CEO and co-founder Sarah Pirie-Nally shares tips and strategies for women small business owners to unlock meaningful, time-saving benefits from AI. She encourages women to start small, focus on one repetitive task, and build confidence through practical, incremental use, rather than trying to become an expert. 

AI can offer transformative tools, tactics and shortcuts in the day-to-day hustle of entrepreneurship. The time it takes to learn some of these tools and take advantage of AI’s full potential may feel like an overwhelming task for business leaders who might already be short on time. 

While 81% of women business owners and leaders have adopted AI, only 14% report it being transformative to their day-to-day, according to data from Women’s Agenda’s latest insights report, published in partnership with CommBank. A lack of time was cited as the main barrier to deeper AI adoption, even more so than cost or training. 

Having spent time exploring AI and entrepreneurship, Sarah Pirie-Nally says this time barrier is often the biggest hurdle that she sees through her work as CEO and Co-Founder of Wonder & Wander, a strategic advisory helping people and brands unlock their full potential, including through efficient AI adoption. 

“Many women leaders are already stretched across multiple roles, so carving out headspace for something new feels impossible, even with obvious benefits,” says Pirie-Nally. 

 “Cost and training are considerations, but if you can’t even stop to look into what’s out there, those become secondary.” 

Sarah Pirie-Nally

Where can women leaders start? 

One of the biggest misconceptions is that you need to become an ‘AI expert’ to get value out of its tools, says Pirie-Nally, adding that “in reality, small, incremental steps make a huge impact”. 

“I particularly see this with neurodivergent leaders,” she says, noting that “AI tools can act as a ‘second brain’ that handles context, memory and pattern recognition, which opens up cognitive load for creative and strategic work.”  

The first step, Pirie-Nally says, is to start by identifying one repetitive task that eats up a lot of time and consider how AI can make a difference.  

For Pirie-Nally, these time-eating tasks came in the form of meeting notes and follow-ups. Now, she uses AI note-takers that not only transcribe but build context over time, referencing previous conversations automatically. 

“This is game-changing for someone juggling multiple projects,” she says. “The key is to test small changes rather than overhauling your whole workflow.”  

“Pick one pain point. We call this a ‘use case’ and experiment with a tool for a week to see how it feels. Don’t wait until you ‘know it all’.” 

Sarah Pirie-Nally’s picks for easy AI tools and platforms to save time 

Clarify and organise complex work: Notion AI can help structure ideas, drafts content and manages tasks. 

Turn meetings into actionable insight: Fireflies.ai or Otter.ai can help capture conversations and surface key takeaways. 

Produce on-brand visuals fast: Canva AI can help create polished graphics and presentations. 

Generate professional slide decks in minutes: Gamma.app can help build clean, ready-to-use presentations. 

Building confidence 

With so many AI tools ready and available, Pirie-Nally says the key for women leaders is to steer clear of the notion that they need to wait until they ‘know it all’ in order to adopt new technology for their business needs. 

“Pick one tool, use it for a real task this week, and let yourself learn by doing,” Pirie-Nally says. “The sooner you experiment, even in small ways, the faster you’ll build confidence and spot more opportunities.” 

“Instead of trying to be an AI expert, aim to create AI confidence… embrace a wonder mindset.” 

Pirie-Nally also says it’s important to remember that AI isn’t there to replace your expertise or creativity, but rather to protect it by saving you precious time on more repetitive kinds of work. 

“Use the tools to handle the repetitive work so that you can focus on only what you can do.” 

Sarah Pirie-Nally’s go-to checklist for choosing the right AI tool 

Identify the core problem you want to solve (be specific) 

Choose your comfort level (you don’t have to go all-in immediately) 

Look for tools that integrate with your current workflow (switching platforms creates friction) 

Test with small, real project (not a hypothetical one) 

Check data privacy and security, especially with client information 

Make sure there’s accessible support if you get stuck 

Along with these tips, Pirie-Nally has developed an AI capability maturity model for organisations she advises. She also offers AI coaching to clients who are keen to take their AI capabilities to the next level. 

Reclaiming time and energy 

By applying these strategies and mindsets, Pirie-Nally hopes to see women-led businesses gain a deeper sense of agency in their work and in themselves. 

“I want them to feel confident again, clear again, powerful again. I want them to remember they can reclaim their time, release the overwhelm and focus on what actually creates impact,” she says. 

As a companion to take back time and energy, AI technology is a powerful tool for making grounded business decisions.  

Pirie-Nally says she hopes women leaders who take advantage of AI “experience the magic of reduced cognitive load”. 

“Less mental clutter. Less pressure to hold everything in their heads. More clarity and ease in their nervous systems so their decisions feel grounded instead of frantic,” she says, adding that, “at the core, this is about creating more space” for more of the life women leaders want to live.  

Thanks to our partner CommBank. CommBank supports women in business and the community across all industries and sectors through its Women in Focus team. For more information head to WomeninFocus.com.au. 

This article represents opinions and views of the interviewees’ personal experiences only. It does not have regard to the situation or needs of any reader and must not be relied upon as advice. It is not intended to imply any recommendation or opinion about a financial product or service. Before acting on this information, consider its appropriateness to your circumstances.