Sorry you haven’t heard from me much this October — I’ve been on the move, learning nonstop to serve you better. Between multiple conferences, client meetings, and travel, this fall has been a deep dive into how technology, AI, and leadership are evolving for business owners like you.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve had the privilege of attending and speaking at three major events — MAICON (Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference), FRAK Fractional Executive Conference, and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Summit. Each brought a fresh perspective on where business and technology is heading and how we can translate ideas into real results.

🚀 MAICON 2025 – From Experiments to Execution

At MAICON, the message was clear: AI is growing up.

Businesses are moving past “playing with tools” and getting serious about systems, policies, and measurement. AI is no longer the intern; it’s becoming part of the management team.

Three big lessons stood out for me over my two days at the event:

• AI is shifting from tools to transformation. 2023 was about chatbots, 2024 about agents, and 2025 is about creativity and the human side of AI.
• Human + AI = amplified creativity. The best outcomes come when people and machines collaborate, not compete.
• Leadership, not technology, drives change. Those who experiment, learn fast, and guide their teams through AI adoption will lead the next wave of innovation.

I shared more detailed reflections in my LinkedIn posts from the event:

👉 MAICON Wednesday Recap

👉 MAICON Thursday Takeaways

💡 FRAK Fractional Executive Conference – Curiosity as a Competitive Advantage

At FRAK, the focus was on designing more innovative systems—both human and operational—to help businesses grow with less friction.

The key lessons apply to any modern organization:

• Act as an architect, not just an operator, by building strategies around outcomes instead of activities.
• Clarify success upfront, delegate through systems that give you freedom, and create consistent visibility through repeatable rhythms.
• Align your work with how your team actually thinks and performs, not just how the calendar says it should.
• And finally, pair data with a story—quantify impact and communicate it clearly. That’s how businesses earn trust, attract the right clients, and scale sustainably.

See my short LinkedIn recap here:

👉 FRAK Reflections

🏛 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Summit – Leading Through Change

At 10KSB Summit, I was surrounded by program alumni (like me) who reminded me that small business is evolving just as fast as technology.

Two big takeaways from the first two days:

• Tech-savvy leadership drives growth. The most successful businesses had leaders who understood their technology stack — not just delegated it.
• Community is the multiplier. Collaboration among small businesses, sharing lessons and resources, often mattered more than access to capital alone.

Catch my LinkedIn reflections here:

👉 10KSB Wednesday Lessons

👉 10KSB Thursday Recap

🌱 Bringing It All Home... To You!

After weeks of travel, I was a but physically tired but energized by what I’ve learned — eager to translate it into insights for businesses I work with across the country.

Across all these events, a common thread emerged: the future belongs to organizations that are both tech-smart and human-centered. It’s not just about adopting new tools — it’s about aligning technology with strategy, culture, and measurable outcomes.

As we get closer to the end of 2025, if you’ve been thinking about how AI, automation, or tech systems fit into your 2026 plans, this is the perfect time to reassess. I’d love to help you turn some of these lessons into action inside your organization. Let me know if you want to chat: free courtesy meeting or email me.

Your Favorite BizTech,

—Joshua

Disclaimer: I use AI to help write emails like these. I review & edit all AI-assisted work I publish.