Most businesses say they want to “use AI,” but the truth is: they’re not ready. In this episode, strategy advisor and Generative AI expert Dr. Justin Trombold breaks down how to honestly assess your AI readiness and avoid wasting money on shiny tools that never move past the toy phase.Justin explains his “crawl vs. walk” framework for small and mid-sized companies, why processes and ways of working matter more than tech stacks, and how to turn random ChatGPT experiments into real, scalable business value. You’ll learn what needs to be true in your culture, processes, and people before you start automating decisions, content, or CRM flows with LLMs.We talk about:- Crawl vs. walk: how to know if your company is truly ready for Generative AI- Why you must fix process and continuous improvement before you automate anything- The basics every team needs: prompt discipline, human-in-the-loop, and understanding LLM limits- How to use “intelligent failure” instead of sloppy experimentation with AI pilots- Why 60-90% of AI projects get stuck in the pilot/toy phase, and how to break through- Practical guardrails for data privacy, enterprise LLM use, and not leaking your IP- How leaders should decide where to invest in AI (and where not to bother)If you’re a founder, exec, or team lead trying to figure out how to bring AI into your business without breaking things, or turning your people into prompt-dependent zombies, this conversation gives you a grounded, actionable playbook.Guest:Dr. Justin Trombold - President, Antesyn Advisors; strategy advisor for enterprise transformation and Generative AI readiness; former Deloitte, Grant Thornton, and academic researcher.Connect with Justin & resources:- Antesyn Advisors (Generative AI readiness & strategy):​- Start your own value-creating GenAI Journey with our "rapid" diagnostic here: https://www.antesynadvisors.com/blank-3Comment with “CRAWL” or “WALK” if you want a follow-up breakdown on how to move your company to the next stage of AI readiness.The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. The host is not responsible for any statements made by the guest.