This is the first episode of Businessing as a daily show—Monday through Thursday at 11am Central. Pat opens with a challenge: We're one month into 2026. Is your business still Groundhog Day? Or did you actually do something about those promises you made to yourself?

The lead story explains why this show exists. This is not a business show—it's a show for people who RUN a business. That's different. Business owners are isolated, exhausted, wearing the same sweatpants for three days, trying to keep up with technology that's moving faster than they can track. This show is a lifeline, not another obligation.

Pat then demonstrates the difference between AI chatbots and AI agents with a real example. A chatbot answers questions and you copy/paste. An agent actually DOES things. Over the weekend, Pat asked Claude Cowork to reorganize his YouTube channel. It researched best practices, logged into YouTube, deleted old videos, created playlists, optimized SEO—all while Pat walked on the treadmill. An hour later, done.

Three Idea Slam questions get rapid-fire answers: (1) Haven't taken vacation in 5 years? You didn't build a company, you built a job. Fix your delegation and raise your rates. (2) Competitor copying everything? You're not different enough. Become one-of-one. (3) Spouse doesn't understand your work hours? They probably have a point—review your behavior and explain the business model.

Fun closer: February 2026 is a perfect calendar month—starts on Sunday, ends on Saturday, four exact weeks. Oddly satisfying.

Genhead - https://www.genhead.com

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

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

Your customers are about to get paid. Bank of America projects $65 billion more in tax returns this year—up 18%—with the average American getting back $3,400. Pat lays out three promotional frameworks to theme your February social media around this windfall:

Return to Your Service: Go into your CRM, find past customers, and offer them a discount to come back by April 15th. Position it as using their tax return to reinvest in themselves.

Bye Bye Bills: Offer annual plans so customers can pay once and eliminate a monthly bill. Frame it as one less thing to worry about for the entire year.

Free: Position your product as a bucket list item that's now "paid for by the IRS." Play on the splurge mentality that comes with found money.

The rapid-fire Idea Slam covers four common questions: How to prepare for emergencies (cash reserves, digital products, proper insurance), where to start with AI if you're not techie (pick Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini and talk to it daily—plus start building SOPs now because AI agents are coming), how to get reviews without annoying customers (ask at the transformation moment, use a two-link strategy), and what to do when a hot lead ghosts you (change the contact method, try audio messages, and never stop reaching out).

Pat also shares his takeaway from a chamber networking event: 90% of the room weren't owners. That's why the SBOC is different—it's a curated community where owners connect with owners, no salespeople allowed.

(00:00) - Welcome & Weekend Recap

(04:00) - News: Super Bowl LX & Winter Storm Fern

(08:30) - Small Business Spotlight: Doris Jones

(09:30) - Lead Story: $65B Tax Return Windfall

(16:00) - Three February Marketing Frameworks

(17:00) - Sponsor: Gen Head

(18:30) - Idea Slam: Emergency Preparedness

(22:00) - Idea Slam: Getting Started with AI

(26:00) - Idea Slam: Getting Reviews Without Being Annoying

(29:00) - Idea Slam: What to Do When Leads Ghost You

(33:00) - Sponsor: Enji

(35:00) - The Greatest Job Title & Why SBOC is Different

(39:00) - Close & Upcoming Schedule

Daily shows start February 2nd, Monday through Thursday at 11am Central.

tax returns, small business marketing, February marketing, AI for small business, SOPs, AI agents, customer reviews, Google reviews, lead follow-up, sales persistence, emergency preparedness, business insurance, networking, SBOC

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Join the SBOC: $9/month community for owners only - https://www.smallbusinesscommunity.com