AI Strategist + Trainer | Business Growth with Google Coach
Making AI+Google simple, searchable &growth-focused
Chief AI Officer, AI Works TX
Founder #brandchat
๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐ง๐๐ฆ๐.
More established business owners need to wrap their minds around this before they keep trying to solve a new visibility problem with an old search playbook.
Traditional SEO still matters. Your website still matters. Your keywords, content, page structure, reviews, and Google Business Profile still matter. But AI powered search is adding another layer to how businesses get found, understood, compared, and recommended, which means the question cannot stop at, โAre we ranking?โ
๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐, โ๐ช๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ?โ
That is a different kind of visibility problem because AI tools are not only looking at one page on your website. They are trying to make sense of the pattern around your brand, which includes your website, Google Business Profile, reviews, social content, articles, mentions, service pages, local signals, structured data, and the consistency of what is being said about your business across the web.
When those signals are scattered, thin, outdated, or disconnected, the business may be easier to overlook than the owner realizes.
Established businesses are missing this critical context. They may have the experience, the customers, the proof, and years of earned trust in the real world, but if that trust is not showing up clearly enough across the places Google, AI tools, and buyers are looking, the business can still get passed over.
Add to that, some are still listening to outdated or uninformed technical guidance from people who may know how to build a site, but do not yet understand how visibility, AI search, speed, structure, and conversion now work together.
Gratefully, I personally know web designers and brand strategists who are brilliant, informed, and able to apply that knowledge to a site that can win on speed, visibility, and conversion. I wish they were the norm. They are not.
This is why I keep coming back to calibration.
I wrote more about this here, especially for established businesses that already have the trust, proof, and experience, but may not have the visibility system calibrated clearly enough for Google and AI powered search.
https://t.co/njQMufYuV2
๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ญ, ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐จ๐๐.
Google is now showing recent social media updates inside local search results for some business listings, which means the activity happening on your connected social channels may have more visibility than many business owners realize.
This is not just about whether someone sees your latest Instagram post or Facebook update. It is about how Google is starting to understand what your business is actively doing across the web.
If a restaurant posts about a special, a venue posts about an event, or a service business posts about a current offer, that information can help reinforce what the business is known for, what it provides, and why it may be relevant to the person searching right now.
That is a bigger shift than โpost more on social.โย It means your social content is becoming part of the visibility system around your business.
For a long time, I have told business owners that Google does not look at your business in one place. It looks at the pattern across your website, Google Business Profile, reviews, content, photos, categories, services, citations, and the signals connected to your brand.
This is another reminder of that.
If your social posts are vague, disconnected, or only built around trends, they may not be helping Google or your customers understand what you actually do. But when your posts clearly mention your services, offers, products, location, events, team, and the problems you solve, they become more useful than content filling a feed.
They become visibility signals, which means your content needs to be clear enough for both people and platforms to understand.
A post about a finished project can name the service. A post about a customer question can name the problem. A post about an event can name the location. A post about an offer can explain who it is for.
Those small details help connect the dots. So start with the simple step first. Connect your active social media accounts to your Google Business Profile, then look at your last few posts and ask:ย ๐พ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐?
I am heading out and jumping online this week to present at three separate Grow with Google sessions focused entirely on how established businesses can make AI a practical support tool rather than an operational drain. The marketplace is still filled with a lot of loud, confusing noise around artificial intelligence, but these workshops are designed to look closely at the real, day-to-day actions you can take to keep the human entirely in charge of your systems.
The Community Action Agency of Oklahoma is hosting our first session on Wednesday, June 3, which is a virtual webinar titled "Making AI Work For Your Local Business" that you can stream right from your desk. On Thursday, June 4, I will be coaching in person at two separate events in Texas, starting with the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce to unpack personal AI execution, and wrapping up with the Houston AI Club to teach teams how to safely structure and automate business workflows using Gemini.
