10/07/2026
The great AI debate… it’s time to talk about it! 👀
I’m just going to come out and say it: yes, I use AI for my business. But I want to be transparent about how + why.
As a small business owner, I do A LOT myself: making the products, designing labels, planning shoots, creating content, managing social, handling orders and customer service… all while working full-time and raising three kids.
To stay afloat, I use the tools available to me, just like any other business. Social media marketing is a never-ending, demanding job in itself. So I use AI to help me brainstorm, proofread, edit photos and move through some of the more time-consuming parts of content creation faster.
Does it hallucinate? YES 😂
That’s exactly why it’s not the authority. It’s a tool, not a replacement for my knowledge, experience, creativity or judgment.
I know my brand. I know what I want Coco&Soy to look and feel like. I know my customers and what’s important to them including the integrity behind my brand and handcrafted products.
I’ve spent 8 years building this business and developing my voice as a creator. A few months of using AI doesn’t erase that, diminish the work I’ve put in, or dim my light as a creative.
If anything, it has helped keep me in the business of creating hand-poured candles, while raising humans, keeping the lights on and still having a life outside of my business.
That said, I know there are drawbacks, and I take pride in running this business as sustainably as possible. That isn’t erased from my conscience just because I use AI.
But just like many of us continue to use and support the large platforms and corporations that are rapidly integrating AI into their own products and services, I hope we can give small business owners some grace as we navigate these tools too. We’re trying to build and stay in business in an ecosystem largely shaped by those same companies.
What are some ways you use AI in your business? And if you’re completely against it, I want to hear from you too.
Let’s talk about it 👇🏾✨