01 · The free toolboxRound 1 · 7 min
Give it eyes
Photograph a real quote, menu or flyer, or screenshot your website, and ask the AI to read it as your customer would. You'll see the three things that confuse people.
NNextAgent
We Thrive BC · Cohort 2 · Session 1
Free · On Zoom · Tuesday, September 29
From Chatbox to AI Employee
Free AI for winning customers and saving time
A two-hour, hands-on workshop for women who run a business in BC, or are about to start one. Everyone works along in four short rounds with free AI tools, on real work from their own week: a reply, a document, a post, a decision. No coding, and nothing to buy.
Registration is through OCCA. Registered participants receive the Zoom link by email.
Date
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Time
6:00–8:00 pm Pacific
Format
Zoom · four hands-on rounds
Cost
Free · nothing to buy
Doing, not watching
Four parts, four hands-on rounds
Each part ends with everyone doing the same task at the same time, on their own screen: 27 minutes of hands-on work in two hours. Bring a real task, and you leave with it done.
02 · Asking properlyRound 2 · 9 min
Write your own prompt
Four parts that turn a vague request into an answer you can use, written in any language you like. Three prompts from the room get improved live on screen.
03 · Recipes worth stealingRound 3 · 5 min
Turn the memory on
Four lines in the custom instructions box, so the AI stops needing your business explained every time. Plus six weekly recipes you can copy.
04 · The part AI doesn't haveRound 4 · 6 min
Write your half page
The five questions behind a decision you make often, written down once, so AI can apply your judgement and you check the result.
The two hours
| Time | What we do | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 | Welcome: the three mistakes almost everyone makes with AI, and four moves that turn a chat box into something that does real work | Talk |
| 6:18 | The free toolbox: what you get without paying, and what the paid plans really add | Round 1 · 7 min |
| 6:36 | Asking properly: the four parts of a prompt that works, and one privacy rule | Round 2 · 9 min |
| 6:56 | Short break | Break |
| 7:05 | Recipes worth stealing: weekly jobs written once and reused, and a free Meeting Note app to take home | Round 3 · 5 min |
| 7:25 | The part AI doesn't have: turning your own judgement into a checklist | Round 4 · 6 min |
| 7:38 | Starting on Monday: three budgets ($0 is the recommendation), a seven-day plan, and where funding may help | Talk |
| 7:46 | Your questions, and fixing anything that didn't work on someone's screen | Q&A |
Who it's for
A good fit if you…
- are a woman, or identify as one, starting or running a business in BC, especially in the Okanagan and other communities outside Metro Vancouver and Victoria
- have typed into ChatGPT or a similar tool, but it isn't part of your week yet
- want AI to help bring in customers and give you back time, not a lecture on how AI works
- are new to Canada: newcomers are especially welcome, and you can work in the language you think in
Probably not for you if you…
- want to build AI software or write code: there is none tonight
- are looking for a product or service to buy: nothing is sold
- already run your week on saved prompts, custom instructions and your own checklists
What to bring
- 1A laptop, or a phone next to your computer: one screen for Zoom, one for the AI tool
- 2A free account on ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, set up before we start
- 3One real task from your week: a reply to write, a document to read, a post to publish
- 4If you'll use a real document, a copy with names and personal details removed
What you take home
Your own Meeting Note app
A free app that turns a recorded conversation into a transcript, summary and to-do list. Each person installs a private copy on a free account: no card, no subscription.
About Meeting NoteEvery prompt from the night
The slides, the four-part prompt template, copy-ready recipes and the tool list go to the group the day after, in English, Chinese and French.
A seven-day plan
One small task a day, about twenty minutes each, so the workshop turns into a habit instead of a memory.
Part of We Thrive BC, Cohort 2
OCCA's free program for women entrepreneurs runs eight online sessions and two in-person gatherings, in Kelowna and Vernon, this fall. Three of the sessions are about AI.
This session
Tuesday, September 29
From Chatbox to AI Employee
Tuesday, October 6
AI for Your Marketing Content
Tuesday, November 24
Set Up Your Own AI Tools
OCCA may adjust dates and topics.
Full Cohort 2 schedule on OCCA's pageYour facilitator
Yao Song
Founder, NextAgent AI Solutions · Senior AI Engineer
- Nearly 10 years of hands-on AI implementation and teaching
- Has deployed 10+ production-grade AI systems in healthcare, education and enterprise
- Specializes in private AI deployment, workflow automation and full-stack applications
- Guides learners from AI fundamentals to deploying their own applications
- Dual bachelor's degrees in computer science and economics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Master of Finance, Saint Mary's University
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. The workshop is part of OCCA's We Thrive BC program, funded by the Government of Canada's Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. Every exercise uses free tools, and nothing is sold during the session.
Do I need to be technical?
No. If you can type a message and take a photo on your phone, you can do all four rounds.
Which language is it in?
The session is delivered in English. You can write your prompts in any language, and the take-home notes come in English, Chinese and French.
I was in Cohort 1. Is this different?
Yes. Cohort 1 covered the basics, including a prompt framework. This session goes further: working from your own files, custom instructions, recipes you reuse every week, and writing down your own judgement, all hands-on.
Is the session recorded?
The facilitator records it with Meeting Note so that written notes can go to the group. The audio is used only for the notes and deleted after seven days. If you'd rather not be included, say so at the start, at the break or in the Zoom chat, and your comments stay out of the notes.
Who can register?
Women, and people who identify as women, who are starting or running a business in BC. The program especially welcomes newcomers and entrepreneurs outside Metro Vancouver and Victoria. Registration is through OCCA.
Is there a one-on-one?
OCCA's registration page includes a free 60-minute one-on-one with the speaker for participants. OCCA arranges it.
NNextAgent
Bring one real task from your week
Tuesday, September 29, 6:00–8:00 pm Pacific, on Zoom. Free, through OCCA's We Thrive BC program.
Registration questions: [email protected]
Hosted by OCCA Communities Association as part of We Thrive BC, funded by the Government of Canada's Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, in partnership with WeBC. Presented by NextAgent AI Solutions.