I now feel confident to use multiple AI channels and build simple automations, but more importantly, I have an understanding of how systems can be structured and what the possibilities are within my business.
From the dark to the driving seat: how an estate agent took control of AI in her business
Miranda Pearce was not short of people telling her she needed AI. As the owner of Cornwall Estate Agents Ltd in Truro, she was fielding a steady stream of sales calls from companies pitching AI-powered business services, each one more confident than the last that she could not afford to be without them. The problem was she had no way of knowing which, if any, were worth listening to. “I was receiving a lot of sales calls for business services claiming I needed AI enhancements,” she says, “and I felt quite in the dark about what was genuinely useful.”
What she wanted was not a product. She wanted understanding. When a friend shared the AI for Workplace Productivity Skills Bootcamp from Digital Peninsula Network on LinkedIn, the format appealed immediately. “One of the main attractions was that it was local and relatively short,” Miranda explains. “It didn’t feel like something that would drag on for a year, which made it much easier to commit to.” As a business owner, she had thought carefully about what she hoped to take away: the ability to bring AI in-house, reduce reliance on costly third parties and free up more time for her customers.
The impact on the business came quickly. Since completing the bootcamp, Miranda has used AI to navigate customer disputes that would previously have consumed significant time but perhaps the most lasting change has been in her documentation. Miranda has used AI to formalise the procedures that had previously existed only in her head as business owner, producing written standard operating procedures covering everything from the agency’s non-negotiables to how sales are managed. “Having those documented properly is making a real difference to how I manage and develop my team,” she says. The shift in confidence has rippled outward too. Her team now bring AI questions to staff meetings, and she can guide them. When property portals and technology companies arrive to pitch AI-powered products, she no longer has to take their word for it.
For anyone hesitating before signing up, Miranda is direct: “Definitely do it. It was a really supportive and comfortable environment to learn in, and it worked well for different types of learners.” She is candid about the fact that she does not see herself as naturally technical, but describes the course structure and the availability of one-to-one support as making the experience feel genuinely accessible. The AI training she received has, in her own words, helped her prepare her business for the future, support her team and respond to client expectations. Not bad for a course she heard about through a friend on LinkedIn.