Be first, be smarter, or cheat: AI strategy for SMEs

"There are three ways to win in business. Be first. Be smarter. Or cheat."

I am not the only one who keeps on going back to the movie Margin Call. I love the drama when the CEO says this mantra. The people who see things coming move, and move quick. Everyone else gets very busy managing the aftermath. Unless you're smarter or cheat, of course ;-)

Can I be first? Should I try? In most industries, SMEs are still pottering about with ChatGPT. Real first-mover advantage is still on the table in 2026, for companies willing to move, make considered investments and take reasoned risks. The catch is that unless you can build an entire business on an AI application, it rarely pays to be the true pioneer. Let someone else absorb the early failures and internal chaos, is what I say. And, probably, you too.

But hiding in the middle of the pack only looks safe. The real question is what your competition is doing, and how fast. In the new reality we live in, execution speed has changed. A competitor who moves well can overtake you in months, not years.

Of course, it depends heavily on your industry. Some sectors are being reshaped now. Some face existential risk. Some are big gainers. Others, probably most, have more breathing room. I'm talking to restaurant owners and the building trade now. Knowing which camp you are in is not optional.

So, let's go for being smart. This is where my biz partner and I have spent most of our time with clients since 2022. Before buying or building tools, launching pilots or declaring an AI strategy, you need to understand what AI can actually do for your specific business. If you'll forgive a dash of self-servingness, a BrA1nScan helps as a first step.

Understand. Then Decide, Build, and Anchor. The Margin Call mantra, applied to AI as normal management practice, with abnormal speed, in extraordinary times. Most SMEs have either done little with AI, or done a lot badly. Big bets on the wrong use cases. Tools running alongside the business instead of inside it. Pilots that never get adopted. Lots of activity. Not enough value.

Which brings us to cheating. Not the bad kind. The nice and kind. The kind where being smart becomes cheating. You can build capabilities that used to require budgets and headcount you never had. To empower employees. To delight customers. To make better decisions faster. And, the circle closes, thus in a way move first.

A bit like our own small team, which can consult and develop its way into client problems and solutions that used to require a sizeable consulting team plus a full squad from a software house.

So even if you don't want to be first, at least be smart enough to cheat a bit, but in a good way. Most of your competitors are not handling this well. That won't last forever.