You’ve heard plenty about Artificial Intelligence being a “game changer” across industries – but what does that mean for your day-to-day work? We asked ourselves this question – and how AI could level the playing field for small businesses – and did some investigating.
We know that as a small business owner, manager, or employee, there’s so much you need to keep up on – so when do you have time to learn how to use AI? Today is the day! In this beginner-focused session, join us as “AI Explorers” as we discuss the basics of Artificial Intelligence. In this “AI 101” session, we will:
- Give you a foundational understanding of how AI “thinks,” including common drawbacks and areas where the tools excel.
- Teach a framework for how to talk to AI using prompt engineering (and suggestions for improving prompts when something goes wonky!)
- Give you examples of how you might use a variety of free or low-cost tools – including, but not limited to ChatGPT! – to increase efficiency in tasks ranging from marketing to administrative tasks to operational planning
You will leave this session with sample prompts to try, tools and resources to explore, and the confidence to embrace being an AI Explorer – starting today!
Registration
Location: Online, Live virtual session via Zoom. Course link will be sent out shortly before the first session.
Session date and time: 9:30 – 10:45 am CST on 2/12/2025
Fee: WEDC and the Mainstreet Bounceback Program are covering the $99 cost of this webinar for operating, for-profit businesses under 500 employees. These businesses should register here:
Businesses < 500 employees – register here for Spring 2025
Fee: We have a limited number of seats available for nonprofits, pre-venture (not yet started) businesses, and those participants from a company of over 500 employees thanks to the generosity of UW-Madison SBDC’s supporters. These organizations should use the link below to register.
Register here for Spring 2025
Cancellation Policy: Due to program costs and space limitations for these programs, participants are expected to cancel their registration at least 24 hours ahead of the program. Cancellations that occur less than 24 hours prior to the start of the program will be considered no-shows and may be removed from future programming and/or charged a course fee.
Disability Statement: Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UW-Madison SBDC office at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu to request accommodations.
“Engaging and interesting while being informative. One of the better webinars I've attended.”
Stacey Lantagne, Crafters on Central, Florence, WI
“All the information is cutting edge and great for the small business owners.”
Maurice (Moe) Wince, Sherman Park Grocery Store, Milwaukee WI
Presenters
Amy Bruner Zimmerman
Amy Bruner Zimmerman brings more than two decades’ management experience to her role as a Business Consultant with the WI Small Business Development Center at UW-Madison. She seeks to help small- and mid-sized companies profitably pursue their passion by drawing on her own career in private, non-profit and public sectors from Fortune 500 to startups. She specializes in identifying and quantifying target markets, building strong financials and tapping cost effective resources to develop strong plans. Amy holds a BBA from Eastern Michigan University and an MBA degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Heather Ferguson
Heather Ferguson is a dedicated learning and development professional with a proven track record of empowering entrepreneurs and busy professionals to transition into new roles, develop critical skills, and navigate complex topics with confidence. She excels at creating engaging and actionable learning experiences tailored to meet diverse learner needs. As Program Manager at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Heather works to design, deliver, and refine educational programs that address the evolving needs of adult learners.
Heather became an “AI Explorer” in spring 2023, seeking to develop a foundational understanding of game-changing artificial intelligence technology to help resource-strapped entrepreneurs work more efficiently. Focused on approachable, practical uses of the tools, she has since presented more than 15 AI 101 sessions for entrepreneurs and SBDC colleagues locally, statewide and nationally. She also received ASBDC AI U Certification, a program supported by Google.org for SBDC consultants, and has been part of the national ASBDC AI Interest Group to help set the course for SBDC AI consultant training.
Heather also received an inaugural national ASBDC 40 Under 40 award in 2022, and was nominated for Wisconsin SBDC State Star in 2021 and 2024. She has a B.A. in English and Journalism from Northern Illinois University and an M.S.Ed. in Higher Education from Western Illinois University.
The Wisconsin SBDC Network is a proud part of the Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship in the University of Wisconsin System.
It is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact us at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu or call (608) 263-2221.