If you are near Houston or Pasadena, or if you want to join our virtual session on Wednesday, I would love to see you there so we can look at these practical workflows with real responses instead of canned theories. You can find all the specific registration details and calendar links directly on our main website at https://t.co/5BBf4EX9CX or by visiting the official Google portal at https://t.co/UeQlMNiuy1.
๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ง 2015, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ 2027 ๐๐ง๐ 2028.
I recently walked away from a web design conversation, reminding me how much of this infrastructure depends on how a person sees the systemic changes in intelligent search, rather than just code placed on a page. A designer can easily operate from a legacy mindset if they carry older habits forward as if search, AI readiness, privacy, analytics, and site performance have not completely shifted around them.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ, ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก, ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐จ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ .
As a Google coach, I see these infrastructure updates as they happen, and because I have worked with AI since before it was widely accessible, I watch how quickly these back-end connections shape business outcomes. When I look at a website structure, I consider whether the data is clean enough for AI tools to use, whether tracking weighs down performance, and whether the owner can trust what they see when real money is being spent.
James Clear noted that you do not rise to the level of your goals, but rather fall to the level of your systems. ๐๐ง ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค, ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฌ, ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ค-๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ. Technically working is not the same thing as being structurally sound, and a beautiful front end cannot mask a back end that makes the business harder to measure, optimize, and trust.
When we look at our digital presence, the better question is not whether we can make the code work, but whether we are building the calibrated structure this business will need as search, advertising, and customer behavior keep changing. ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.
AI updates are coming faster than most business owners can absorb them.
That is what I keep thinking about after the latest Google announcements, Google I/O and Google Marketing Live, and after conversations with small business owners trying to understand what deserves their attention and what is just noise.
Every few days there is a new tool, feature, model, or headline that makes it sound like the business needs to stop and rethink everything.
๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ.
They are trying to serve customers, manage the team, follow up, create content, watch the numbers, protect trust, and make better decisions without adding one more thing to the day.
๐๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ, โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ค?โ
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ, โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ?โ
A video tool that helps create faster is not just about making more content. It can help a business test a message, explain an idea, answer a customer question, or turn something sitting in the ownerโs head into something people can see.
A cleaner tracking setup is not just technical. It can help the business send better signals, protect site performance, and give advertising systems cleaner information.
An AI assistant becomes useful when it helps reduce missed follow up, repeated effort, scattered handoffs, or dropped balls that cost time and trust.
๐ป๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ด๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐ If the message is unclear, AI can help create more unclear content.
๐ If the tracking is messy, AI can help you move faster with weak data.
๐ If the systems are disconnected, AI can add another layer on top of a process leaking time, money, and attention.
๐ But when the foundation is calibrated, AI becomes more useful.
It can help create faster because the message has direction, measure better because the signals are cleaner, and follow through because the work has a place to go next.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ โ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐โ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐๐.
The goal is not to keep up with every AI announcement. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.
The businesses that win with AI will not be the ones with the longest list of tools. They will be the ones with enough structure to know what belongs, what does not, and what moves the business closer to the goal.
๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ซ, ๐ฐ๐๐๐ค ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐.
That is the part I keep coming back to with these new AI video tools.
It is getting easier to take a photo, a voice input, a short prompt, or a simple idea and turn it into something that looks more polished than what most small businesses could have created a year ago without extra time, extra software, or extra help.
That is useful.ย But it also creates a new problem.
Because easier creation does not automatically mean better communication. It can just mean more content floating around with no real job to do.
And small business owners already have enough of that.
More posts. More videos. More templates. More trends. More โyou should try thisโ advice. More things that look good for a minute but do not necessarily help the right person understand the business, trust the business, or take the next step.
That is where judgment becomes even more important.
Before a business starts creating more with AI, I think it has to slow down long enough to ask what the content is supposed to support. Is it helping people understand what you do? Is it answering a real customer question? Is it reinforcing trust? Is it making your offer clearer? Is it supporting your visibility across search, social, and AI? Is it moving someone closer to choosing you?
๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.
That is what I do not want small business owners to miss.
AI can absolutely help you create faster. It can help you test ideas, repurpose content, explain a concept, and turn something stuck in your head into something visible. That part is powerful.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.
๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.
๐๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.
So yes, I think these tools are worth testing. But I would not start with, โWhat can this make?โ
๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก, โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ซ?โ
That is where AI video can become useful instead of just impressive.
Video made with Gemini Omni
Some days ask us to step back from the noise.
Memorial Day is one of them.
Most weeks, we are thinking about the work in front of us. The clients, the deadlines, the decisions, the business, the systems, the next thing that needs our attention.
But this weekend carries a different weight.
It is a time to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to this country, and to honor the families who carry that loss long after the rest of us return to our routines.
That kind of sacrifice deserves more than a quick mention before we move on with the day.
So if you are stepping away tomorrow, I hope you are able to do that fully. Be with your family. Take the quiet moment. Remember why the day exists.
The work will still be there.
But some things deserve our full attention.
Wishing you and your family a safe, meaningful, and respectful Memorial Day weekend.
AI video got easier, and that is going to change more than people realize.
I took one photo of myself, said a series of numbers, gave it the topic of finding AI without additional subscription costs, chose the preset noir style, and in about a minute it created this video.
That is what made me stop and think about what this means for small business owners who are trying to stay visible without turning every simple idea into a full production project.
A lot of business owners are still trying to figure out what AI is actually good for in real life, not in theory, not in a polished demo, but in the middle of a normal business day where time is short, budgets matter, and there is not room for one more expensive subscription just to create one small piece of content.
That is where this starts to feel practical.
It gives a business owner a faster way to move from an idea to something visible, and yes, I already know someone will say, โWell, doesnโt that take work away from someone who could have made the video?โ
I think that is the wrong question for this use case.
A small business owner testing one idea with one photo, one voice input, and one preset style is not the same thing as hiring a full production team for a campaign. Most of the time, that video was not going to get made at all.
That is where AI can actually help.ย ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ , ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
There is still a place for great video teams, designers, editors, and creative professionals. Absolutely. But there is also a place for helping small business owners move faster, test more clearly, and communicate more easily without needing a full production process every single time.
That is what caught my attention here, not just that it was fast or that it worked, but that it made creating something useful feel a whole lot more accessible for small businesses trying to get more done without adding more subscription costs.
Video made with Gemini Omni
๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
You need fewer dropped balls in your inbox, your team workflows, and your daily client follow-through.
That is the real business story happening underneath Google's massive Gemini expansion right now...
The headlines might sound like just another loud AI announcement, but the practical reality is a completely different kind of shift. Google is moving away from AI that simply answers questions, and moving toward an integrated support layer designed to help monitor, organize, draft, and track action across the tools your business already uses every day.
๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐.
๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ฑ. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ . ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ. ๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐๐.
This is exactly why it pays to ignore the sci-fi hype and dramatic "digital workforce" language. It makes a practical tool feel far more complicated and scarier than it needs to be.
The real win here isn't getting faster answers. The win is stopping the leaks in your follow-through.
But the "Human in Charge Rule" still applies completely.
This does not mean handing your business operations over to full automation. It means understanding how a structured AI layer can carry the heavy lifting of organizing and suggesting drafts, while you still set the baseline rules, protect customer trust, and maintain final human judgment.
Before you try to buy another piece of software, the question has to become much more grounded:
- Where is your follow-through already leaking?
- Where are you losing tracking because your signals and information are scattered?
- What needs to be structurally calibrated before you execute?
๐๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ "๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ด"ย (๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ '๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ" ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ) - ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ข๐บ๐ฐ๐ง๐ง ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด.
