Cut Your Software Costs in Half with AI (For Small Businesses)

You’re probably paying for way too many SaaS tools.
CRM, email marketing, project management, invoicing, forms, chatbots, AI tools… It adds up fast.
In this session, we’ll map what you’re actually using and design a practical plan to:

• Replace, consolidate, or eliminate at least 2–3 tools
• Use AI to do the same jobs cheaper and smarter
• Free up thousands of SEK per month over the next year

This is not a generic “AI is the future” talk. It’s a working session for owners who want concrete savings.

Colm Byrne is a product manager and builder. Author of It's Not About The Hat: The Agentic Operating System for Governed AI

### What we’ll cover

1. The “software bloat” trap for small business
   Why most small businesses end up with 5–10 overlapping tools they barely use.
2. AI as a Swiss Army knife
   How modern AI + a few core platforms can replace:

• Newsletter + landing page tools
• Basic CRM / pipeline tracking
• Copywriting / social media tools
• Simple automation / reporting

3. Live Software Cost Audit
   Together, we’ll:

• List your current tools and what you actually use them for
• Calculate your true monthly & yearly software spend
• Mark which jobs can be done by AI-powered workflows instead

4. Design your “Half-the-Tools” stack
   We’ll sketch a leaner stack that:

• Keeps the critical systems (accounting, core ops)
• Replaces non-critical tools with AI workflows
• Has clear “rules” for any new subscription you add

5. Your 30-day cost-cut plan
   You’ll leave with:

• A list of tools to cancel, consolidate, or downgrade
• A simple AI-powered workflow to test (e.g. email + AI + sheets instead of 2–3 SaaS tools)
• A 30-day timeline for making the changes safely

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### Who this is for

• Small business owners, consultants, and agency/freelance founders
• Anyone paying for 5+ software tools every month
• People who are curious about AI but want hard financial results, not hype

No AI expertise needed. If you can use email and basic web tools, you’re fine.

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### What to bring

To get the most value:

• A list of your current tools & monthly prices (rough is fine)
• An idea of what each tool is used for (even if it’s “we barely use this…”)
• A laptop or tablet if you want to work live on your numbers

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### Format & timing

• Total time: 75–90 minutes
• Format:
• 10 min – Intro & why software bloat is killing margins
• 20 min – Examples: real AI replacements for common tools
• 30 min – Guided software cost audit & “kill list” workshop
• 15–20 min – Group Q&A and hot-seat: we redesign 1–2 real stacks live

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