When your phone isn't ringing, it's almost never bad luck. It's one of two things: people can't find you, or they don't know why they should call you.

I've been out training owners on AI, and I keep watching the same arc: connected, competent, then curious, right about when it starts feeling like a video game. That's the fun part, and it's why I do Claude training for small business owners. Then we get into the AI price war heating up between OpenAI, Anthropic, Grok, and a Chinese open-source model that's up 27 times in a week, and why that competition is good news for your budget. In the main event, I answer the question I hear constantly: why isn't my phone ringing? It comes down to whether people can find you and whether you're selling the transformation instead of a laundry list of services.

In this episode:

00:00 - The AI adoption arc: connected, competent, curious

06:23 - The AI price war heating up between the big labs

10:15 - Why Claude Fable going pay-as-you-go matters

12:48 - When you actually need a business lawyer

15:08 - Why your phone isn't ringing

17:15 - Sell the transformation, not your list of services

19:51 - Bring your problem to the Idea Slam

Resources mentioned:

- Athena Legal Solutions: athenalegalsolutionsllc.com

- Automation Bird Dog: automationbirddog.com (code OWNIT)

🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109

🌐 Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen

📬 Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com

👥 Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com

#SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #Marketing #LeadGeneration #AI

Firing someone is a skill, and nobody teaches it. After 20 years of managing people, here's exactly how I do it, whether it's for cause or for performance.

This one starts personal. I got a once-in-a-lifetime call to take my son David to a World Cup game in Seattle, and I said yes without blinking, because that's the whole point of building your own thing. Then David Belman from Belman Homes joins me to explain something strange in the housing market: for the first time, new homes are cheaper than existing ones, and why about $131,000 in regulations is baked into every new build. We get into the new strikes on Iran, the news that Claude Cowork is finally coming to your phone, and Claude Fable getting extended to July 12. Then we close with the Idea Slam every owner needs: how to fire someone the right way.

In this episode:

00:00 - Why owning your business beats a paycheck

01:29 - Cashing in your freedom for a World Cup trip with my son

10:01 - Why new homes are now cheaper than existing homes (David Belman)

21:48 - When you actually need a business lawyer

23:53 - New strikes on Iran and what they do to oil prices

25:04 - Claude Cowork is coming to your phone

28:41 - Claude Fable extended to July 12

29:45 - How to fire someone the right way (Idea Slam)

Resources mentioned:

- David Belman, Belman Homes

- Athena Legal Solutions: athenalegalsolutionsllc.com

- Automation Bird Dog: automationbirddog.com (code OWNIT)

🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109

🌐 Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen

📬 Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com

👥 Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com

#SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #Leadership #Hiring #AI

In-person connection is king, and you just can't get the same connection online as you get in a real room. I spent this week with two mastermind groups in person, and the difference wasn't even close.

This episode is for every work-from-home business owner who packs the calendar so tight that putting on real pants and driving across town feels inefficient. I'll walk you through why the before and after of an in-person meeting is where the real relationships get built, and why you leave those meetings recharged every single time. Then we get into the AI conversation nobody saw coming: AI is saving us 20 hours a week and somehow we're all busier than ever. And I answer a Reddit question that hits home for a lot of you...is it worth leaving corporate if you'll only replace your salary? Your assignment for next week is simple. Leave the cave.

In this episode:

00:00 - Welcome and today's show rundown

00:56 - Why in-person networking beats Zoom meetings (Big Story)

13:59 - Small business optimism hits a 2026 high

20:04 - Free small business legal risk assessment (sponsor: Athena Legal Solutions)

22:04 - Why AI makes business owners busier, not less busy

27:26 - Claude's Fable model returns and pay-as-you-go AI pricing

31:59 - Leaving corporate to start a business (Idea Slam)

40:13 - Small business community events and SBOC Conference update

Resources mentioned:

- Athena Legal Solutions and the Complimentary Legal Confidence Review (Carolyn Jahnke and team)

