Corporate is using AI to eliminate jobs. Escapees get to use it to multiply themselves. In this solo episode Brett pulls back the curtain on exactly how he runs his entire business with AI — the tools, the use cases, and the honest truth about what it can and can’t do.

He also covers the single biggest opportunity most escapees are missing right now — helping small and midsize businesses actually leverage AI. Not programming. Not building agents. Bringing the business judgment that 20+ years of corporate experience gives you and marrying it with the right tools. That’s the superpower. And right now, the market is wide open.

What You’ll Learn

• How Brett uses AI daily — content editing, research, strategy, operations and more

• Why AI is a content editor not a content creator — and why that distinction matters

• The SMB opportunity — 88% of small business owners know they need AI, only 14% are doing something about it

• Why the real value is pairing business judgment with AI — not programming

• The EAD framework — Eliminate, Automate, Delegate

• Brett’s current AI stack and exactly what each tool is used for

• Why he switched from ChatGPT to Claude — and what that decision taught him about auditing your tools

Key Timestamps

• 00:00 — Intro: Corporate is using AI against you. Here’s how to flip it.

• 01:00 — How Brett uses AI in his own business every day

• 02:00 — AI as content editor not content creator — keeping your voice

• 03:30 — Podcast production: from a full day to under an hour

• 05:00 — AI as strategy and thought partner

• 07:00 — The SMB opportunity — the 74% gap nobody is filling

• 09:00 — Flex staffing + AI — why small businesses don’t need full-time hires

• 11:00 — The EAD framework: Eliminate, Automate, Delegate

• 14:00 — Brett’s AI stack: Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Canva, Riverside

• 16:30 — Close: The one-person army is here. Are you using it?

Brett’s AI Stack

• Claude — Primary thinking partner, content editor, strategy, writing, business frameworks

• Perplexity — Deep research, stats validation, sourced intel

• Gemini — Currently testing; Google ecosystem integration

• Riverside.fm — Podcast recording, editing, transcription, show notes

• Canva — AI-assisted graphics and visuals

• Durable — AI website builder (used for Small Business Hotline landing page)

Enjoyed This Episode?

If you’re using AI in an interesting way as a solopreneur or escapee Brett would love to hear from you — and potentially have you on the podcast. Drop him a note at BT@BrettTrainor.com.

Please share this episode with someone who needs to hear it — and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. The old school way still works.

AI Doesn't Replace Escapees — It Supercharges Them