Iโm currently mapping out a strategic framework built specifically to help established teams calibrate their visibility, structure their data, and organize these practical AI workflows without the usual agency hype.
Itโs not ready to open publicly just yet, but I am opening an early-access waitlist this week.
If you want to clear out the open tabs and stop the dropped balls, drop the word "WORKFLOW" in the comments below, and Iโll send you the private link directly. ๐
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.ย
That is the quiet pressureย established service business owners are feeling right now. We try to keep up with SEO, AEO, GEO, and AI search updates. Here is what is actually happening...ย
Some of that advice in your feed might be good eventually. But when it is all sitting in separate tabs, scattered notes, and "I need to come back to this" folders, it creates friction instead of progress.
This friction isn't happening because you are ignoring your visibility. Youโve already done the hard work in real lifeโbuilding solid client relationships, deep expertise, and great reviews. What you lack is a clear structure to see how all those digital signals are supposed to work together.
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.ย
When your digital presence is uncalibrated, a great business becomes much harder for buyers, Google, and AI tools to choose. Your website might be written for an older version of your business, or your Google Business Profile might not match the high-ticket services you sell today.
You don't need a massive, complicated system that takes over your business. You just need a repeatable roadmap to prioritize what needs attention first.
Iโm currently mapping out a core strategic framework built specifically to fix these visibility foundations. It's not ready to launch quite yet, but I'm opening a private, early-access waitlist this week.
If you want to clear out the open tabs and calibrate your strategy, drop the word "TABS" in the comments below, and Iโll send you the private link directly. ๐
Mejor que nada may be quietly costing you more than you think.
I have said โ๐ฆ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ซ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐โ for decades.ย ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ .
And in real life, sometimes that is exactly what something is. A tool, a workaround, a leader, a system, a process, or a decision that may not be perfect, but it gets you to the next step. It gets you closer to the goal. It helps you move when standing still would cost more.
I get that. But I have been thinking about how often small business owners are being ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐.
Another subscription. Another tool. Another โyou have to try this.โ Another shiny app that does one thing slightly better this week, while the rest of the business still has to run as one whole system.
๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ.ย Because every new AI subscription does not only cost money. It costs attention. It costs setup time. It costs decision energy. It costs training. It costs context switching. It costs the time it takes to figure out where that tool fits, what it replaces, what it duplicates, and whether it actually supports the business or just adds one more place to check.
That is the part a lot of people are not putting a pencil to.
I test a lot of tools because I need to know what they actually do in the real world. Not in a lab. Not in a perfect demo. Not in a clean little use case where everything behaves the way the tutorial said it would.
I need to know what it looks like for the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, the coach, the consultant, the local service provider, and the business owner who is already wearing ten hats and now being told AI is the new operating system of business.
That is why I field test.
But testing everything does not mean adopting everything. And that is the distinction I wish more business owners would catch sooner.
Just because one tool is ahead today does not mean it will be the best fit for your business tomorrow. These platforms are in a horse race right now. One pulls ahead, another catches up, another adds a feature, another looks impressive for five minutes, and before long you are paying for five different tools while still not having one clear system.
๐ป๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ป๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
I've heard it sold as - well, this AI writes better or something like that.ย For me, the question is not always, โWhich AI tool is the absolute best today?โ
The better question is, โWhich ecosystem can I actually use, train, trust, and integrate into the way the business works without leaking time, money, security, and focus?โ
That is why I pay so much attention to systems.ย Because small businesses do not need to chase every tool that looks impressive. They need a way to build with intention, keep their information safer, reduce waste, and create workflows that actually hold up when the day gets busy.
Sometimes mejor que nada is useful. ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐.ย Not because AI failed you. ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐๐ฉ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐จ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฅ.
Being part of ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐คย with the ๐.๐. ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง and ๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ was an honor, especially because the conversation focused on something small business owners actually need right now.
Not more AI noise.
