This episode delivers a wake-up call for small business owners: AI agents are no longer a future promise—they're working right now. Pat reveals his new morning workflow where a 3-minute briefing with an AI agent results in half his administrative work completed by the time he returns from the gym.

The FreshBooks State of Small Business survey dropped this morning showing 76% of businesses are doing fine despite economic uncertainty. But the finding about work-life balance getting harder? Pat predicts that problem will be solved within months as AI agents take over the administrative grind.

A direct warning goes out to service-based businesses: if you're a VA, copywriter, graphic designer, or customer service provider, it's "go time." The defense of "AI can write but it sucks" is rapidly becoming obsolete. The solution? Specialize. Pick an industry vertical and own it.

The episode also explores quirky business habits through a viral TikTok about a woman moving buttons between jars daily. Pat shares his own: strict morning structure, investment in good coffee, removing email from his phone, and celebrating wins with Taco Bell and chocolate shakes. These personal quirks matter because AI agents need to know how YOU work to work for YOU.

Two Idea Slam questions get answered: What would you do differently in year one? (Say yes faster, sell more, stop hiding in busywork.) And how do you find time for new ideas? (Validate first, sell one before building, get paid to develop it.)

A bonus discovery: Pat started a LinkedIn newsletter yesterday and woke up to 344 auto-subscribed followers. LinkedIn's creator accounts automatically subscribe engaged followers to your newsletter.

Sponsored by:

Genhead - https://www.genhead.com

Enji - https://www.enji.com/sboc