Our Next Brainstorm: Business Owners and AI

Alan Pentz wants to help owners master artificial intelligence. But do owners want that help?

Above: The OwnerRx home page.

Alan Pentz knows he can help business owners harness the power of AI and survive the disruption that’s coming. But do owners actually want that help? Will they pay for it? And is there a real, scalable business to be built around offering it? We’ll record our next 21 Hats Brainstorm on January 21 at 2 ET, and Alan, founder of OwnerRx, will take the hot seat.

Alan is convinced that business owners need help adopting AI. The technology is moving too fast, owners are too busy, and most don’t have the time—or bandwidth—to figure it out on their own. After stepping back from his government consulting business, Alan has taken a deep dive into all things AI. He believes every business will be affected by the rise of AI agents, and he’s confident he can help owners avoid being left behind.

What he’s unsure about is how that help should take shape as a business. Should OwnerRx focus on training? Consulting? Ongoing guidance? Some hybrid? Should it be a software platform? And just as important, what kind of offering would stressed, overworked owners value most? Alan also knows himself well enough to ask a harder question: If he’s going to build something, can it be scalable, or does it risk turning into another demanding, hard-to-step-away-from business?

This 21 Hats Brainstorm—brought to you by New Bridge Studios—is a virtual, peer-driven conversation. Alan will lay out his challenge, and the rest of us will help by asking questions and brainstorming possibilities. We record the session and publish it as a podcast, but the real value is in the live exchange among owners who’ve faced similar tradeoffs. Please join us (no charge!).

And if you’d like to put your own challenge in front of the 21 Hats crowd in a future Brainstorm, just reply to this email and let me know.