Helping small businesses win with AI

Grow with Google recently took the road trip of a lifetime, traveling along Route 66 to equip small business owners with the knowledge to harness AI. These workshops were designed to help entrepreneurs save time and boost their sales by streamlining daily tasks. The initiative aimed to teach small business owners how to use AI to grow their businesses and increase sales.

Visitors could also access free online training courses, including a new course on creating custom apps without needing to code. The workshops took place in five states along the historic highway during August: Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and California. Local chambers of commerce and Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) partnered with Grow with Google to offer hands-on, practical AI workshops directly to entrepreneurs.

The workshops enabled hundreds of small business owners and community members to work through everyday tasks, demonstrating how AI could benefit their businesses and free up hours each week. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported that 85% of small businesses using AI saw a sales increase in the past year, and 82% expanded their teams.

Although the Route 66 journey concluded, the learning continues. Google offers free Google AI Professional Certificate training, including a new coding course, to help anyone become a builder. This course guides users through planning, testing, debugging, and launching custom apps for their business using simple language, without the need for coding knowledge. Small businesses can explore free courses and resources at any time through Grow.Google/SMB.