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Why pay for an AI course when ChatGPT is free?

Short answer: You might not need to. ChatGPT and other AI tools have free versions, and there are good free lessons online. If you're comfortable experimenting alone, start there. A paid course is worth considering if you'd rather learn with a person, practice on real work from your own business, and build the habit of checking what AI gives you before you use it. That's what Practical AI for Business Beginners is designed for.

What you can learn free

You can learn a lot without paying anyone:

If you're already using AI every week for useful work and checking its answers, you may not need a course at all. We'd rather you know that before you join a waitlist.

What free resources usually don't give you

Free material tends to be general. It explains what a tool can do, not how to apply it to your quotes, emails, marketing or busywork. It also leaves the hardest part to you: deciding whether an answer is right.

AI tools can sound confident and still be wrong. In our course materials we use a fictional example. A business that only works by appointment gets an AI draft saying "We offer 24/7 emergency repairs." That sentence sounds fine. It's also false. The skill that matters is catching it.

What the course is (as planned)

Practical AI for Business Beginners is a planned course from 1stStep.ai, taught by Evan Pancis, who builds websites, integrations, automations and custom apps through 1stStep.ai. The proposed outline is four weekly live, hands-on workshops:

  1. Everyday AI tasks. Pick a task you already know, give the AI useful context and practice checking the answer.
  2. Marketing content. Turn approved business facts into a marketing draft, then review the tone, details and claims.
  3. Simple automation. Map one repetitive task: what starts it, what the output should be and where a person needs to approve it.
  4. Your business project. Bring it together in a project you can explain and review.

The workshop outline is still a proposal and subject to instructor confirmation.

How much does it cost?

The planned price is $297. Dates haven't been announced yet. The course page is a waitlist only. Joining isn't enrollment, doesn't reserve a place and doesn't take payment.

Tools: Details coming soon

What if it isn't right for me? (Refunds)

Details coming soon

What we can say now: you won't be charged anything to join the waitlist, and the full terms will be on the page before enrollment opens.

How much time does it take?

The planned format is four live workshops, one a week.

Do I need to be technical?

No. The course is designed for beginners, including business owners who want practical ways to use AI on work they already understand. You don't need to code. It's not AI engineering, model-building or a technical certification.

It may not be a fit if you want to build AI apps or agents, write code, or learn advanced technical topics.

What we won't promise

We won't promise you'll save a certain number of hours or make more money. Results depend on the tasks you pick and how consistently you use what you practice. What the course aims for is a repeatable process: give AI clear context, check the draft and decide what to use, with a person in control of anything customer-facing.

So, free or paid?

Either way, start with one task you already understand.

Details coming soon.

Joining the waitlist is not enrollment, doesn't reserve a place and takes no payment.