Quick outline:
- What I run and why I test tools
- The tools that stuck and real stories
- What I love, what bugged me, and who each tool fits
- My current stack and rough costs
Prefer a living, breathing version of this list? Check out my always-updated rundown of the best AI tools for business.
I’m Kayla. I run a small brand studio and a tiny online shop. I test tools the way I test coffee: often, and with a sharp nose. I write ads, ship client work, track cash, and post content. Some tools helped. Some got in the way. Here are the ones I actually use, with real wins and a few “ugh” moments.
If you’re hunting for an expanded, regularly updated directory of AI picks, I curate one on PTools that digs even deeper than this post. For an external vantage point, I also keep an eye on Unite.ai’s comprehensive overview of the best AI tools for business—handy when I want to sanity-check my own findings.
1) ChatGPT (daily helper, messy genius)
What I use it for:
- Sales emails, meeting notes, and quick press pitches
- Spreadsheet formulas and simple code fixes
- Customer reply ideas when my brain is toast
Real example:
For our Black Friday push, I asked it for seven subject lines based on last year’s copy. We A/B tested two of them. Our open rate went from 22% to 31%. Small shop, small list, real bump.
What I love:
- Fast drafts that don’t feel flat
- It explains stuff like VLOOKUP in plain words
What bugged me:
- It makes things up if you let it
- Brand voice can wobble; I still do a final pass
Who it fits: Owners who wear many hats and need a smart buddy on call.
If you want to see how ChatGPT stacked up against a dozen other writing assistants, dive into my field notes on the best AI writing tools I’ve tested.
2) Notion AI (my brain’s second pocket)
What I use it for:
- Summaries of long SOPs
- Project plans from messy notes
- Action lists after meetings
Real example:
I fed it our 18-page onboarding guide. It made a two-page playbook with steps and check boxes. We shaved a week off a new hire’s ramp.
What I love:
- It sits right in my docs, so I stay focused
What bugged me:
- It can miss nuance in niche tasks; I add context
Who it fits: Teams living in Notion who hate busy work.
3) Canva Magic Write + Magic Design (quick brand-safe visuals)
What I use it for:
- Ad sets, story posts, and deck slides
- Fast mockups for client reviews
Real example:
I made a Mother’s Day ad set in 30 minutes. Same colors, clean fonts, five sizes. Click rate went from 1.2% to 2.1% on Instagram that week.
What I love:
- Templates hold brand look like glue
- Magic Write helps with short copy blocks
What bugged me:
- Photo picks can feel too stock; I still tweak
Who it fits: Small teams that need “good enough” design, fast.
On a related note, sharpening the visual appeal of your own on-camera presence can be as simple as tweaking an outfit or two; I picked up a few fun pointers from this rundown of weird clothing hacks that make you more attractive—scroll through if you want quick, low-cost style fixes that photograph well.
For a wider look at pure-play image generators, I ran a gauntlet of freebies—you can see which AI picture makers actually delivered right here.
4) Descript (edit video by editing text)
What I use it for:
- Founder story clips and reels
- Removing filler words and noise
Real example:
We cut a 7-minute interview to 2:10 by deleting text. It also auto-removed nine “uhs.” I made two audiograms for LinkedIn in under an hour.
What I love:
- It makes video feel like docs
- Captions are easy and clean
What bugged me:
- Exports can be slow on my old Mac
Who it fits: Non-video folks who still need video.
5) Otter.ai (meetings without the scramble)
What I use it for:
- Client call notes with time stamps
- Action items sent to Slack
Real example:
On a brand kickoff, Otter flagged a request I missed: “Send sample box by Friday.” That saved a week of back-and-forth and one awkward apology.
What I love:
- Clear speaker labels
- Search by keyword, which is wild
What bugged me:
- Names get mixed if two voices sound alike
Who it fits: Anyone who leads calls and wants proof of what was said.
6) Zapier + AI steps (glue for messy workflows)
What I use it for:
- Tagging inbound emails as “lead,” “support,” or “spam”
- Routing hot leads to the right person in Slack
Real example:
Before, we replied to leads in about four hours. Now? Forty-five minutes on average. The AI step reads the email and picks a label. Then Zapier sends it to the right channel with context.
What I love:
- It cuts repeat steps I used to hate
What bugged me:
- Setups can feel fussy the first time
Who it fits: Busy inboxes and mixed tools that need to talk.
If customer support is your pain point, I also rounded up the best customer-service automation tools that saved my sanity.
7) HubSpot + ChatSpot (CRM with a chat window)
What I use it for:
- Reports by chat (“show last quarter deals by source”)
- Quick follow-up email drafts tied to contacts
Real example:
I pulled a pipeline report during a call by typing a short request. No clicks. No filters. My client thought I had it prepped. I didn’t. I just asked.
What I love:
- Data at my fingertips, fast
What bugged me:
- Some answers are vague unless I phrase it well
Who it fits: Sales and ops folks who live in the CRM.
Data geeks can go even deeper with my comparison of the business intelligence tools that I lean on for real-time insights.
Curious how location-specific classifieds create their own micro-funnels? A quick glance at the patterns unearthed in Listcrawler Germantown demonstrates how search intent, profile positioning, and compliance cues interplay—insights you can remix for any geo-targeted lead-gen play.
8) Shopify Magic + Klaviyo AI (store copy and email sparks)
What I use it for:
- Product blurbs that sound human
- Subject lines and short email copy
Real example:
We wrote 50 product blurbs in an afternoon. Time on page went up 19% the next month. Fewer bounces too.
What I love:
- It keeps tone steady across the catalog
What bugged me:
- It plays safe; I add a real brand twist
Who it fits: Small shops that need clean copy now.
Marketers looking beyond store copy can skim my blow-by-blow of the best AI marketing tools I actually use—complete with wins and misses. Another great cross-functional list is StoryChief’s take on AI tools for business, which pairs nicely with my marketing-centric notes.
9) Grammarly (tone and typos, with a light AI nudge)
What I use it for:
- Tone rewrites from “stiff” to “friendly”
- Catching commas I always miss
Real example:
A formal proposal felt cold. I hit “make it warmer.” The client said, “This sounds like you.” We won the work.
What I love:
- Clear fixes, quick wins
What bugged me:
- It can push me into bland; I roll some edits back
Who it fits: Anyone who writes under pressure.
10) Slack AI (catch-up without the scroll)
What I use it for:
- Daily summaries of my two busiest channels
- Quick answers like “what did we decide on packaging?”
Real example:
I was out half a day. Slack AI gave me a tidy recap with decisions and links. No doom scroll. I was back on track in five minutes.
What I love:
- Summaries cut noise
What bugged me:
- It sometimes misses a tiny detail or emoji cue
Who it fits: Teams that chat a lot, maybe too much.
What surprised me most
- Speed stacks. One minute here, five minutes there. It adds up. I got back about six hours a week.
- You still need taste. AI can draft; you bring voice
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