Gen AI Innovation
Sometimes the best account of a workshop isn't the one I write myself. This one comes from Caroline Sculley, COO of DNKA Group and a Xero South Africa MVP, who posted about her team's experience shortly after we wrapped up.
The DNKA Inc team completed a high-impact Generative AI Business workshop covering the fundamentals of AI, with a deliberate focus on practical, everyday applications — the kind that benefit the firm directly, and just as importantly, benefit their clients.
Practical From the Start
What comes through clearly in Caroline's account is that this wasn't a workshop about AI in the abstract. For a professional services firm, "practical" has a specific meaning: applications that show up in client work, in day-to-day deliverables, in the actual advice a firm gives — not just internal efficiency for its own sake.
That focus is exactly why the session resonated enough for DNKA to want to take it further.
Taking It to Their Own Clients
The insights from the workshop were valuable enough that DNKA is now collaborating on a dedicated session for their own clients and fellow SMME business owners, aimed at helping them unlock AI's potential in their own businesses.
That's a meaningful vote of confidence — a firm that just went through the training deciding it's worth extending to the businesses they serve. It's also exactly the kind of ripple effect I hope for with every workshop: not just one team more capable, but that capability reaching further out through the people they work with.
A Word on the Venue
The workshop was hosted at the stunning Ammazulu African Palace — one of DNKA's own clients, and a genuinely striking setting for a full day of learning. Sometimes the room matters too, and this one gave the whole day a different energy from a standard boardroom.
Why This One Stood Out
Professional services firms are in an interesting position with AI. They're often advising clients on change and strategy while still figuring out their own adoption — and DNKA's approach here got that sequence right: build the internal capability first, apply it to real work, and only then extend it outward to clients who'll benefit from the same clarity.