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Marketing expert Cathy Balach says small businesses can use free AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to save time on marketing and analysis but warns owners must verify results and keep human judgment involved.
Author: Janis Mara
Jan. 14—Running a small business is a highly demanding, 24/7 proposition, and artificial intelligence can save considerable time and money for small business owners, an expert said.
There are hundreds of small businesses in Vallejo, and almost every one could likely benefit from using AI for tasks such as social media posts or financial analysis, marketing expert Cathy Balach said.
“What things are taking up too much of your time, or you’re not very good at? What would help you improve your business rapidly?” said Balach. “You need to identify one way AI can help you and learn how to use it for that one thing.”
Balach works with individual business owners and teaches workshops on AI for small businesses at the Solano-Napa Small Business Development Center. She is a certified regional AI specialist and business advisor with the center.
She will be teaching a course, “Marketing Smarter with AI,” through the center for $59 in February. The class will meet via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Feb. 4, 11, 18 and 25.
Each session is hands-on with live demos and guided exercises. Participants can ask questions and get answers tailored to their specific businesses.
The course includes building a marketing system that participants can use in their businesses.
Many overworked small business owners don’t even know the most basic steps for using AI. But anyone with an Internet connection can try it out for free.
“I cover all the main AI systems, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, and Microsoft Copilot,” Balach said.
Anyone can check these out simply by going to the Google search box and typing in the name of the system. ChatGPT is perhaps the best-known and is used by thousands of people for a wide variety of purposes.
After a user hits a given AI site, they can ask questions like, “How can I write a menu description for a new dish at my restaurant?” But there’s an art to it.
“You want AI to come up with answers that are tailored to you, not just a generic solution,” the expert said.
It’s all in the questions a user asks —also known as “prompts.” A good example is, “Here is the menu for my restaurant and the way it lists the dishes. Write a description of this new dish using our existing style,” Balach said.
Currently, the four main AI systems are free to use, though the tools can be customized for a fee.
There are some advantages in having a customized tool, so you get more thinking power and customization that you do not get with free tools, Balach said.
“If you save an hour a month, you have paid for your tool,” she said.
One of the important caveats when it comes to AI: “Be sure to verify the information you receive. There’s a reason the Number One phrase of 2025 was ‘AI slop.’” Balach said.
Because AI has some blind spots, people are still needed in the process, she said.
For example, if a restaurateur is interested in analyzing their financials, AI can do that. But “at the same time I would want to sit down with a restaurant specialist and say, ‘How is my pricing overall?’” Balach said.
“People are still needed in the mix,” the marketing expert said. “It’s not handing things off completely. It’s handing some of it off, but always making sure to double-check and have an expert in your back pocket” —noting that this can be done by consulting with experts at the Small Business Development Center.
Credits: TCA, LLC.