You may call it creative hours, but the headline isn't your process. It's quit spending so much time in Canva. People don't buy the work you're proud of. They buy the result they want.

This episode is built around a live Idea Slam with brand designer Teresa Wilmot, who couldn't figure out why her $47-a-month membership wasn't selling. The answer turned into a coaching session anyone who sells a service needs to hear. Pat walks through why you have to sell the outcome instead of the process, why pricing problems are often value-communication problems, and why people-pleasing quietly keeps you from charging what you're worth. He also breaks down a big shift in Google search that's tanking website traffic, and what AEO and GEO mean for getting found now that AI answers come first. If you're a business owner doing your own marketing and wondering why the message isn't landing, this one is for you.

In this episode:

00:00 - Cold open and intro

03:05 - Welcome and the Idea Slam marathon kicks off

04:24 - Get ready to business: positivity, gratitude, and your one thing

10:39 - News you need: variable rate loans and rising interest rates

11:43 - 21 valedictorians and what an A-plus really earns

14:55 - Sponsor: Money Masters Bookkeeping

17:13 - Idea Slam with Teresa Wilmot: selling a membership nobody understands

23:09 - The cookie analogy: sell the result, not the recipe

27:55 - Why pricing is really a value and people-pleasing problem

34:36 - AI story: Google I/O, Gemini Spark, and the search change tanking traffic

41:33 - Tweet of the day

42:49 - What's happening in the SBOC

45:16 - Final thoughts and weekend send-off

Resources mentioned:

- Teresa Wilmot, brand designer, host of the DIY (Design It Yourself) course and Creative Hours membership

- Google I/O and Gemini Spark

- Money Masters Bookkeeping (show and conference sponsor)

- G2 Insurance, Brookfield (show and conference sponsor), g2insuranceservices.com

- Small Business Owners Community (SBOC)

Presented by

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

G2 Insurance - https://www.g2insuranceservices.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 #SellTheResult #PricingStrategy #IdeaSlam

Half of the people polled said they'd rather give their money to brands that avoid AI. Stop the freaking presses...that's a market opportunity hiding in plain sight, and if you make something by hand, it belongs on the front page of your website.

Today's show is for business owners who want practical answers, not theory. Tanya Murphy from Cruise Planners drops five money tips for handling cash abroad so you stop leaking dollars on every transaction. We unpack a new study showing 50% of consumers would rather buy from brands that don't use AI, and we work through six cheap, easy fixes for working from a house where nobody respects your office. Plus the OpenAI lawsuit gets tossed, GLP-1s keep racking up surprise benefits, and a cul-de-sac in Atlanta fills up with Waymos for no good reason. With Memorial Day on Monday, you've basically got until Wednesday close of business to get anything done this week...let's use the time.

In this episode:

00:00 - Show open and what's on today

05:21 - Positivity, gratitude, and the number one task

09:10 - Tanya Murphy: 5 money tips for handling cash abroad

23:30 - News: OpenAI lawsuit tossed, GLP-1 mental health benefits, Waymo cul-de-sac

32:06 - AI Story of the Day: 50% of consumers want AI-free brands

36:02 - Idea Slam: 6 ways to work from home when there's no door

41:33 - SBOC community update, conference, and Memorial Day game plan

Resources mentioned:

- Tanya Murphy, Cruise Planners: https://tripsalive.com

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

- G2 Insurance Services: https://g2insuranceservices.com

- SBOC Conference, September 15-17, Milwaukee area

🎙️ 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 #WorkFromHome #TravelTips

Six thousand CEOs were just surveyed, and 90% of them said AI has had zero impact on productivity. I'll tell you right now, Claude has changed my life and changed my business. Here's why owners are winning the AI race while corporations slow-walk it.

Today on Businessing, I'm back from three days off feeling like I've been shot out of a cannon. I went to the Claude Small Business meetup in Chicago, survived standing on stage in front of a hundred Claude users, and came home convinced that small business owners are getting the AI benefit faster than anybody. We also tackle a tough Idea Slam question: your biggest client is shopping around for your replacement while you're still working together. Do you confront them? No. You replace them first. And as always, we cover the news you need to sound like the most informed person in the room.

