Most business owners are using AI like a novelty toy.
Daft profile pics. Fiddling with email subject lines. Asking it to write limericks.
Bollocks.
The men getting real results are using AI to replace entire functions – whole jobs, whole roles, whole headcount they never had to hire.
Here’s what that actually looks like.
The No Bullshit Version
- Most owners use AI like a toy – profile pics and email fluff – and wonder why nothing changes.
- Used properly, AI and automation can replace 7-10 employees’ worth of work in a small business.
- The trick is stacking it: one process, then another, then another. Compounding over months.
- The real payoff isn’t time saved. It’s capacity. A leaner business that scales without payroll bloat.
“Charlie, hope this isn’t too cheeky. Would love to know what you actually do with AI inside One Man Empire?” – Gary, Preston.
It is cheeky.
Which is exactly why I’m answering it.
So, here it is in no particular order…
A list of everything I use AI and automation for in my business:
Doing the prep work for events and meetings
- Brainstorming topic content
- Drafting notes
- Drafting slides
- Drafting proposals
- Drafting communications
Doing the post-work for events and meetings
- Write up notes
- Write up action lists
- Uploads video to Vimeo
- Sends outputs
Getting rid of 80% “just a quick one” questions like
- Where do I find…
- How do I do…
- What’s the best way to…
Killing my inbox and to-do list
- Auto-prioritise the inbox into folders
- Kills the crap
- Auto-forward emails to accountants, developers, etc
- Meeting booking is automated, only within set windows
- Transcription of voice messages
- Automatically request invoices
- AI adds tasks to my list based on what’s in my diary that week, e.g. meeting reminders, calls, video uploads
Making Sue (my PA) mega productive
- The daily task list is automated
- Every task includes a standard operating procedure video
- Pop-up tasks automatically hit Sue’s to-do list
- Payment collection is automated
- Failed payments chasing is automated
- Receipt and invoice extraction is automated
Creating assets
- Hero dashboard of results, targets, and progress with real-time updates
- Website builds are automated
- Auto-create and update SOPs from repeated tasks
- SEO keyword clustering
- New lead follow-up
- Branding images
- Leads into CRM
- CRM updates
- Creation of diagrams and artwork
- Onboarding journey – text, email, post, call reminders
- Lead to sale journey – text, email, post, call reminders
- Creation of social posts
- Repurposing of content
…And that’s just what I could think of while writing this.
(Reality is, the men here have all this too. Once I build it, it’s inside Empire on Autopilot for them.)
Doing some fag-packet maths, I’d need somewhere between 7 and 10 employees to do all this manually.
Instead of carrying that payroll, I bank the profit.
Using AI and automation like a small army of invisible staff.
And working 4 days a week.
But the biggest benefit isn’t even the time… it’s the capacity.
This is how to run a bigger business with fewer humans.
Just last week, I started building a new mini-project that extracts and writes case studies straight from recordings and posts.
That’s how this works… you build one thing… then improve another… then bolt on a third.
Compounding, brick by brick, re-tuning what you’ve already got.
Then you wake up six months later, wondering why the business now behaves like it’s had a suspicious amount of steroids for breakfast.
I’d say I add or improve something at least twice a month.
Meaning capacity keeps mushrooming without the payroll bloat.
Meaning this:
If you’re using ChatGPT to faff with emails and make a daft profile pic, you’re doing it wrong.
Now, I’m not saying everyone wants to go as hard as I do.
But I am saying most businesses are waddling around with human bloat, daft systems, and too many processes balanced precariously on the business owner’s back.
….And I’d bet good money 97% of businesses could make a truckload more profit and scale a lot harder by fixing that.
Especially with Empire on Autopilot to do all the heavy lifting.
That’s exactly why Empire on Autopilot exists….
I build this stuff once.
Then the men inside get it in their business too.
So if you like the sound of a leaner business, fatter margins, and fewer humans asking where the latest version of the document lives…
Make More. Provide More. Be More.
Charlie Hutton
FAQ
What does a business owner actually use AI for beyond ChatGPT prompts?
Inbox triage. Meeting prep and follow-up. Drafting proposals. Payment collection and chasing. CRM updates. SOP creation. Lead follow-up. Website builds. Case study writing from recorded calls. The list runs to 50+ items and replaces what would otherwise be 7-10 employees’ worth of work in a small business.
Can AI really replace employees in a small business?
In terms of output, yes. AI and automation can cover the work of 7-10 employees in a typical small business – inbox management, admin, payment chasing, lead follow-up, content creation, SOP writing. The men using it properly bank the profit instead of carrying the payroll.
How do you start using AI and automation in your business?
Stop treating it like a toy. Pick one process that eats your time – inbox triage, payment chasing, meeting prep -and automate that first. Then bolt on a second. Then a third. Compounding is how you wake up six months later with a business that behaves like it’s had a suspicious amount of steroids for breakfast.
What’s the biggest mistake business owners make with AI?
Using it to faff with emails and make profile pictures. That’s not AI use – that’s novelty. The real win is automating entire functions your business would otherwise hire humans to do. Inbox, admin, payment chasing, lead follow-up, SOP creation. Pick one. Start there.
How much time does automation actually save a business owner?
The better question is how much capacity it creates. I work 4 days a week and my business handles what would normally require 7-10 employees. The time saving is obvious. The capacity to do more without adding headcount is the real prize.
What To Do Next
If you’re tired of running a business that only functions when you’re chained to the desk, there’s a better way.
You’re not evil for wanting to replace jobs with profit. You’re running a business, not a crèche. If you want the full playbook – the exact method hundreds of UK men have used to hit £1 million without a payroll dragging them under – start with my best-selling book. It’s here on Amazon
