New Forest Business Growth Programme - Everyday AI for Small Businesses
A hosted workshop helping us all build confidence with the fast pace of AI. Rich Burn from IncuHive will walk through some real world examples and share tips, ideas and the latest usage of LLMs/Gen AI solutions
This isn't a technical AI masterclass. It's a chance to learn and share with other New Forest business owners, a safe place to compare notes on where you've got to with AI and where you want to go next with some added up to date hints and tips to help us all move forward safely and with optimism using AI.
What we'll cover:
AI Update. What today's tools like Chat GPT, Google Gemini, Claude and Microsoft Co-Pilot are actually good at (writing, research, first drafts, images, tidying spreadsheets) and what they're not (knowing today's facts, your private numbers, replacing your judgement).
Six places AI can help you. Marketing and social, admin and email, money and invoicing, images and design, website and SEO, and understanding your local patch and competitors.
The prompt recipe. One simple structure (Role, Task, Context, Format) and a chat around the reason prompt engineering is starting to not be so essential!
Solve a real challenge, live. Bring a task you've been putting off, a tricky review, a proposal, a leaflet, an event to plan, and we'll jump in live to showcase the possibility of safe and innovative AI usage.
Scheduling tasks using AI - what repetitive and timely tasks do you have in your business? We'll look at how you can use AI to help schedule and actually do some of the repetitive tasks to help you free up time each week to focus on your business.
Who it's for:
Small business owners and their teams based in the New Forest, whatever your starting point. Whether you've never opened ChatGPT/Gemini/Claude or you're already dabbling, you're welcome.
Your host:
Rich, founder of Skills Boost and IncuHive mentor, runs this session. He works with small business owners across the region on business mentoring, digital skills, AI adoption and marketing. he is a self proclaimed "none AI expert" and believes the key to AI growth in your business is collaboration and safe places to explore and learn more. We are all in this together, so lets unite and help each other through this new AI land!
Please note - the zoom link will be emailed to you prior to the event.
Speakers
Rich Burn is a dynamic business start-up, digital-skills consultant, bid writer and marketing mentor with over 20 years of experience helping organisations and small businesses unlock their potential. With a career spanning marketing, sales, training, public-sector innovation, business support, and hands-on consultancy, he’s known for turning complex ideas into practical, human-centred solutions that drive growth. Rich has worked in corporate life, been a co-owner of a small retail business and worked across multiple sectors including public and third sector, giving him a wide ranges of experience across many fields. Rich brings energy, empathy and humour to every project. Whether mentoring entrepreneurs, supporting public-sector partnerships or running marketing workshops, his goal remains the same: to make business growth, practical, results focussed and simple - inspiring the business owner with confidence and enthusiasm to make that next step towards success.
Rich has worked in publishing (Financial Times/Pearson), marketing of the arts/film & music (including roles at Earls Court & Olympia, Bournemouth International Centre & Lighthouse, Poole Centre for the Arts). Adding to this he has worked on publicly funded programmes as a business advisor with the creative and digital sectors in Dorset and the South East and been actively involved with creative sector communities including Your Are The Media and The Marketing Leaders Forum