In episode 31 of Built by Margin, Laurie Chen sits down with AI strategist and founder Andrea Palacio to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way service-based businesses operate, grow, and make decisions. Andrea shares her entrepreneurial journey from e-commerce and business acquisition to building an AI company born out of operational overwhelm, and explains how founders can use AI not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a strategic advantage. Together, they discuss the rapid evolution from basic automations to agentic AI, the biggest misconceptions business owners still have about implementation, how AI can support smarter decision-making, and why strong financial visibility remains essential alongside innovation. This conversation is a practical and forward-looking look at what it means to lead, adapt, and scale in an AI-driven business landscape.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:04] Welcoming Andrea Palacio & background as a founder

[00:01:41] Turning overwhelm into AI-driven solutions

[00:04:08] Staying ahead: How Andrea learns and implements rapidly changing technology

[00:11:12] The anatomy of Andrea's client engagements & service packaging

[00:13:47] Common mistakes and misconceptions business owners make about AI

[00:18:13] Decision-making, risk tolerance, and using AI as your strategic advisor

[00:22:41] KPIs, financial tracking, and lessons in business management

[00:25:16] Tax planning, legal structure, and strategic investments

[00:28:25] Using AI for financial dashboards and business growth strategies

[00:32:18] The ONE AI action to take today for massive results

QUOTES

• "It's a full-time job to be learning and keeping up with all the changes in AI." – Andrea Palacio
• "You want to get both angles on things. And then you just analyze it and make your own decision based on what you have in front of you." – Andrea Palacio
• "At the end of the day, I work with business owners as a fractional CFO and CPA. I always have to think about the numbers and how they affect people." – Laurie Chen

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

Andrea Palacio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreapalacio/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapalacio/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyP_Norvuawar9upnSxUwCQ