- Crown Room Live with Elzie Flenard: https://crownroomlive.com

- The Daily Crown: https://joindailycrown.com

- Claude by Anthropic, including the Fable model

- WhisperFlow dictation software

- Live check-in map: https://live.smallbusinesscommunity.com

- SBOC Conference in September (prices go up August 1st)

🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109

🌐 Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen

📬 Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com

👥 Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com

#SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #Networking #ClaudeAI #InPersonConnection

Halfway through 2026, your mid-year business review comes down to one shift: the question goes from what do we wanna get done this year to what can we still get done this year. Hope is not a strategy, and the second half of the year doesn't care about the goals you set in January.

Pat walks through seven questions (the five he planned, plus two bonus) that every small business owner should ask before July 1st: what's the biggest problem that's gotta get solved, are you satisfied with your revenue, what's actually selling, is your biggest expense pulling its weight, and where are you using AI in your business. Then attorney Carolyn Jahnke from Athena Legal Solutions joins the show to talk about how protected your business really is, the contract blind spots that catch owners off guard, and why going into business with friends and family is riskier than it feels. If you own a small business and you're staring down the second half of the year, you'll walk away with a checklist you can run in one afternoon.

In this episode:

00:00 - Mid-year business check-in for small business owners

02:34 - What's the biggest problem to solve in your business (Question 1)

04:16 - Reviewing your revenue, what's selling, and your biggest expense (Questions 2-4)

07:00 - Where are you using AI in your business (Question 5)

08:39 - Getting a return on your time and avoiding burnout (Bonus questions)

12:23 - How protected is your small business, with Carolyn Jahnke of Athena Legal Solutions

22:22 - Supreme Court rulings on birthright citizenship and transgender athletes (News You Need to Know)

28:57 - SBOC Conference tickets and SBOC Awards nominations

Resources mentioned:

- Carolyn Jahnke, Athena Legal Solutions (free business legal confidence assessment)

- Carl Gould: "Sell what people wanna buy, not what you wanna sell"

- Elzie Flenard, Crown Room Live and The Daily Crown: https://joindailycrown.com

- Put your business on the live show map: https://live.smallbusinesscommunity.com

- SBOC Conference, September 15-17 (ticket prices go up August 1)

- SBOC Awards nominations, open through July 19 (presented by Athena Legal Solutions, Money Masters Bookkeeping, Crash Design Co., and Excel and Flourish)

🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109

🌐 Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen

📬 Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com

👥 Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com

#SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #MidYearReview #BusinessCheckIn #SmallBusinessTips

68% of small business owners are using AI, but only 15% have installed it into their regular workflow and are actually getting the benefits. Pat says the gap comes down to one reframe: stop treating AI like software you have to learn and start treating it like a junior employee.

This one's for the owner who's been tinkering with ChatGPT and Claude, writing a few social posts, and wondering where all that promised productivity went. Pat breaks down why the AI teachers keep getting small business wrong, then hands you a 20-minute pen-and-paper exercise to figure out exactly what to hand off to your new junior employee first. He also pulls a pricing lesson out of Tidal's new direct-to-artist music model and challenges you to charge for your work in a way that removes objections and pays you more. Plus the SBOC Awards open for nominations, and Pat levels up his Wisconsin card at a polka wedding.

In this episode:

00:00 - Why only 15% of small businesses are getting results from AI (Big Story)

04:52 - How to treat AI like a junior employee instead of software

08:01 - A 20-minute brainstorm to decide what to hand off to AI

11:16 - How to change the way you charge customers (Tidal's new pricing model)

16:49 - Pay-for-results pricing for coaches and consultants

26:48 - Why the newest AI models aren't available to small businesses (AI Story of the Day)

38:26 - How business awards help you win more clients (SBOC Awards open)

Resources mentioned:

- Athena Legal Solutions (Carolyn Jahnke) - free confidence review for show viewers

- Crown Room Live with Elzie Flenard - https://crownroomlive.com

- The Daily Crown - https://joindailycrown.com

- Small Business Owners Community Awards nominations - https://smallbusinesscommunity.com

- SBOC live check-in map - https://live.smallbusinesscommunity.com

- Money Masters Bookkeeping - https://moneymasters4biz.com

- Crash Design Co

- Claude Cowork

- Tidal

🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109

🌐 Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen

📬 Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com

👥 Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com

#SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #AIforSmallBusiness #AIAdoption

The AI tools making you faster can also become a business risk. When everything you run lives inside one model, you don't own that part of your business, you're renting it.

