Plus 3 Brothers and a Cousin to Save You Time
While I’ve been speaking at conferences about AI and Small Business since 2019, this year has seen me accelerate my practical research in the space. Think about that for yourself – what happens to your time when you decide to toss in something new?
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Last week’s video talked about where we invest our time. This week we take one practical step forward – because you can’t just start something new, or start doing more of the Growth or Wealth you desire, without also doing less of (or getting rid of) other tasks that are currently your responsibility.
In order to spend more time on AI for my clients (and my fans), I had to exit another large, exciting business project. Whether it’s AI in your business, or grasping other big opportunities, this week’s video can help.
- Blackboard Fridays Episode #8 introduces 3 Brothers and 1 Cousin
- Your AI Tool of the Week is easy Image creation for any marketing task
1. Blackboard Fridays Episode #8
Most new business owners think that Strategy is about the great ideas you say ‘YES’ to.
Great business owners know that Strategy is about the great ideas you say ‘NO’ to.
If you want to grow your role away from Revenue and Admin and into more Growth and Wealth creation, it’s not sufficient to just do “Morov” those exciting new tasks. You have to decide what to do “Lessov” or get “Ridov” … and thanks to our friends at businessDEPOT, we have just the family to help you there!
Watch this week’s video or read the article here.
2. Microsoft’s AI Image Generator – Say Goodbye to Stock Photos
Your Cost $0+ | Microsoft’s Cost $10 billion
The Pitch: “Create images from words with AI”
Just as ChatGPT uses “Generative AI” to create answers, blog posts, homework assignments and more with words … there are also a number of programs using Generative AI to create pictures.
For me, the current leader is MidJourney (and I haven’t even played with 5.1 yet). If you really want to push the boundaries discussed below, then invest time + US$60/mth with their comprehensive solution. I’m not ready to teach you Discord yet, so know that MidJourney has a learning curve.
THEREFORE, if you want a free and easy taste in this space, make the most of Microsoft’s $10 billion investment into OpenAI.
Create your first AI image in seconds using Bing’s Image Creator. You do need a Microsoft Account (no cost, and you probably have one for Office365 or similar already) to use this tool.
The key to great images is to be wholly unreasonable with the level of detail you request. You won’t be impressed with “show me a bear”, but check out “a panda bear baking a cake in a sunny kitchen, digital art” and choose which of the 4 creations you like best.
How to use Generative AI Images for Business Fun and Profit
This is more than a novelty toy – release it to your team, and watch them use Generative AI to Generate new business ideas. Here are two to get you started:
1. Stock Photos for your Powerpoints and Proposals
- You’re not allowed to steal great images from Google to use in your business presentations
- But stock photos cost money, or require trawling through sites like Pexels to find ones that are never quite right
- It used to be hard to find an image of “termites eating lumber wearing green top hats“, but not anymore!
2. A Social Media Campaign that Showcases your Team
- Whatever your business, you can generate an image depicting a common situation
- Now ask your team to each share their favourite artist or artistic style from history
- Create that common situation … changing the prompt each time to include “in the style of Van Gogh” (etc)
- You have just created a library of unique, copyright-free images that reflect both your business and your team – why not post a few to your social media accounts with a note about which team members like Cezanne, Picasso, Van Gogh, 8 Bit Pixel Art, and more!
Just be mindful the artificial intelligence is far from perfect. Though sometimes I would like an extra hand when I’m on stage!
With love,
Jacob Aldridge
International Business Advisor