Becker Business Podcast: AI Business Use Cases, Trends for CFOs, and Building Great Businesses (Recorded April 11, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode of Becker Business, hosted by Scott Becker, features a comprehensive, three-panel webinar discussing:

1. AI Trends and Use Cases in Business (with a focus on healthcare and private equity)
2. Challenges and Priorities for CFOs in Today’s Volatile Market
3. Building Great Businesses: Stages, Strategy, and Team Building

The panels are composed of industry leaders including Amanda Verner Thompson (Madison Advisory AI), Brett Jansen (Brett Jansen AI), David Friedman (Panther Capital), Nathan Fredder (Go Fig), Chris Lacy (Priorit Services Group), Craig Levy (CommAdvisors, 3 BG Strategic Partners), and Joe Calvinico (J2C Valuation). The final segment is an interview with Scott Becker by Molly Gamble, focusing on his upcoming book.

Panel 1: AI Trends and Business Use Cases

Key Discussion Points

Practical AI Applications (05:31 - 15:00)

• Amanda Verner Thompson:

  • AI’s strength is pairing with expert judgment—not replacing it.
  • Top Use Cases:
    • Research and synthesizing information. Tasks that used to take days now take hours.
    • Document-intensive processes in healthcare M&A (due diligence, compliance) have been vastly condensed.
    • AI drafts client-facing communications, freeing time for nuanced, expert work.
  • “The more defined the work is, the better use case for AI.” (07:10)

• Role Impact:

  • Fewer entry-level analyst roles may be needed as AI handles much of the initial breakdown and synthesis, but the work becomes higher value and more strategic.
  • “You can grow into a senior banker much more quickly … less analysts will be needed as a whole.” (08:01)

• Brett Jansen:

  • Focus on bottlenecks in operations: “I first start with where are the bottlenecks in the organization... where are you spending a lot of manual time that is taking away from revenue generating activity.” (09:12)
  • Synthesis of client communications, deal history, competitive intel accelerates deal progress.
  • Value in targeted, small wins over large, unfocused “let’s-just-do-AI-everywhere” rollouts.

• Easy Wins with AI:

  • Map team workflows, find where manual work drags performance (e.g., prepping board decks), and use AI to condense or automate these tasks.
  • Tool Tip: Using Claude (Anthropic AI tool) for customized, rapid deck creation—“I’m turning it back around in an hour because I’ve just gotten really good at fine-tuning the prompt within Claude.” (14:00)

• David Friedman:

  • Most firms are still at the stage where AI is primarily an automation tool, not truly autonomous intelligence.
  • “All it’s doing is allowing us to complete our work faster.” (16:14)
  • Recommends leaders learn AI basics: key terms, tools, and different learning styles for the team.
  • Example: Customized AI agent to compile, summarize, and prioritize daily business news, saving hours per week.

Advanced and Proprietary Use Cases (18:00 - 20:57)

• Built an AI agent for a flavor company, helping PhD-level flavorists quickly navigate regulations and product formulas—reducing repetitive questions, increasing expert time spent on complex work.
• “It took us three months to build that and to train it and have the human in the loop.” (19:45)

AI in Sales and Business Development (20:57 - 32:40)

• David Friedman:

  • Automated lead generation: agents scour market research data, company sites, and third-party sources to deliver qualified leads directly into CRM systems like HubSpot.
  • Inbound workflows can handle entire orders—“60% still require human in the loop… you’re not closing a $200,000 software deal with, with an AI agent today, I think you will in five years…” (23:00)

• Amanda Verner Thompson:

  • AI SDRs (sales development reps) can manage outbound communications but aren’t closing large/complex deals yet, especially in sectors like healthcare.
  • Most transformative business functions in the next 2-5 years:
    • Revenue cycle management, especially in data-heavy fields with well-defined processes.
    • Financial analysis and deal execution in banking/advisory.
    • AI enables organizations “to get to the quality and speed of that decision more quickly.” (26:15)

• Brett Jansen:

  • Warning: Don’t use AI for mass, fully automated outbound sales—content is easily detected as AI and often ends up in spam.
  • Critical to keep humans involved in content review and outreach; AI should assist, not replace, for personalization.
  • Discovery Call Prep: Biggest sales boost is using AI to deeply personalize preparation for client meetings; research on prospects, company, tech stack, etc., leading to smarter, more relevant conversations.

Notable Quotes

• “AI can help simplify the pros and cons of each aspect.” — Amanda Verner Thompson (27:12)
• “Try not to do that if you’re doing any sort of outbound with Claude because… it will come through as spam.” — Brett Jansen (28:10)
• “The best use case right now is better discovery call prep.” — Brett Jansen (30:18)

Data Management & Guardrails

• David Friedman:
  • The future is data governance, establishing the right frameworks and deciding what data to share with AI platforms.
  • “If you’re not using proprietary data, you’re not really creating an AI advantage.” (32:40)
  • Don’t blindly trust AI with sensitive business data; think ahead about infrastructure and risk management.

Panel 2: CFO Leadership Trends and Challenges

Market Instability & Reporting Lags (41:19 - 47:00)

• Nathan Fredder:

  • Companies, especially those making physical products, face extreme cost and supply volatility.
  • Traditional monthly reporting creates dangerous lags—“you might not know how you did in March until April 21st.” (41:19)
  • This lag hampers agility in response to volatile markets.

• Craig Levy:

  • CFOs should refocus on cash management and discipline in capital allocation:
    • “A 5-day swing in DSO… can unlock more liquidity than a 2% cost cut.” (43:57)
  • Many companies are boxed in by lack of true growth ambitions or treating the business as a “lifestyle” venture.
  • Risks and opportunities assessment in investment and expansion is critical.

