How Founders Are Using AI to Reclaim Their Workday

A founder’s guide to using artificial intelligence for fewer spreadsheets and more strategic thinking

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Entrepreneurship has always meant juggling: product development, marketing, customer service, bookkeeping—sometimes all in a single afternoon. But artificial intelligence is shifting that balance. What used to take hours now takes minutes. And what used to feel like a chore now feels like a choice.

AI tools are no longer reserved for large enterprises. From solo founders to small teams, the ability to automate repetitive work is rapidly becoming the norm. By offloading low-value tasks, founders can focus on innovation, creative problem-solving, and growth.

From Grind to Glide: Where AI Works Best

Not all busywork is bad—but a lot of it is. Common bottlenecks in startup workflows include:

• Manual data entry

• Email responses

• Meeting scheduling

• Market research

• Social media planning

• CRM updates

Fortunately, AI is already handling these. Tools like Zapier, ChatGPT, and Notion AI can automatically draft content, summarize meetings, transcribe audio, generate reports, and even suggest next steps based on trends in your business.

A recent Harvard Business Review article emphasized that “AI won’t replace you—a person using AI will.” This isn't just a snappy quote. It’s a strategic truth. The founders who win are the ones who delegate tasks to machines without losing the human touch.

49% of small businesses already use AI for at least one process, according to Salesforce research.

Below is a simple chart showing where founders report saving the most time:

Business Task	Time Saved Weekly
Email and Comms	6 hours
Content Creation	4.5 hours
Scheduling and Meetings	3 hours
Market Research	5 hours
CRM and Data Management	4 hours

Choosing the Right Tools Without Losing Your Mind

Founders don’t need to become AI engineers. But you do need a working knowledge of which tools suit your business model.

Some top picks:

• ClickUp AI – For project management, writing, and meeting summaries.

• Surfer SEO – For founders writing blog content with SEO in mind.

• Piye AI – An AI-powered sales and marketing assistant built for solo founders and growing teams.

• Lumen5 – Turn blog posts into social media videos automatically.

• GrammarlyGO – For fast email and proposal writing without losing your voice.

For a deeper look at how founders are integrating these tools into their day-to-day work, check out this video by Slidebean titled: “How I Run a Startup Using AI”

What Founders Say

Tamar Hela, co-founder of Genius Encel, told Forbes that AI allowed her small team to "look like a 20-person operation with just three full-timers."

Similarly, Y Combinator-backed founders are using AI to write code, test ads, and summarize investor meetings.

A Word of Caution: Don't Automate the Magic

There’s a difference between what’s efficient and what’s meaningful. Founders should automate the repetitive, not the relationship-building. Let AI draft your weekly newsletter—but don’t let it write your personal thank-you note to your earliest customer.

In other words: Keep the heart in your hustle.

Final Thought

The smartest founders today aren’t the ones who hustle harder. They’re the ones who work smarter—by handing the tedious stuff to software and using the extra time to build, reflect, and connect.

Your time is your most valuable resource. Spend it where it matters most.

Just launched your new business and need resources to ace direct marketing at lower costs with higher ROI?

Check out Salesfully’s course, Mastering Sales Fundamentals for Long-Term Success, designed to help you attract new customers efficiently and affordably.

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