AI Made Practical for Small Businesses
Cost: Early bird pricing until October 1 is $49.99. Includes coffee bar, lunch, networking happy hour, materials, and a 90-day plan.
Every small business owner has heard the same warning: adopt AI or get left behind. But nobody's telling you where to actually start.
You don't need to become an AI expert. You need a clear next step, and a room full of people who've already found theirs.
That's what this day is built for.
The Foundation for Better Business and Agentic Commerce Advisory are bringing Austin's small business community together for one working day of practical AI adoption, hosted as the Small Business Track of Austin Tech Week 2026. No jargon. No hype. Just real answers to the questions you're actually asking:
- What does AI actually mean for my business?
- Where should I start?
- Which tools are worth using?
- How can AI help me attract more customers?
- How can AI save me time every week?
- What should I do first?
You'll hear from leaders at Google, Amazon, Accenture, and more. But just as important, you'll hear from small business owners who aren't theorizing about AI. They've already put it to work in their own companies, made the mistakes, found what actually moves the needle, and they're going to tell you exactly how.
Here's what your day looks like:
- What's changing and why it matters. A clear-eyed look at what's actually shifting for small businesses right now, and what to do about it.
- Getting real results from AI. Practical ways to move past just trying AI tools and start getting something useful out of them.
- Prompting and working with AI well. Techniques you can use the same afternoon to get sharper, more useful answers.
- Putting AI to work in daily operations. Where AI actually earns its keep in the day-to-day of running a business.
- Real owners, real results. Small business owners, not theorists, on exactly where AI has saved them time and money.
- Using AI responsibly. What to protect, what to watch, and how to set basic ground rules without overcomplicating things.
- Building a business with AI. A founder's honest story of going from idea to launch with AI as a real partner.
- Getting found by AI. How to show up and get recommended inside the AI platforms your customers are already using.
- Hands-on workshops. Choose one: get your business found and recommended by AI, redesign a real workflow to save hours a week, or set practical AI ground rules for your team.
- Ask the Experts roundtables. Small-group tables with specialists across tools, workflows, finance, and more. Bring your toughest questions.
- Closing conversation. The day's biggest ideas, brought together, with a clear read on what to do next.
- Your 90-day action plan. Leave with a written plan built for your business, not just notes.
One day away from your business is not a small ask. This is built to be worth every hour of it: the insight, the connections, and the plan you'll walk out with would typically cost thousands in consulting fees. Here, it's the whole point of the day.
Stay for the happy hour and keep the conversation going with the people in the room who are figuring this out right alongside you, as well as the experts who believe small businesses are the backbone of our economy and are committed to making you stronger.
You don't have to have it all figured out before you walk in. You just have to walk in.
Register now!
The Foundation for Better Business propels the potential of Texas entrepreneurs by delivering essential education, vital resources, and powerful networks that spark growth, fuel leadership, and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Texas. Learn more here.
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Corporate Partnership Opportunities Are Available!
Title Sponsor - $10,000
Presenting name on the event, top logo placement everywhere, stage welcome, newsletter and social recognition, 5 tickets, closing panel moderation. Top-tier benefits finalized with sponsor.
Co-Pilot Sponsor - $5,000 SOLD
Catalyst Sponsor - $3,500
Logo on signage and materials, newsletter and social recognition, 5 tickets, volunteer opportunity, direct networking access.
Sidekick Sponsor - $2,500
Logo placement, newsletter and social recognition, 5 tickets, volunteer opportunity, direct networking access.
Happy Hour Reception Sponsor - $2,000
Signage and branding at the Happy Hour Reception, logo placement, newsletter and social recognition, 2 tickets.
Coffee Bar Sponsor - $1,000
Signage and branding at the morning coffee bar, logo placement, newsletter and social recognition, 2 tickets.
Contact foundation@austin.bbb.org for more information on sponsorships.
By participating in this event, you understand that you are attending an event in which The Foundation for Better Business will be utilizing various forms of media to capture event activities, such as recording, photographing, filming or other media channels used by The Foundation for Better Business, and, as such, your image may be processed by such media during your event participation. We want all attendees to be able to participate in the activities. The Foundation for Better Business cannot guarantee that attendees’ images will not be captured during the event, but by letting attendees know that filming and photography will be taking place, those who do not wish their likeness to be captured can avoid filming areas or follow the related instructions of local staff if relevant processes are in place.
