AI, RIGHT HERE IN SOMA

Small business owners keep their work human while taking advantage of the new tech

By Amy Lynn-Cramer

Left: A back yard installation in progress by Split Rock Design. Right: An AI-generated image to help homeowners visualize new landscaping in the newly-created planting bed. Split Rock Design specified the plants based on their expertise.

On any given day, Anthony and Melanie Cortese, the husband-and-wife team behind Split Rock Design, a Maplewood-based landscape design firm, might be walking through a backyard – studying the slope of the land or imagining how a patio could connect a home to the outdoors.

“Our work has always centered on helping homeowners see what’s possible,” Anthony says. “Recently, we’ve begun experimenting with a new tool to support that process – artificial intelligence.”

Anthony and Melanie Cortese with their family. The couple run Split Rock Design and use AI to help their clients visualize landscape designs.

For many small business owners, AI may feel like something happening somewhere else – inside big tech companies or global corporations. But in quiet, practical ways, these tools are beginning to show up in everyday work. At Split Rock Design, that exploration is already taking shape.

“Clients often come to us with a vision, but they don’t always know how to picture what it could actually look like,” Melanie says.

AI can be incredibly helpful when it comes to refining ideas. “With a simple prompt, it can generate an image that brings our design concepts to life – not as a finished plan but as a starting point,” Anthony says.

Melanie and Anthony are using AI to generate visuals that show how a space might evolve over time. “A newly planted tree line, for example, can be imagined five or even 10 years out,” Melanie says. “It helps clients understand not just what their yard will look like today but how it will grow and change.”

But that visualization doesn’t replace the design process. It follows it. From fence styles to deck colors to outdoor furniture arrangements, the couple is testing materials, finishes and layouts before anything is finalized. “Once a concept is grounded in real-world conditions and thoughtfully planned out, AI becomes a way for us to bring those details to life, helping our clients better understand the choices in front of them,” Melanie says.

Anthony sees AI as just a tool. “It can help with concepts,” he says. “But the real value comes from understanding the property and the client. Experience is what turns those ideas into something that actually works.”

Local regulations vary from town to town. “Every municipality is different, and not everything is documented online,” Anthony says. “That’s also where years of experience come in.”

The balance between what AI can generate and what real-world experience requires continues to shape how these tools are being used. That balance is something Mike Skara often sees in the classroom.

As an instructor at the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School, where he’s been teaching since 1997, Skara leads classes such as AI Tools for Everyday Use, helping people understand what AI is and how to use it.

Mike Skara leads a class at the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School to help people understand what AI is and how to use it.

“Most people come in either curious or a little intimidated,” he says. “A lot of it is, ‘I don’t even know what’s out there. I don’t know what’s possible.’ ”

Skara says uncertainty is often the biggest barrier. “In reality, many AI tools are far more accessible than people expect,” he says. “At its core, AI is about helping you think, write and organize information more efficiently.”

If you’re wondering where to begin, Skara keeps it simple. “For small business owners, it really comes down to efficiency,” he says. “You can use tools like Canva or Pictory for graphics and video, or ChatGPT and Gemini for drafting content and brainstorming.

Platforms like Hootsuite and HubSpot help with marketing and outreach, and tools like Notion or Intercom can handle organization and basic customer inquiries.”

Dan Smith describes AI as "an extra assistant" and uses it to help with writing, brainstorming and organizing ideas.

That idea of AI as a practical, everyday tool is already taking shape for Dan Smith, who owns Decorate with Lights and Mosquito Shield of North Central New Jersey, based in South Orange. He describes AI as “an extra assistant.”

“It helps with writing, brainstorming and organizing ideas,” Smith says. “Sometimes I’ll write a rough message and use AI to polish it. It’s also great to bounce ideas off of. It’s like a thinking partner.”

He’s also started using it to support the day-to-day operations of his business. “If I have a list of service calls, I can put the addresses in and it will suggest a more efficient route,” Smith says. “I don’t rely on it to make decisions, but once you check it, it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s pretty good.’ ”

For Smith, the value isn’t about replacing the work, it’s about saving time. “If something saves even 15 minutes a day, that adds up quickly over a season,” he says.

Dan Smith, owner of Decorate with Lights and Mosquito Shield of North Central New Jersey, says that using AI to efficiently route service calls saves him time.

At the same time, he’s clear about AI’s role in his business. “It’s an assistant,” Smith says. “You rely on it, but it’s not the final say.”

And for business owners juggling multiple roles, that kind of efficiency can make a real difference. “In some cases,” Skara explains, “it can even free up time to focus less on administrative tasks and more on building relationships and delivering the work itself.”

Skara sees that potential firsthand in the business owners who take his classes. “One of the biggest advantages is the ability for small businesses to operate with the polish and presence of a much larger company,” he says.

For those wondering where to begin, Skara’s advice is simple: start small.

One of the most practical lessons he teaches to his students at the Adult School is how to ask better questions. “AI tools are only as effective as the prompts they’re given,” he says. “I always start with ‘as an expert …’ You’re telling the tool you want the most professional, detailed response.”

From there, the key is specificity. “The more context you provide about your business, your audience and your goals, the more useful the output becomes.”

And if the first result misses the mark? “You can keep building on it,” Skara says. “Add more detail, refine it and improve it.”

At the same time, Skara is clear about the limitations. “It’s not perfect,” he says. “From incorrect information to flawed visuals, the tools still require human oversight.”

For Anthony and Melanie, even as AI becomes part of their process, what grounds their work hasn’t changed. “Landscape design still begins with the land – the sunlight, the soil, the structure of a home and the vision of the client standing in the yard imagining what could be,” Anthony says. “That’s where we come in.”

Like many tools before it, artificial intelligence is becoming something that small businesses can explore, test and incorporate where it makes sense – not as a replacement but as an enhancement.

For small business owners in Maplewood and South Orange, the opportunity isn’t about mastering AI overnight, says Skara. “It’s about curiosity.”

CURIOUS ABOUT AI?

TRY THIS: Five AI Prompts to Get Started, from Mike Skara, teacher at the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School:

1. “Write three social media posts for my small business in Maplewood, NJ. Keep the tone friendly and community-focused.”

2. “Draft a short email announcing a seasonal promotion.”

3. “Give me 10 ideas for a local event in South Orange, NJ to bring customers into my business.”

4. “Create a list of FAQs for my service-based business.”

5. “Summarize how I can use Instagram to reach local customers.”

The one rule: The more specific your question, the better the answer.

Amy Lynn-Cramer is a health and life coach who helps people navigate career transitions, leadership growth and workplace culture with clarity and confidence.