Fintech Forward Podcast: Why Small Businesses Need AI That Puts People First

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Steven Moeller on the Fintech Forward podcast series—hosted by Fluxion AI Solutions—to talk about something I'm genuinely passionate about: bringing enterprise-level AI capabilities to small and mid-sized businesses without the enterprise-level headaches.

The conversation started where my company, Elevate AI Consulting, started: at an AI conference in Miami about two years ago. I walked into that conference excited to learn, and walked out frustrated. Over 16 speakers, panels, and sessions, and not a single one addressed the needs of growing businesses. Every speaker was talking about enterprise this, enterprise that. I heard the word "enterprise" probably a thousand times that day.

That's when it clicked for me. Just like the internet, social media, and companies like Google and Amazon have dominated market share and made it harder for small businesses to compete, AI was about to make that gap exponential. I knew there was an opportunity to build something different: a consulting firm that focuses on human-centered AI solutions that real people can actually understand and use.

More interviews and speaking recaps are on the Elevate AI blog, including my Consulting Leaders Podcast episode on SMB AI adoption.

Watch the full episode

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We Don't Work on People Reduction Projects

One of the core principles I shared on the podcast is something that defines Elevate AI Consulting: we do not work on people reduction projects. If a company comes to us and their AI strategy starts with "how many people can we cut?", I'll happily refer them to other consultants. That's not what we do.

I work with business owners who want to hire more people, not fewer. We use AI to make teams more efficient so companies can grow, provide for more families, and scale without sacrificing their people. Every small business owner I speak with cares deeply about their employees. It doesn't make sense to spend the time and money recruiting, hiring, and retaining great people, only to replace them with an AI system.

The business owners I work with want AI to take work off their team's plate so they can grow as a company, not shrink.

The Market Has Shifted: Training Is No Longer Optional

When I started Elevate AI Consulting two years ago, one of the biggest challenges was just explaining what I did. People would look at me like I was crazy when I said "AI consultant." AI was so new that most people didn't understand why they would need someone to help them use it.

The other challenge? AI is deceivingly easy to use. Anyone can type a prompt into ChatGPT and get a vague answer back. For a while, people thought that made them AI professionals.

But the market has corrected itself. Companies are now realizing that putting ChatGPT or Claude in the hands of employees without training doesn't automatically deliver ROI. In fact, we're seeing headlines shift from "look at all the amazing things AI can do" to "where's the ROI on these AI investments?"

Managers are waking up to the fact that training is not only required, but employees are demanding it. That's why we've built our business around corporate AI training, bootcamps, and workshops that actually get people results.

Real Results: What People Build in Our Bootcamps

One of the most rewarding parts of my work is seeing what people create during our two-day AI training bootcamps. We take people who have barely used AI and by the second day, they're building workflows and solutions they can use immediately.

One example that stands out: during a recent bootcamp, a participant built a full prompt library app for their team. It included security, user roles, and a system to upvote and downvote the best prompts. He built it using Replit, and the team started using it a couple of weeks later once he had a chance to fully polish it.

That's what's possible with just a little bit of training. But it does take training!

Launching the AI Team Building Competition

We just launched our newest offering: the AI Team Building Competition. Instead of taking your team to an escape room, a bowling alley, or doing a trust fall exercise, we've designed a half-day activity that's built entirely around fun, creativity, and confidence-building with AI.

The one rule? You can't build anything work-related! Only crazy, wacky ideas. The goal is to get people working together, show them what AI can actually do, and build their confidence with the technology. Because let's be honest: a lot of people are still unsure, and even a little afraid of AI. This combines team building, competition, and learning in a way that actually sticks.

What's Next: eMerge Americas and Answer Engine Optimization

I'm presenting a workshop at eMerge Americas (April 22–24, 2026), Miami's premier tech conference. The session is "Answer Engine Optimization: How to Dominate AI Search." As businesses realize that people are moving away from Google and toward ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI search tools, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is becoming critical.

Unlike traditional SEO, which gives you endless blue links, AI search engines only give the top two or three recommendations. If your business isn't one of them, you're invisible. The workshop will break down how businesses can position themselves to get cited by AI search engines and capture leads in this new landscape.

We're also continuing to grow our team, scale our training programs, and work with clients across industries like automotive, insurance, healthcare, construction, distribution and beyond.

Why This Work Matters

At the end of the day, this isn't just about AI. It's about making sure small and mid-sized businesses in America don't get left behind. The news coming out of Amazon, Google, and Facebook about laying off 50,000 people doesn't apply to 95% of American businesses, which have 500 employees or less.

We can't take cues from what's happening at Google. We have to keep investing in our people and our teams. That's what Elevate AI Consulting is here to do.

If you want to check out the full podcast episode, watch it in the embedded player above or open it on YouTube. And if you're looking for AI training, development, or Answer Engine Optimization services that put people first, let's talk.

Ready to bring human-centered AI to your business? Book a discovery call and let's talk about what's possible.