Imagine being a fly on the wall, hearing what people really say about your business when you’re not in the room. That’s the promise of AI-driven SEO today.

I sat down with Michael Buckbee, a marketing and tech veteran, to talk about how tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are reshaping brand visibility. This isn’t your standard SEO conversation, it’s a peek behind the digital curtain to discover what AI thinks about your business. Trust me, it’s more revealing than you might expect.

Whether you’re refining your brand, trying to figure out your target audience, or stalking your competitors (in the most professional way, of course), AI can offer surprisingly honest and useful feedback. If you know what to ask.

Key Takeaways:

What can you do today? 

AI doesn’t have to be a mystery. it can be your mirror, your marketing consultant, and your competitive edge. You just have to ask the right questions.

About Michael Buckbee

Michael has worked at the intersection of marketing and technology for nearly two decades. Past clients include the US Navy, Fortune 100 companies, YC startups, presidential candidates, federal agencies, rock bands, and foreign governments. Today, he's the co-founder of Knowatoa, a service that tracks brand visibility, rankings, and sentiment within AI search services like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini.

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My guest, Steven Lewis, broke one my big rules.  It is ok, to make mistakes, you just don't want to make the same mistake twice.  And he did.

Yep, Steven started not one, but two businesses that were—how shall I say this?—a bit too far ahead of their time. And in this candid chat, we unpack what he learned, how it shaped the work he does today, and what you, as a business owner, can take away without having to make the same mistakes.

Timing is Everything (But Not Everything)

Sell the Symptom, Not the Cure

Your Cool Idea Isn’t Enough

Use Tools That Think Like You—Or Smarter

Have you ever had that one brilliant idea—the one you were sure would be a game-changer—only to watch it sputter out despite all your careful planning? Oh, friend, you’re not alone.

 I sat down with Whitney Bateson, a passionate entrepreneur who helps wellness professionals build their online credibility. But this time, we weren’t talking about wins, we were unpacking a launch that landed with a thud. Whitney shared the story of her well-intentioned (and very elaborate) launch strategy that missed the mark. And just like that favorite casserole recipe that looked amazing on Pinterest but turned into a burnt mess—there were lessons everywhere.

So pull up a chair and let’s dive into the real, raw, and ridiculously relatable side of launching, failing, and getting back up.

Key Takeaways:

Keep It Simple

Don’t Lose Sight of the Goal

Be Present, Not Perfect

All Leads Aren’t Equal

Failures Are Fertile Ground

Whitney is a dietitian first—but also a passionate advocate for design and technology. Throughout her career, she has seen time and again the transformative power of good design. A strong message, service, or training can fall flat if it’s not visually compelling or user-friendly. Whitney believes those details matter deeply—and she’s built her business around helping others bring their work to life through thoughtful, intentional design.

Driven by a belief that the right message, delivered at the right time, in the right way, can empower people to live healthier, fuller lives, Whitney works to bridge the gap between nutrition expertise and effective communication. She sees untapped potential in how nutrition and health professionals engage with their audiences and is passionate about helping them truly connect, demonstrate their value, and create meaningful change.

Her goal is simple: to help health professionals show up in the best light, so they can reach the people who need them most.

“Yes, the world feels like a hot mess right now. But what if the real power lies not in fixing the chaos ‘out there,’ but in finding our footing ‘in here’?”

That was the heart of my recent conversation on More Than a Few Words with the always wise and wonderfully grounded Deborah Sunderland. We didn’t talk strategy or spreadsheets this time—we talked soul. How we, as women business owners, can navigate the storms of our external world by coming back to the steady center within ourselves.

Because let’s be honest: things are weird out there. Between the economy, politics, and everything in between, it’s easy to feel like we’re being tossed around in a storm we didn’t sign up for. But as Deborah gently reminded me—and now, I’ll remind you—we’ve been through a lot, and we’re still standing. That resilience? It’s no small thing.

Key Takeaways for Women Business Owners:

You’ve already weathered storms.

Your mindset is your power tool.

Emotions aren’t the enemy—resistance is.

Shift the conversation with yourself.

Your breath is free medicine. Use it.

Try This Today:

About Debra

Debra’s genius is creating a clear vision for CEO’s and their teams – making that vision a reality. With decades of C-level executive and team coaching, Debra challenges leaders by inviting them to create a collaborative, vibrant, responsible, and joy-filled culture, which fosters highly desirable results. Her practice is shared in a diverse range of industries: hi-tech, wealth management, engineering, healthcare, marketing and more.