More practical ways to decide what is worth using, what fits the business, and what helps them get more out of the time, tools, and resources they already have.
I was grateful to be part of the ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐: ๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ panel alongside other Google Coaches, including people I have had the privilege of working with before. There is something meaningful about being in that kind of conversation with people who are committed to helping small businesses use technology in ways that are useful, approachable, and tied to real business needs.
What I appreciated most was that the conversation did not stay in theory.
Because small business owners are not making AI decisions in a vacuum. They are looking at their time, their budget, their team, their customers, their current tools, their security concerns, and the reality of what they can actually keep up with.
That is where AI has to become more than impressive. ๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ.
For me, getting ahead with AI is not about chasing every new feature or stacking up subscriptions just because something looks exciting this week. It is about learning how to use AI as support for the work that is already happening, helping with decisions, communication, planning, research, visibility, and the kinds of everyday tasks that quietly take more time than people realize.
That is the conversation I think more small business owners deserve. The one that does not make them feel behind. The one that does not hand them another tool and leave them to figure it out alone.
The one that helps them look at what they are already doing and ask, โ๐พ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?โ
Small businesses do not need AI to make the work feel like "more work". They need it to help them move with more focus, better information, and more confidence.
I am grateful to the SBA, Google, and the Grow with Google community for creating space for that kind of conversation during National Small Business Week.
#smallbusinessweek
#nationalsmallbusinessweek
#growwithgoogle
#smallbusinessadministration
#sba
#sbdc
#smallbusinessdevelopmentcenter
A website can look finished and still be a liability.
That was one of the things I kept thinking about last week while talking with web developers and looking at the kind of implementation support I want around the clients I work with.
Because a lot of business owners do not know what they do not know here.
They see a website that looks good enough on the front end and assume the foundation is solid. But behind the scenes, the plugins may not be maintained, the site may be slowing down, the security may be weak, and the tracking may be missing or installed in a way that creates more problems than it solves.
And that starts affecting far more than the website.
Visibility work does not happen in a vacuum. If the site is slow, fragile, poorly maintained, or bloated with unnecessary scripts, then SEO, AEO, GEO, ads, analytics, and conversion tracking all get harder to trust.
That is why I care so much about having the right implementation partners.
A good web developer is not just someone who can make a page look nice. A good web developer understands the health of the site, the structure underneath it, the importance of clean implementation, the role of Google Tag Manager, and why adding more code directly into a site without thinking through performance can create problems that show up later in speed, tracking, security, and search visibility.
And this is where some designers and developers miss the bigger picture. ๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ง ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐.
This is the part many business owners never see until something breaks.
The site looks fine, but the numbers are confusing. The visibility is weaker than it should be. The tracking is not telling the full story. The business owner thinks they have a marketing problem, but part of what they may really have is an implementation problem that keeps muddying the data.
That is why I look at the website foundation right alongside the visibility work.
Your website is not just a digital brochure. It is part of the system that helps people, Google, and AI understand whether your business is credible, current, and worth choosing.
So yes, design matters, but maintenance, security, speed, tracking, and clean implementation matter too.
Because a website can look finished and still be a liability.
Access is not the same thing as adoption.
Small businesses need more than AI tools. They need practical support that helps them use those tools well.
Grateful for Goodie Nation and the Grow with Google partner network helping small businesses move with more confidence.
A lot of small businesses are being handed AI tools faster than they are being given the support to actually use them well.
And that is where the goal starts getting missed. Because access is not the same thing as adoption.
A business owner can have the tool, the login, the free resource, the webinar replay, and the checklist, and still be sitting there trying to figure out, โOkay, but how does this actually help me run the business better?โ
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ.
Iโm grateful for the work Goodie Nation is doing and for the Grow with Google partner network, because this is where practical support starts to make a difference. When business owners have people who can help translate the tools into real business use, the conversation changes.
