Why AI Works for Owners, Not CEOs | Businessing with Pat Miller

AI Agents Are Your New Customers | Businessing with Pat Miller

The Visa CMO just said it out loud: AI agents are your new customers. Pretty soon they'll land on your website and buy on their own, and if your sales page isn't built for them, they'll buy from somebody else. On this episode Pat breaks down what that actually means for a small business owner who sells online. Agents don't care about your clever marketing copy. They want product specs, real facts they can parse, the actual price right there on the page, and proof you're the authority in your lane. Pat also sits down with Mitch Prejbeanu of Paul's Jewelers to talk about the new 7 C's Cafe and a better way to treat customers, runs a live Idea Slam with Kyle Mack of Vokol Branding on rightsizing your offers so clients know exactly what to buy, and gets into why nine out of ten Americans think tipping culture has gone off the rails. If you sell anything online, this one changes how you build your next landing page. In this episode:00:00 - Cold open06:00 - The three problems every owner solves daily: find free time, fund the business, finish the right stuff09:30 - Personal update: a typhoon, LAX, and a son finally landing in Japan11:30 - News you need to know: the US-Iran situation13:00 - Has tipping culture gotten completely out of control?18:00 - Guest: Mitch Prejbeanu on Paul's Jewelers and the new 7 C's Cafe29:00 - AI Story of the Day: Visa says AI agents are your new customers37:00 - Sponsor: Athena Legal Solutions39:30 - Idea Slam: Kyle Mack on helping solopreneurs get found or get focused53:00 - SBOC updates: new member event and two new education sessions Resources mentioned:- Mitch Prejbeanu, Paul's Jewelers & 7 C's Cafe (West Allis): https://7cs.cafe- Kyle Mack, Vokol Branding- Athena Legal Solutions (sponsor): https://athenalegalsolutionsllc.com- Visa CMO: "AI agents are your new customers"- SBOC education events: Wendy Babcock, "Don't Be the Best-Kept Secret" (July) and Kevin Zeigler on product-market fit (August) Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listenFridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.comSmall Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #AIForSmallBusiness #AIAgents #Branding

Every Role Touches Revenue | Businessing with Pat Miller

Every role in your business touches revenue. The CFO, the receptionist, even the person who forgot to clean the bathroom. Once you see it, you can't unsee it, and it changes how you sell and who you hire. This one is for the owner who's tired of networking conversations that go nowhere. Pat sits down with Lisa Raebel of Rebel Girl Revenue for a live Idea Slam on how to build trust fast, so the person across the table walks away thinking "I know exactly who you need to meet." Then Pat shows off the lead-scoring CRM he built inside Claude Cowork, the kind of thing that used to be impossible for a solo owner. Plus a supersonic jet from NASA, a reminder that your business is a lifestyle and not a job, and the story behind the SBOC "Pivot" sticker. Real conversation, real problems, solved in real time. In this episode: 00:00 — Get ready to business: find, fund, finish 04:00 — Your business is a lifestyle, not a job 12:00 — Story you should know: NASA's X-59 supersonic jet 16:00 — Sponsor: Athena Legal Solutions 18:00 — Idea Slam with Lisa Raebel: every role touches revenue 37:00 — AI story of the day: a lead-scoring CRM built in Claude 45:00 — Sponsor: Paul's Jewelers and the Seven C's Cafe 48:00 — Tweet of the day and what's happening in the SBOC 50:00 — The Sticker Club and the story behind "Pivot" Resources mentioned: - Lisa Raebel, Rebel Girl Revenue and the Pitch to Purchase podcast - NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic jet - Naval Ravikant (Tweet of the Day) - Stephanie Kern, VBC Design (the free SBOC Sticker Club) - Claude Cowork - Athena Legal Solutions: https://athenalegalsolutionsllc.com - Paul's Jewelers and the Seven C's Cafe, West Allis, WI: https://paulsjewelers.com 🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109 🌐 Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen 📬 Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com 👥 Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #Sales #Networking #AIForSmallBusiness

