Ever shelved a great idea because there weren’t enough hours in the day? You’re not alone. New research from Google shows that 59% of UK small-business owners paused “game-changing” ideas this year due to lack of time—and they estimate those ideas could lift revenue by roughly 30%. The good news: a late-October burst of AI tools aims to give solo operators meaningful time back. This roundup filters the noise into the most useful launches, the tools you can use today, and what they mean for your business.
The Biggest AI News for Solopreneurs
Late October brought several high-profile releases designed to simplify marketing, customer engagement, and day-to-day operations. Here are the highlights.
Google Labs debuts Pomelli for social campaigns
Google Labs and DeepMind unveiled Pomelli, an AI marketing tool for small and medium businesses. Plug in your website and Pomelli builds a “Business DNA” profile—tone, fonts, imagery, and color palette—then generates campaign ideas plus on-brand visuals for social and ad channels. It’s launching as a free public beta in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, giving solopreneurs agency-quality creative without agency costs.
WPP opens its marketing AI to smaller brands
WPP announced a self-serve version of its platform, WPP Open Pro. Previously enterprise-only, it now lets smaller brands plan, create, and publish campaigns directly. The AI generates channel-specific ads in seconds and blends brand-approved and generated assets—making high-end creative automation accessible beyond big budgets.
Square adds bitcoin payments and upgrades its AI assistant
Square sellers can now accept bitcoin with zero processing fees and convert card sales into bitcoin. Square also upgraded its AI assistant to surface local context—weather, news, and reviews—to recommend actions like inventory tweaks ahead of demand shifts. Fewer dashboards to check, more confident daily decisions.
TikTok Smart+ gives finer control and clearer ROI
TikTok’s Smart+ suite now lets advertisers choose how much to automate across targeting, budget, and creative. New Symphony tools suggest high-performing video concepts and auto-enhance assets. A GMV Max dashboard links creators and products to performance, and assisted-conversion analytics (via Google Analytics) add visibility beyond last-click. The result: better performance with transparency and control.
Tools You Can Start Using Today
Beyond headlines, here are four practical tools that require minimal setup and directly address common solopreneur pain points.
1. Pomelli: DIY social campaigns
Ideal for: Founders handling marketing without design support.
- Create your Business DNA: Enter your site; Pomelli builds your brand profile automatically.
- Generate ideas: Use AI-suggested concepts or input your own to match upcoming promotions.
- Produce assets: Export a library of on-brand visuals and captions for your posts.
- Pricing: Free public beta in select regions—no cost to test now.
2. Square AI: smarter decisions + crypto payments
Ideal for: Retail, hospitality, or service businesses using Square POS.
- Activate the assistant: Get weather-, news-, and review-based insights for inventory or staffing decisions.
- Accept bitcoin: Offer an alternative payment option with zero processing fees.
- Manage funds: Use the built-in wallet to hold or convert crypto earnings seamlessly.
- Cost: Included in Square plans; crypto processing is free.
3. ChatGPT Business connectors: unified knowledge
Ideal for: Freelancers juggling multiple apps like Asana, ClickUp, or Help Scout.
- Connect your tools: Integrate apps such as Aha!, GitLab Issues, Teamwork, and Zoho Desk to centralize project and customer data.
- Ask natural questions: Get summarized results with citations—like “Show open tasks due this week.”
- Setup: Enable connectors in Workspace settings; users activate them under Settings → Apps & Connectors.
4. TikTok Smart+ automation: higher performance with control
Ideal for: Solopreneurs driving product sales or brand growth through TikTok.
- Pick your automation level: Choose whether AI manages targeting, budgets, and creatives—or keep partial control.
- Use Symphony tools: Let AI suggest high-performing videos or enhance existing footage.
- Track what matters: GMV Max ties creator and product data to results for smarter spend decisions.
- Measure beyond last-click: Integrate Google Analytics for assisted-conversion insights.
How These Updates Help Your Business
These updates aren’t just shiny software—they’re time savers and growth drivers.
- Agency-grade marketing without the price tag: Pomelli and WPP Open Pro bring polished, on-brand creative to small teams.
- Decisions with less guesswork: Square’s assistant and ChatGPT connectors give instant insights from scattered data sources.
- Smarter ads with real visibility: TikTok Smart+ lets you balance automation and control while tracking full-funnel impact.
- Continuous learning: Google’s AI training programs help solopreneurs apply these tools effectively and avoid common pitfalls.
If you’re hesitant to hand over too much control to AI, start small. Pick one task—like automating social posts or consolidating dashboards—and measure the time you save. AI is most powerful when paired with your human intuition and creativity.
Quick Actions to Take This Week
- Sign up for Pomelli: Create your Business DNA and build your next week of content for free.
- Audit your tools: If you use more than three project or support platforms, try ChatGPT connectors to centralize information.
- Enable Square insights: Turn on its AI assistant and test one suggested adjustment—inventory, promos, or staffing.
- Run a TikTok Smart+ split test: Compare a fully automated campaign against a manual one using the GMV Max dashboard.
- Book a training: Enroll in a free AI basics workshop or Google’s “Make AI Work for You” course by month-end.
Unlocking Your AI Advantage
AI is no longer optional—it’s the competitive edge that lets solopreneurs reclaim time and operate like larger teams. October’s releases prove major tech players are designing specifically for small businesses. Whether you need creative assets, unified data, predictive insights, or campaign automation, start with one tool, test, measure, and scale from there. Share what you’re trying in the comments—and follow SoloAITool.com for hands-on guides built for solopreneurs who want to grow smarter with AI.
