Ep 99 - Practical AI Advice For Business

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The ChatGPT Experiment – Ep 99: Practical AI Advice For Business

Host: Cary Weston
Date: February 5, 2026
Episode Theme: Turning AI Curiosity Into Practical Business Capability

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Cary Weston directly addresses a common concern among business leaders: "How do I practically integrate AI like ChatGPT into my business?" Drawing from two recent consulting conversations, Cary demystifies what AI implementation really requires and reframes how businesses—and individuals—should approach AI adoption. Throughout, he stays true to his mission of making AI approachable: focusing on clarity over hype and real-world utility over unnecessary complexity.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Business Leaders’ AI Dilemma: Overwhelm and Uncertainty

[01:37 – 03:25]

• Cary notes increasing anxiety among business owners about "how to work AI into my business" or even where to start.
• He shares two recent real-world conversations typifying this confusion:
  • Case 1: A team unsure how to use AI for efficiency (quotes, customer questions, employee resources) and looking for advice on the "right" tool.
  • Case 2: An experienced business owner recognizing industry change, interested in becoming an AI consultant but lost on where to begin.

2. You Don’t Need an “AI Strategy”—You Need a Business Strategy

[06:05] Cary Weston:

“Businesses don’t need an AI strategy, they need a business strategy. And then figure out how AI can fit into it.”

• Cary emphasizes that AI should serve clear business goals—not the other way around.
• Focus first on the specific problem you want to solve. Ask:
  • “What’s the one problem you’re trying to solve?”
  • “What does success look like if you solve it?”
• Avoid technological “solutionism”—don't force AI onto messy or undefined processes.

3. Lay the Foundation BEFORE AI: Document & Define

[10:15 – 13:00]

• Before seeking AI solutions, ensure the information and processes AI would use actually exist.
  • Example: If you want AI to automate quotes or FAQs, do you have that content documented?
  • If not, you’re “starting from the wrong end of the problem.”
• AI excels at scaling and replicating what’s already clearly defined.
  • Otherwise, you risk muddying the waters and creating more confusion.

[14:39] Cary Weston:

“AI will help you scale and replicate things you can already define. It’s a misconception that the ‘AI tool’ is going to fast-track the work... In order for you to have AI go to work for you, you’ve got to give it a foundation of assets or resources.”

4. The Practical Path to Integration: Start Small, Focused, and Documented

[17:30 – 19:40]

• Take inventory: Do you have the resources, FAQs, process outlines, or knowledge bases to feed into an AI tool?
• If not, “take a breath,” document what you know, and start with a specific use case.
• Compare AI to a “super intern”—very capable but only as effective as the guidance you give.

5. For Aspiring AI Consultants: Leverage What You Already Have

[15:40 – 17:10]

• Don’t think you need to become an “AI person” just because it’s hot.
• Identify your transferable skills, relationships, and industry knowledge.
  • Start “warm” (with your existing network and expertise) rather than “cold.”
• Remember: “AI consulting,” like “software consulting,” is too broad. Get specific and leverage your unique background.

[19:13] Cary Weston:

“Don’t force yourself to do ‘AI’ just because it’s growing and popular. What can I transfer? What can I bring with me? Start warm rather than cold.”

6. Key Takeaways: Overwhelm is Normal, Curiosity is Key

[21:00 – 23:00]

• Replace “AI” with “software” in your thinking—it reveals just how broad the term is.
• Focus on:
  • The problem you want to solve
  • Documenting the process
  • “Test and learn” rather than aiming for perfection from the start
• You’re not behind! Stay curious, start with one useful AI application, and expand from there.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [06:05] Cary Weston:
  “Businesses don’t need an AI strategy, they need a business strategy. And then figure out how AI can fit into it.”

• [14:39] Cary Weston:
  “AI will help you scale and replicate things you can already define… In order for you to have AI go to work for you, you’ve got to give it a foundation of assets or resources.”

• [19:13] Cary Weston:
  “Don’t force yourself to do ‘AI’ just because it’s growing and popular. What can I transfer? What can I bring with me? Start warm rather than cold.”