Debra specializes in awakening leaders to transformatively solve their upper limiting beliefs, sabotaging behaviors, and unconscious biases, moving them into sustainable excellence and self-awareness. She coaches through the tough and uncomfortable work of removing the blockages preventing leaders from fully living their genius, equipping them with the thoughts and skills to bring their goals to fruition. She challenges leaders to own their results in all areas of life, to be present in the here and now, stepping out of leading with reactivity and into conscious leadership. The CEO’s chief purpose is to raise up their teams to practice radical responsibility and curiosity. Organizations achieve their optimal outcomes when they shift out of drama and create win-for-all solutions.

Debra graduated from Miami University, holds a degree in Psychology and is certified in The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, the Integrative9 Enneagram, Corporate Goal Coaching, and CTI Co-Active training. Debra’s work has been featured on Fox National/Local News, Crain’s Chicago Business, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun- Times, and 190 N Television. As a continual learner, Debra is a graduate of the Inner MBA – Mindful NYU program. Her base is Nashville and Chicago.

Andrew Laws has back in my guest chair (if you missed our first conversation, find it here) it, you’ll find the link in the show notes). This time we shifted away from SEO tips and took a different route—down a bumpy road lined with good intentions, disastrous mistakes, and a hacker with way too much free time.

Andrew’s story is packed with humor, hard-earned lessons, and a healthy reminder that if a business idea sounds too easy, it probably isn't really

Andrew thought starting a web hosting company would be a simple, hands-off business. Instead, he discovered that businesses built on the idea of “set it and forget it” rarely turn out to be easy—or hands-off.

The Danger of Blurring Business Boundaries:

When Things Go Really, Really Wrong:

The Impact of Reputation Damage:

Life Lessons Beyond Business:

Andrew’s story is a master class in why there are no shortcuts in business. If it sounds too easy, it probably hides a pile of trouble just waiting to unravel.

Set clear expectations with clients early and often, especially about what you will—and won't—support.

Understand the real risks behind your business model, and protect not just your income, but your reputation.

Most of all, build a business that supports your life, not one that devours it.

If you've been around here for a while, you already know—I’m an email marketing geek. Not the kind of geek who builds robots in her basement, but the kind who gets excited about subject lines and open rates the way some folks get excited about the first tulips of the season. That’s why chatting with Ellen McDowell Strauss felt like talking to an old friend who also happens to alphabetize her spice rack. Ellen and I first connected over our mutual affection for email, but our latest conversation had a more urgent tone—thanks to Microsoft’s recent announcement that could throw a wrench in the way we all send emails. If email is your small business’s secret weapon, it’s time to sharpen it.

Main Points from the Conversation:

Microsoft’s Email Policy Changes

List Hygiene is No Longer Optional

Quality Over Quantity

Smaller Campaigns, Better Results

Strategic Email for Every Stage

Actionable Takeaways:

Audit Your List: Check who’s been opening and clicking. If someone’s been snoozing for over 6–9 months, it may be time to let them go—or offer a re-engagement path.

Segment Your Sends: Break your list into smaller groups and stagger your email sends to improve visibility and avoid being flagged.

Lean on Third-Party Tools: Ditch BCC blasts. Use trusted email marketing platforms (like Constant Contact, Mailchimp, or Robly) that work hand-in-hand with email providers to boost deliverability.

Craft Content with a Purpose: Make every email part of a bigger story. Whether it’s educating, engaging, or asking for a review, know your audience and meet them where they are.

Rethink “Set It and Forget It”: Email marketing isn’t a crockpot dinner. It’s more like sourdough—needs regular attention, care, and a little love.

You know, I’ve spent years telling business owners to get laser-focused. Find your niche, talk to your niche, sell to your niche. It’s like that old saying: “You can’t please everyone, so pick your people.” But every once in a while, someone comes along and flips my perfectly organized marketing world on its head.

That someone was Matt Diamante, founder of Hey Tony, a marketing agency that helps small business owners tackle SEO and social media in ways that actually work. When Matt pitched me the idea of going broad to find your niche, I raised an eyebrow — and then I leaned in. Because sometimes, you have to plant wildflower seeds everywhere before you find out which patch of soil will let your business bloom.

