Podcast
The AI Hat Podcast
Hosted by Mike Allton · EN
AI conversations for people doing the work.
Your best people are brilliant, but they're buried. Research shows high-performing teams lose nearly 70% of the week to Admin Drag, the data entry, re-keying, and status updates that were never the actual job. You're paying for expert judgment and getting expensive busywork.
The AI Hat Podcast is where practitioners, not futurists, talk about fixing that. Host Mike Allton, Director of Partner-Led Growth at Agorapulse and founder of The AI Hat, sits down with operators, revenue leaders, marketers, and industry specialists, from insurance agencies to sales floors, to name the drag and show how a governed Digital Crew of AI agents takes it back. The thread through every episode: redesign the work first, then deploy the AI. It's why most pilots fail, and what to do instead.
In each episode, we break down:
• The Agentic Shift — moving from AI that talks to AI that does the work.
• Sanctioning the Shadow — turning ungoverned AI risk into governed advantage.
• Redesign the Work First — why 95% of pilots stall, and the fix.
Whether you sell, serve, or build, the drag is the same.
Get the guide: Download The Executive Guide to Shadow AI at TheAIHat.com/shadow-ai
Connect with Mike: linkedin.com/in/mikeallton
26episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Trailer: AI for Solopreneurs - Stop Being the Bottleneck in Your Business
Aug 10, 202500:01:25Tap to summarizeTired of being the most overworked employee in your own business? You're not alone. Join Mike Allton on AI for Solopreneurs: The AI Hat Podcast, where we cut through the AI hype to show you exactly how to reclaim 15+ hours per week and scale without hiring staff. This isn't about robots or complex theory—it's about practical AI systems that handle the grunt work so you can focus on growth. Every episode features real implementation stories, expert insights, and step-by-step workflows you can use immediately. Ready to stop being the bottleneck in your own success? New episodes drop every Tuesday Follow Mike Allton on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mike.allton/ Past episodes of AI for Solopreneurs: The AI Hat Podcast: https://theaihat.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Cut Your Support Time in Half: Real Results with Salesforce's Agentforce with Aaron Godby
Aug 5, 202500:41:22Tap to summarizeWhat if you could double your customer support team's effectiveness without hiring a single new employee? Sounds too good to be true, right? But that's exactly what businesses are achieving with Salesforce's Agentforce platform. Every day, support teams are drowning in tickets, burning out their best agents, and watching their customer satisfaction scores take a nosedive. The cost of scaling support teams traditionally is skyrocketing, while customer expectations for instant, 24/7 support keep climbing. But there's a solution that's transforming support teams across industries. Today, we're diving deep into real-world success stories and practical implementations of AI-powered support that's cutting response times in half and revolutionizing how teams work. I'm thrilled to welcome Aaron Godby, Founder and CEO of Green Irony, who's been at the forefront of this transformation. Aaron and his team have implemented some of the first Agentforce solutions with Salesforce, including a groundbreaking project at UNC Charlotte that's completely revolutionized their student support system. As a seasoned technology executive and AI implementation specialist, Aaron has helped countless organizations turn the promise of AI into actual, measurable results. He's the perfect guide to help us understand how to achieve these incredible efficiency gains. The AI Hat Podcast host Mike Allton asked Aaron Godby about: ✨ Strategic Implementation Matters → Success with AI support tools requires careful planning and clear success metrics. ✨ Human-AI Collaboration → AI doesn't replace support teams; it empowers them to focus on high-value interactions. ✨ Measurable ROI → Companies can achieve verified 50% time savings while improving customer satisfaction. Learn more about Aaron Godby Connect with Aaron Godby on LinkedIn Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode Green Irony Salesforce Agentforce AI as Your Co-Host: Unleashing NotebookLM’s Potential in Content Marketing with Mike Allton AI Primer: A Comprehensive Guide Explore past episodes of the The AI Hat Podcast podcast CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction to AI in Customer Support 01:18 The AI Hat Podcast Theme Song 02:27 Welcome to The AI Hat Podcast 02:49 Doubling Customer Support Effectiveness with AI 03:33 Introducing Aaron Godby and Green Irony 04:13 Challenges in Traditional Customer Support 04:18 Current State of Customer Support 09:00 AI Implementation at UNC Charlotte 09:10 Higher Education Challenges and AI Solutions 11:32 Agent Force: Revolutionizing Customer Support 27:49 Metrics for AI Success in Customer Support 30:10 Complex Support Scenarios Solved by AI 33:40 Common Mistakes in AI Implementation 39:50 Final Thoughts and Contact Information 40:38 Conclusion and Wrap-Up SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT: https://theaihat.com/cut-your-support-time-in-half-real-results-with-salesforces-agentforce/ Feeling stuck on the solopreneur