Could AI take some of the pressure off running your business? Steve Pailthorpe will explore that question at the Rediscover Business & Leadership Conference in Exeter this November, offering practical advice for Devon businesses ready to look beyond the occasional ChatGPT request. The conference is hosted by Kingdom Business, a business mentoring group at Rediscover Church.
Steve, who heads Iconic Digital and Growth Gorilla AI, returns as keynote speaker after unpacking his 7 Step Marketing Chassis at last year’s event. The conference takes place at the Southgate Hotel on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November. His Saturday opening session will explore how businesses can put AI to work, alongside the questions owners should ask before handing over tasks to it.
Speaking at the Kingdom Biz Hub on 2 November, Steve gave a clear reason to come: “What I’ll teach you in that opening session is going to be an absolute game changer for some of you.”
For local business owners who are curious about AI but unsure where to start, the session offers an opportunity to hear how it could fit into the working day. Those already using it will get a glimpse of what comes next.
From everyday AI to agents with a job to do
Steve told the online gathering that, according to research he has been involved in, 82% of UK small and medium businesses have yet to implement AI within their organisational structure. He described contributing to the Skills England AI adoption pathway and drew a distinction between using a chatbot personally and building automation into a business.
His conference session will move from everyday tools such as ChatGPT and Claude to agentic AI. In plain terms, this means AI agents set up to carry out particular tasks or work towards specific objectives within a business.
For an owner already stretched between serving customers and keeping the business running, the attraction is easy to understand. The important question is where that technology could make a useful difference, and what oversight it needs.
Steve plans to address concerns about AI making mistakes and the privacy questions that come with using it. He will also share his CREATE prompt formula, designed to help users give clearer instructions and get more useful responses.
“Whatever you put in is what you get out,” he told the group.
He also promised a conference promotional code for his Blog Beaver tool, which he described as a way to produce blog content that reflects the author’s voice.
Blog Beaver is part of Growth Gorilla, Steve’s AI platform designed to give small businesses a marketing team from a single dashboard. Alongside it sit Social Hawk for social media content, Insight Owl for analytics and reporting, and the Growth Gorilla assistant itself, which pulls marketing strategy together.
A business that can keep going without you
Steve’s preview followed a wider talk about leadership, with a lesson that will resonate with many small business owners: what happens when everything depends on you?
He described how his established agency continued to operate, and grew, while he was seriously ill abroad earlier this year. His newer AI venture, which still relied heavily on him, stalled during his absence.
The contrast brought home the value of a team that understands the business and can act without waiting for its founder to make every decision.
Steve also challenged attendees to think beyond turnover targets and explain why their business matters to the people it serves. As he put it: “Profit is the oxygen of your business. It’s not your purpose.”
His message connects the promise of technology with a familiar business challenge. Better tools need clear direction, and growth becomes difficult if the owner remains the answer to every question.
Join the conversation in Exeter
Rediscover Business & Leadership welcomes people of all faiths and none. For anyone curious about the relationship between faith and working life, it offers a chance to explore that alongside practical business teaching.
Friday evening provides time for networking and conversation, followed by Saturday’s programme of talks. Steve joins speakers including Andrew Davies of Paddle and Andrew De Groot of ActionCOACH Exeter.
Our conference preview introduces the wider programme. For local businesses wondering how to approach AI, Steve’s opening session offers a timely reason to be in the room.
Explore the programme and book your place at Rediscover Business & Leadership 2026.
Al Gibson
Alistair Gibson is the founder of Countdown Creative and editor of Devon Business News. A journalist and communications specialist, he combines traditional storytelling with digital media to help businesses communicate clearly and get noticed. He has lived and worked in Devon since 2007, building strong connections with businesses and organisations across Plymouth, Exeter and the wider South West.