Start Broad to Get Noticed

Make Social Content Personal and Entertaining

Convert Viral Attention with Consistent, Niche-Focused Follow-Ups

Work Within Your Capacity, But Stay Consistent

People Buy from People, Not Logos

Try These Simple Steps to Launch Your Go Broad Campaign

Test wide topics to see what gets attention, even if it feels unrelated to your core niche at first.

Infuse humor, personal moments, and relatable scenarios into your content. People want to connect with people, not textbook tutorials.

Balance broad reach with targeted follow-up posts aimed at your ideal customer. Viral reach brings them in — niche content converts.

Commit to a realistic, consistent posting schedule. If you can manage a post a day, great. If it’s twice a week, start there. Just don’t disappear.

Own your presence. Your followers want you, not a generic brand. Show up, be seen, and let them get to know the person behind the business.

We've all had those “seemed like a good idea at the time” moments. Hers involved a Voxer coaching program, and in the spirit of learning from those detours, we unpacked what happened, what she learned, and how there might still be life in that idea yet.

Main Points:

Great ideas don’t always land the way you expect. Danielle created a Voxer-based coaching program for personal brand support between sessions. Despite promotions and enthusiasm from peers, it never gained traction with clients.

Sometimes it’s not the audience — it’s the offer. Danielle realized her clients come to her for hands-on, real-time messaging work, not asynchronous voice messages. There was a disconnect between what she offered and what her brand promised.

Experimentation is always valuable, even when it “fails.” Danielle isn’t sad she tried it. Every experiment, whether it works or not, is a chance to learn, adjust, and discover what truly fits your business and community.

Ideas can evolve. Lorraine suggested reframing the Voxer access not as a standalone product but as an add-on to existing branding packages — a “bonus touchpoint” for clients craving extra access and faster feedback.

Never give up on a good idea too soon. Danielle’s takeaway was that an idea that flops in one format might thrive in another. It’s all about the packaging, pricing, and timing.

Actionable Takeaways:

If a new offer isn’t resonating, ask yourself whether it aligns with how clients see you and your core strengths.

Surround yourself with a trusted business circle — fresh eyes can spot opportunities and blind spots you’ll miss.

When something doesn’t work, don’t toss it immediately. Consider whether it belongs as part of something else, or if a tweak in messaging or positioning could turn it around.

Remember: there’s no such thing as a wasted experiment. Every trial leaves breadcrumbs for your next big win. 

In this edition of What Went Wrong, I got a chance to explore mistakes, missteps, and the humbling reality that even seasoned pros can land flat on their face with repeat guest Robin Waite. This time, he didn’t come with a polished pitch or a shiny success story. He brought a cautionary tale about Facebook ads, cold leads, and a £9,000 lesson in what happens when you trust the algorithm more than your instincts.

Even Experts Trip Up

Your Audience Isn’t Infinite

Know Enough to Stay Dangerous

When in Doubt, Go Back to What Works

Marketing is Just One Big Science Fair

Takeaways for Business Owners

And maybe most important of all: Marketing isn’t magic. It’s messy, imperfect, and beautifully human—just like us.

Robin is the founder of Fearless Business, a Business Accelerator for Coaches, Consultants and Freelancers.

Having spent 12 year’s running a digital marketing business, Robin pivoted in 2016 to focus on the part of his business he liked the best; training business owners how to be better in business. In 2016 Robin founded Fearless Business, a unique Business Growth Accelerator for Coaches, Consultants and Freelancers so help free them from the sales cycle of doom!

LEARN MORE ABOUT ROBIN

And be sure to look for Robin's new book THE FEARLESS BUSINESS OWNER'S BLUEPRINT

You know, I’ve always believed marketing should feel more like a warm hug than a high-pressure sales pitch. So when Alesia Galati and I got to chatting about social media burnout (oh yes, that nagging, energy-draining beast), it was like she reached into my cluttered content calendar and whispered, “There’s a better way.” We laughed, we nodded, and somewhere between SEO tips and podcast rants, I found myself ready to trade reels for real conversations. If you’re teetering on the edge of social media fatigue, wondering if there’s an off-ramp that doesn’t lead to oblivion—good news. There is. And Alicia’s got the roadmap.

Main Points from the Conversation:

Podcasting as a Stress-Free, Strategic Alternative to Social Media

Guest Appearances as Powerful SEO and Exposure Tools

The Magic of Names and Smart SEO Practices

Newsletter Love and Thoughtful Repurposing

Pick Your Lane, and Stay There (Happily)