Insights for owners
Practical guides on AI agents, funding, data and data protection for small and medium-sized businesses.
Guide · 5 October 2026 · 4 min readWhat AI agents can (and can't yet) do for a small business
An honest look at where AI agents help a café, a practice or an agency today, where they still fall short, and why a person should approve every step that leaves the company.
- Agents are strongest at analysing, planning and drafting on your own data.
- Anything that leaves your company, like an e-mail to a customer, should be approved by a person.
- Start with one recurring task, check the results, then expand step by step.
Funding · 24 September 2026 · 4 min readFinding public funding: why timing matters more than the programme
Many small businesses miss out on a grant not because they picked the wrong programme, but because they started too early. The general rules worth knowing before you search.
- Apply before you sign contracts or start the project, unless the programme explicitly allows otherwise.
- Know whether you count as an SME and how much de-minimis aid you have already received.
- Prepare quotes, a cost plan and a business plan early, and always check the current conditions.
Data · 15 September 2026 · 4 min readFrom spreadsheet chaos to a usable data base: preparing your numbers for AI
AI agents are only as good as the data they work with. How a small business can get its sales, costs, customers and stock into a shape that is actually useful.
- Start with four data sets: sales, costs, customers and stock.
- Keep one source of truth per topic and use clear, consistent names.
- Update on a fixed rhythm; a slightly older but reliable data set beats a fresh but messy one.
Data protection · 3 September 2026 · 4 min readGDPR and AI tools: a checklist for small businesses
Before you put customer or patient data into an AI tool, a few questions need clear answers. A practical checklist, provided as general information and not as legal advice.
- Conclude a data processing agreement with every provider that processes personal data on your behalf.
- Share only the data a task really needs, and know where it is stored and processed.
- Health data and professional secrecy need extra care; when in doubt, ask your data protection officer or a lawyer.