Small Business Big AI

The most important AI skill isn't prompting—it's the sameskill you use with your best employee who doesn't read minds.

You’ve seen the ads: "Master the perfect prompt for $497.” But prompting is just a surface-level fix for a much deeper leadership gap.

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on why "clearer prompts" won't save you if you don't know how to manage. AI isn't just software; it is...

AI was supposed to make work easier. For many experienced business owners, it’s doing the opposite.

In this episode, Kim Lewis Howard and Hal Howard unpack a frustration they’re seeing everywhere—but almost no one isnaming clearly: why capable operators feel slower, less confident, and more mentally taxed when working with AI.

This isn’t a tools problem. And it’s not a competence gap. It’s a leadership shift no one trained you for.

Wh...

📅 January 27 — Live on LinkedIn

Join Kim and Hal live on LinkedIn at 2:00 PM EST as they’re joined by Rob Belfield and Jon Stevens to discuss why most businesses struggle to move from advice to implementation—and what an operating model built for this moment really looks like.

👉 Link to the live event:https://www.linkedin.com/events/thegreatdisplacement-asaferpath7419916211754524673/theater/

This is for you if you are:

• A displa...

Upcoming Event

📅 January 27 —Live on LinkedIn
Kim and Hal go live with Rob Belfield and Jon Stevens to dig into the real questions operators are wrestling with right now—no panels, no polish, no platitudes.

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This event is for you if you are:

• A displaced Big 4 / consulting professional
• A fractional COO, CFO, or senior operator
• A small business owner who needs real implementation help—not more decks

Just say:

“Tell me more about...

In this episode of Small Business Big AI, Kim and Hal tackle the invisible force holding small business owners back: thePermission Trap — the tendency to wait for someone else’s approval, clarity, or “perfect timing” before moving forward. With personal stories, expert insight, and strategic perspective, Kim dismantles the myth that patience equals wisdom and shows why decision speed is now the realcompetitive edge in business — es...

It's 2026. The middle is gone. And if you're still standing there, you're about to get crushed.

This is the uncomfortable truth most business owners don't want to hear: AI didn't make business harder—it exposed just how much of "work" really never mattered in the first place.

In this first episode of the new year, Kim and Hal breakdown why 2025 felt so disorienting, what the "structural break" actually means, and the two edges you ne...

In this New Year’s Eve episode of Small Business Big AI, Kim Lewis Howard and Hal Howard break down the real storybehind the 2025 layoffs—and why 2026 is quietly creating one of the biggest opportunities we’ve seen in years.

This isn’t a tech hype episode. It’s a market shift episode.

In 2025, high-skill talent was displaced at the same timesmall business owners hit an execution wall. What looks like chaos on the surface is actually ...

What if losing your Big 4 job wasn’t the end of your career… but the moment you finally took control of it?

In this episode, we follow Becky, a former Big 4 consultant who went from 60-hour weeks and partner politics to running a $360K fractional executive practice—solo.

No team.

No burnout.

No Big 4 badge.

Just AI-powered leverage, smart workflows, and judgment that machines can’t replace.

This is Part 3 of The Great Displacement series...

The $25,000 Binder That Changed Nothing

It's 11 PM on a Tuesday. Mike sits alone in his convertedstorage room office, staring at a leather-bound binder with gold embossed lettering: "Five-Year Strategic Growth Plan." He paid $25,000 for this plan. Spent two months in planning sessions. Got a 47-page document with charts, timelines, financial projections—everything.

And two years later? Not a single initiative has beenim...

The consulting world is experiencing a seismic shift, andthousands of Big 4 professionals are being quietly swept into what Kim and Hal call The Great Displacement. In this episode, we break down the real economic and AI-driven forces behind mass layoffs at Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, andEY, and why this moment is a once-in-a-generation turning point for displaced consultants. Through the story of “Becky” we explore the identity crisis, b...

Is your small business ready for AI—or are you aboutto scale chaos?

In this episode, Kim and Hal break down the AI Audit—astrategic 3-question framework that every legacy business must ask before implementing automation, AI tools, or tech upgrades.

These aren't fluff questions. They’re the hard ones. The ones that expose operational gaps, team bottlenecks, and silent friction that's eroding trust with your customers and emplo...

I built an employee yesterday. In 45 seconds. For free.

It's scanning commercial real estate in Florida right now. It knows zoning laws, traffic patterns, and lease rates better than any broker I've hired. And I didn't write a single line of code.

For 15 years, we've been sold the Virtual Assistant dream: "Hire offshore labor for $5/hour. Hand over your inbox. Go sit on a beach."

But you didn't buy freedo...

Ever rolled out an AI tool… and everything seemed tocollapse in real time?

Emails firing at the wrong customers. Tasks assigned to the wrong people. Ghost automations waking up at 6:47 AM. Team members confused. You stepping in as the human fire extinguisher—again.

You’re not alone. And more importantly… it’s not thetool.

In this episode, Kim and Hal unpack the hard truth mostowners miss:
AI doesn’t break your business. AI reveals ...

Are you drowning in AI tools but seeing zero ROI?

You're not alone. Every week brings a new "game-changing" AI tool, another LinkedIn post telling you you're falling behind, and more pressure to adopt before your competitors do. Buthere's what nobody tells you: You're not overwhelmed by AI. You're overwhelmed by decisions.

In this episode of Small Business Big AI, hosts Kim and Hal Howard cut through the...

Your team is using AI right now—and you probably have no idea.

From Canva to ChatGPT to Zapier, small business employees are quietly automating and creating with AI tools that were never approved, tracked, or reviewed.

In this episode, Kim and Hal shine a light on Shadow AI—the silent wave of innovation happening behind your back—and why ignoring it is costing you time, trust, and money.

Drawing insights from AI strategist Kristina Ag...

Forty-seven days. That’s how long one small business owner waited to get paid for work she’d already delivered.

In this final chapter of AI Meets Humanity, Kim and Hal pull back the curtain on what they call “The Trust Machine” — a simple, zero-code system that turns compliance into confidence and contracts into cash flow.

Through real-world examples, sharp strategist banter, andlaugh-out-loud moments (yes, Hal still fears blockchain...

Your lead technician just took on 47% more work. Your designer stopped showing up to video calls. Your best customer sent an angry email at 11 PM—not about the service but about feeling invisible. What if these weren't separate problems, but the same signal?

In this episode, Kim and Hal explore how empathy has become your most advanced operating system in the age of AI. Spoiler alert: it's not soft. It's your most profit...

This week, we’re diving into what AI can’t automate — authentic human connection.

When an unexpected “Pitch incoming 😎” message caught Kim’s attention, it sparked a bigger conversation: Why do some automated messages make us roll our eyes, while others make us reply?

Join Kim and Hal as they break down:

• The DM that did everything “wrong” — and yet worked brilliantly.
• Why automation without empathy kills trust.
• The “Handshake Clause...

Small business owners are drowning in AI subscriptions—and most of them are wasting money, time, and customer trust. In this episode of Small Business Big AI, Kim and Hal wrap up their trilogy on AI Agents & The Future of Small Business with a blunt truth: AI tools without strategy are liabilities, not assets.

You’ll learn how to stop chasing shiny objects and instead build systems that boost ROI, protect compliance, and turn A...