Why Your Business Can't Ignore AI

Real AI Use Cases – Business Owners Roundtable Elizabeth Gearhart: I use AI a lot in my business—probably one to two hours a day. One of the biggest things it’s helped me do is recreate a mentor, a friend, or someone with deep knowledge who can help me think things through. If you’re an entrepreneur or business owner and you’re not using AI, you’re honestly missing out. The future of business is powered by AI—but the most important part is learning how to ask the right questions. The better your prompt, the better your results. This is Real AI Use Cases – Business Owners Roundtable, with hosts Elizabeth Gearhart—podcast consultant, marketing expert, and PhD researcher using AI every day—and Richard Gearhart, entrepreneur, seasoned business owner, and intellectual property attorney specializing in innovation. In this episode, we asked entrepreneurs from the Passage to Profit show—Joseph Varghese, Jen Rulon, and Alice Frankel—how they’re using AI in their businesses right now. Joseph Varghese – Success Circles Joseph Varghese: I use AI a lot in my business—about an hour to two hours a day. The biggest way I use it is as an advisor. I actually have conversations with AI. I’ll tell it, “Put on the hat of this mentor or this leader and review what I’m doing in my business. Does this make sense? What am I missing?” That goes a long way for me. One of my mentors is Michael Gerber. He’s 89 years old—the same age as my mom—and I’ve trained AI on past conversations I’ve had with him. Those conversations are personal to me, but they help the AI understand how he thinks and how he would respond to me. So I’ll ask things like, “Using this GPT, be Michael Gerber. What’s something I’m not seeing? How should I prioritize my week? How can I add new revenue streams?” One of my favorite questions to ask AI—and I challenge everyone listening to try this—is: “Now that you know everything about me, what are my top five blind spots?” It’s uncomfortable—but we all need to be disrupted sometimes. Elizabeth Gearhart: So did you literally tell ChatGPT or Perplexity to pretend it was Michael Gerber? Joseph Varghese: Yes—but I took it a step further. I created a custom GPT inside ChatGPT. It’s about $20 a month, and you can train it like a mini app. I uploaded conversations, leadership principles, and context so it understands how I think and how my mentors think. I’ve also trained it on other leaders I respect. That way, when I ask questions, the feedback is grounded, personal, and relevant. Demonstration: AI as an Advisor Joseph Varghese: One of the things we teach in my program is naming your AI. Mine is named “Megan.” Naming your AI changes how you interact with it—it becomes more relational and intentional. Let me bring Megan in. Joseph Varghese (to AI): Hey Meg, how are you today? AI (Megan): Hey GI Joseph, I’m doing great. Thanks for asking. Hope everything’s going well on your end. Joseph Varghese: I’m in the studio on The Passage to Profit show. We’re live. What advice do you have for our listeners to get the most out of this experience? AI (Megan): Focus on authenticity. Share your real journey—the highs and the lows. That’s what resonates most. Collaboration and community matter, and delivering real value is what people remember. Jen Rulon – Content Creation & Life Transitions Elizabeth Gearhart: Jen, how are you using AI in your business? Jen Rulon: I use AI a lot for content creation—especially for women going through major life changes like perimenopause, menopause, divorce, or loss. What I love is being able to say, “Take me back to the basics. What do my people really need right now?” I’ll ask for five hooks or themes that speak to women who feel overwhelmed or disconnected from their worth. AI helps me narrow focus without reading hundreds of research papers. It helps me expand blog posts, social media content, and really understand what resonates with my audience. Alice Frankel – Brand Consistency & Research Elizabeth Gearhart: Alice, how are you using AI? Alice Frankel: If you’re an entrepreneur and not using AI, you’re missing out. I wear a lot of hats—marketing, editing, content—and AI helps me give my ideas wings. I know my product better than AI, but I’ve trained it to understand my brand, tone, and values. That way, whether someone sees us on TikTok, Instagram, or our blog, the voice is consistent. I use AI for deep research, keyword analysis, and idea expansion. Instead of spending five hours creating content, I can spend one hour refining and executing. That’s life-changing for a startup where you can’t hire five people. Richard Gearhart – AI for Planning & Operations Elizabeth Gearhart: Richard, how are you using AI at Gearhart Law? Richard Gearhart: We’ve been planning for 2026, and we have a large team with a lot of marketing activities—social media, networking, publications. We put a lot of information about Gearhart Law into ChatGPT and asked it to create a comprehensive marketing plan. It did a surprisingly good job and even surfaced ideas I hadn’t considered. It’s not perfect—it needs editing—but it saved hours of work. The key is being very specific with your prompts. I’m also excited about AI agents—virtual assistants that handle full workflows. What I want is an AI that manages my email, calendar, and spam calls automatically. If someone calls while I’m in a meeting, it checks my calendar, schedules a callback, and notifies me. That peace of mind is huge. Closing Thoughts Elizabeth Gearhart: That’s really what this episode is about—AI as a thinking partner, not a replacement for people. When used well, AI helps business owners move faster, think clearer, and focus on what actually matters. You’ve been listening to Real AI Use Cases – Business Owners Roundtable.