A.I. in the Spotlight at July Small Business Solutions Hub
Last Friday, local Chamber members gathered at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce for the latest installment of the Small Business Solutions Hub – a quarterly program designed to deliver practical guidance on the most pressing issues facing small businesses.
When it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI), we’re all learning together. Some, like July’s Small Business Solutions Hub presenter Steve Cary, have been on the bandwagon for as long as the technology has been around, while others are still getting a grasp on just how emerging tools can be utilized to improve their daily work functions. Thanks to Cary, Friday’s program participants learned hands-on how to prepare better prompts, create systems that stick, and feel more comfortable navigating AI one step at a time.
Owner of the AI consulting company Many Mega, Cary was an easy choice to present on this topic for about 45 attendees, both in-person and online. Speaking to the relevance of the topic, attendees represented a variety of industries and levels of expertise, from private-sector CEOs to non-profit professionals to students enrolled in the Springfield Chamber’s Student Access Pass program. Cary’s robust background in tech and expertise with AI made for an easy-to-follow Small Business Solutions Hub program where attendees could show up at their own skill level and still walk away with actionable processes to implement in their workplaces.
Perfecting the prompt
During the session, Cary introduced participants to the CREATE framework (Content, Role, Example, Audience, Task, and Expectations), a structured method for writing more effective prompts across AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and others. The framework offers a repeatable approach for generating clearer and more accurate outputs from AI tools.
To illustrate its application, Cary walked through a prompt designed to assess how the recently passed federal tax bill might affect a specific business. By including details such as location, business size, industry, and other data, the example demonstrated how a prompt structured using CREATE, then only changing a few key details, can yield insights tailored to a business’s context.
From prompts to systems
In the second half of the program, Cary expanded the conversation from individual prompts to broader systems for organizing and applying AI effectively in daily operations. He pointed to platforms like Notion as useful for storing frequently used prompts, style guides, job descriptions, and other internal templates, creating a centralized workspace that supports efficiency and can then be used over and over to get fast and reliable outcomes.
Chamber members in attendance were also provided a robust library of prompts, created by Cary, to be used as a launch-point for setting up their own personalized systems – systems designed to hone AI prompts so the most reliable responses are received with maximum efficiency.
Cary also discussed “less obvious” uses of AI, including preparing for interpersonal interactions. In one example, he showed how a user might describe an upcoming meeting, outlining communication preferences and personality traits of the people involved, and receive suggestions for how to approach the conversation more effectively. These examples underscored the potential for AI to support not just productivity, but also strategic thinking and relationship-building.
A full recording of the program is available for members who were unable to attend. The session offers a practical entry point for small business owners exploring how AI tools can integrate into their work.
Please enjoy the video of the full program embedded below; also available on the Small Business Solutions Digital Hub under the Springfield Chamber Resource Library.
The Chamber would like to thank their Small Business Solutions Hub title sponsor, Kaiser Permanente, as well as their investors, Ask Erik Computer Services, Chambers Construction, Eugene Area Radio Stations (EARS), Hershner Hunter, Insights Research Lab, OCCU, and WaFd Bank. They would also like to thank IEQ Technology for sponsoring lunch from Chick-fil-a Gateway.
About Small Business Solutions Hub
The Small Business Solutions Hub is a digital resource designed to connect small business Chamber members to a network of local experts and partners, business advising services, and a library of Chamber education tools. The hub will evolve to meet local needs with quarterly business education programming, and information from local investor partners.