It stops being, โHere is another AI tool you should try.โ
And it becomes, โHere is how this can help you save time, make stronger decisions, strengthen your visibility, and move with more confidence.โ
That is the work I care about.
Iโm proud to serve as the Southwest Coach and to be part of this work alongside such a strong group of coaches across the country.
For nonprofits interested in bringing AI training and Google resources to their small business communities, this is a great place to start.
Thank you to Goodie Nation for highlighting this work and for continuing to support the people and organizations helping small businesses grow.
Honored to work with the Abilene SBDC, Development Corporation of Abilene,ย the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program, and Dyess Air Force Base Military and Family Readiness Center with #GrowwithGoogle to bring an incredible training at the Dyess Air Force Base to help mil-spouse entrepreneurs and veteran-owned businesses get started with AI.
During NSBW, we want to share that for a limited time, Google is offering US small businesses no-cost access to their new AI Professional Certificate including Google AI Pro, plus three months of Google Workspace Business Standard.ย ย
โ Learn AI skills for any role or business model, zero experience required.ย
โ Flexible & on-demand training that fits into your schedule, in under 10 hours.ย
โ Get 3 months of no-cost access to Google AI Pro when you enroll.ย
91% of AI-fluent professionals say AI makes them more productive, saving 8 hours per week.ย
Give your team that advantage and claim your offer. https://t.co/vcQtAJoyRE
A lot of AI training still feels like it was built for people sitting in perfect offices with perfect Wi-Fi, perfect schedules, and an uninterrupted afternoon to figure everything out.
That is not real life for most small business owners, and it is definitely not real life for many military spouses and military families.
Yesterday, I had the honor of being at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene for Military Spouse Appreciation Day, providing Google training on Making AI Work for You.
This one meant a lot to me personally because I grew up in a military family, graduated from a Department of Defense school, and had my first job in the commissary on base. So being able to bring this training to military spouses in West Texas felt very full circle for me.
Military spouses and families carry a kind of adaptability that many people never fully see.
PCSs. TDYs. Deployments. Family responsibilities. Career transitions. New communities. New routines. New decisions that often have to be made while life is already moving.
That is one of the reasons I appreciated being in that room so much.
The conversation was not about making AI feel impressive. It was about making it useful.
How can AI help you think through an idea faster? How can it help organize information? How can it support writing, planning, research, and day-to-day decisions? How can tools like Gemini and NotebookLM help people make sense of what is already in front of them without adding more noise to the day?
That is what I love about teaching Making AI Work for You.
It gives people a practical way to see AI as support, not another complicated system they have to figure out alone.
And for military spouses, small business owners, and families building around real-life constraints, that kind of practical support is vital.ย
I am grateful to the Google team, the North Texas SBDC, Dyess Air Force Base, and everyone who helped make this event possible.
Most of all, I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of a day that honored military spouses and the families who serve alongside those in uniform.
Can your business documents talk back to you yet?
That sounds a little strange until you see what NotebookLM Audio Overviews and Interactive Mode can actually do.
You can use this for many, many things, but I want to focus on one practical use case right now, because this is where I think business owners will start seeing the value quickly.
NotebookLM can turn your documents into a podcast-style audio overview, which means you can listen while you are doing other things instead of trying to sit down and read through every report, transcript, proposal, or set of notes. That alone is useful when your day is already full and the information you need is sitting in a document you keep meaning to get back to.
But the bigger shift is that you can actually interact with it.
You can ask questions. You can interrupt. You can have the hosts explain something, go deeper, or pull out the part you care about most, while the conversation stays grounded in the source material you uploaded.
Now, there is not a native way to save those interactive sessions yet, which is worth knowing. But if you wanted to capture it for your own workflow, one practical workaround would be to open a Google Meet with only yourself in it, record the session, and then use that recording as the audio file. That gives you a way to preserve the conversation, including your actual voice interacting with the AI hosts.