• [22:30] Cary Weston:
  “Take a breath, inventory yourself, make sure you have resources in place whether there’s software AI involved or not. If you can’t define it, then you’re probably not going to be able to scale it.”

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Helpful Timestamps

• 01:37 – Cary introduces the main issue: business owners feeling pressure to "add AI" without clarity on what or why.
• 06:05 – Cary’s friend’s advice: “Don’t need an AI strategy, need a business strategy.”
• 10:15 – 13:00 – The necessity of having knowledge/process/docs before bringing in AI.
• 14:39 – Role of AI as a “super intern”—needs a foundation to be effective.
• 15:40 – Transitioning to AI consulting: leverage what you and your network already know.
• 21:00 – 23:00 – Getting specific, manageable, and test-driven about AI; staying curious rather than overwhelmed.

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Tone & Style

Cary’s approach remains warm, conversational, and accessible. He reassures listeners that confusion is normal, encourages practical steps over leaps, and continually returns to curiosity as the root of progress.

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Final Message

Cary signs off by reinforcing the episode’s heart:

“...the most important part of learning and of growing and finding comfort and value in any AI tool is your curiosity.” [23:32]

Stay curious—start with one use case, document your processes, and let AI become a resource—not a source of stress.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[C]

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[B]

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[C]

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[B]

Not too bad. Keep practicing by visiting Wayfair.com where you can shop every style for every home.

[C]

Wayfair.

[B]

Every style, every home. Hey, gang, it's Carrie.

[D]

Hey. This week on the show, I'm going to tackle a topic conversation that I have quite frequently with business leaders and owners who are just confused and maybe overwhelmed as how AI fits into their business. What do I look at?

[B]

What do I think about?

[D]

They're forcing it, you know, and they're.

[B]

A little overwhelmed that.

[D]

That feels like you stick around. And also, hey, one listener of this show is going to go to sunny California at the end of April to an amazing AI conference. We're going to give away the ticket. I'll tell you more later. If that sounds interesting, stick with me and I'll see you on the other side of the music.

[B]

