Small-business owners who already dabble in ChatGPT, and teams that keep postponing a real rollout, now have a clearer on-ramp. On July 21, 2026, OpenAI launched the ChatGPT for Small Business program: training, starter guides, partner skills, and a direct push toward ChatGPT Work instead of one-off prompt screenshots.
This piece is the practical checklist: what shipped, which dates to put on the calendar, what OpenAI actually promised, and what is still marketing fluff.
Watch OpenAI introduce ChatGPT Work
ChatGPT Work rolled out earlier (July 9, 2026) with GPT-5.6. The small-business program is the enablement layer on top of that product. Start with OpenAI's own overview, then come back for the owner-facing dates below.
What the small-business program includes
OpenAI is not launching a separate model SKU for shop owners. It is packaging help around tools those teams can already buy:
Hands-on virtual training: product webinars with demos and prompts for accounting, marketing, ecommerce, and similar day-to-day lanes, plus partner Q&As meant to leave you with something usable the same week
Starter guides and short videos: customer stories, interactive guides you can bring into ChatGPT Work, and short clips with concrete prompts
Partner skills and offers: curated plugins, skills, and deals from partners such as Dropbox, Shopify, Intuit, Slack, Atlassian, and Wix, mapped to common small-business workflows
