The Business Owners Toolkit: AI for Business Owner-Managers: A one-day, hands-on session for responsible AI adoption that turns AI into practical time-savers (without risking your data or your reputation)

If AI feels like hype, risk, or something you will “get to later”, this one-day programme is designed for you. It is a practical, guided Live Lab built specifically for SME owner-managers who want to use AI responsibly, safely, and with clear business value.

You will learn what AI is (and what it is not), where it fits in day-to-day operations, and how to keep human judgement at the centre of decisions. Then you will apply it immediately through structured exercises, completing an AI Business Audit and leaving with a 30-Day AI Adoption Action Plan and a Compliance Starter Pack you can use straight away.

Who this training is for

SME and micro-business owner-managers who want:

• practical efficiency gains in operations, communications, planning, and decision support
• to explore AI, but need clear guardrails around privacy, confidentiality, and accountability

What we will cover

• Understanding AI in a business context: what it is, what it is not, and realistic use in SMEs
• Responsible AI adoption and risk awareness: privacy, confidentiality, what should never be entered into AI tools, and human oversight
• EU AI Act (SME-relevant) essentials: a plain-English overview of what “low-risk vs higher-risk” means for everyday business use
• Disciplined prompting using the PROMPTS framework: why most prompts fail at work, and how to get accurate, controlled, business-ready outputs
• Practical AI uses for SMEs (use-case led) across:
  • o Communications and operations
  • o Planning, numbers, and decision support
  • o Automation and workflow support
• AI Live Lab: complete your AI Business Audit and identify your safest, highest-value use cases
• Implementation: build your 30-Day AI Adoption Action Plan and set boundaries, responsibilities, and review points

Agenda

• 09:30 Welcome: AI as decision support, not decision-making (“AI drafts, humans decide”)
• 09:50 Understanding AI in a business context: where it fits, where it does not
• 11:00 Break (15 minutes)
• 11:15 AI risk awareness and EU AI Act essentials for SMEs: guardrails, privacy, accountability
• 12:10 Disciplined prompting with the PROMPTS framework (guided practice)
• 13:00 Lunch (40 minutes)
• 13:40 Practical everyday uses of AI for SMEs: communications, planning, decision support, simple automation
• 14:40 AI Live Lab: complete your AI Business Audit (on your laptop)
• 15:45 Implementation: your 30-Day AI Adoption Action Plan + Compliance Starter Pack
• 16:20 Wrap-up: next steps, quick wins, and how to keep adoption controlled and realistic
• 16:30 Wrap up

What you will leave with:

• A clear, non-technical understanding of AI and safe boundaries for your business
• A repeatable prompting approach using the PROMPTS framework, so you get more accurate and useful outputs
• A completed AI Business Audit identifying where AI can add value (and where it should not be used)
• A realistic 30-Day AI Adoption Action Plan with one or two priority use cases to test safely
• A practical AI Compliance Starter Pack, including:
  • o AI Use Policy template
  • o AI Training Record template
  • o AI Tool Use Register
• Guidance to capture internal AI use via a copy-based Google Form

Why SMEs should attend

• Stop experimenting blindly: understand what is safe, what is risky, and what belongs in “do not use AI for this”
• Save time fast: identify everyday use cases that reduce admin and improve consistency without adding complexity
• Protect your business: build risk awareness around privacy, confidentiality, and accountability, with practical templates to support responsible use
• Leave with outputs, not just notes: your audit, your plan, and a compliance starter pack you can implement immediately

Meet your trainer

This programme is delivered by Simone Foster, Programme Manager and AI Trainer at Optimum Results. Simone has over 30 years’ experience across HR, recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, and ICT skills, with professional experience including roles with Aon Insurance, Benfield Greig, PwC, Hays AP, BIC Systems, and BT. Her focus is on turning complex topics into clear, structured actions that SME owner-managers can apply straight away.

Optimum Results is an Ireland-based training provider founded in 1995, with a team of staff and specialist associates, and experience supporting thousands of clients across multiple countries.

Logistics

• Date: 6th May 2026
• Time: 09:30 to 16:30
• Location: Enterprise House, O’Brien Road, Carlow
• What to bring: A laptop (this is a hands-on session)

Ready to adopt AI safely and make it pay off in your day-to-day business?

Book your place now and leave with a practical knowledge and the templates you need to put this new way of working in place.