In this episode of The Host City Hustle Podcast, DaniMarie sits down with LinkedIn and AI expert Al Kushner to break down how small businesses can use LinkedIn as a powerful search engine to attract partners, sponsors, and opportunities ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. From profile optimization to AI-driven content and outreach, this conversation delivers practical strategies business owners can apply right now.

Guest info:

linkedin.com/in/al-kushner

calendly.com/alkushner/speaker-interest (Other)

AlKushnerSpeaks.com (Company)

Host City Hustle: https://hostcityhustle.com

IG: @hostcityhustle https://www.instagram.com/hostcityhustle/

Business Planner: https://hostcityhustle.com/ai-planner

Who referred you? https://www.honeybook.com/widget/plan_to_podcast_278832/cf_id/691bfd475fffb60035917a7a

• 00:00–00:30 Introduction & guest welcome (Al Kushner, LinkedIn & AI expert)
• 00:30–01:30 What the AI LinkedIn Advantage is and why LinkedIn matters
• 01:30–02:20 Why LinkedIn feels intimidating—and why it shouldn’t
• 02:20–03:30 LinkedIn as a free, non–pay-to-play growth platform
• 03:30–04:30 Using LinkedIn as a search engine for sponsors & partners
• 04:30–05:45 How small businesses can prepare for the World Cup using LinkedIn
• 05:45–06:45 Profile optimization basics: headlines, keywords, visuals
• 06:45–07:30 FIFA 2026 impact on host cities like Miami
• 07:30–08:30 Tourism, local economies, and business opportunities
• 08:30–09:30 Who Al works with and industries seeing the most demand
• 09:30–10:15 Financial & legal professionals as LinkedIn thought leaders
• 10:15–10:50 Sponsor shoutout: Prosperity Abundance
• 10:50–11:30 How to connect with Al + free LinkedIn audit resource
• 11:30–End Final thoughts & call to action

Host City Hustle: https://hostcityhustle.com

IG: @hostcityhustle

Custom GPT: https://hostcityhustle.com/ai-planner

Referral: https://www.honeybook.com/widget/plan_to_podcast_278832/cf_id/691bfd475fffb60035917a7a

HOSTS

Aharon Goins — https://www.linkedin.com/in/aharon-goins/

DaniMarie Perkins — https://www.linkedin.com/in/itisidanimarie/

SPONSORS

Prosperity Abundance — prosperity-abundance.com

Black Box — intro.blackboxfranchising.com/danielleperkins

• LinkedIn marketing for small businesses
• AI content strategy
• World Cup 2026 business readiness