Data Data every where except in MY business!
Picture this: AI sits down at the table, napkin tucked in, knife and fork at the ready. The plate arrives… and it’s empty. Completely, utterly empty.
“Where’s my dinner?” AI cries out, looking around desperately. “I’m starving here!”
The waiter—let’s call him Reality—shrugs and says, “Sorry buddy, no data, no dinner.”
And just like that, the most powerful technology of our generation sits there with a rumbling stomach, unable to do anything at all.
The Great AI Paradox
Here’s the thing that’s driving small business owners absolutely bonkers right now: AI is EVERYWHERE. It’s the talk of every conference, the star of every tech headline, the solution to seemingly every business problem. AI is the celebrity chef that everyone wants in their kitchen.
But here’s the twist that nobody saw coming—AI is the hungriest technology ever created. And what does it eat? Data. Mountains and mountains of delicious, nutritious data.
No data? Well, then you’ve got yourself the world’s most expensive paperweight.
Think about it. You wouldn’t hire a Michelin-star chef and then not give them any ingredients, would you? Yet that’s exactly what’s happening to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) right now. They’ve got access to AI tools that would make Fortune 500 companies jealous—but they’re sitting on empty pantries.
The Data Drought Is Real
Let’s talk numbers, because this situation is more dire than most people realize.
Only 19% of SMBs consider themselves “highly data-driven.” Let that sink in. That means more than 80% of small businesses are trying to feed AI with scraps and hoping for a feast. Meanwhile, those few data-savvy SMBs? They’re absolutely crushing it—65% of them financially outperform their competitors. That’s nearly double the success rate of their less data-driven peers.
But wait, it gets better (or worse, depending on how you look at it).
While 73% of midmarket firms are using analytics, only 6% of small businesses and 27% of midmarket firms are truly data-driven. The rest? They’re running on gut feelings, lucky guesses, and the occasional spreadsheet that hasn’t been updated since 2019.
Here’s another jaw-dropper: 53% of SMB respondents don’t even know what insights their data could provide, and 52% don’t understand the ROI that analytical tools could deliver. It’s like having a treasure map but not knowing how to read it.
The Big Business Buffet vs. The SMB Snack Pack
While small businesses are scrounging for data crumbs, large enterprises are sitting at an all-you-can-eat buffet. The gap isn’t just big—it’s a canyon.
Big companies have dedicated data teams, central data warehouses, and budgets that make your eyes water. They’ve got Chief Data Officers, data scientists, and entire departments whose only job is to feed their AI systems. About 80% of enterprise IT budgets in some industries go toward maintaining and expanding their legacy data systems.
And SMBs? They’re lucky if they have a single person who knows how to run a SQL query.
Only 35% of SMBs that have migrated data to the cloud also use cloud-based analytics. Translation: They’ve moved their stuff to a new house but don’t know how to use any of the appliances. The data is sitting there, unused, unloved, slowly gathering digital dust.
‘Data Trees’
We recently coined the term ‘data tree’ and we recommend client to plant them. Check out this article to learn more [[ Data Trees and why you need to plant them today ]]
The Million-Dollar Question: How Do You Feed AI on a Shoestring Budget?
This is where small businesses find themselves in a genuine pickle. Data collection is expensive. Data storage is expensive. Data cleaning and organizing? Expensive. Setting up a central data warehouse? You guessed it—expensive.
The average SMB spends between $50,000 to $600,000 annually on cloud resources, but that doesn’t automatically translate to having useful, organized data that AI can actually work with.
Here’s the cruel irony: small businesses have never had better tools at their disposal. AI can do in seconds what used to take entire teams days to accomplish. You can automate customer service, generate content, analyze trends, predict inventory needs, and personalize marketing—all with a fraction of the workforce and budget that was required just five years ago.
But none of that matters without data.
It’s like giving someone the keys to a Ferrari but no gas. Sure, it looks impressive sitting in the driveway, but it’s not going anywhere.
The Perfect Storm of Opportunity
Here’s where things get interesting—and hopeful.
Right now, small businesses are sitting on the edge of the most incredible advantage they could ever want. They need very few employees, very few contractors, and very little money to create amazing results… IF they can solve the data problem.
The tools exist. The AI exists. The opportunity exists.
What’s missing is the bridge between having data and having useful data. Between collecting information and actually feeding it to AI in a way that produces results.
Some SMBs are figuring it out. The 19% who are highly data-driven aren’t just surviving—they’re thriving. They’re using affordable cloud solutions, implementing simple but effective data collection strategies, and feeding their AI systems just enough to get incredible returns.
They’ve learned that you don’t need a data lake; sometimes a data pond will do just fine.
Remember When Someone Moved Your Cheese?
If you’ve been in business for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard of Spencer Johnson’s legendary book, Who Moved My Cheese? Published in 1998, it sold over 28 million copies and became the business world’s favorite parable about dealing with change.
