As a small business owner, you wear every hat - marketing, sales, customer service, bookkeeping - usually without the staff or budget of a bigger competitor. AI has quietly become the great equalizer, letting solo operators and small teams get done what used to take an entire department. This course cuts through the hype and shows you, step by step, how to put AI to work in your business starting the very next day. We'll discuss "AI hallucinations" and pitfalls to be aware of when using AI.

You'll learn how tools like ChatGPT and Claude can help you write marketing copy, respond to customer inquiries, draft proposals and contracts, research competitors, and streamline the administrative tasks that eat up your day. We'll go a step further, too - you'll get a hands-on look at how AI can be shaped to respond to your clients the way you would, in your tone, with your policies and product knowledge, so it feels like an extension of you rather than a generic chatbot. We'll also explore what's possible when AI is built directly into your website - from live chat that greets visitors and answers questions on your behalf, to behind-the-scenes workflows that quietly save you hours every week. Bring a task from your own business and leave with a plan (and the confidence) to tackle it with AI.

Donnie Seigler founded his web development company, Crack-Ajax Web Technologies, to help make technology accessible to everyone. For over a decade he has taught CFU students how to build websites using WordPress, and his recent work has focused on bringing AI tools and integrations directly to small business websites. He's now eager to guide you into the world of AI.

Level: Beginner - No technical background required. A paid plan is not required for class, but if you plan to use AI for business, it is recommended. Also, bring your laptop so that you can access your AI account. If you don't have a laptop CFU will have desktops available. Please call the office to reserve (303-399-0093 ext 0).