Running a small business means wearing many hats. Finding ways to save time without compromising your values is key. As a solopreneur, I used to spend 10+ hours per week on my blog. That's a huge chunk of time for anyone, let alone someone managing every aspect of their business. Now, thanks to AI, that time is cut by more than half, leaving me with 3-6 hours a week. This isn't about letting AI take over. It's about smart, ethical use that supports your unique voice and ideas.

​I could have my entire blog written by AI. I could tell AI my audience, give style guidelines and ask it to come up with a weekly schedule for the year, and then have it generate an article each week. Not only do I believe this is unethical, but I believe the writing process helps me develop my ideas and share my expertise. This connection to my own thoughts and the years of learning I've dedicated to my field is incredibly important to me. As a solopreneur, I find the support of AI invaluable. Without a team to review my writing, I can easily write things that don’t send the intended message. AI serves as a sounding board to double-check that my writing is expressing the message I intend and for whom I want to receive the message.

Before diving into the ethical do's and don'ts of AI, it's essential to understand my personal approach to content creation. My blog isn't just about sharing information; it's about connecting with my audience through my distinct perspective, which is deeply rooted in years of dedicated learning and practical experience. This foundation is what AI helps me refine and present more efficiently.

Learning and Consuming Information: The Foundation of My Expertise

My writing process truly begins with a relentless pursuit of knowledge. I am constantly reading, listening to podcasts, and researching business topics, mindset, well-being, leadership, etc. This isn't a casual hobby; it's a core part of my values and identity. I take copious notes using Notion, and I link them all with a combo of Zettelkasten and PARA. This meticulous note-taking system ensures that every valuable insight, every research finding, and every "aha!" moment is captured and easily retrievable. (every, is not really possible, but attempted!)

​If I find even non-related content could have a lesson I find applicable to business owners, I make sure to capture it in Notion. My brain is always looking for connections, for ways to simplify complex ideas for small business owners. Quite often I get bombarded with ideas when I am running and have time to mull over the ideas in my head, so I run straight into my office to capture the thoughts. These moments of clarity, while exercising or just letting my mind wander, are where genuine, unique ideas are born—ideas that AI simply can't replicate. My ability to make these connections is a direct result of the breadth and depth of my years of learning on various topics.

Planning My Topics: Strategic and Intuitive

My content planning is systematic yet flexible. I work around a framework I developed called FLOW, and each month I write on one overarching theme. Within that monthly theme, I pick one specific aspect for each week of the month. The topics are based on inspirations from the content I am consuming and my years of learning on the topic. This ensures that my content is not only timely but also reflects the accumulation of my knowledge and insights.

As ideas for topics pop into my head, I think about my calendar and how the topic fits into my FLOW schedule. I write the potential topic for the week it seems appropriate in a Notion calendar for my content. I will have the whole month’s content planned out before it starts. For example, I schedule one FLOW topic each month, and there are 4 weeks in each month. This cycle repeats each quarter with new weekly topics. This structured approach allows me to maintain consistency while ensuring a steady stream of valuable content.

Planning My Topics: Strategic and Intuitive

Ideally, I would batch write all the month’s articles in one sitting, but often, I end up writing everything the week I publish it. My process for fleshing out a topic starts with a comprehensive brain dump. I essentially brain dump everything I want to talk about for the topic. This is where my years of accumulated knowledge truly come into play. I'm not just pulling ideas from thin air; I'm tapping into the deep well of my past reading, research, and practical experience. This initial unfiltered outpouring is crucial for capturing the raw essence of my thoughts.

After this brain dump, I connect on the topic and use the search feature in Notion to find other notes that I have taken in the past which are related that I may have forgotten. This is a direct application of Tiago Forte's Second Brain methodology (affiliate link), which emphasizes connecting ideas and leveraging your accumulated knowledge. Using Notion, I can copy in notes that are related and even refer to previous content I have created on the topic. This ensures that my current blog post is enriched by, and builds upon, my extensive body of work and years of dedicated learning.

​This entire initial phase—from consuming information and taking notes to planning topics and brain dumping—is entirely human-driven. It's where my unique perspective, my values, and my accumulated expertise truly shine. And this brings us to where AI enters the picture, not as a replacement for this valuable human element, but as a powerful tool to enhance it.

Here are five ways I ethically use AI to make my blogging process more efficient and effective, always ensuring my authentic voice and hard-earned expertise remain at the forefront:

The key is that the AI is working from my human-generated content and under my clear direction, rather than creating content from scratch.

​This whole process still takes several hours and is the most time-consuming part of my work week outside of direct client work. I could save even more time by using AI more extensively, but I want to maintain my high-touch, and I still save several hours a week. If I had an assistant, that person would probably be doing a lot of what AI is doing, but AI is cheaper. AI does save me time, and I believe it usually helps improve my writing. It frees me up to focus on the higher-level strategic thinking and client work, which are irreplaceable.

It’s easy to fall into traps when using AI, especially for content creation. For small business owners who value authenticity and ethical leadership, understanding these pitfalls is as important as understanding the benefits. Here are two unethical pitfalls I actively avoid to maintain my blog's authenticity and integrity, and why they are critical for preserving your unique brand and the value of your years of learning:

Implementing AI effectively and ethically in your business, especially for content creation, requires a mindful approach. Here are practical tips to help you integrate AI while upholding your values and ensuring your unique voice shines through:

Prompt to use with AI to have it help you with your blog
(mainly generated by AI).

I need your assistance in developing a comprehensive brand guide specifically tailored for my company's blog. The goal is to establish clear parameters for all written content to maintain a consistent brand identity. Please help me define the following:

I envision this guide as a living document that will help us produce high-quality, on-brand blog content consistently.

​Ask me questions one by one to develop this guide.

By embracing AI as a powerful assistant rather than a full-fledged replacement, small business owners can significantly boost their efficiency without sacrificing the authenticity, unique voice, and values that define their brand. My journey from 10+ hours of blogging to 3-6 hours a week proves that AI can be a game-changer, provided you use it ethically and intelligently.

​Book a systems audit to find out how you can save an hour or more a day!