Solving small business problems so you can be more profitable, with less stress, and run a modern small business. It’s the last day of April, and Pat opens with the show’s new daily ritual: positivity, gratitude, the distraction of the day, and the one task you have to finish before you stand up from your desk.

Today’s distraction is performative busyness. Pat calls it a suit of armor. When somebody asks how the business is going and you say “I’m working really hard,” that’s not an answer. Nobody gets paid because they’re busy.

In the news: gas at $4.25 a gallon has crossed into cultural-tipping-point territory, and Pat shows you two ways to turn it into a promotion that cuts through. Then Big Tech Q1 earnings — Alphabet at $62.6B in profit, Meta at $26B — and the $650 billion that four companies are pouring into AI infrastructure this year. That’s more than it cost to build the entire U.S. highway system. Follow the money.

Two AI stories: 82% of small businesses are using AI, AI agents are handling 80–90% of customer inquiries, and the big tools are raising prices to $30 a month. Pat’s reframe: that’s a personnel line item, not a tech expense.

Plus: Mike Michalowicz on the show next Tuesday May 5 at 11 AM CT, Carolyn Jahnke joining the SBOC Conference for a partnerships session, ticket sales kick off May 11–13, and Stephanie Kern’s Sticker of the Month Club is officially live.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@BusinessingShow?sub_confirmation=1 🎧

Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109

Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com

Sponsor: https://www.genhead.com

A 110-person company just lost access to Claude. Cold cut off. And it got Pat thinking...what would happen to your business if your AI got taken away tomorrow?

This episode goes deep on the AI dependency trap most small business owners are sleepwalking into. Pat shares why building your business on someone else's software is starting to look like the late-2010s Facebook follower mistake, and what to watch as open-source models start to compete. Plus: Taco Tom from G2 Insurance on cyber coverage and the questions every owner should be asking, the new SBOC 2026 Professional Presence Workshop with Captain Cathy Trimboli and Rebekah Bryan, and the device Pat is buying to break his Twitter habit.

In this episode:

00:00 — May the 4th open and welcome

01:30 — Today's sponsor: Money Masters Bookkeeping

03:00 — Daily warm-up: positivity, gratitude, and your #1 task

07:00 — Distraction of the Day: the Brick (and Pat's Twitter problem)

12:00 — News: Iran, gas prices, and Spirit Airlines bankruptcy

15:00 — Kentucky Derby: 23-1 longshot and the first female trainer in 152 years

18:00 — SBOC 2026 Conference intro

19:00 — Guest: Taco Tom from G2 Insurance on cyber coverage

30:00 — AI Story of the Day: what if you lose access to Claude?

36:00 — Money Masters Bookkeeping spotlight

39:00 — SBOC 2026: the new Professional Presence Workshop with Captain Cathy Trimboli & Rebekah Bryan

46:00 — Stephanie Kern's Sticker of the Month Club

48:00 — Tomorrow on the show: Mike Michalowicz on The Money Habit

Resources mentioned:

- The Brick — focus device that blocks apps on your phone

- Tom Goman, G2 Insurance — business and cyber insurance

- Money Masters Bookkeeping (Barbara Faucet) — https://moneymastersforbiz.com

- Captain Cathy Trimboli — command presence workshop

- Rebekah Bryan — professional stylist, the 90/10 Rule and Red Shoe Theory

- Stephanie Kern, Vanderblooming Creative — Sticker of the Month Club

- Mike Michalowicz — The Money Habit (tomorrow's guest, 11am CT)

- Nikki at Genhead — open source AI models for small business

🎙️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff?sub_confirmation=1

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109

🌐 Listen anywhere: https://businessing.captivate.fm/listen

📬 Fridays Off Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com

👥 Small Business Owners Community: https://smallbusinesscommunity.com

#SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PatMiller #AIForSmallBusiness #BusinessInsurance #Productivity

Pat had a moment in the car driving home from a chamber event yesterday. He'd just spent the afternoon with a room full of business owners in Fond du Lac, and they all said the same thing he's heard for 750+ Idea Slams: I'm behind. I'm overwhelmed. I feel like I'm failing. So today, the show changes. From now on, Businessing is the daily meeting for small business owners. Every show opens with three things. One: positivity and gratitude in the chat. Two: the distraction of the day. Three: the one task that has to get done by 5pm today. Then tomorrow at 11, Pat looks into the camera with full dad energy and asks, "Did you do it?"

Sponsored by Genhead - Genhead.com

Episode: Businessing with Pat Miller — Wednesday, April 29, 2026

What we covered: Why Pat missed yesterday's show (Fond du Lac Chamber Idea Slam) The new show format: Positivity & Gratitude, Distraction of the Day, Number One Task The five faces of inaction News: UAE leaves OPEC, gas prices spike AI: OpenAI's phone vision, half the internet is bots Conference: Steve Glynn announced, tickets available

Resources

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PatMillerFridaysOff

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/businessing-with-pat-miller/id1870663109

Newsletter: https://fridaysoffnewsletter.com