, and 77% reported no change in labor costs. AI users were more optimistic about hiring and revenue, but the authors call those associations, not proof of results.
So you are being told to hurry on a decision that has not yet paid off for most. If you feel stretched, that is a reasonable response.
Many owners also fear that competitors will pull ahead while they hesitate. That fear is worth naming, because it can push you to buy before you know what you need.
Start with a problem, not a tool
Pick one task that drains you every week, such as drafting proposals, answering the same customer questions or following up on quotes.
Good starting points are usually repetitive and low risk. If a mistake could damage a client relationship, keep a person in charge of that task.
Ask the people who will use it. Your staff often know where the friction is.
Run a 30-day test with a number
Decide before you start how you will measure it, such as hours saved, response time or errors caught. Try it for 30 days and compare. If the number does not move, stop without guilt.
Protect your customers while you test. Do not put confidential client information into a tool unless you know how it is stored and used, and review what it produces before it goes out under your name.
Bring wisdom, and decide where the time goes
Proverbs 14:15 says the prudent give thought to their steps. Discernment is part of faithful stewardship, and it applies to technology as much as to money.
If a tool gives you back five hours a week, decide in advance who gets them. If you do not, the business will absorb them. Your marriage, your rest and your team are all worth a claim.
One step to take this week
List the three tasks that take the most of your time each week.
Choose one, and write down how long it takes now.
Set a success number you can check after 30 days.
Write down where any saved time will go, and tell someone.
It is also fine to decide that now is not the time. Choosing not to adopt yet, on purpose, can be a wise decision.
Let's talk it through
No survey can tell you whether AI fits your business right now. A conversation can help you decide what to test and what to leave alone for a season.
Reach out for a conversation: bill@onpathcoaching.com or 763-458-3722.
