Analytics has seen quite the evolution over the last few years—from IT-built reports to agentic tools anyone can talk to directly, and small businesses can now ask their data questions in plain English with no analyst on payroll. They’re offered a sensible way in: one source of data, paired with clear control over who sees what.

Small businesses are starting from a different place. The Census Bureau’s Business Trends and Outlook Survey found that fewer than 20% of firms with four or fewer employees reported using AI in data collected from December 2025 through May 2026. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 small business technology survey of 3,732 firms found that businesses using AI are at least 7 points more likely to report sales, profit, and workforce growth than those that don’t.

It’s time for small businesses to strike while the iron is hot.…