Boosting a business in 2024 requires going beyond generic advice on productivity or mindset. The levers that make a difference this year are technical: industrialization of generative AI, compliance with new European regulatory frameworks, and fine-tuning between acquisition channels. Here, we detail the concrete areas that separate growing companies from those that stagnate.
Generative AI in SMEs: industrializing usage, not just testing
The majority of SME leaders have tested ChatGPT or an equivalent tool. The problem is that most remain in the experimental stage: an isolated prompt to write an email, an image generated for a LinkedIn post.
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The AI and SMEs Barometer 2024, published by France Num and Bpifrance Le Lab in March 2024, shows a clear acceleration in the use of tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney in small structures. The use cases that are progressing the fastest involve commercial writing, responding to calls for proposals, and creating marketing content.
We recommend structuring adoption around three pillars, published on the La Revue de l’Entreprise website in the form of field feedback:
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- An automated prospecting workflow: AI drafts the initial versions of follow-up emails, a human operator validates the tone and relevance before sending.
- A semi-automated marketing content pipeline: human brief, initial AI draft, editorial rewriting, publication. The time savings occur during the drafting phase, not during validation.
- An internal customer service assistant: AI pre-qualifies customer requests by categorizing the ticket and suggesting a standard response, which the agent adapts.
The classic trap is to deploy AI on low-stakes tasks (meeting summaries, brainstorming) while ignoring high-impact processes like quote management or competitive monitoring. AI generates value when it integrates into an existing business process, not when it replaces a sticky note.
AI Act and DMA: regulatory constraints on data-driven businesses
Competing articles talk about “digital” and “data” without ever mentioning the two European frameworks that are concretely changing the rules of the game this year.
The European AI Act, formally adopted in 2024, imposes obligations of transparency, risk management, and documentation on companies integrating certain categories of AI. For an SME using automated prospect scoring or a sales chatbot, this means documenting how the model works and informing the user that they are interacting with AI.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA), now in effect, redefines the power dynamics with major platforms. Companies that relied on a single channel (Google Ads, Meta Ads) to acquire customers must anticipate changes in advertising targeting and access to user data.
Operational consequences for SMEs
Failing to comply with the AI Act exposes companies to graduated sanctions. But beyond the legal risk, compliance becomes a commercial argument in front of informed B2B clients. Documenting AI usage and demonstrating transparency in data handling provides an advantage in long sales cycles.
On the DMA side, diversifying acquisition channels is no longer theoretical advice. It is an operational necessity when targeting rules change unilaterally on dominant platforms.
Business acquisition channels: podcast, YouTube, and affiliate marketing in 2024
The trio of podcast, YouTube, and affiliate marketing is capturing the attention of entrepreneurs this year, but the approaches that work are more nuanced than just “launch your channel.”
Podcast and video: retention trumps volume
Publishing an episode per week without a distribution strategy is like speaking into a void. A podcast works as a business lever when it targets a specific niche audience and is coupled with a conversion mechanism (newsletter, link to a product, call to schedule an appointment).
For YouTube, the retention duration per video matters more than the number of subscribers. A ten-minute video watched on average at 60% outperforms a thirty-minute video abandoned after three minutes. The platform’s native analytics tools allow for identifying segments that drop off and adjusting the format.
Affiliate marketing: margins and program selection
Affiliate marketing remains a profitable channel as long as programs with recurring commissions are selected rather than one-time commissions. Promoting a subscription-based SaaS tool generates cumulative revenue, whereas a one-time sale of a physical product caps quickly.
- Prioritize programs that offer a commission over the customer lifetime, not just on the first transaction.
- Test the product before recommending it: the credibility of affiliate content relies on the authenticity of the review.
- Combine affiliate marketing with long-form content (detailed articles, video comparisons) rather than just simple banners.
Financial management and steering tools for growing companies
Cash flow management remains the primary cause of failure for young businesses. Financial steering tools accessible to SMEs have multiplied, but the choice of the right software stack depends on the business model.
For an online business with recurring revenues (subscriptions, SaaS), a dashboard that tracks MRR, churn, and customer acquisition cost is sufficient to steer growth. For a service activity with long billing cycles, monitoring the average payment delay and customer receivables takes precedence.
We observe that many leaders stack tools without ever consolidating the data. A well-structured spreadsheet connected to accounting covers most needs of a company with fewer than ten employees. Investment in an ERP is only justified when the volume of transactions exceeds what two people can manually verify.
The choice of the right management tools, coupled with a diversified acquisition strategy and a structured adoption of AI, forms the technical foundation of a business that progresses in 2024. Companies that address these three areas in parallel, rather than chasing the latest trend, position themselves on a more stable trajectory than those that spread themselves thin.