FreshBooks published research on Sept. 15 finding that 86% of solopreneurs and microbusiness owners try AI before hiring when they cannot complete a business task alone.
The survey measures AI use before a hiring decision
The report, titled “The Era of the Solopreneur,” draws on a Wakefield Research survey of 500 solopreneurs and microbusinesses. The survey ran from June 22 to July 1, 2026, using email invitations and an online questionnaire. Its findings describe what respondents said about their businesses and use of AI, rather than measuring the results of a controlled test.¹²
The reported sequence puts AI ahead of hiring when an owner reaches the limit of what they can do alone. That makes AI an initial option for an unfinished business task, before paying another person to take it on. The finding concerns owners who encounter work they cannot complete entirely on their own; it does not say that they never hire or that AI completes every task.¹²
Owners value appearing capable as well as getting more done
Respondents put the ability to appear bigger or more capable than their actual size ahead of getting more done without adding time, employees or costs. The first priority was selected by 64%, while 36% chose the second. The split points to two different measures of business success in the survey: the impression a small operation can make, and the amount it can accomplish without adding resources.¹
The split points to two different measures of business success in the survey: the impression a small operation can make, and the amount it can accomplish without adding resources.¹
Entrepreneurship & BusinessA Six-Time CEO’s Rule: Define Authority Before Hiring a CEO
A six-time CEO with 23 board seats says founders should define authority before appointing a CEO, then use financial reviews and updates to stay informed.
Read More →The survey also found broad agreement that AI makes a one-person business easier to start and run: 90% of respondents said so. That is a view about the technology’s effect on operating alone, rather than a claim that every respondent uses AI for every part of the business. It sits alongside the hiring finding, which describes what owners try when a particular task exceeds their own ability.¹²
Among respondents who use AI, 98% said it had helped them accomplish business or client objectives that otherwise would not have been achievable. The reported benefit therefore goes beyond saving time on tasks: respondents also described reaching goals they said they could not otherwise meet. The survey does not specify which objectives they achieved, so the finding captures their assessment rather than a breakdown by task or result.¹
AI use centres on customer-facing work, while administration persists
Marketing, design and customer service were the most common areas where respondents said they use AI. They ranked ahead of administrative work such as financial management. The pattern places AI use in tasks tied to communicating with customers and presenting a business, as well as in creative work; it does not mean respondents have shifted all routine financial tasks to AI.¹
Administrative work remains a substantial time commitment: 57% of respondents said they spend more than 10 hours each week on it. The tasks named include invoicing, bookkeeping, expense tracking and taxes. That finding shows the boundary between common AI use and the work still taking up owners’ time; the survey does not state how many of those hours respondents spend on each task or whether AI changes that total.¹²
Respondents also described a cost attached to using AI: checking its output. Roughly 65% said that reviewing AI-generated work and verifying its accuracy created extra drag, a risk the report calls “AI burnout.” For a solo operator, the task does not end when a tool produces an answer; the owner may still need to inspect it. The survey identifies that review burden but does not quantify the time it takes.¹²
Entrepreneurship & BusinessCalculate Your Day Rate Before You Raise It
Account for overheads and unpaid work, then make any increase clear and tie it to the value clients receive.
Read More →Among respondents with concerns about AI, the leading fear was that competitors might be using it more effectively. The concern is about relative use, not simply whether AI is available: owners worry about how well other businesses apply it. Taken together, the survey describes both sides of the choice to try AI first—reported help with otherwise unreachable objectives, and the work of checking outputs alongside concern about competitors’ use.¹²
They ranked ahead of administrative work such as financial management.
AI First Means You Verify More
If you run a one-person business, treat AI as your first hire for customer-facing work like marketing, design, and service, but not for your books. The survey shows 86% of owners try AI before hiring, yet 57% still spend over ten hours weekly on invoicing and taxes. That gap means your edge is not just using AI, but knowing which tasks still demand your own time and attention.¹²
Plan for the cost of checking AI output. Roughly 65% of owners report that reviewing AI-generated work creates extra drag, a burden the report calls AI burnout. Also, your top risk is not being left behind on tools, but competitors using them more effectively. So build a habit of verifying results and comparing how you apply AI against others in your field, not just adopting it.¹²
Sources
- freshbooks.com — https://www.freshbooks.com/press/releases/eraofthesoloprener
- selfemployed.com — https://www.selfemployed.com/news/freshbooks-solopreneur-ai-before-hiring-2026/
Written by Career Ahead AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify key facts. Report errors to support@careeraheadonline.com