Pat Miller breaks down why going all-in on a single AI tool can quietly turn into a liability, and how to use it hard while keeping a backup nobody can switch off. He's joined by Melissa Gregory of Automation Bird Dog on getting your processes out of your head and automating without breaking your team, and by Erin Perkins of Successable for a live Idea Slam on pricing and positioning an accessibility tool for agencies instead of solo owners. Plus the real answer on whether domain names still matter, and a quick World Cup check-in. It's a packed Thursday for owners who want to work smarter without handing over the keys.

In this episode:

00:00 - Welcome to Businessing

01:40 - Are domain names still worth it?

09:32 - Melissa Gregory: automate without breaking your team (Automation Bird Dog)

21:03 - World Cup check-in

22:06 - Don't rent your business from one AI tool

26:26 - Athena Legal Solutions

28:21 - Idea Slam: price and position for agencies (Erin Perkins, Successable)

47:45 - Inside the Small Business Owners Community

48:38 - Paul's Jewelers and the 7C's Cafe

50:44 - Fridays Off framework: three problems to solve today

Resources mentioned:

- Melissa Gregory, Automation Bird Dog, free automation readiness assessment (use promo code OWNIT)

- Trainual, the SOP and training tool Melissa uses

- Erin Perkins, Successable, the accessibility checker for your site and content: mabelyq.com

- Athena Legal Solutions, free legal confidence review: athenalegalsolutionsllc.com/businessingwithpatmiller

- Paul's Jewelers and the 7C's Cafe, West Allis, WI: paulsjewelers.com / 7cs.cafe

- Small Business Owners Community: smallbusinesscommunity.com

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109

Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen

Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com

Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com

#SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #AIForSmallBusiness #Automation #Accessibility

Self-improvement is crushing your business. The fastest way to grow isn't getting a little less bad at the thing you hate, it's handing that thing to a person or a robot who's great at it and pouring your time into the work only you can do. Pat Miller makes the counterintuitive case that shoring up your weaknesses is quietly slowing your business down. He walks through a simple two-list exercise to figure out what to offload and where to double down, then runs a live Idea Slam with broadcaster and nonprofit auctioneer Mitch Nelles on selling the transformation instead of the service.

You'll also hear a real-talk segment on the AI scams now hitting one in four small businesses, and the boring, doable fixes that actually protect you. It's for owners who are tired of doing everything and ready to spend their time where it counts. In this episode:

00:00 - Welcome to Businessing

00:36 - Why self-improvement is crushing your business

05:10 - How to borrow attention from the World Cup

07:25 - AI scams hitting one in four small businesses

12:09 - Athena Legal Solutions

14:15 - Idea Slam: sell the transformation, not the service (Mitch Nelles)

31:49 - What the Idea Slam taught us about positioning

33:17 - Paul's Jewelers and the 7C's Cafe

35:14 - Inside the Small Business Owners Community

36:49 - Fridays Off framework: three problems to solve today

Resources mentioned: -

Athena Legal Solutions, free legal confidence review: athenalegalsolutionsllc.com/businessingwithpatmiller

Paul's Jewelers and the 7C's Cafe, West Allis, WI: paulsjewelers.com / 7cs.cafe -

Mitch Nelles, host of the Mason Crosby Show (Wisconsin Sports Radio Network) and nonprofit auctioneer

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109

Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen

Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com

Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com

#SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #Delegation #AIForSmallBusiness #Productivity