AI. Some people hear those two little letters and think:

🤖 “Robots are coming for my job.”

😬 “I don’t get it, so I’ll ignore it.”

🙄 “It’s just another fad.”

Sound familiar?

Very similar to the kind of comments that were made when the world wide web first came into being. And we all know how that turned out.

Here’s the truth: whether you love it, hate it, or don’t quite understand it yet — AI and automation are already here.

They’re not waiting for you to feel ready.

And if you keep ignoring them, you’re missing out on tools that could save you hours every week, sharpen your customer experience, and put your business ahead of the curve.

Even the Experts Agree

Back in June, we went along to the East Midlands Chamber AI & Automation conference in Nottingham. It was buzzing with professionals and exhibitors from all over the East Midlands and it was packed with lightbulb moments and hugely valuable takeaways.

Joyann Boyce gave one of my favourite explanations of AI bias — she compared training AI to training a puppy. Feed it the wrong stuff and you’ll get a bad result, but with care and the right guidance, it learns exactly how you want it to behave.

Paul Ince also shared powerful insights on how AI can amplify what businesses already do well, rather than replace the human touch.

Hearing these insights right here in Nottingham reaffirmed what we've always known - local businesses have just as much to gain as global ones.

And that’s the key takeaway: AI isn’t about robots taking over. It’s about making us more effective, freeing us from repetitive grind, and helping us deliver more value to the people we serve.

Why Work With AI Instead of Ignoring It?

1. You’re already using it (you just don’t know it).

Netflix recommendations, voice assistants, email spam filters — all powered by AI. The difference is whether you’re just passively consuming it or putting it to work in your own business.

2. It saves you hours.

Drafting content, sending follow-ups, managing admin. AI + automation can handle all the boring stuff you hate doing. Imagine paying someone just to move numbers from one sheet to another… AI can do that in seconds. We know of many companies who leave money on the table by not following up on quotes or chasing outstanding invoices.

3. It levels the playing field.

Big companies have teams of specialists. AI gives smaller businesses the same kind of firepower — without the salary bill.

4. It’s not going anywhere.

Deciding not to use it is one thing. Pretending it doesn’t exist is like refusing to get a website back in the 90s. We all know how that ended.

The Real Fear

Most sceptics we meet aren’t “anti-AI” at all. They’ve just never had it explained in a way that makes sense. Once they see it in action, the penny drops.

One business owner told me after a chat:

“Thank you, that’s genuinely the best way that’s ever been explained to me.”

And that’s the shift — from fear and confusion to excitement and opportunity. They had genuinely been very worried that in their sector, the supply of clients would soon dry up and they'd be out of business. They hadn't made the connection that they could make AI work in their favour, but they left the conversation fizzing with ideas of how they could evolve and do things differently.

Want Your Own Lightbulb Moment?

On Friday 29th August, 1–4pm we’re hosting an in-person workshop in Nottingham:

Unlock AI + Automation for Your Business

You can think of it like a playgroup for grown-ups. Instead of ball pits, we’ve got laptops, coffee (or prosecco or beer if you prefer), and practical, hands-on sessions showing you how to:

• 📝 Create marketing content in minutes

• 🔁 Automate your customer follow-ups

• ⏳ Save hours on repetitive admin

• 💡 Discover new ways to serve your customers

This isn’t a lecture. It’s interactive, straight-talking, and designed to give you that buzz people keep telling me about after our sessions.

And yes, we are so confident it’ll be worth your time that if you aren’t walking away feeling like you’ve learned something valuable, we'll refund you faster than AI can write a bad limerick.

So…

👉 Are you going to keep side-eyeing AI like it’s some passing fad?

👉 Or are you going to come and see what’s possible for your business - and have some fun while you’re at it?

You should know that we want this workshop to be deliberately small in size because we want everyone to have enough attention and space to ask their own unique questions and for everyone to have a valuable takeaway - and to be honest, we’d rather not send any refunds!

You can book your space here.

Don’t ignore it. Don’t fear it.

Work with it — and make it work for you.

Here's that booking link again - https://notluck.co.uk/event-ai-workshop - because we want you to be involved!

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