There are 400 million small and mid-size businesses in the world.
Four. Hundred. Million.
76% reported they are either actively using or exploring AI. (PayPal research)
But don’t let that number mislead you. Here’s what it really means:
Trying ChatGPT. Piloting automations. Seeing what’s possible.
I.e. dipping their toes in the water.
Only about 5% have fully integrated AI into their operations. (Deloitte)
Think of it like electricity in the early 1900s:
- Most businesses: “we have a lightbulb”
- AI-mature businesses: “our entire factory is redesigned around electricity”
That gap — between lightbulb and factory — is where careers get built.
Not at Google. Not at OpenAI.
…At the parenting app sending every user the same notification.
…The local recruitment agency still sorting CVs by hand.
…The 50-person legal firm in Texas.
I’ve seen it with our own students.
They land roles at companies most people have never heard of…
Because those companies are desperate for someone who can take them beyond the lightbulb.
Here’s what most job seekers miss…
They’re all chasing the same 20 companies.
Fighting over the same roles. Competing with thousands of applicants.
Meanwhile, 400 million businesses are sitting right there. Waiting for someone who can actually build something.
Build one project. Apply where no one else is looking.
That’s a winning strategy.
Show up where it counts,
Kirill
P.S. Good way to start? With a portfolio project in your target industry.