AI is moving quickly, but for most businesses the challenge is not understanding the hype. It is working out what AI can actually do for the business and how to start using it properly.

Over three days at Rachel's Farm, this practical residential bootcamp takes business owners and leaders from understanding the possibilities of AI through to identifying real opportunities within their own organisations and creating a practical implementation plan.

Led by AI specialist Nick Crawford, the programme combines hands-on learning with the space of a residential retreat to step away from day-to-day demands, think differently and focus on where AI can make a real difference

There’s no shortage of online AI courses and webinars. The hard part is finding the headspace to take any of it in. Learning in short bursts between meetings, with your inbox open in another tab, rarely leads to real change.

A residential retreat removes those distractions. For three days you step away from the daily running of your business and give your full attention to where it could go next. Accommodation, meals and the full programme are all taken care of, so there’s nothing to organise and nothing pulling you back to your desk.

You’ll also be learning alongside other business owners and leaders working through the same questions. Conversations over dinner, during breaks and at the gin tasting often spark the ideas that make the biggest difference.

Rachel’s Farm gives you the setting to do this well, with peaceful countryside, good food and room to think. The optional sound bath on arrival helps you leave work behind before the programme begins, so you start the first full day clear headed and ready to focus.

This retreat is designed for business owners and leaders without a technical background who want to understand AI without the jargon. You don’t need any coding knowledge or previous experience with AI tools, just an interest in what AI could do for your business.

Rather than focusing on hype or technical detail, the programme concentrates on what matters to a business: what the tools can do, how to use them well and where they could make a real difference. Through practical demonstrations, hands on activities and business exercises, you’ll see the tools working, try them yourself and apply what you’ve learned to challenges from your own organisation.

The two programme days follow a clear progression. The first day answers “What can AI actually do?”, covering the major platforms, structured prompting, creative AI and how AI can support data analysis, reporting and automation. The second day asks “How could we actually do it?”, moving on to responsible use, identifying the opportunities in your own business and deciding which are worth pursuing. It finishes with the AI Pilot Builder Challenge, where you work in a small team to develop a 30 day AI pilot and pitch it to the group.

Because the course runs as a residential retreat, you’re away from the inbox and the daily pressures of running a business, with time to think properly about where AI fits. You’ll leave with your own shortlist of opportunities and a personal AI Action Plan setting out your next steps.

Tucked into the rolling countryside of Stirlingshire, Rachel’s Retreats Buchlyvie offers the quality and service of a luxury hotel with the privacy of your own home. The farm buildings date back over 300 years and have been fully renovated, pairing original character with elegant, modern interiors designed for comfort.

Set across 45 private acres, the property is reserved exclusively for the retreat. Large, spacious bedrooms give everyone room to unwind, while generous communal spaces bring the group together over meals and conversation. A dedicated studio space with high speed wifi provides the ideal setting for workshops and focused sessions, and when the working day is done, you can relax in the hot tubs or step straight out onto nature walks right from the doorstep.

Food is the cornerstone of every retreat. Throughout your stay you will enjoy beautiful meals cooked and prepared by your personal private chef, and served by a dedicated retreat host, with evening meals offered as a mix of two and three course dinners. Below are example dishes from our carefully curated menus.

Alongside your meals, mid morning and mid afternoon snacks are available every day, as well as fresh fruit around the clock. We cater to all dietary requirements and will send you a form to fill in ahead of the retreat.

• 4:00pm: Arrival and check in. Settle in, explore the farm and unwind after your journey.

• 5:30pm: Welcome and meet your instructor. Meet Nick and your fellow guests. Nick will give an overview of the programme, and you’ll talk about your business, your current experience with AI and what you’d most like to gain from the retreat.

• 6:30pm: Welcome dinner. The group comes together for the first evening meal

• 8:30pm: Optional sound bath and meditation. A calming studio session to help you switch off, reset and focus on the two days ahead.

• 8:00am: Breakfast

• 9:30am: Session One, Demystifying AI and automation. Understand what today’s AI tools can do, with practical demonstrations of ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot.

  • Demystifying AI and automation

  • Understanding the major AI platforms

  • Where AI is already transforming business

  • Identifying opportunities within your organisation

• 11:00am: Coffee break

• 11:15am: Session Two, Getting better results from AI. Move beyond simply asking questions and learn how to work with AI effectively.

  • Structured prompting

  • Getting more accurate and useful outputs

  • Building repeatable AI processes

  • Moving beyond basic chatbots

  • Projects, assistants and agentic AI

• 1:00pm: Lunch. Time to eat, recharge and exchange ideas with the group.

• 2:00pm: Session Three, Creative AI and practical business applications. Explore the wider possibilities of generative AI, including image generation, video, digital avatars, content and communications.

• 3:30pm: Afternoon break

• 4:00pm: Session Four, Finding your AI opportunity. Bring the learning back to your own organisation and identify where AI could improve productivity, efficiency, customer experience or business performance

• 5:00pm: Downtime. Relax, mingle with the group or take some time for yourself before dinner.

• 7:00pm: Dinner

• 8:30pm: Gin tasting experience. A relaxed evening with the group and a chance to connect away from the laptops.

• 8:00am: Breakfast

• 9:30am: Session One, Using AI responsibly. Move from experimentation towards responsible business adoption.

  • Risks and limitations of AI

  • Data protection and responsible AI use

  • Developing an AI use policy

  • Understanding where human oversight still matters

• 11:00am: Coffee break

• 11:15am: Session Two, Turning AI opportunities into business priorities. Build on what you started spotting on Day Two and work out which opportunities are worth pursuing.

  • Identifying AI and automation opportunities

  • Assessing potential business value

  • Prioritising opportunities

  • Understanding barriers to implementation

  • The people side of AI adoption and managing change

  • 1:00pm: Lunch

  • 2:00pm: The AI Pilot Builder Challenge, Part One. Start by identifying possible AI opportunities in your own business. Then, in small teams of around three, choose one idea to develop into a practical 30 day pilot plan, covering the business problem, tools, resources, people, processes, risks, governance and measures of success.

  • 3:30pm: Afternoon break

  • 4:00pm: The AI Pilot Builder Challenge, Part Two. Each team pitches its pilot to the wider group in a Dragons’ Den style session, followed by feedback and group discussion. The programme closes with everyone setting their personal next steps.

  • 6:00pm: Retreat concludes and guests depart