hamster wheel? Diagnose your biggest bottleneck in just 15 minutes with my free Scalability Audit. Download it now at: https://theaihat.com/download/scalability/ Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, founder of The AI Hat. He's a Business Systems Strategist who helps overworked solopreneurs and creators stop being employees in their own businesses. After building his own successful solo ventures for over a decade, Mike now teaches entrepreneurs how to build AI-powered operational systems that reclaim their time and allow them to finally scale. Interested in being a guest? We're looking for experts who help solopreneurs build better, more scalable businesses. Reach out to Mike to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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How AI Search Is Rewriting the SEO Playbook (And What You Must Do Now) with Ben Jacobson
Jul 29, 202500:35:09Tap to summarizedes, we've mastered the art of SEO—keywords, backlinks, page rankings. We've built entire marketing strategies around getting to the top of Google's search results. But here's the uncomfortable truth: AI is fundamentally changing how people discover brands and information. When someone asks ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity for business recommendations, traditional SEO rankings mean little. Your perfectly optimized website might be invisible to AI algorithms that are now answering millions of queries every day. The businesses that don't adapt aren't just missing opportunities—they're becoming irrelevant. That's exactly why I'm thrilled to have Ben Jacobson join us today. As Chief Content Officer at InboundJunction, Ben works directly with growth-stage tech companies to navigate this new landscape. He's not just theorizing about AI search—he's actively helping brands crack the code on AI visibility. His insights have appeared in Search Engine Land and HubSpot, and he's developed proven strategies for getting brands mentioned in AI responses. Ben understands that this isn't about abandoning everything we know about SEO, but evolving it for an AI-first world. The AI Hat Podcast host Mike Allton asked Ben Jacobson about: ✨ AI-First Optimization: Understanding how to structure content and PR strategies specifically for AI algorithm consumption and recommendation. ✨ Measurement Evolution: Learning new metrics and methods to track brand visibility in AI-powered search environments. ✨ Strategic Integration: Discovering how to blend traditional SEO efforts with emerging AI optimization techniques without disrupting existing operations. Learn more about Ben Jacobson Connect with Ben Jacobson on LinkedIn Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode Inbound Junction AI Work Buddy Mini-Course & Community AI Primer: A Comprehensive Guide Explore past episodes of the The AI Hat Podcast podcast CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction to SEO and AI 01:57 The AI Hat Podcast Introduction 02:18 The Evolution of SEO in the Age of AI 02:59 Interview with Ben Jacobson: Navigating AI Search 06:20 Understanding AI Search and Brand Mentions 11:13 Strategic PR for AI Search 20:04 Challenges and Metrics in AI Search Optimization 26:54 Balancing Traditional SEO and AI Optimization 30:35 Final Thoughts and Future Trends 33:07 Conclusion and Resources SHOW TRANSCRIPT & NOTES: https://theaihat.com/how-ai-search-is-rewriting-the-seo-playbook-and-what-you-must-do-now/https://theaihat.com/how-ai-search-is-rewriting-the-seo-playbook-and-what-you-must-do-now/ Brought to you by The AI Hat - Get Your AI On. Interesting in sponsoring an episode? Learn more here. Powered by Magai - why choose one AI tool when you can have them all? And Descript, the magic wand for podcasters. Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, AI Consultant & Trainer at The AI Hat, where he's tirelessly helping businesses and marketers get ahead of the AI Revolution and apply advanced technologies to their roles. He's spent over a decade in digital marketing, bringing an unparalleled level of experience and excitement to the fore, whether he's delivering a presentation or leading a workshop. If you’re interested in helping business owners with AI in an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike. Powered by the Marketing Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Why AI Will Make Your Agency Indispensable: The NYT Magazine Article Every Owner Must Read with Robert Capps
Jul 22, 202500:44:52Tap to summarizeWhat if the technology that's keeping you up at night could actually become your biggest competitive advantage? Here's what's happening right now: Business owners everywhere are watching AI generate content, create designs, and handle tasks that used to require human expertise. The fear is real because the question feels existential – if your clients can do this themselves, what happens to your value? But what if you're looking at this completely backwards? What if AI doesn't replace human expertise – what if it makes the right kind of expertise absolutely indispensable? That's exactly what our guest discovered when he conducted a fascinating experiment. Robert Capps tried to write an entire New York Times Magazine article using AI. The result was polished, engaging, and would have fooled most readers. But here's the twist – he didn't publish it. Instead, he wrote one of the