Hey there. Welcome to the ChatGPT experiment. This is the podcast designed to help you better understand what tools like ChatGPT are and how to get a nugget of value for your personal or professional goals. My name is Kerry Weston. I'm your host. How you doing? Glad you're here. So today I want to review a conversation, a situation that, you know, comes up from business owners. I've had two conversations this week in a slightly different way, same topic, and both are around what do I do with AI and how to get it into my business, what to do with it. And I hear this a lot from business folks struggling to really understand the concept of AI, how to work it into their business, how to work it into what they do. And so here's a tip for Today, if you are a business owner or if you are a business leader, what I'm talking to you will be directly relevant to many conversations I've had with people in your situation. If you're not, if you are someone that is just curious for professional needs or don't have a business to run or a business to lead, there might be a nugget here that will be relevant to you. It won't be directly connected. But the principle that I'll talk about today may very well be for some of the things that you're looking to do. So don't be dissuaded. If you're not a business leader, business owner, there might be a nugget here that will be relevant to some of the things that you might be thinking about, dealing with, questioning, maybe even having troubles with. Okay, so let me give you the premise. Here's the two conversations that I've had this week specifically. And like I mentioned, this is a very common, repetitive conversation in different forms. So the first person reached out and said, I've been thinking a lot about AI and we're a little crossed. Our team is struggling. We are working with a couple different pieces of software, and we really want to have AI work for us. We want to do things faster, but we're not quite sure how to do it. We're not quite sure how this fits in. We're not quite sure how to get our customers access to things that will make their life easier, like getting quotes or answering questions. I want to give my employees a resource where they can get consistent information, and I'm not quite sure what AI tool to use and where it fits. Okay, so that's the first situation. Somebody looking at AI and saying, how do I wedge AI into my business? I've heard it does all these wonderful things, and these are some of the outcomes and not quite sure what lever to pull. All right, so the second comes from somebody that has decades of experience as a business owner in one capacity, understands that the business model that has served him well is changing, and perhaps what he was doing might become less relevant or at least challenged in terms of relevancy moving forward, and wants to get into AI consulting. And that was the premise of the question, how do I do it? How do I get into AI consulting? Okay, so in one instance, the business wants to put AI to work for them. And the second one, the business owner knows that AI is a growing thing, the next thing, a popular thing, a needed thing, and wants to be a part of it and doesn't know how to get into the game. Okay, so let me share with you where these conversations went and the advice and outcomes that we have at the moment in case one of these two things may hit home for you. So the first one, how do I put AI into my business? I shared with you a couple weeks ago that I enjoy having a conversation with people that make my idea treadmill spin. Okay, so my idea treadmill. It's an analogy I've used for years. We all have that time in our brain where we're either involved in a conversation or we've been reading something or thinking about something, and you just start daydreaming. Right? And this happens a lot when I'm either reading or sitting in on a presentation and someone says something that triggers an idea in my head, and before I know it, I've kind of been off on my own for a few minutes and maybe physically there, but mentally somewhere else, because that idea treadmill is spinning in my head. Well, a very smart person, a very smart friend shared with me a nugget that stays with me is that businesses don't need an AI strategy, they need a business strategy. And then figure out how AI can fit into it. Okay, and so the first conversation that I shared with you, the business owner that was struggling to figure out how to put AI to work, when I asked him a clarifying question, we started with a clarifying question, which was, what's the one problem you're trying to solve? And what does success look like if you solve it? Okay. And it calms the process, that kind of confusion, the overwhelm. Right. I call it the upside down jigsaw puzzle. There's pieces everywhere, just not quite sure how to put it all together. What's the one problem you're trying to solve? And what does success look like if you were to solve it? And that's where the answer that I gave you was, I want to be able to have resources readily available for my employees to get answers to situations, problems. Kind of an intellectual handbook, if you will, for employees new and existing, so everyone can be speaking from the same point of view. And second, from a customer point of view, I want to be able to self serve. I want to be able to give pricing. I want to be able to answer questions. I want to be able to give them the information that they need before they have to talk to us. Right. We want to be able to be convenient on their terms and not ours. I said, great, so let's start on the customer first. I said, is there information that exists Right now, AI removed from the conversation, right? AI aside, and quite frankly, software aside. Just right now, is there some sort of logical way in which you could walk somebody through what creates a price, how to get to an estimate, what makes it less expensive, what makes it more expensive, what components go in, what do you need to have for information, what's the minimum that you have, what's the estimate range that you can give them? All these variables, Is there a, is there a document, is there a process, is there a framework, is there something that you could grab right now, software side, AI side, that would help somebody understand what that is? And of course, the answer in this situation was no. I said, okay, so is there a place where you know that answers to these common questions or the sales questions or the process questions that you're talking about, do they exist somewhere outside of software, outside of AI? And the answer is no. It's. So everything is as it comes, right? It's talking to somebody. You get the information from a person, the salesperson has to get the quote, they have to ask certain questions, they have to go to work and put the, all this stuff right. It's very relatable to many of the businesses that either we have or we work in. Is relies on people, right? Especially service based businesses are very heavy on relying on people to do these things. And through the years we've convinced ourselves that these people are necessary, right? That's our distinguishing factor, that's our or it's our value, is I can't give you this information until I talk to you because I understand the business and I want to guide you, I want to consult you. And what we're really saying is I'm in control, right? And so before we go down too many rabbit holes on that angle, the whole point of me asking these questions was if this information doesn't exist yet, let's create it, okay? Let's create it outside of software, outside of AI. AI will help you whatever tool you're going to use. But as a concept, right, as an umbrella, AI will help you scale and replicate things you can already define. It's a misconception that the quote, unquote AI tool is going to fast track the work, okay? Fast track the value. So in this case, it's not going to make up answers, it's not going to make up pricing, or if it does, by the way, it's probably not going to be right. In order for you to have AI go to work for you, you've got to give it a foundation of assets. Or resources of information so they can work for you. Right? This is where back to AI being the amazing intern, highly capable, highly functional, very smart. But it needs context, it needs background, it needs information. So it's backwards to say, how do I plug AI into my business so that it can solve these problems for me? If we don't have answers for those problems already, we're just muddying up the water. We're making things extremely difficult, and quite frankly, we're skipping a most valuable step. Okay? So if you are in a mindset right now of