That's interesting, right?ย ย Because now your documents are not just sitting in a folder waiting for someone to remember they exist. They can become something you listen to, question, record, review, and even repurpose into something more useful.
For a business owner, that could mean turning a training document, a brand voice guide, a client brief, a meeting transcript, or internal notes into something much easier to work with. It can help you pull out what matters, hear the material differently, and make better use of the knowledge your business already has.
The key, though, is still the source material.
NotebookLM is only as useful as what you give it. If the source is thin, vague, or messy, the output will reflect that. But if you give it strong documents, clear notes, useful transcripts, or well-built guidance, it can help you turn that information into something the team can actually understand and use.
The question is not only, โWhere did we save that?โย The better question is, โHow do we turn what we already know into something we can actually use?โ
NotebookLM isย much more than a neat AI feature.ย It's a way to make your business knowledge easier to access, easier to understand, and easier to act on.
A brand-new business expects to be hard to find at first, but an established business does not, and that is where the frustration feels very different.
Because when you have already done the work, served the customers, earned the referrals, gathered the reviews, built the relationships, and created real proof, it can feel almost insulting to still feel invisible online.
From the inside, the business is not unclear. You know what you do, who you help, the quality of your work, and the reputation you have earned. But Google, AI, and the people checking you online do not see the business from the inside. They see the signals you are giving them, and that is where a lot of established businesses get stuck.
The business has grown, but the online presence has not been calibrated to match it.
The services have changed. The best-fit customers have become clearer. The value has gotten sharper. The business has more substance now than it did years ago, but the website may still be speaking to an older version of the business, the Google Business Profile may still be too broad or too thin, the reviews may be strong but not being used well, and the content may exist without answering the questions buyers are asking now.
That is why established businesses can still struggle to get found. Because the proof they have earned in real life is not always being translated clearly enough across the places people and platforms now use to decide.
Andย now, referrals do not work the way they used to. Someone may still hear your name from a trusted person, but then they go check you online. They search. They compare. They read reviews. They scan your website. They may even ask AI who does what best in their area.
๐บ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.
That is why I keep coming back to calibration. Established businesses do not always need to start over. They need to make sure the business they are today is the business people, Google, and AI can actually understand.
๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ง๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ง.
I wrote an article about this and you can find it in the first post.
Have you noticed how quickly AI turns into something people feel like they are supposed to chase, instead of something that should actually support the work?
That is why I keep coming back to this phrase. ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ.
Because I am not interested in helping people collect more tools, more tabs, more subscriptions, or more noise. I care about helping people use AI in ways that make the business easier to run, easier to explain, and easier to grow.
This week, I get to put that into practice in three very different rooms.
I will be leading a private session on Making AI Work for You for a mastermind group, where we will focus on how AI actually fits into the work instead of forcing it into every corner of the business.
I will also be part of ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฑ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐, teaching Making AI Work for You for Coaches, Consultants, and Creators. So many experts are trying to figure out how to use AI without watering down their voice, their judgment, or the trust they have built with their audience.
And then, on ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฒ, I will be at ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ฑ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐, bringing practical AI training to military spouses as part of a larger appreciation event.
That one is especially meaningful to me.
As a military brat, someone who grew up in a military family, graduated from a Department of Defense school, and had my first job in the commissary on base, being able to bring this kind of training to military spouses in West Texas feels very personal.
A lot of the AI conversation still feels far away from the people who are trying to use it in real life.
But this is where I believe the work matters most, with the business owner who is already wearing ten hats, the coach or consultant trying to protect their voice and judgment, the creator trying to build without becoming generic, and the military spouse who may be building a business around moves, transitions, family schedules, and everything that comes with serving alongside someone in uniform.
AI should not make people feel like they are behind, buried, or suddenly responsible for figuring out another complicated system on their own. It should help them save time, make better decisions, protect what matters, and build something that actually supports the life and business they are trying to grow.
That is the work I am grateful to do this week.
๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐. ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.