Michelle Runge is a CPD-accredited Artificial Intelligence Consultant and a solopreneur helping small and medium-sized businesses, startups, and solopreneurs implement AI in practical, manageable ways. After a successful career in sales, customer success, and tech, Michelle pivoted to AI in 2023 and has since dedicated herself to empowering businesses to optimize workflows and enhance efficiency without being overwhelmed by technology.
Q: Tell us about yourself and your journey.
Michelle Runge: I recently became a CPD-accredited AI consultant, but my career has spanned sales, customer success, import-export, and tech. I helped scale SaaS companies from $6 million to $100 million and gained deep experience working in the trenches of growing businesses. When AI became mainstream, I explored tools like ChatGPT and realized their potential. After being laid off from my previous role, I decided to pivot completely into AI, becoming an entrepreneur for the first time in my life. It’s been daunting but incredibly rewarding.
Q: How did you get started with AI, and was it challenging?
Michelle Runge: I fell in love with technology in general, even though I’m not a programmer. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini make AI accessible to non-technical users. Once you understand the basics of how these models think and learn to craft effective prompts, it becomes straightforward. I always encourage starting small—experiment with simple tasks and build up from there.
Q: Who are your ideal clients?
Michelle Runge: I primarily work with small and mid-sized businesses and solopreneurs. These are organizations that don’t have large budgets for tech solutions and don’t need massive, complex systems. My goal is to make AI accessible for as many businesses as possible, helping them identify areas for process improvement, cost savings, or efficiency gains.
Q: Can you give an example of how you help businesses with AI?
Michelle Runge: Absolutely. One example is a team handling press releases. They spent 2–3 hours on each release. By creating a custom GPT with a structured Q&A flow, the team could generate drafts in minutes. The humans still provide the strategic vision and final approval, while AI does the heavy lifting. It’s about augmenting workflows, not replacing humans.
Q: What are your short-term and long-term goals?
Michelle Runge: Earlier this year, I launched a self-paced online course teaching businesses how to lay the foundations for AI adoption—everything from evaluating tools and privacy policies to creating SOPs. In the near term, I’m marketing this course and continuing virtual training sessions. Long-term, I want to speak to more groups and empower more entrepreneurs to implement AI effectively while staying in control.
Q: What are the key challenges you face as a solopreneur?
Michelle Runge: Time management is the biggest challenge. Every task has an opportunity cost. If I focus on marketing, other areas like sales or operations get delayed. Learning to prioritize and maintain a focused agenda has been essential to managing these challenges.
Q: Any motivational message for women and entrepreneurs?
Michelle Runge: Women are resilient and capable of amazing things. Imposter syndrome is real, especially when pivoting into a new field, but believing in yourself is key. Every entrepreneur has innate talents and dreams—trust your abilities, keep going, and surround yourself with supportive people. You are capable of more than you think.
Michelle Runge’s journey shows that it’s never too late to pivot, learn new skills, and embrace entrepreneurship. Her mission is to make AI practical and accessible, helping businesses thrive while empowering women to trust their capabilities.
Connect with Michelle Runge:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-runge/
