AI Is Not a Tool — It's Your New Teammate
Join us for a transformative webinar powered by the ECU CRISP Center + Setser Group to discover how small businesses can leverage AI as a collaborative partner rather than just another tool in your kit.
April 24, 2025
prepared by Bryan Setser, Chief Wayfinder at Setser Group

Setser Group

Bryan Setser selected to Pirate Hall of Fame!

Bryan Setser: A Legacy of Educational Excellence Celebrated by East Carolina University Setser Group couldn't be more proud to announce the induction of our founder and CEO, Bryan Setser, into the 202

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Congratulations to the University of South Carolina on securing a $35 million GEAR UP grant from the U.S. Department of Education! This significant achievement will enhance college and career readiness for students across South Carolina, fostering greater access and opportunity in education.

Mindset Shift: AI-Team-As-A-service (AITAAS)
Active Labor Force
Reframe AI as an active contributor, not a passive tool
Labor-to-Token Exchange
Your prompts are input, AI tokens are output
Teammate Mindset
Treat AI as your employee, not just another app
When you shift your perspective to see AI as a labor force rather than software, you unlock its true potential. This fundamental change enables more productive interactions and better results for your small business.
Understand - What AI Team Members Do
🧠 AI-Driven Sticker Shop Growth (Indiana)
Therese Waechter, owner of Otto’s Grotto, an online sticker shop, utilized AI tools like Jasper and ChatGPT to automate tasks such as writing product descriptions, generating hashtags, and customizing her Shopify storefront. By employing "vibe coding"—using AI to generate and refine code—she implemented advanced customizations without hiring a developer. This approach led to more than doubling her business revenue in 2024.

Business Insider

I use vibe coding and AI to run my Etsy and Shopify store. It's helped me more than double my revenue in a year.

Therese Waechter sells stickers online. She told BI how she uses AI and vibe coding to improve her Shopify storefront and boost revenue.

🏦 2. Live Oak Bank’s AI-Powered Lending (Wilmington, NC)
Live Oak Bank, headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, serves small business owners nationwide. Through its subsidiary nCino, the bank developed AI and machine learning platforms to automate and enhance banking functions.These tools streamline processes like loan origination and compliance, enabling faster and more efficient services for small business clients.

Bank Automation News

Live Oak Bank Leverages NCino to Speed Up Loan Process

Live Oak Bank’s loan process for its business customers got a lot faster today. The bank, headquartered in Wilmington, N.C., specializes in loans to small and medium businesses. It announced today that it had partnered with cloud-based banking systems provider nCino to provide a more streamlined and transparent process for its customers. The two companies have […]

🛡️ 3. AI for Safety and Routing in Moving Services (Texas)
3 Men Movers, a Texas-based moving company, integrated AI-driven cameras to detect distracted driving and advanced routing technology to optimize routes by avoiding high-traffic and high-crime areas. This implementation led to a 91% accuracy rate in detecting distracted driving and a 4.5% reduction in accidents within the first three months .​

Business Insider

How one Texas-based moving company is using AI to improve safety, optimize routing, and reduce liability

3 Men Movers uses AI to minimize driver distraction and enhance routing. Its CEO says the tech helps the business stay competitive in the industry.

🧘 4. AI-Powered Mental Wellness App (New York City)
Neurofit, a mental wellness app developed in New York City, combines AI and neuroscience to combat chronic stress.The app uses AI for mental health coaching, app development, and translating content into over 40 languages, making the program more accessible globally. It collects users' biometric and stress-related data to create personalized guidance and insights tailored to individual needs .​

Business Insider

A New York City-based startup combined neuroscience with AI to build an app that helps with chronic stress

The small business uses AI in mental health coaching and app development. Its app provides somatic exercises to address chronic stress.