The story was simple but powerful: Two mice (Sniff and Scurry) and two tiny people (Hem and Haw) lived in a maze, searching for cheese. When their favorite Cheese Station C ran out, the mice immediately adapted and went searching for new cheese. But the little people? They sat there, confused and angry, waiting for someone to bring the cheese back.
The moral? Change happens. The cheese moves. You can either adapt or starve.
Now, here’s the plot twist that Spencer Johnson never saw coming: The cheese didn’t just move—someone stole AI’s dinner.
And just like in that famous parable, businesses are splitting into two camps right now. There are the “Sniffs and Scurrys”—the 19% of SMBs who saw the data writing on the wall, adapted quickly, and are now thriving. They’re not sitting around complaining that data is expensive or that they don’t have enough of it. They’re out in the maze, gathering what they can, feeding their AI systems, and outperforming their competitors.
Then there are the “Hems and Haws”—the 80% of small businesses still sitting at empty Cheese Station C, staring at their AI tools and wondering why nothing’s happening. “But we bought the AI software!” they protest. “We subscribed to the platform! Where are our results?”
Here’s the brutal truth: In Spencer Johnson’s story, the cheese moved. In our story, the cheese was never there to begin with—because the cheese IS data, and most SMBs haven’t collected it yet.
The mice in the original story didn’t need to understand why the cheese moved or who was responsible. They just started running the maze again. That’s what the successful 19% of small businesses are doing right now. They’re not waiting for perfect data infrastructure or unlimited budgets. They’re starting with what they have, building small data repositories, and feeding their AI one bite at a time.
The question Spencer Johnson asked was: “Who moved my cheese?”
The question we’re asking today is: “Who stole AI’s dinner?”
But maybe we’re asking the wrong question entirely. Maybe the real question is: “Are you going to be like Sniff and Scurry, or are you going to be like Hem?”
Because Hem sat at that empty cheese station and starved. He refused to accept that the old way was gone. He kept insisting that someone should bring the cheese back, that it wasn’t fair, that he shouldn’t have to change.
Don’t be Hem.
So, Who Really Stole AI’s Dinner?
Nobody stole it. The dinner was never prepared in the first place.
The raw ingredients are there—every customer interaction, every transaction, every click, every email, every social media mention. Small businesses are generating data every single day. But that data is scattered, unorganized, and trapped in different systems that don’t talk to each other.
Your point-of-sale system has data. Your website has data. Your email marketing platform has data. Your social media has data. But if they’re all speaking different languages and living in different houses, AI goes hungry.
The solution isn’t necessarily spending more money. It’s about being smarter with the data you already have.
Start small. Pick one source. Clean it up. Feed it to AI. See what happens. Then expand.
Because here’s the thing: while 80% of SMBs are still trying to figure out what to feed their AI, the 20% who’ve cracked the code are eating their lunch—and everyone else’s too.
The Race Is On
AI isn’t going to get less hungry. In fact, it’s going to demand more and more data as it gets smarter. The businesses that figure out how to feed it now—even on a budget, even with limited resources—will be the ones that dominate their industries in the years to come.
The question isn’t whether you should feed your AI. The question is: can you afford not to?
Remember what happened at the end of Who Moved My Cheese? Haw finally got up, faced his fears, and ventured back into the maze. He found crumbs of cheese here and there. Some stations were empty, but others had small amounts. Eventually, he found Cheese Station N—fully stocked with all kinds of cheese.
But here’s what matters: He didn’t wait for perfect conditions. He didn’t wait until he had a map of the entire maze. He just started moving.
The same is true for your data strategy. You don’t need a Fortune 500 budget or a team of data scientists to start. You need to stop being Hem and start being Haw. Take that first step into the maze. Collect one data source. Connect one system. Feed your AI one small meal.
Because while you’re sitting at your empty cheese station wondering who’s responsible, the 19% are already at Cheese Station N, and they’re not looking back.
So, who stole AI’s dinner? Nobody. But somebody better start cooking—because the competition already has their plates full.
The truth is, AI isn’t starving because someone took its food. It’s starving because too many businesses are still sitting at Cheese Station C, waiting for the data to magically appear. Just like in Spencer Johnson’s classic tale, the answer isn’t to sit and complain about change—it’s to adapt, venture into the maze, and find new cheese. The ingredients are right there in your business, scattered throughout the maze, waiting to be collected and turned into something incredible. The only question is: are you Hem, still sitting and waiting? Or are you Haw, ready to write on the wall, “The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Ways, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese”? Your AI is hungry. The maze is waiting. Start moving.
Stop waiting for the cheese to come back to Station C. It’s not coming.
Start collecting data today. Feed your AI. Join the 19%.
[ Learn More About Transmute Engine™ → Get started for free! ]
Because the businesses that figure out data collection today will be the ones dominating their industries tomorrow. And it all starts with a single click.