most important pieces about the future of work that I've read all year, and it reveals why human judgment just became more valuable, not less. Robert brings a unique perspective to this conversation because he's lived at the intersection of technology and creativity for over a decade. As the former Editorial Director of WIRED magazine, he guided the publication to 21 National Magazine Award nominations with eight wins. He's overseen special issues guest-edited by Christopher Nolan, Serena Williams, and Barack Obama. Now, as a writer whose work appears in The New York Times Magazine, Robert is conducting real-world experiments with AI that reveal insights every business leader needs to hear. The AI Hat Podcast host Mike Allton asked Robert Capps about: ✨ Responsibility Advantage: AI can create content, but only humans can take responsibility for strategic decisions and client outcomes. ✨ Taste Over Tech: When everyone has access to the same AI tools, your ability to make creative choices becomes your primary competitive advantage. ✨ Integration Opportunity: Position your agency as the bridge between AI capabilities and client business needs, becoming indispensable through expert curation. Learn more about Robert Capps Connect with Robert Capps on LinkedIn Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode A.I. Might Take Your Job. Here Are 22 New Ones It Could Give You The H.U.M.A.N. Framework for AI Integration The AI Revolution: How It’s Transforming Business (and What You Need to Know) AI Work Buddy Mini-Course & Community CHAPTERS: 00:00 The Entrepreneurial Age of AI 01:13 Introduction to The AI Hat Podcast 02:23 The AI Revolution in Business 03:11 The Human Element in AI 04:12 Interview with Robert Capps 04:25 The AI Writing Experiment 09:28 The Responsibility Hurdle 14:22 Trust, Integration, and Taste in AI 22:26 Exploring AI's Current Limitations 23:08 The Shortages and Problems We Face 23:59 Efficiency vs. Expansion in Business 26:33 AI's Impact on the Creative Industry 28:27 The AI Revolution and Job Market 30:04 Building Your AI Work Buddy 30:41 Roles in the AI-Driven Future 34:13 Integrating AI in Business 40:41 The Importance of Human Taste and Ingenuity 42:29 Conclusion and Final Thoughts SHOW TRANSCRIPT & NOTES: https://theaihat.com/why-ai-will-make-your-agency-indispensable-the-nyt-magazine-article-every-owner-must-read/ Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, AI Consultant & Trainer at The AI Hat, where he's tirelessly helping businesses and marketers get ahead of the AI Revolution and apply advanced technologies to their roles. He's spent over a decade in digital marketing, bringing an unparalleled level of experience and excitement to the fore, whether he's delivering a presentation or leading a workshop. If you’re interested in helping business owners with AI in an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Stop Being the Bottleneck: How to Build an AI Second Brain for Your Agency with Mike Allton
Jul 15, 202500:20:57Tap to summarizeEvery successful agency owner faces the same maddening paradox: you built a business to create freedom, but now you're more trapped than ever. You can't take a real vacation because everything runs through you. Every proposal needs your touch, every creative decision requires your approval, and every client crisis demands your personal attention. You've become the bottleneck in your own operation, and traditional solutions like hiring more people or creating better processes only add complexity without solving the core problem. Mike Allton understands this trap because he's lived it and helped dozens of agency owners escape it. As the founder of The AI Hat and Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse, Mike has developed a proven framework for breaking free from the operational quicksand that keeps agency owners stuck. His approach isn't about replacing human judgment with technology—it's about creating an AI Second Brain that handles the cognitive heavy lifting so you can focus on what only you can do: build relationships, innovate, and lead. Through his H.U.M.A.N. Framework, Mike shows agency owners how to delegate high-level thinking tasks without sacrificing quality or control. What You'll Discover: ✨ How the three bottlenecks are costing you a fortune: Learn why the Sales Bottleneck, Creative Bottleneck, and Client Management Bottleneck are mathematically limiting your growth and stealing your freedom. Mike reveals the hidden opportunity costs that could be costing successful agencies over a million dollars annually in lost potential. ✨ Why traditional solutions backfire: Understand why hiring more people and creating more processes often makes the bottleneck worse instead of better. Discover why static documentation becomes "digital shelfware" and how management layers can actually increase your workload rather than reduce it. ✨ The AI Second Brain system that actually works: Get the exact framework for building an intelligent system that learns your voice, applies your methodologies, and handles complex tasks like proposal writing, creative strategy, and client crisis management. See real examples of how this approach has helped agency owners reclaim 20+ hours per week and finally take those long-overdue vacations. Learn more about Mike Allton Connect with Mike Allton on LinkedIn Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode