New research shows AI is becoming a source of business capacity, not simply productivity, for America’s smallest companies
Era of the Solopreneur
Brooklyn, New York, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — September 15, 2026 – Artificial intelligence is changing one of the most consequential decisions a small business owner makes: when to pay another person for help.
According to new research from FreshBooks, 86% of solopreneurs and microbusiness owners say that when they encounter a business task they cannot complete entirely on their own, they try using AI before hiring someone to do it.
The finding suggests that for America’s smallest businesses, AI is evolving beyond a productivity tool into a new source of business capacity, allowing one person or a very small team to take on work, solve problems, and serve clients in ways that once may have required additional headcount or outside help.
That shift is a central finding of FreshBooks’ new report, “The Era of the Solopreneur,” based on a Wakefield Research survey of 500 solopreneurs and microbusiness owners.
Asked to choose which capability would matter more to their future business success, 64% selected the ability to appear bigger or more capable than their actual size, compared with 36% who chose getting more done without adding time, employees, or costs.
“AI is starting to change the math of running a very small business,” says Shaheen Javadizadeh, CEO at FreshBooks. “For a solopreneur, the question isn’t only, ‘Can this tool save me an hour?’ Increasingly, it’s, ‘Can this help me take on a client, solve a problem, or deliver a level of service that previously would have required another person?’ That’s a fundamentally different kind of leverage.”
AI Is Becoming the First Stop Before Adding Human Help
The findings show just how embedded AI has become in the operating model of businesses with little or no traditional headcount:
- 86% try AI before hiring someone to perform a business task they cannot handle independently.
- 90% say AI makes it easier for one person to start and run a business.
- 98% of AI users say the technology has helped them accomplish business or client objectives that would not otherwise have been achievable.
- Marketing and design and customer service are currently the most common areas in which respondents use AI, ahead of administrative functions such as financial management.
The competitive pressure is also becoming difficult for owners to ignore. Among respondents who expressed concerns about using AI in their businesses, the leading AI-related fear was that their competitors may be using it more effectively.
But More AI Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Less Work
The research also reveals a growing contradiction: AI is enabling small businesses to increase their capabilities, but managing the technology is creating work of its own.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) say that although AI has improved productivity, responsibilities such as reviewing its work and checking for accuracy can create a risk of “AI burnout.”
Meanwhile, 57% of respondents say they still spend more than 10 hours every week on administrative work, including invoicing, bookkeeping, expense tracking and taxes.
Yet financial management trails marketing and design and customer service among the areas where these businesses are putting AI to work.
That disconnect is especially notable given that cash flow remains the single most commonly cited business concern, ranking ahead of both AI-related and other business worries.
“We’re seeing owners use AI first in some of the highly visible parts of running a business like how they market themselves, communicate with customers and deliver work,” continues Faye Pang, Chief Revenue Officer, at FreshBooks. “But many are still spending a significant part of their week on the financial administration behind the scenes. The next opportunity is not simply to use more AI. It’s to apply it where it can remove real operational and financial friction while preserving the human judgment business owners need.”
Methodology
The FreshBooks survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 500 solopreneurs and microbusinesses between June 22 and July 1, 2026, via email invitation and an online survey.
About FreshBooks
FreshBooks is a leader in small business management software, purpose-built to help service business owners simplify the financial complexity of running their business—from invoicing to cash flow—by bringing together the tools they need to manage finances, save time, and stay organized. FreshBooks supports small business owners around the world as a partner at every stage of growth. Follow FreshBooks on social media: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X.
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CONTACT: Kristina LeBlanc Notably PR kristina@notablypr.com Sajni Lightfoot FreshBooks
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