As a small business owner, I know I need to create regular content. LinkedIn and Google Business help potential customers understand what I do, how I think, and whether I might be the right person to help them.
Potential customers want to know who they're dealing with. They want to see evidence of your expertise and understand how you might help them. So I decided it was time to write an article.
There was just one problem: I had no idea what to write about.
The blank page problem
I could have written about Microsoft 365 Copilot. I could have written about AI adoption. I could have written about productivity.
But none of those topics felt quite right.
So instead of staring at a blank document, I opened Copilot and asked it to help me explore possible angles.
The conversation changed my thinking
Copilot suggested several article topics.
One of those was:
"5 signs your organisation is ready for Microsoft 365 Copilot."
It wasn't a bad idea, but as I thought about it, I realised many businesses aren't even at that stage yet. They're still trying to answer a more fundamental question:
"Where should we begin with AI?"
That was when I realised the article shouldn’t be about AI readiness at all. It should be about the process I was going through right there and then.
The real value wasn't the article
Here's the interesting part: Copilot didn't write this article for me. It helped me think through what I wanted to say.
It challenged my assumptions.
It suggested alternative ideas.
It helped me refine my message.
In other words, it acted more like a brainstorming partner than a replacement writer.
The experience, opinions, and final message are all mine. But I got there much faster than I would have done on my own.
This is where many businesses can benefit
When people talk about AI, they often jump straight to automation and efficiency. Both matter, but sometimes the biggest benefit comes from something much simpler: getting started.
Whether you're writing:
In each case, the value is not simply that AI can produce words quickly. The real value is that it gives you something to react to, improve, challenge, and make your own.
The hardest part is often the blank page.
AI can help remove that obstacle.
A practical lesson
My biggest lesson so far is that AI works best when you treat it as a collaborator: don't ask it to do all the work - ask it to help you think. Challenge its suggestions. Refine the ideas. Have a conversation.
The result will usually be stronger than a first draft produced by either you or the AI working alone.
And that's how this article came to exist
What started as a search for article ideas became the article itself - not because Copilot wrote it for me, but because it helped me get unstuck, shape my thinking, and explain something I had experienced first-hand.
If your organisation is wondering where to begin with Microsoft 365 Copilot or artificial intelligence more broadly, start with a practical conversation about the work you already do. That is often where the best ideas appear.
A & L Learning Ltd helps organisations build confidence in Microsoft 365 Copilot and artificial intelligence (AI), through practical training, workshops and consultancy. We work with businesses to improve…
