Which AI skills does a small business actually need? Start with these seven
Sixty skills sounds overwhelming. For a solo business or small team there are seven that make the difference. Here they are, and when to switch each on.
More skills is not better
dGENIX has over sixty skills. That is great as you grow, but a poor way to start. Switch everything on day one and you end up using none of it.
A skill is a capability you add to GENI. Without skills the assistant can talk, think along and write. With skills it can email, schedule, publish, invoice and measure. How that mechanism works is explained in Stackable skills explained.
For a small company there are seven that almost always pay off. In this order.
1. Gmail, because everything starts there
Your inbox is your work queue. As long as it is full, you are reacting instead of working.
With the Gmail skill GENI summarises your inbox, drafts replies in your tone and tracks what is still waiting on a response. Sending only happens after your approval.
Switch on if: you get more than twenty business emails a day. Available from Starter.
2. Google Calendar, for preparation instead of improvisation
Booking meetings costs little time. Preparing them does.
The Calendar skill lets GENI schedule and move meetings, but the real benefit is the briefing: who you are meeting, what was discussed last time, what was left open.
Switch on if: you have several client meetings a week. Available from Starter.
3. Proposal Generator, for faster quotes
The speed at which you send a proposal directly affects your conversion. Whoever delivers within a day wins more often.
The Proposal Generator turns a short description into a polished proposal with your scope, rates and terms.
Switch on if: you write more than two quotes a month. Available from Growth.
4. Invoicing, for the work you keep postponing
Draft invoices, payment status and revenue overview, all requestable in plain language. The invoicing skill connects to your accounting package and creates drafts, you send them.
Switch on if: you invoice monthly and sometimes forget to send a reminder. Available from Growth.
5. SEO Engine, for visibility without an agency
An audit of your site shows what is broken, what you are missing and what to fix first. After that you can track positions and see whether it works.
The SEO Engine is the heaviest of the seven in value per euro, especially if you sell services people actively search for.
Switch on if: your site should deliver clients and you currently measure nothing. Available from Growth.
6. Reputation Engine, for reviews that arrive on their own
Reviews determine whether you appear in Google's local pack and whether an AI assistant recommends you. Almost nobody asks consistently by hand.
The Reputation Engine sends the request at the right moment, GDPR-safe with opt-out.
Switch on if: you have happy clients who never leave a review. Available from Pro.
7. Content repurposing, for visibility without extra work
Turn an existing piece, a video or a client question into posts for your channels. Not inventing new content, using existing content better.
See content repurposing and the broader AI Content Engine.
Switch on if: you want to post but structurally never get around to it. Available from Growth, the full engine from Pro.
What sits in which plan
| Skill | From plan |
|---|---|
| Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Sheets, Day planner | Starter |
| Proposal Generator, invoicing, content repurposing, SEO Engine | Growth |
| Reputation, GEO, Authority, AI Content Engine, Workflow Builder | Pro |
The full list is on the skills page and the comparison on pricing.
How to approach it
Week 1: switch on two. Gmail and Calendar. Use them daily, including for small things. That is how GENI learns your tone and your clients.
Week 2: add your biggest annoyance. Quotes or invoices. Pick one, not both.
Week 3: look outward. Switch on the SEO Engine and run an audit. Now you know where you stand.
After that: lock in what works. Anything you did manually for two weeks that went well can go on a schedule. See Automation for solo businesses.
Three mistakes when choosing skills
Choosing what sounds impressive. Image generation and video editing are fun to demo, but for most service businesses mail and calendar deliver ten times more time. Choose based on what shapes your week, not on what looks best.
Switching on a skill for work you do twice a year. You will never earn back the time spent connecting and testing. Just do that work by hand.
Switching everything on so you miss nothing. Twenty active skills does not mean twenty times the result. It means having to think about which one you meant with every request. Two to four skills you use daily is a healthy base for a solo business.
A good test: can you explain in one sentence which recurring problem this skill solves for you? If not, it is too early. Switch it off and come back in a month when the need is real.
Turning skills off again is always possible, and that is not failure. It is exactly how you find out what fits your way of working.
What it costs per task
Skills are part of your plan, running them costs credits. A short question costs a fraction of a cent in credits, a full website audit costs considerably more.
That model is deliberate: you pay for usage, not for switching on features you tried once.
Getting started
Pick two skills, use them properly for a week, then expand. That works better than a dashboard full of green ticks you never touch.
Want to know where you stand online first? Run the free SEO and GEO scan. And join the waitlist to start. The full overview is in AI for small businesses.
