On Location

AI and Marketing: Insights from Todd Krise at the B2B Expo

Todd Krise on Making AI Marketing Accessible for Small Businesses at the B2B Expo At the B2B Expo, Todd Krise, CEO and founder of MercenaryMarketing.ai, discusses his background in agencies and his focus on supporting small businesses and solopreneurs who often can’t afford traditional retainers or consistent strategic support. He describes building a platform that curates AI tools and plans for a community launching next year called the Mercenary Network, with a future in-person “safe house,” aimed at providing ongoing access to knowledgeable people and increasing clients’ ownership of their digital assets. Todd explains how AI can enable consistency and quality by handling mundane tasks so teams can be more present and human, and he notes that many small businesses need guidance because AI feels nebulous. He also reflects on the rollercoaster of transitioning from agency work to founding a company and shares takeaways from his talk, “How to become your own AI Marketing Agency.” 00:00 Meet Todd Krise 00:28 Mercenary Origin Story 00:57 Marketing for Small Business 02:12 Community and Access 03:24 AI Tools Any Industry 04:36 Human First AI Workflow 05:33 Educating Clients on AI 06:55 Agency to Founder Rollercoaster 08:48 B2B Expo Experience 09:26 Talk Takeaways 11:28 Wrap Up and Thanks Connect with Todd on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddkrise/] Connect with Meredith on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithdennis/] Follow Compression Marketing on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/compression.marketing/] Contact Meredith: info@compressionmarketing.co

Connecting and Creating: Franisha Hayes on AMA and Marketing Trends

AMA Las Vegas and Phoenix Leaders Share Chapter Updates and B2B Expo Takeaways At a B2B Expo, Franisha Hayes, president of the American Marketing Association (AMA) Las Vegas chapter and director of marketing at KMJ Vegas, discusses shaking up a 90-year luncheon-focused chapter by adding evening “fireside chats” centered on personal growth, while continuing monthly luncheons on topics like short-form video and upcoming influencer podcasting. AMA Las Vegas also introduced “play mixers,” including a game-night event. Franisha highlights seeing a booth focused on AI-driven workflows and notes she’ll join an American Advertising Federation panel on how AI is changing creative workflows. She advises that all marketing channels matter but should be used within reason, emphasizing that audiences aren’t always on social and that traditional and in-person networking remain important. The host shares similar changes at AMA Phoenix, including more in-person panels, community partnerships, and evolving board leadership. 00:00 Meet Franisha Hayes 00:48 AMA Vegas Shakeup 01:20 Fireside Chats and Mixers 03:02 Leading Through Change 04:00 Expo Find AI Workflows 05:25 Marketing Advice All Channels 07:05 In Person Connection Matters 08:14 AMA Phoenix Updates 09:46 Phoenix Visit and Wrap Connect with Franisha on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/franisha-hayes/] Connect with Meredith on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithdennis/] Follow Compression Marketing on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/compression.marketing/] Contact Meredith: info@compressionmarketing.co

The Human-AI Partnership: Barry Rosen Discusses Digital Evolution

AI for Small Business: Policies, Training, and ROI-Driven Automation In this podcast episode, Barry introduces his full-service digital marketing agency and AI-focused consultancy, drawing on a background that includes a film degree, about 20 years at IBM as a product manager, and business consulting. He recaps his expo session on ChatGPT and AI for small business owners, emphasizing why businesses should care about AI and warning that employees may already be using it without guardrails, creating risk around PII and proprietary data; he offers a free internal AI usage policy template. Barry explains “AI-enabled” as using AI to improve daily work, sharing a workflow using Read.ai transcripts and ChatGPT as a sales coach and to generate meeting decks, while keeping humans in the loop. He outlines his methodology: baseline assessment, customized training, mapping tasks step-by-step, identifying automation opportunities, selecting off-the-shelf vs custom tools, and estimating ROI, plus establishing an internal AI council for ongoing strategy, adoption, customer communication, and talent attraction. He closes by urging businesses to use AI not only for cost savings but also to create new revenue-generating offerings from customer data insights. Connect with Barry on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/barryrosenwsi/] Connect with Meredith on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithdennis/] Follow Compression Marketing on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/compression.marketing/] Contact Meredith: info@compressionmarketing.co

Custom Coaching for Today's Leaders: Ellen Robinson's Innovative Approach

Ellen Robinson on Bespoke Executive Coaching and Closing Stress Cycles to Prevent Burnout At the B2B Expo, executive coach Ellen Robinson of Robinson Coaching Group describes her 15 years of bespoke leadership and team development work, grounded in adult development theory to assess where clients are and tailor frameworks to their maturity and leadership readiness. She explains that beyond learning skills, leaders must address what holds them back and avoid being limited by strengths. For her 25-minute expo talk, Robinson focuses on burnout, noting common leadership fixes like delegation, prioritization, and clearer communication, but emphasizing the need to close stress cycles to prevent chronic cortisol buildup. She shares using brief moments of creativity without purpose or outcome to express oneself and regain perspective. Robinson recounts her high-stress background at Frito-Lay, Pepsi, managing the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche business operations, and a SaaS startup that led to burnout, prompting her transition into credentialed coaching. 00:00 Meet Ellen Robinson 00:51 Bespoke Coaching Approach 01:10 Adult Development Framework 02:29 Burnout Talk Preview 03:32 Closing Stress Cycles 05:20 Expo Impressions 06:22 From Pepsi to Sports 07:04 Burnout to Coaching Pivot 07:46 Curator of Growth 10:01 Wrap Up and Thanks Connect with Ellen on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-robinson-703922b/] Connect with Meredith on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithdennis/] Follow Compression Marketing on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/compression.marketing/] Contact Meredith: info@compressionmarketing.co

Navigating B2B Marketing: Insights with Dave Charest

B2B Expo Marketing Advice: Prioritize, Take Action, and Don’t Rely on Social Media Alone (with Dave Chire, Constant Contact) At the B2B Expo, Meredith interviews Dave Chire, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact and host of the Be A Marketer podcast, about what small businesses are struggling with in marketing. Dave says many feel overwhelmed by noise and pressure to be everywhere, so he encourages prioritizing based on business goals, ignoring cookie-cutter advice, and scheduling non-negotiable time—even 15 minutes a day—to take imperfect but consistent action. He emphasizes momentum, repeating core messages with clarity, and staying consistent because audiences aren’t thinking about your business as much as you are. Dave shares how he uses AI daily to repurpose transcripts and ideas into posts and blogs. His key takeaway: don’t expect social media to do it all; real progress comes from follow-up, one-to-one conversations, and intentionally guiding engagement to next steps. Connect with Alex on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davecharest/] Connect with Meredith on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithdennis/] Follow Compression Marketing on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/compression.marketing/] Contact Meredith: info@compressionmarketing.co