AI Work Buddy Explore past episodes of the The AI Hat Podcast podcast CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction: The Cost of Not Taking a Vacation 00:33 The Real Business Cost of Burnout 00:47 Meet David: A Case Study in Operational Bottlenecks 02:42 Welcome to the AI Hat Podcast 03:16 Why You Can't Take a Vacation 03:53 Identifying the Bottlenecks 07:41 Traditional Solutions That Don't Work 10:16 Introducing the AI Work Buddy Mini Course 10:53 The AI Second Brain: A New Approach 17:20 Real-World Impact: Case Studies 18:37 The Cost of Staying the Same 19:20 Conclusion: Embrace the Future with AI SHOW TRANSCRIPT & NOTES: https://theaihat.com/stop-being-the-bottleneck-how-to-build-an-ai-second-brain-for-your-agency/ Brought to you by The AI Hat - Get Your AI On. Interesting in sponsoring an episode? Learn more here. Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, AI Consultant & Trainer at The AI Hat, where he's tirelessly helping businesses and marketers get ahead of the AI Revolution and apply advanced technologies to their roles. He's spent over a decade in digital marketing, bringing an unparalleled level of experience and excitement to the fore, whether he's delivering a presentation or leading a workshop. If you’re interested in helping business owners with AI in an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike. Powered by the Marketing Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Unlocking AI's Potential: Success Stories from Growing Businesses with Sara Davison
Jul 8, 202500:43:34Tap to summarizeNow, I know what you're thinking. "Mike, we've heard about AI. We get it. It's revolutionary." But here's the million-dollar question: Are you actually seeing those eye-popping results in your own business? Are you doubling your qualified leads or saving tens of thousands of dollars with a single automation? If you're shaking your head, don't worry. You're not alone. And that's exactly why today's episode is going to be a game-changer for you. We're cutting through the noise and the hype to bring you real, tangible examples of businesses that have cracked the code on AI implementation. No more theoretical possibilities or vague promises. We're talking cold, hard facts and replicable strategies that you can start using in your business tomorrow. To guide us through this AI success story safari, we have a true trailblazer with us. I'm thrilled to welcome Sara Davison, the mastermind behind the Maivenly AI Business Growth Accelerator. Sara isn't just talking about AI; she's in the trenches, turning AI potential into profit for businesses just like yours. Get this: Sara has helped clients save over $40,000 a year with a single AI automation. She's worked with companies to double their qualified leads in just one month – a feat that used to take them half a decade! And the best part? She's here to spill the beans on how it's done. The AI Hat Podcast host Mike Allton asked Sara Davison about: ✨ Start Small, Think Big: AI implementation doesn't have to be overwhelming; begin with one process and scale up. ✨ AI Enhances Human Potential: Successful AI integration empowers employees, leading to increased productivity and job satisfaction. ✨ Measurable Results Matter: Focus on AI applications that deliver tangible outcomes, like cost savings or lead generation. Learn more about Sara Davison Connect with Sara Davison on LinkedIn Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode Maivenly Respell CassidyAI AI Readiness: A Practical Guide Using the 5P Framework with Katie Robbert Clay Apollo Outthink Your Competition: AI in Marketing Strategy with Sunny Hunt AI Marketing Primer: A Comprehensive Guide for Marketers Explore past episodes of the AI in Marketing: Unpacked podcast CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction to AI Workflow Transformation 01:47 Podcast Introduction and Host's Welcome 02:09 The AI Revolution in Business 02:53 Guest Introduction: Sara Davison 03:35 Sara's Journey into AI 06:04 AI Implementation Success Stories 25:48 The Role of AI in Customer Experience 29:30 Overcoming AI Learning Curves 33:30 Future of AI in Business and Workforce 39:06 Actionable Steps to Unlock AI Potential 40:57 Conclusion and Contact Information SHOW TRANSCRIPT & NOTES: https://theaihat.com/unlocking-ais-potential-success-stories-from-growing-businesses/ Start your AI journey with the AI Marketing Primer. Brought to you by The AI Hat - Get Your AI On. Interesting in sponsoring an episode? Learn more here. AI Training for Business Leaders & Teams: https://theaihat.com/ai-training-for-business/ Powered by Magai - why choose one AI tool when you can have them all? And Descript, the magic wand for podcasters. Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, AI Consultant & Trainer at The AI Hat, where he's tirelessly helping businesses and marketers get ahead of the AI Revolution and apply advanced technologies to their roles. He's spent over a decade in digital marketing, bringing an unparalleled level of experience and excitement to the fore, whether he's delivering a presentation or leading a workshop. If you’re interested in helping business owners with AI in an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike. Powered by the Marketing Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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