AI and Automation Training for Small Business Owners — From the Book to Your Conference Room
I wrote a short workbook on how local businesses can use AI and automation without turning their customers over to a robot. It is not a manual for any product. It teaches how AI actually works for a small business, in plain English. Here is how other owners can use it, and how to bring me in to teach it to your group or your team.
The short answer: How Local Businesses Automate Without Losing the Human Touch is an 88-page workbook by Frank Davis, owner of Media Pillars LLC, for owners of local service businesses. It is a vendor-neutral introduction to AI for people who run real businesses: what AI tools can and cannot do, how to use free AI assistants for everyday work, how to judge any vendor's pitch, how customers now find businesses through Google and AI search, and how to keep people in charge. The method is simple: choose the problem before the software, give every automated step a named person, and run one change for 30 days before deciding to keep, fix or stop it. Business groups can book Frank for a free 60–90 minute workshop, and companies can book a full-day training for their team in Upstate New York, Vermont and the Catskills, or over video anywhere.
Why I wrote a book at this point in my life
I never planned to be an author. I spent 23 years in military logistics, where you learn quickly that a plan is only as good as what happens when something goes wrong. Then I spent the next decade building websites, phone systems and follow-up for HVAC shops, plumbers, law offices, insurance agencies and restaurants.
The same conversation kept repeating. An owner had been pitched three AI tools that month, bought one, and was now paying for software nobody used — or worse, software that answered a customer wrong. The problem was never the technology. Owners were never taught what AI is, what it is good at, and what questions to ask before they buy. So I wrote that down in plain language, short enough to read in an hour, with no product to sell inside it.
Who the book is for
- Owners of HVAC, plumbing, electrical and other home-service companies
- Insurance agencies, law offices and other appointment-driven practices
- Restaurants, retail shops and venues that live on phone calls and reviews
- Office managers and front-desk staff who will actually run whatever gets bought
- Chamber, Rotary and trade-association leaders looking for a useful member program
If you have more calls than people to answer them, or you suspect customers are finding a competitor in Google or ChatGPT before they find you, it was written for you.
How other business owners can use it
It is a workbook, so it is meant to be written in. Here are four ways I have seen it work best:
1. As a one-afternoon planning session for the owner
Read it in an hour, then spend an afternoon on the lined pages: the calls you miss, the questions customers ask every week, the jobs that fall through the cracks. You finish with one problem named and a 30-day plan to fix it.
2. As a team exercise before buying any software
Hand a copy to your office manager and your lead tech. Have each of them list the three calls they dread most. Those calls become the test every vendor must pass. A demo that only shows the easy call is not a test.
3. As a crash course in free AI tools
The “Try This With AI” prompts work in any free AI assistant. Owners use them to draft customer replies, write job descriptions, summarize reviews and plan a week of posts, and learn by doing what AI handles well and where it gets things wrong.
4. As a group program for a Chamber or association
The book is built around a workshop format, with “Try This With AI” prompts that members can run on their own phones in the room. It gives a business group a practical session that members talk about afterwards, rather than another slide deck.
Bring the author in: two ways to learn it
Both sessions are education, not a sales pitch. Nobody is asked to buy anything in the room.
What a full training day looks like
- MorningWhat AI is, and what it is notA plain-English tour of the AI tools small businesses run into: chat assistants, AI receptionists, website chat, review and marketing tools. What each one does well, and where it fails.
- Late morningHands-on with free AI assistantsEveryone works on their own laptop or phone, using free tools, on real tasks: customer emails, estimates, job posts, social posts and review replies.
- MiddayPick the problem before the productEach business names the one problem that costs it the most, and learns how to test any vendor's demo against its hardest real situations instead of the easy ones.
- AfternoonHow customers find you nowHow Google, Maps, AI Overviews and assistants like ChatGPT decide which local business to name, and what owners can do about it themselves.
- Late afternoonKeep people in charge and write the 30-day planRules for privacy, accuracy and handoffs, a named owner for every change, and a 30-day plan with a clear keep, fix or stop decision at the end.
What attendees leave with
- A copy of the book with their own notes already in it
- One problem named, with a 30-day plan and a person responsible for it
- A free AI Visibility Check showing how Google and AI assistants see their business
- A set of questions to ask any AI vendor before signing anything
- Prompts they can reuse with a free AI assistant the next morning
Where the training is available
On site within about two hours of our offices in Granville, NY and Cairo, NY: Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs, Queensbury, Lake George, Albany, Troy, Schenectady, the Adirondacks, Rutland and Bennington in Vermont, Catskill, Kingston and the Hudson Valley. Groups farther away can book the same session over video.
Media Pillars is a New York State certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOB), which some associations and public-sector groups can count toward their supplier goals.
After the training: if you want help doing it
Most owners leave ready to do the first steps themselves. Some would rather have it done for them. That is what Media Pillars does, and each plan lines up with a part of the training:
- Never Miss A Lead: missed calls texted back and every lead followed up
- Front Office AI: calls answered and appointments booked around the clock, with people handling anything urgent
- Get Found Everywhere: getting named in Google, Maps and AI assistants
- Market Leader: all of the above plus ongoing content and more towns
For search alone, our SEO Foundation, Growth and Domination programs cover local and AI search. Attendees can also book a free 15-minute follow-up call to talk through their 30-day plan.
Schedule a meeting to plan your training
Tell our assistant your organization, preferred month and group size, and we will set up a short meeting to plan it. Frank follows up personally, usually the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Frank Davis?
Frank Davis is the owner of Media Pillars LLC, a veteran-owned digital marketing agency in Granville, NY, and the author of How Local Businesses Automate Without Losing the Human Touch. He served 23 years in military logistics and has helped local service businesses in Upstate New York, Vermont and the Catskills with websites, Google visibility and front-office automation since 2015.
What does the AI training cover?
AI in general, for business owners: what AI tools can and cannot do, hands-on practice with free AI assistants, how to choose the problem before the product and test any vendor fairly, how Google and AI search like ChatGPT decide which local businesses to recommend, and how to keep people in charge. Every session ends with a written 30-day plan.
Is the training a sales pitch for Media Pillars?
No. The training is vendor-neutral and teaches AI in general using free tools. Media Pillars services are mentioned only at the end for anyone who wants help, and a free 15-minute follow-up call is offered.
Is the group workshop really free?
Yes. The 60 to 90 minute workshop for Chambers of Commerce, Rotary clubs, trade associations and business groups is free. Every attendee receives a copy of the book and a free AI Visibility Check of their business.
How much does a full-day training cost?
There is no set price. Contact Media Pillars to schedule a meeting, and the day is planned and priced around your group, its size and its location. Group workshops for Chambers, Rotary clubs and associations are free.
Do we need to be technical to attend?
No. The training is written for owners, office managers and front-desk staff. Nobody writes code. Where a laptop helps, attendees use free tools they already have, such as their phone, calendar, Google Business Profile and a free AI assistant.
Where do you hold the training?
On site within roughly a two-hour drive of Granville or Cairo, NY, which covers the Capital Region, Saratoga, Glens Falls, Lake George, the Adirondacks, western Vermont, the Catskills and the Hudson Valley. Groups farther away can book the same session over video.
Is the book available on Amazon?
The paperback and Kindle editions are coming soon to Amazon. The book page at mediapillars.com/book/ will link to the listing as soon as it is live.
Does ChatGPT recommend your business — or your competitor?
The same check every workshop attendee gets. Your score on screen and a PDF report in your inbox.