looking at your business or your work and saying AI should be easier, it should make easier. AI could be the answer. I would say the answer to what? And yes, it could be a very powerful partner. It could be a very powerful way of expediting processes if you're able to define them now. So take a step back, take a breath, and let's take a look at what you need for information in order for you to give it to any tool, whether it be AI or person or whatever, do you have the necessary knowledge, the necessary information documented so that it can be used by a tool of your liking? Okay, that's. That's the first thing I would share with you if you are struggling with how to use AI. Okay. And that's a very abbreviated answer to that question. But that's going to open up a whole other set of processes and questions and all that kind of stuff. Right? So, but if we can't define it, if we can't replicate it, if we can't show it, then it's un. It's really unlikely that we're able to scale it with or without AI. Right. And so there's multiple ways of doing this. And. But the real answer here is if you don't have the information to begin with, then you're starting from the wrong end of the problem here. If you're trying to squeeze AI into it. Okay, let's move over to the consulting question, where someone said, I, I want to get into AI consulting. How do I do it? And if you are shifting careers, if you are looking to do something different, I think one of the most overlooked, let's say assets or starting points is what do you already have? If we take a breath and we say, where are you at? What do you like? What do you know? What have been, what have you been doing? And what transfers? Right? What transfers? So in this case, this person had been working with small businesses to help them with one thing. It was around marketing, but it was one very specific Product that he sold businesses to help them on one avenue of marketing, one tool in the toolkit, so to speak. But to do that effectively, that business owner had to share some information. They had to trust them. First of all, to buy this product and for the product to work properly, this particular consultant had to understand the business. So there's a path by which they, you know, become comfortable with certain aspects of the business in order for what the product that he was selling to be valuable. So he was already familiar with having conversations and learning and connecting and building trust and confidence. Right. Second, this product had been sold to hundreds of businesses. And so he already had a roster of people that knew him and trusted him enough to buy this particular product. Okay, so starting point one is what do you already have and what's transferable? Right? So the ability of asking questions, the ability of relating, and the ability of knowing that there's a roster of folks that have already said yes to you is a great place for you to start testing. Right. The next chapter. And a lot of folks overlook that. And what I mean by that is they think that if we're going to have a new career or start something new, that they just leave behind where they've been and we start over. And if you just think about for a second, you don't have all the answers. You don't have a full understanding of what you're going to do yet. And the ability of testing and learning and getting advice from and working with people that already know you is a significant advantage from starting cold. So in this case, we talked about what skills, what processes is transferable and do you already have businesses that you can talk to? Okay, great. And then how does AI consulting fit in here? Do you need to do AI consulting? Was the question. And the answer was, well, that's the next thing I need to get into it. And so, you know, working with businesses with AI, I think in its simplest form can come in two different ways. Number one, it's the process of training or using or implementing AI into a business, right? Or the other side is how do I help that business by using AI myself, right? So AI perhaps could make my business easier, my business more effective, and allow me to use the skills in the experience that I have to be faster, better scale, grow, whatever it might be. Right? So forcing, I guess where I really want to go with this is forcing yourself to have to do AI, quote, unquote, because AI is growing and popular isn't necessarily going to be the most productive way to look at how I'm going to get into a new job, how I'm going to a new career, how I'm going to get into a new revenue path. So what can I do? What can I transfer? What can I bring with me to whatever new venture or test or experience or, or whatnot that would help me start warm rather than cold? So in this case, what we determined was in order for you to implement or sell AI, you have to be highly skilled, experienced, or knowledgeable about a particular AI thing and then go find people that need that AI thing. And with AI being such a nebulous term, like we've talked about, it's such a generic term. If we replace, and this was a conversation we had as well, if we replace the term AI with software, okay, let's just, let's just say that he wanted to be a software consultant instead of an AI consultant. You can see automatically how many options there are for software, how generic that term is, and how specific you have to be in order to connect with someone who needs software. Right? Not to mention the competition. So if you're just getting into something for the sake of it's the newest thing, it's the growing thing, it's the thing that is probably going to be most viable for future careers. You know, you've really got to take advantage of things that you can do, well, things that, you know, your unique selling capabilities or unique, your unique business capabilities, and then go from there rather than get it. Now, it's not to say that people can't do it, but AI is not a specific thing. You know, AI in this case, when we went to software, it's huge, right? And so I share all this to say it's overwhelming to be sitting at this period of time and saying, I need to inject AI or I need to be doing something with AI just for the sake of being involved in something that's growing. Okay? So AI for AI sake is not going to be a successful path, whether you're implementing or trying to get into it. Right. Again, just like I share with you, when you're trying to become familiar with a tool like ChatGPT, the goal is not to learn ChatGPT. The goal is not to learn all the features and functions. The goal is to find One thing that ChatGPT can help you with and then go do that and then build off of that using your curiosity, using conversation, you know, using the ability of becoming more familiar with how what you do or what you need can be benefited from this tool. The same thing applies if you have a Business or if you're looking to get into business, what is it that I can do? What is it that I can provide, what is it that I need in order for me to be successful? And does AI need to be a part of that? So back to that comment from my friend that had my idea treadmill going. You don't need an AI strategy, you need a business strategy. And then let's figure out how AI can fit into that, right? So if you're struggling with, I need to get my head around AI, I need to implement AI. I need to understand AI. Just change the word, change it to software or business or whatever you want to, you know, term you want to use there and understand that that's a very generic big umbrella. And the best way to understand, to implement is to find something, what problem you're trying to solve, right? Find something that you can test and learn and improve with a tool that happens to be AI driven and move from there. So it's a long way of me telling you, don't get overwhelmed by thinking that you have to learn, quote unquote, AI. Don't be overwhelmed that with, with the thought that you're behind. Don't get pressured into thinking you got to do something just for the sake of doing it. Take a breath, inventory yourself, make sure you have resources in place whether there's software AI involved or not. If you can't define it, then you're probably not going to be able to to scale it. And if you can't define it and scale it, then a tool like AI is not, you're not ready for a tool like AI. You need to be able to define it and from a business point of view before AI is going to be helpful in any capacity. And don't get pressured into thinking that you need to know everything or you're going to miss the boat test and learn. Be curious, find one thing that you can get value from and then replicate and scale and go from there.