AI Adoption for CFOs (47:00 - 55:08)

• Most companies are still experimenting with AI deployment, with no universal approach—especially outside of tech.
• Boards demand that CFOs bake AI savings into forecasts, but clarity remains elusive.
• CFOs are evolving toward being strategists and storytellers (not just scorekeepers), as AI frees them from repetitive data tasks and allows real-time analysis and scenario planning.
• “CFOs who are only scorekeepers, are not CFOs. They are the controller… what the CFO role…is the strategist.” — Nathan Fredder (56:11)

Evolving Roles, Talent, and Communication (55:08 - 66:57)

• Chris Lacy:
  • Finance is increasingly about communication, cross-functional leadership, and “durability”—building teams and businesses that are sustainable.
  • “Not just to have the right people on the bus, but in the right seats.”
• Joe Calvinico:
  • Funding availability is tightening; creative approaches are needed for capital and deal structure.
  • In-person networking and live events are regaining importance for business development.
• Key Priorities:
  • All panelists stressed the critical importance of robust, timely business intelligence, scenario planning, and having the right team—not just more data.

Notable Quotes

• “The CFO has to be the chief architect and storyteller. The CEO is the visionary and the CFO is coming right back behind that CEO…” — Craig Levy (57:22)
• “Fundamentals: provide timely, accurate, relevant, actionable business intelligence. Without all those legs… it’s useless.” — Craig Levy (66:25)
• “If everybody’s just throwing data at each other, nobody really gets any place…” — Scott Becker (62:58)

Panel 3: Building Great Businesses – Scott Becker Interviewed by Molly Gamble

Key Takeaways

Three Stages of Founders’ Evolution (69:51 - 72:35)

1. Doing Everything Yourself: The “chief cook and bottle washer” phase.
2. Building a Team: Leveraging yourself but not yet “self-operating.”
3. Self-Operating Organization: “You’re a great founder when the business no longer needs you.” Leaders and team members become better than the founder at their roles.

Five Stages of Company Development (72:54 - 75:18)

1. Idea – Not valuable on its own.
2. Product/Service Creation
3. Revenue – Actual paying customers.
4. Profit
5. Scale – Repeatability and growth beyond the founder.

Pitfalls:

• Moving the goalposts—constantly adding expenses before profitability.
• False positives—early “wins” in markets that aren’t deep enough.
• Undervaluing product—need correct pricing to build a sustainable team.

Centricity: Niche, Customer, and Team (79:11 - 82:50)

• “Best companies really know who their customer is and they’re really serving a niche and they get better at serving that niche versus trying to serve everybody.”
• “The least important thing for your most important customers is very important.”
• “You can’t do anything significant without building the right team.”

Product-Market Fit (82:50 - 86:48)

• Repetitive, unsolicited customer demand signals fit.
• Constantly allocate resources to areas where growth and customer pull are strongest; don’t be sentimental about legacy lines.
• “Follow the signals… where is the growth, where is the money coming from, where are your best customers coming from and growing with and around them…”

Momentum & Overcoming Setbacks (86:48 - 89:00)

• Commitment and persistence are required; build enough momentum that the business “starts to create momentum on itself.”
• Conjunctive Growth: Rather than replacing one key person or customer, add to them.
• “You have to dig 10 ditches before they dig themselves—meaning, you have to put enough momentum getting going…”

Audience Q&A (89:00 - 92:04)

• AI in Regulated Environments: There is no perfect answer yet—judgment and oversight are still required.
• Plateauing Businesses: Sometimes need to reinvent structure and expand markets or teams for scalable growth. Balance focus on core business (80%) with experimentation (20%).

Timestamps for Important Segments

• AI Panel Begins: 02:00
• Practical AI Use Cases: 05:32
• AI and Analyst Role Changes: 08:01
• Board Deck Automation Example: 13:43
• AI Learning & Tool Usage: 15:42
• Data Governance and Security Risks: 32:40
• CFO Panel Introductions: 36:06
• CFOs on Volatility & Reporting Lag: 41:19
• Cash Management & Capital Allocation: 43:57
• AI’s Role in Evolving CFO Function: 56:11
• Team and Talent in Finance: 58:56
• Communication & Analytical Priorities: 62:57
• Building Businesses—Stages & Strategy: 69:51
• Product-Market Fit & Pitfalls: 82:50
• Momentum, Setbacks, and Growth: 86:48
• Audience Q&A - AI Control: 89:00

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• “AI is most powerful when paired with seasoned judgment, not substituting for it.”
  — Amanda Verner Thompson (02:04)
• “CFOs who are only scorekeepers, are not CFOs. They are the controller.”
  — Nathan Fredder (56:11)
• “You’re a great founder when the business no longer needs you.”
  — Scott Becker (70:45)
• “The least important thing for your most important customer is very important.”
  — Scott Becker (82:07)
• “The CFO has to be the chief architect and storyteller.”
  — Craig Levy (57:22)
• “I think the best use case right now is better discovery call prep.”
  — Brett Jansen (30:18)

Conclusion

This episode provides a rich, real-world look at how artificial intelligence is changing business operations, what keeps modern CFOs up at night, and timeless lessons on building resilient, scalable businesses. Across all segments, recurring themes include embracing both AI and human expertise, developing deep niche and customer understanding, fostering strong teams, and practicing disciplined, data-informed leadership. The conversation is candid, full of practical wisdom, and highly actionable for leaders navigating rapid change.