In this episode:

00:00 — Welcome and three-step Monday kickoff

06:00 — Positivity, gratitude, and the distraction of the day

14:00 — News: Musk vs OpenAI, the fighter plane crash, and your brain on exercise

24:00 — Money Masters Bookkeeping with Barbara Fausett

27:00 — Why 90% of CEOs say AI isn't working (and why they're wrong)

33:00 — My weekend with Claude in Chicago

42:00 — G2 Insurance with Tom

45:00 — Idea Slam: my biggest client is shopping for my replacement

50:00 — What's happening inside the SBOC right now

53:00 — Tomorrow's show: Tanya Murphy and our first live Idea Slam in a long time

Resources mentioned:

- Money Masters Bookkeeping (Barbara Fausett): https://moneymasters4biz.com

- G2 Insurance (Tom): https://g2insuranceservices.com or 262-784-0644

- Claude for Small Business: search "Small Business" in the Claude Plugins menu

- The Solow paradox (the productivity puzzle that's back in the news)

- Goldman Sachs cut its US productivity growth forecast from 2.5% to 1.8%

- Get your business on the national map: https://live.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 #ClaudeAI #IdeaSlam

Claude just dropped Claude for Small Business...native connectors to QuickBooks, PayPal, HubSpot, Canva, DocuSign, Google Workspace, and a stack of other tools you're already paying for. Translation: you can stop hunting and pecking through QuickBooks and just ask, "Hey, did that client pay?"

Pat unpacks what the announcement actually means for owners before driving down to Chicago to meet the Claude team in person. Plus a serious moment about entrepreneur mental health, the next wave of AI security risks coming for all of us, and an Idea Slam question you're going to face soon...a client just asked for a discount because you use AI. Pat's answer might change how you talk to every client going forward. Solving small business problems so you can be more profitable, with less stress, and run a modern small business.

In this episode: 00:00 — Welcome and the Chicago road trip ahead 01:00 — Positivity and Gratitude (owner energy vs. operator energy) 04:00 — Distraction of the Day and your number one task 06:00 — Trump in China with the tech CEOs 07:30 — World Cup final halftime show...Madonna, Shakira, BTS 09:00 — A serious talk about entrepreneur mental health 13:00 — AI Story of the Day: Claude for Small Business drops 17:00 — AI Story #2: The coming vulnerability storm 19:00 — Sponsor: Money Masters Bookkeeping with Barbara Fausett 21:00 — Idea Slam: My client wants a discount because I use AI 26:00 — Sponsor: Crown Room Live with Elzie Flenard 27:30 — SBOC Conference update (VIP tickets going fast) 29:00 — New idea: The Idea Slam-a-thon Resources mentioned: - Claude for Small Business (Anthropic announcement) -

Money Masters Bookkeeping with Barbara Fausett: https://moneymasters4biz.com -

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

The Daily Crown (7-day free trial): https://joindailycrown.com -

SBOC Conference, September 15-17 in Milwaukee - Mike Michalowicz, author of Profit First (Conference keynote) - live.smallbusinesscommunity.com (check in during the show)

🎙️ 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 #ClaudeForSmallBusiness #AIForSmallBusiness #IdeaSlam

No one's coming to save you. That's a bad thing. But no one's coming to stop you either, and that's a great thing.

Wednesday's show is built around the most overlooked profit lever in your business: your P&L. Barbara Fausett from Money Masters Bookkeeping sits down with Pat to break down the five sections of a profit and loss statement, why most owners only read two of them, and what kind of decisions become obvious once you read all five. Plus: five ways to give yourself a raise this week, an AI story that should change how you think about hiring in your business, and an Idea Slam answer that fixes the "I can't describe what I do in one sentence" problem.

In this episode:

00:00 — Show open, sponsors, check-ins

02:30 — Positivity: SBOC 26 tickets are LIVE

04:00 — Gratitude: 5 ways to give yourself a raise

09:00 — Distraction of the day: performative "bettering"

11:00 — Barbara Fausett on the 5 parts of your P&L

23:00 — News: CPI hits 3.8% (hottest since May 2023)

24:30 — Stuff you should know: your brain works under anesthesia

27:00 — AI story: 76% of companies now have a Chief AI Officer

31:00 — Sponsor spotlight: Crown Room Live with Elzie Flenard

32:30 — Idea Slam: nobody cares about your how

36:00 — SBOC 26 Conference tickets on sale

Resources mentioned:

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

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

- SBOC 26 Conference (September 15-17, Brookfield, WI, with keynote Mike Michalowicz) — https://smallbusinesscommunity.com

- Live check-in for the show — https://live.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 #ProfitAndLoss #Bookkeeping #SmallBusinessFinance

No money does not mean no value. If you've ever been asked to speak for free and wondered if it's worth your time, Pat lays out five concrete ways to make a "free" gig actually work for you...the kind of value that builds your speaking business faster than a one-time check ever could.

This is your daily prep for being a small business owner who actually wins. Pat also unpacks why 38,000 layoffs in the first ten days of May might actually grow the economy (controversial, but stick with him), runs through the news that matters for owners (Iran rejecting the peace deal, Trump headed to Xi, Putin offering to meet Zelensky), and celebrates the SBOC community members who snapped up their conference tickets this morning. Public tickets drop Wednesday.