Solve the Right Problem | Businessing with Pat Miller

Most business owners are asking oddly specific questions that are really just versions of the wrong question. The real one is simple. Does anybody actually want to buy what you're building? Today on Businessing, Michael Rampolla of Fortum Advisors joins Pat to talk about solving the right problem, why "go fund yourself" beats chasing VC money, and how to pick the one task that actually moves your business forward. Then Andrea Hubbert of Hub & Company brings her brand strategy work to the Idea Slam, and the room figures out how to point AI at the right part of her process so it powers up her deliverables instead of doing the work for her. Plus the AI story of the day, where four AI models each got to run their own little society and the results were not even close. If you're a small business owner who stays busy without moving forward, this one's for you. The Idea Slam is real conversation with real people solving real problems in real time. Listeners come on the air, tell Pat what they're working on right now, and the room makes it great together, live and with no net. In this episode: 00:00 Monday open and the Fridays Off framework: find, fund, finish 03:00 Breaking news: the US-Iran conflict and the oil spike 06:00 A pancreatic cancer breakthrough and the start of hurricane season 08:00 Solve the Right Problem with Michael Rampolla of Fortum Advisors 23:30 Sponsor: Athena Legal Solutions 26:00 Idea Slam with Andrea Hubbert of Hub & Company 27:30 AI story of the day: what happens when AI runs a society 47:00 Sponsor: Paul's Jewelers and the Seven C's Cafe 49:30 Tweet of the day 50:00 Happy 6th birthday, SBOC Resources mentioned: - Michael Rampolla, Fortum Advisors - Andrea Hubbert, Hub & Company (https://hubandcompany.com) - Athena Legal Solutions (https://athenalegalsolutionsllc.com) - Paul's Jewelers and the Seven C's Cafe (https://paulsjewelers.com) 🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109 🌐 Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen 📬 Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com 👥 Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #SolveTheRightProblem #AIForSmallBusiness #BrandStrategy

Stop Showing the After Photo | Businessing with Pat Miller

Are you showing people the finish line and potentially scaring off the customers who could hire you? A new study on "fitspiration" content says showing the after photo can actually push people away, because it reminds them how far they are from where they want to be. Today on Businessing, Pat unpacks a counterintuitive social media insight every owner needs to hear, then welcomes Tayler Cusick Hollman of Enji.co onto the Idea Slam to work through Enji.co's repositioning and the hunt for the user "aha moment" inside onboarding. Plus the latest AI market share numbers, a tweet that lands straight on Pillar 1 of the Fridays Off framework, and what's coming up in the SBOC for June. In this episode:00:00 - Welcome and the three Fridays Off problems04:00 - The "after photo" trap: why your inspiration posts may be backfiring11:00 - It's always okay to ask for help. Build the relationships you'd actually call16:30 - Money Masters Bookkeeping18:30 - Idea Slam with Tayler Cusick Hollman of Enji.co42:00 - The AI scoreboard: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot44:30 - G2 Insurance47:00 - Tweet of the Day: are the people around you helping you grow?49:30 - SBOC update: Coffee Club, sixth birthday, weekly self-promo, design hierarchy52:30 - Fridays off and Monday's birthday party Resources mentioned:- Enji.co (Tayler Cusick Hollman, co-founder)- Money Masters Bookkeeping: https://moneymasters4biz.com- G2 Insurance: https://g2insuranceservices.com- Theresa Wilmot, graphic designer (teaching design hierarchy in the SBOC)- SBOC26 Conference, September 15-17, Brookfield Sheraton 🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109🌐 Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen📬 Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com👥 Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #Marketing #SocialMedia #IdeaSlam

Operator to Icon with Matt Stone | Businessing with Pat Miller

In an algorithmic, AI-powered, synthetic world, the people willing to share what made them who they are have the advantage. That's the operator-to-icon trade Matt Stone walked us through, and it's the kind of conversation that changes how you show up. Today's big show. Matt Stone from The Bigger Stage explains the journey from competent operator to industry authority to icon, and why vulnerability (not polish) is the gateway. Then Jim Carlin from Systems Equal Freedom joins the Idea Slam to wrestle with whether being "the SOP guy" sells him short, and the answer lands. SOPs are a communication tool, and time compounds. Plus the AI story of the day on Google's overhauled search, the news on the Iran deal, NASA's moon base contracts, and the tweet that asks the real question. If social media isn't social anymore, what is it? In this episode: 00:00 - Fridays Off framework: Freedom, Funding, Finish04:00 - Matt Stone on Operator to Authority to Icon30:00 - Money Masters Bookkeeping sponsor break32:00 - News: Iran deal, NASA moon base contracts34:00 - AI story of the day: Google's search overhaul37:00 - Idea Slam with Jim Carlin (Systems Equal Freedom)55:00 - G2 Insurance sponsor break56:00 - Tweet of the day: Social media isn't social anymore1:00:00 - SBOC community update: 6-year anniversary, 192 members1:02:00 - Close Resources mentioned: Matt Stone, The Bigger Stage: https://thebiggerstage.com [https://thebiggerstage.com]The Bigger Stage assessment: https://thebiggerstage.com/assessment [https://thebiggerstage.com/assessment]Jim Carlin, Systems Equal Freedom: https://systemsequalfreedom.com [https://systemsequalfreedom.com]Money Masters Bookkeeping: https://moneymastersforbiz.com [https://moneymastersforbiz.com]G2 Insurance Services: https://g2insuranceservices.com [https://g2insuranceservices.com] 🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1 [https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1]🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109]🌐 Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen [https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen]📬 Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com [https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com]👥 Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com [https://smallbusinesscommunity.com] #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #PersonalBrand #SOPs #AIForSmallBusiness