Start with the problem, not the model.
The companies actually getting value from AI aren't starting with the technology — they're starting with a specific, measurable problem. Solution-first thinking is why most AI efforts stall.
There's a pattern emerging in small and mid-sized businesses right now. Someone hears about AI, sees a demo, gets excited — and then asks, "Where can we use this?"
That's backwards.
The companies actually getting value from AI — especially at scale — aren't starting with the technology. They're starting with a very specific problem, usually one tied to cost, time, or customer friction.
The wrong starting pointSolution-first thinking sounds strategic. It isn't.
Most AI efforts begin with three sentences:
- "We should use AI for customer service."
- "Let's add a chatbot."
- "Can we automate marketing?"
These sound strategic, but they're not anchored in anything measurable. They don't define a problem — they suggest a tool. And that's why they stall.
When you start with a solution, you end up trying to force-fit it into your business. Teams spend time experimenting, but not solving. You get activity, not impact.
The right starting pointSimpler — and harder.
A better approach asks three questions:
- Where are we wasting time?
- Where are customers getting stuck?
- Where are we paying people to do repetitive, low-leverage work?
This isn't about ideation. It's about constraint.
A practical exampleWhat enterprise actually does.
Large companies already operate this way, even if they don't always describe it explicitly.
Take customer service in a modern retail organization. They don't start with "let's deploy AI." They start with:
- Contact drivers — why customers are reaching out
- Resolution time — where agents spend effort
- Failure points — where interactions break or escalate
Only after those are understood do they introduce AI: drafting responses for common inquiries, summarizing conversations to speed up handoffs, suggesting next-best actions for agents. The AI is applied precisely where friction already exists.
The AI isn't the strategy. It's the tool applied to a problem that already exists.
For Main Street businessesYour advantage is clarity.
If you run a local or mid-sized business, you don't need a transformation roadmap. You need focus.
Start here:
- What takes your team too long every single day?
- What do customers repeatedly ask or struggle with?
- Where do mistakes or inconsistencies show up?
Pick one. Just one.
Then ask: could AI reduce the time, improve the output, or eliminate the step entirely? If the answer isn't clearly yes, move on.
AI is not a capability you "adopt." It's a lever you apply. The businesses that win won't be the ones who experimented the most — they'll be the ones who aimed it the best.