Over 90% of the 5.5 million small businesses in the UK are either sole traders or small firms with less than ten employees. But small teams can punch above their weight when they take advantage of all that AI offers.
Many micro-businesses are discovering that using business tools with AI built in - such as Google Workspace with Gemini - can turbocharge their small teams, improving collaboration and productivity.
A bigger team at the touch of a button
Google Workspace provides the connectivity that small teams need. Using Meet, Chat or Docs for example, allows small teams to collaborate, wherever they are. But Gemini can take your business to the next level.
Using an AI assistant like Gemini is like adding a few extra star players to your team, available 24/7 to suggest ideas, offer admin support and provide business solutions.
Gemini also helps to bring out the best in your people, keeping the ideas flowing and maximising team creativity and collaboration. For example, in Docs, Sheets or Slides, team members can co-edit information while Gemini suggests edits, adds missing data or proposes formatting changes.
It’s all about teamwork - and Gemini is a great team player.
How to brainstorm better with Gemini
- Plan a brainstorming session using Google Meet with Gemini.
- Get the ball rolling by asking Gemini to generate some ideas to kick off the discussion.
- Prompt Gemini to think outside the box to help your team tap into their own creativity.
- Inform your team by asking Gemini to provide market trends or data analysis.
- Use Gemini as a facilitator to make sure team members don’t get side-tracked.
- Use Gemini in Google Docs to take notes, organise them and turn them into actionable tasks in Google Sheets.
What are AI prompts?
Prompts are the phrases you use when you ask Gemini to help you with a task. Learning how to use prompts effectively will help you get more out of Gemini. There are four key components of a successful prompt:
- Persona: who is your audience?
- Task: what is the topic, what needs to be done?
- Context: what does your business do?
- Format: what type of content are you looking for? For example, a blog, an image or a presentation.
Including all four elements in your prompt gives you the best chance of success. Many people use short phrases as prompts but research shows that longer prompts get better results. Aim for more than 20 words in your prompt to give Gemini enough information. You can also use your own documents and files in Google Drive to inform Gemini.
How to write prompts that get great results
Here are some more helpful tips for writing prompts:
- Always use a command in your prompt.
- Write prompts in your own voice.
- Avoid jargon and be clear about what you want.
- Mention anything that you don’t want to be included.
- Specify the tone of voice you want for your copy and the style of visuals.
How to talk to your AI assistant
Writing effective prompts can involve trial and error; add new instructions until you get what you need. This could be an instruction to make the tone more friendly, add new information or write an easy-to-read summary.
Working with an assistant like Gemini is like having a conversation with a colleague - using follow-up prompts is part of the dialogue. With Gemini Advanced, you can even ask for suggestions on how to improve your prompts.
Get started with Gemini in your team
- Choose the right Google Workspace plan for your business.
- Enable Gemini for your Workspace.
- Give your team ideas on when to use Gemini and how to write effective prompts.
- Start small to build confidence and scale up gradually.
Copyright 2025. Written by Rachel Miller, Donut Blog Team.