Advanced AI for Small Business: Use Cases & Project Mentoring

This advanced workshop is designed for small business owners who are ready to take their AI projects to the next level. Through guided mentoring, live demonstrations, and peer collaboration, you’ll explore how to build scalable, secure, and context-aware AI solutions tailored to your business needs.

Whether you're refining a GPT, building a new automation, or testing a fresh idea, this session offers practical insights and hands-on support to help you move from experimentation to implementation.

What You’ll Learn

✅ Check-In & Applied Insights

• Reflect on what worked and what didn’t in your previous AI projects
• Share key insights, challenges, and standout outcomes with the group
• Identify common patterns and learn how to scale GPTs and automations into repeatable, embedded workflows

🔐 Private AI & Sensitive Data (

• Introduction to privacy-first AI using local/private LLMs (e.g. StudioLM)
• Learn how to run internal knowledge assistants entirely offline—ideal for legal, confidential, or IP-sensitive tasks
• Discuss the trade-offs between privacy, cost, and trust, and debunk common myths around AI privacy

🔧 Advanced Tool Integration (MCP)

• Deep dive into Model Context Protocols (MCPs) and advanced tool usage
• Explore how AI can retrieve, integrate, and reason across multiple data sources and services
• Build smarter workflows that connect your GPTs to live databases, spreadsheets, and applications

🚀 Mini Hackathon & Mentoring

• Choose a goal: improve a GPT, build a new automation, or test a new idea
• Receive live feedback, optimisation tips, and troubleshooting support
• Share progress and insights with the group to learn from diverse use cases

Workshop Outcome

By the end of this session, you’ll have:

• Built and tested multiple working prototypes tailored to your business
• Gained clarity on when to use public vs private AI
• Hands-on experience with advanced GPTs and tools that go beyond simple prompting—grounded in context, automation, and real-world business needs

Who Should Attend

• Small business owners with prior experience using AI tools
• Entrepreneurs looking to scale or refine their AI workflows
• Anyone seeking practical mentoring and advanced use case development

Spaces are limited – reserve your place today and take your AI projects to the next level!

Meet the Trainer Giancarlo Erra is a seasoned tech-creative entrepreneur and business consultant with over 25 years of experience across multiple industries. As a professional touring musician, his unique background bridges the worlds of technology and creativity, giving him a distinctive edge in using innovative solutions to drive business growth and streamline operations. As a former developer and technical director, Giancarlo has led projects ranging from full?stack development and system administration to AI-driven applications, providing tailored consultancy to SMEs and startups. His extensive experience includes founding Promethean Box Ltd, an umbrella company including AI-driven startups like Tweetify It, a tool for generating personalised social media content, and Copyforge, which helps automate blog and article creation. As the founder of YourVault.AI, he is currently developing private AI solutions to help small and micro-businesses deploy AI models securely on their own data. A public speaker and mentor, he regularly organises AI Summits and hackathons, helping businesses and individuals easily adopt AI tools and focusing on practical applications that deliver real value

Registration at 9am, workshop starts at 9.15am. There will be a refreshments on arrival and mid-morning.

Eligibility:These small group in-person workshops are open to any trading business, freelancer, or charity based North Norfolk, Great Yarmouth, West Norfolk & King's Lynn districts in Norfolk, UK. Norwich, Breckland, South Norfolk & Broadland please contact your district council for business support.

Due to our funding , spaces are limited to one per company. If you would like to check availability for additonal spaces please contact jo.barnard@newangliagrowthhub.co.uk

New Anglia Growth Hub can help your business access a range of business support services from hundreds of sources. The hub’s IMPARTIAL service is fully funded and provided at no cost to your business and can help you access grants, finance, international trade support, skills, training and a range of other specialist advice from single point of contact.

Our Business Growth Advisers can talk with you over the phone or via Microsoft Teams or Zoom, or you can request a free appointment at your business premises.

Our Business Support is available to all SMEs throughout Norfolk and Suffolk (UK).

To get the most out of the service, call our local business support helpline:

0300 333 6536

Email: info@newangliagrowthhub.co.uk

Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.