This week on What One Thing? AI, hosts Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter sit down with Ewan Reid, Head of Utilis, an Amsterdam-based IT support company with over 21 years of experience helping growing businesses across Europe.

Ewan shares how he tackled one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses today — how to start with AI in a way that actually delivers results. Instead of chasing the hype, he focused on a simple, high-impact problem: improving documentation, SOPs, and internal consistency.

Through practical experimentation, Ewan and his team used ChatGPT Projects to create standardised, branded documentation in minutes — turning a time-consuming chore into a streamlined, collaborative process. The result? More efficient operations, better knowledge sharing, and a stronger foundation for growth.

Phil and Hayley unpack how this approach can be replicated by any SME — even if you’re not technical — and why documentation may be the smartest first AI project you’ll ever run.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why “starting small” with AI delivers the biggest impact
• How ChatGPT can automate and format procedures, proposals and SOPs
• Practical steps to protect data security and privacy
• How AI-driven documentation helps you scale faster and reduce key-person risk
• The mindset shift from “AI replacing people” to “AI amplifying teams”

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• ChatGPT Projects (OpenAI)
  
• Utilis — IT Support for European Businesses
• Traction by Gino Wickman (mentioned in discussion)

👥 About the Guest

Ewan Reid is the Head of Utilis, a managed IT service provider based in Amsterdam. With over two decades in business, Ewan brings a hands-on approach to technology, favouring experimentation, learning-by-doing, and practical AI implementation over theory.

🚀 Connect with Us

Follow Phil Davenport and Hayley Baxter on LinkedIn for more real-world examples of AI in action across UK SMEs.
If this episode sparked ideas for your business, please:
👉 Follow the podcast
⭐ Leave a review
📤 Share it with a business owner who’s ready to turn AI hype into tangible results.

What One Thing Podcast – with Phil & Hayley
Each week, business owners share the one thing that made the biggest difference in their business journey — and hosts Phil (Affirm IT Services) and Hayley (Corbar Accounting) dive into the lessons, laughs, and lightbulb moments along the way.
If you’re a UK business owner looking for real stories and practical insights on growth, leadership, IT, and finance — this is the podcast for you!
Connect with the hosts
Phil Davenport | Affirm IT Services
LinkedIn
https://affirmit.co.uk/
Hayley Baxter | Corbar Accounting
LinkedIn
https://corbar.uk/
Follow What One Thing
Listen & watch on: https://www.pod.whatonething.uk/
Instagram
LinkedIn
YouTube
#UKBusinessPodcast, #SmallBusinessGrowth, #BusinessLessons, #EastMidlandsBusiness