[D]

Okay, time for the giveaway that I had talked about. Michael Stelzner of Social Media examiner and the founder of Social Media Marketing World reached out to and wants to give a listener of the show here a ticket to AI business world. It's going to take place April 29th and 30th. And from the website, the description says join 1,000 forward thinking marketers at the industry's most focused AI training experience. It's a conference within a conference at Social Media Marketing World 2026. The mission is to replace uncertainty with unshakable confidence and they say finally know exactly which AI tools to use for which tasks and master the practical workflows that save you hours each week. Folk, he's given away a ticket to the conference and all you got to do is head over to the Show Notes or to chatgpt experiment.com for your chance to enter. I'm going to give this a few weeks and I will draw a name here sometime in March so you can plan your travel. This is a thousand dollars value to get in to Business World and Michael's giving away to a listener here for free. So very generous, very thankful that that Michael reached out. So if you are thinking about business, maybe this is a business expense. Maybe this is something you could do on behalf of your company and bring it back and share so you can finally have an AI strategy that makes sense. You could feel focused not only for yourself, but to help others inside your company. But chatgpt experiment.com you're going to see the drawing Show Notes. We'll have a link to it as well. The conference again is at the end of April 2026 and Michael generously reached out to send one of our listeners there. So check it out and I'll draw a name sometime in March.

[B]

All right, that's it for the show this week. I hope you found a nugget there and I hope you continue to remain curious because that's the most important part of learning and of growing and finding comfort and value in any AI tool is your curiosity. Okay? So thanks for spending some time with me and until we talk again, do stay curious. Okay, Bye. Bye.

[E]

Working across teams is tough, but asana helps you handle it. That's because asana is where humans and egg coordinate work together. AI can spot roadblocks and assign work in a snap. So everything and everyone stays on track. That's how work gets handled. That's Asana. Visit [e-mail] that's a s a n a dot com.

[C]

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