In this episode of the AI for Business Owners Podcast, host Jeff Torello sits down with John Steele, founder of John Steele Consulting, to explore the game-changing impact of automation and AI on startups and small businesses.

John shares how his background in journalism shaped his SEO and content strategy skills, and how he now helps clients in B2B SaaS and EdTech streamline workflows, integrate tools, and get the most out of their digital stack.

This conversation is essential for business owners seeking to scale efficiently, particularly with lean teams, by leveraging smart automation and forward-thinking AI strategies.

Key Takeaways

• How to land your first consulting clients through existing relationships

• Why your content library is a goldmine for automation and reuse

• How SEO is evolving into GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

• Why prompt engineering is critical to effective AI use

• What the rise of personalized agents means for privacy and marketing

Noteworthy Quotes

• "You probably can't build these models without our data being online, and most people are fine with that." – John Steele

• "People aren't searching anymore, they're prompting. That changes how content is found." – Jeff Torello

• "Instead of hiring more staff, smart teams look to automate and integrate." – John Steele

• "Your chatbot can serve up answers from your blog. That's a new kind of customer experience." – John Steele

• "GEO means your brand content must be meaningful, conversational, and context-aware." – Jeff Torello

Key Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction: Meet John Steele and his consulting background

02:07 – Launching a consultancy: Getting the first long-term client

05:11 – Content marketing automation: From journalism to SEO strategy

10:59 – Social media as SEO: Why experience matters more than keywords

16:11 – Generative AI vs Google: The future of search and brand visibility

19:20 – Prompting matters: Why your input shapes AI output

26:43 – The rise of AI agents: What does that mean for user privacy?

37:54 – Automating operations: Can AI agents run your workflow?

39:51 – Wrap-Up: Caution, optimism, and the future of AI in business

FOLLOW OUR GUEST JOHN STEELE ON:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johsteele/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johsteele1229/?hl=en

• John Steele Consulting Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsc4you/

• John Steele Consulting Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/John-Steele-Consulting-61570223978408/

• John Steele Consulting LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/johnsteeleconsulting/

• Website: https://www.johnsteeleconsulting.com/

FOLLOW OUR HOST JEFF TORELLO ON:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtorello/

• Website: https://sinjun.ai/

FOLLOW SINJUN AI ON:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sinjunai/

• Website: https://sinjun.ai/

• X (Twitter): https://x.com/sinjunai

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sinjun.ai/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sinjun-AI/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SinjunAI

FOLLOW AI FOR BUSINESS OWNERS PODCAST ON:

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