Develop - Training AI Teammates
Direct with Clear Operations Prompts
1. 🛠️ Business Operations Optimizer
Prompt:
"You are my AI operations manager. Audit my current workflows for customer service, scheduling, invoicing, and inventory. Suggest ways to automate or improve them using AI tools like Zapier, Notion AI, or QuickBooks AI. Provide a weekly execution plan with tool recommendations and estimated ROI."
🔍 Use Case: Service-based or product-focused businesses with repeatable processes (salons, mechanics, boutiques, etc.)
📈 Outcome: Efficiency boost, cost savings, fewer manual errors
Integrate into Workflows
Build AI steps into your standard operating procedures to maintain consistency.
🧩 Workflow Integration Prompt for Agentic AI
Prompt:
"You are my AI systems architect. Review my standard operating procedures for [insert key business area: customer service, sales, inventory, onboarding, etc.]. Identify 3-5 steps where AI can be integrated to increase consistency, reduce manual work, and ensure quality. Recommend specific tools (like Zapier, Make.com, or ChatGPT APIs), what tasks they should handle, and how to document them in a repeatable workflow SOP."
Supervise and Review
Maintain quality control by reviewing AI outputs before finalizing or publishing.
🔍 Quality Control Prompt for AI-Generated Outputs
Prompt:
"You are my AI editor-in-chief. Review the following content [paste content: email, blog post, social caption, ad copy, etc.] for tone, accuracy, clarity, and alignment with my brand voice [insert tone: e.g., friendly, expert, bold]. Highlight any issues, suggest improvements, and provide a final polished version ready for publishing. Include a checklist of what was reviewed and improved."
🛠️ Add-On (Optional for Deeper Control):
"Use a professional editing framework like CRAFT (Clarity, Relevance, Accuracy, Flow, Tone) to structure your review. Make final recommendations in bullet form at the end."
Just like any team member, your AI needs guidance and feedback to perform at its best. The more specific your direction, the better your results will be.
Explore - Case Studies
20-50%
Bakery Growth
For bakeries looking to harness similar strategies, resources like Janelle Copeland's "AI Made Simple for Bakers" workshop offer tailored guidance. This training provides tools and copy-paste AI prompts designed to help bakers save time, automate tasks, and scale their businesses more efficiently .

www.janellecopeland.com

AI Made Simple For Bakers: Save Time, Sell More!

Join Janelle Copeland for a 60-minute LIVE Training for bakers, and small business owners in the food industry, who want to learn how to leverage AI to save time and SELL more in their businesses.

200K Followers
Social Media Marketing
A content creator described how leveraging AI tools, particularly GPT, transformed their Instagram strategy. By feeding GPT with video transcripts, the AI generated compelling captions and relevant hashtags, leading to a remarkable increase in reach and follower count. Specifically, the creator's follower base grew from 3,000 to 100,000 in just 22 days, showcasing the potential of AI-driven content to enhance engagement and attract new followers .​

Medium

How I gained 200K new Instagram fans with AI: A Step-by-Step Guide

How I Gained 200K New Instagram Fans with AI

18% Return Rate
Repeat Customer Base
Business: Black Oak Coffee Roasters (California)
Challenge: Retain online customers and drive repeat purchases
Solution: Integrated an AI-powered recommendation engine with their Shopify site and email platform.
  • Used AI to analyze purchase patterns and send personalized product recommendations (e.g., based on roast preferences, buying frequency, and seasonality).
  • Implemented automated follow-up emails with discount codes or loyalty points after 30, 60, and 90 days of inactivity.
  • Added a chatbot concierge using GPT to assist customers in finding their perfect blend.
Results:
☕ 18% increase in returning customer rate
📧 2.4x higher click-through rates on personalized AI emails
📈 12% lift in revenue from loyalty program participants
While these results are impressive, remember that human oversight remains essential. Each business maintained quality by reviewing AI outputs before publishing - the perfect balance of efficiency and authenticity.
Activate - What to Do Next
Write Your First 3 Prompts
Start small with three specific AI requests that could help your business this week. Practice makes progress.

GoDaddy Blog

AI prompt library for small businesses

Leverage innovative AI for small business with our curated collection of AI prompts, designed to get entrepreneurs started with AI.

Follow Setser Group on Substack

setsergroupwayfinder.substack.com

The AI Race Is On

How Organizations Can Lead With Advisory, Design Labs, and In-Residence AI Coaches

Assess Your AI Readiness
Score yourself on tools you're using, prompts you've created, and your review process to identify improvement areas.

Microsoft Adoption

AI Readiness Wizard – Microsoft Adoption

Based on Microsoft’s research and work with customers, we’ve identified five drivers of AI value and a few simple questions that can help identify your readiness to begin realizing meaningful business value from AI.

Build With Us on Wayfinder AI

Setser Group

Wayfinder AI | Setser Group

Have a specific AI challenge or aspiration ? Our team of skilled designers and developers will create custom-made AI products that address your organization's unique requirements. From AI tutors to intelligent agents, we've got you covered.

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YouTube

The Power of Purpose #purposedriven #personalgrowth

Unlock your purpose and unleash your potential Join us as we explore the power of purpose and how it can drive motivation, resilience, and fulfillment. Share your story of finding purpose in the comments! At Setser Group, we're a Wayfinder organization dedicated to helping leaders, teams, and organizations navigate the future of learning and work. As Wayfinders, we guide people and teams through sustainable innovations, empowering them to deepen and scale their impact for a better world. Learn

Run your business through a scenario planner GPT Team Member

ChatGPT

ChatGPT - Scenario Planning GPT

A GPT for creating scenarios and strategies for scenario planning.

The businesses that thrive won't be those with the most advanced AI, but those who most effectively collaborate with it as a team member.