The Shape of Things to Come

Welcome back

Welcome to Talk to Walk, your go-to newsletter empowering small business owners with clear, actionable AI insights to boost your success from day one! Today we are getting a bit more complex, but I promise you are going to want to follow along.

Prompt of the week: Get Me a Job!

I have been applying to jobs for the past few months to see what the market is like and what I can qualify for.

First interviews, for me, are often low prep. I do some basic research on the company and make sure I am clear on my canned responses to the typical questions.

The second interview is where things get interesting.

I will take notes during my first interview, any clues to what the hiring manager is looking for, what they hope this new hire will be capable of, and so on.

This is where AI has come in handy.

When the next round invite comes, there are usually some instructions for how to prepare. I paste that in along with my notes and any other information I have on the company.

Then I will just ask AI to help me prepare for the interview.

What follows is a step-by-step guide on what types of stories to prepare, what to showcase in my portfolio review, and how to frame it. While I still have to do the work, AI helps to take the guesswork out of it.

After I do the work, AI will give me a rating and give me ideas on what still needs polishing.

Now, I don’t expect most of our audience to be on the job market, but it shows another to AI.

I give it context and ask it to aid me in prepping for a big meeting. I have even had practice sessions where it asks me questions and I come up with answers off the top of my head, and it rates my reply. This approach can work for just about anything, so long as you can provide the right context.

Treat it like a one-size-fits-all coach, then dive right in.

App of the Week: N/A but….

If you’ve been hearing the term AI agent and wondering if you missed something, don’t worry. You’re not behind, or maybe we are both behind because this has been the talk of the town (Twitter) for a while, and I am just now learning more. However, it is something we should understand, because it’s about to shift how tools work for all of us.

What Is an AI Agent?

Right now, AI feels like a smart assistant: you ask it a question, and it gives an answer.

An agent goes further: it can take action on your behalf.

Imagine this:

• You say, “Update my website with the new pricing, then email everyone who clicked last month’s promo.”

• The agent logs into your tools, makes the change, drafts the email, and sends you a final review.

No more bouncing between tabs. It’s like hiring a junior ops person who never sleeps.

It’s Early

Most agents today are clunky. They break. They need set up.

But there is no stopping it: the interface of work is changing.

In the same way smartphones changed how we interact with the internet, agents will change how we interact with software.

And just like you didn’t need to be a developer to use the iPhone, you won’t need to be a tech wizard to use AI agents (eventually, hopefully).

If I am honest with myself, I can think of a million different things I could do with this, but I am intimidated by the complexity of setting up something like this. How cool would it be to ask an agent to find a list of people matching X criteria and then invite them to do research? Take notes for me on the call, then send me a summary? I can do all this now with AI, but it is broken into chunks of individual requests and context switching where I manually bridge the gaps.

Looking ahead

Right now, jumping into these is intimidating but keep an eye out for:

• Autonomous workflows in tools you already use (think: Zapier, Notion, or Shopify, adding "AI Actions")

• Smarter delegation in customer support or email automation tools

• Agents inside agents: tools like MultiOn, Hyper, or Relay showing what’s possible

Why This Matters for Small Biz

You won’t be replaced by AI, but someone who knows how to delegate to it might outpace you.

Understanding agents now means less scrambling later.

“How to” of the Week: How to give AI better memory (with File Uploads)

Most people treat AI like a smart assistant with amnesia.

Until recently, I was the same. I would spend time contextualizing my prompts each time I needed something. I would explain my research project over again, or remind it of a specific document, pasting in details.

But lately, I have been giving more consistency using file uploads:

Step 1: Pick the Right Files

Start with things you repeat often:

• SOPs & Templates (emails, onboarding flows, reports)

• Docs You Reference a Lot (product specs, pricing sheets, brand guidelines)

• Longform Stuff You Don’t Want to Re-explain (case studies, research summaries)

Step 2: Upload and Say What It Is

Most tools (like ChatGPT Plus or Claude) let you upload files. When you do, add a message like:

• “This is our customer onboarding SOP. Summarize the key steps, then help me rewrite it for a new user persona.”

Step 3: Reuse It Across Prompts

Once it’s uploaded, keep referencing it:

• “Based on the onboarding SOP I uploaded, create a checklist version.”

• “What parts of our process could be automated using AI?”

Bonus: Make a Starter Pack

Create a folder of go-to files:

• Your resume or bio

• Your latest investor or client deck

• A list of customer objections

That’s all for now.

Got an idea we should chase next? A favorite tool we should test? We read every suggestion.

And if you’re not subscribed yet... well, what are you waiting for? Come walk with us.

Catch you soon,
The Talk to Walk team