In this episode:

00:00 — Welcome and check in on the live map

02:00 — Positivity and Gratitude

06:00 — Distraction of the day (Madison, Milwaukee, and Claude training in Chicago)

10:30 — Your number one task

12:30 — News: Iran rejects the peace deal

14:00 — News: Trump heads to China for the Xi summit

15:30 — News: Putin offers to meet Zelensky

17:00 — Money Masters Bookkeeping

19:30 — AI Story: 38,000 jobs cut and how AI grows the economy

27:30 — Crown Room Live

30:00 — Idea Slam: 5 ways to make speaking for free work for you

40:00 — SBOC Conference ticket shoutout

42:00 — The new SBOC Conference commercial debut

Resources mentioned:

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

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

- The Daily Crown (free 7-day trial): https://joindailycrown.com

- SBOC Conference (September 15-17, Brookfield, WI): https://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 #PublicSpeaking #AI #SBOC

Other people's opinions are not instructions. Especially the ones from people who don't pay you green American dollars.

Today on Businessing, Pat unpacks the AI story trifecta: ChatGPT's leaner GPT-5.5 Instant base model, Anthropic's SpaceX compute deal that doubles Claude's usage windows and removes peak-hour throttling, and a researcher's fake eye disease that fooled ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot into telling people to see a doctor. He runs an Idea Slam on the Monday-pumped, Wednesday-overwhelmed cycle, breaks down a 189,000 weekly jobless claims number (lowest since 1969) and what it means if you're hiring part-time help, and unveils the final SBOC '26 reveal: the VIP program with a one-hour Ask Me Anything with Mike Michalowicz and a three-hour Friday session with Matt Mundt of Hug Sleep, who turned a $25,000 investment into $30M+ in lifetime revenue.

Tickets go on sale Monday May 11 for community members, Tuesday May 12 for waitlist, and Wednesday May 13 for the public. There are 115 seats and 275+ owners standing by. Get on the waitlist now.

In this episode: 00:00 — Welcome and check-in 02:30 — Positivity, Gratitude, and the Distraction of the Day 09:00 — Stuff You Need to Know: Iran, jobless claims, and a Mother's Day PSA 14:00 — AI Story of the Day: GPT-5.5 Instant, Claude's SpaceX deal, and a fake eye disease that fooled three AIs 22:00 — Money Masters Bookkeeping 24:00 — Idea Slam: How to stop the Monday-pumped, Wednesday-overwhelmed cycle 31:00 — G2 Insurance Services 33:00 — SBOC '26 final reveal: the VIP program with Mike Michalowicz and Matt Mundt of Hug Sleep 41:00 — Wrap-up

Resources mentioned:

• Mike Michalowicz (Profit First, Fix This Next) — SBOC '26 keynote
• Matt Mundt — Hug Sleep (Shark Tank, $30M+ in lifetime revenue)
• Money Masters Bookkeeping — moneymasters4biz.com
• G2 Insurance Services — g2insuranceservices.com
• SBOC '26 Conference Waitlist
• Live show map — live.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 #SBOC26

Your client expects answers after 10 PM because you've given them answers after 10 PM. Sorry, but it's true.

In today's Idea Slam, Pat tackles the after-hours client texting trap and gives the most permission-giving advice you'll hear all week: take your email off your phone. He also reveals his favorite part of the SBOC '26 conference (it's back, it involves steak and champagne), demos Gemini's new in-document editing inside Google Docs, and breaks down why Microsoft just put Claude and ChatGPT in the same room inside Copilot.

In this episode:

00:00 - Open + Positivity, Gratitude, and the #1 Task

12:30 - News: Middle East peace plan, microplastics, and a science story that might save your blood vessels

20:00 - Sponsor: Money Masters Bookkeeping

22:00 - AI Story: Microsoft adds Claude to Copilot alongside ChatGPT

26:00 - Demo: Gemini editing live inside Google Docs and Sheets

35:00 - Idea Slam: The client who texts at 10 PM and what to do about it

42:00 - Sponsor: G2 Insurance

45:00 - SBOC '26: The Celebration Dinner is back (presented by Paul's Jewelers)

Resources mentioned:

- Money Masters Bookkeeping: moneymasters4biz.com

- G2 Insurance: g2insuranceservices.com

- Paul's Jewelers (presenting sponsor of the SBOC '26 Celebration Dinner)

- SBOC '26 Conference: tickets on sale to the public Wednesday, May 13

- Live show check-in map: live.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 #Boundaries #AITools #SBOC