Chosen episode title: AI Is a Toddler With Crayons: How to Rein It In and Put It to Work

You don't expect a digital marketer to say this out loud: "Let's call cold email what it is. It's spam. It's B2B spam." But Dan Kurtz has spent twenty years learning exactly where the line sits between marketing that works and marketing that gets you deleted — and these days he's building AI systems that let one person do the work of ten, without crossing it.

Dan started out getting mom-and-pop shops found online, scaled his skills across a 300-location national fitness franchise, and did stints inside Nielsen and Microsoft Bing before founding Miss Pepper AI, where he builds marketing automation and AI-driven sales systems for businesses.

We Also Talked About
Why your Google Business Profile only ranks if your website mirrors it, with pages for every service and area you claim.
How a modest press release can land a local business in Google's AI answer boxes.
What "black hat" actually means, and the irony Dan spotted at a major SEO conference.
The permission gates that keep automated outreach on the right side of spam — and the law.
Using AI as an "assembly line worker" instead of a creative that veers off the path.
Why Dan starts every automation project with the most overworked employee in the building, stopwatch in hand.
How to bring managers on board by showing them productivity, not problems.
Who gets replaced and who gets promoted when AI arrives — the line-worker-to-plant-manager shift.
Dan's advice for employees: use AI to optimise your own work first, and become the use case.

Want this kind of practical, expert help every week — before your competitors do? Get tips and strategies for growing your business delivered straight to your inbox: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

Resources Mentioned
Miss Pepper AI — https://misspepper.ai/
Dan Kurtz on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtzdan/
Linchpin by Seth Godin (affiliate link) 
Pipedream (secure integration platform) — https://pipedream.com/

My newsletter is for people who want to build a real income from home — practical, doable ideas each week for creating a better life for you and your family, without the overwhelm: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

Chosen episode title: AI Is a Toddler With Crayons: How to Rein It In and Put It to Work
You don't expect a digital marketer to say this out loud: "Let's call cold email what it is. It's spam. It's B2B spam." But Dan Kurtz has spent twenty years learning exactly where the line sits between marketing that works and marketing that gets you deleted &mdash; and these days he's building AI systems that let one person do the work of ten, without crossing it.
Dan started out getting mom-and-pop shops found online, scaled his skills across a 300-location national fitness franchise, and did stints inside Nielsen and Microsoft Bing before founding Miss Pepper AI, where he builds marketing automation and AI-driven sales systems for businesses.
We Also Talked About
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Why your Google Business Profile only ranks if your website mirrors it, with pages for every service and area you claim.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How a modest press release can land a local business in Google's AI answer boxes.</li>
<li aria-level="1">What "black hat" actually means, and the irony Dan spotted at a major SEO conference.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The permission gates that keep automated outreach on the right side of spam &mdash; and the law.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Using AI as an "assembly line worker" instead of a creative that veers off the path.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why Dan starts every automation project with the most overworked employee in the building, stopwatch in hand.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How to bring managers on board by showing them productivity, not problems.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Who gets replaced and who gets promoted when AI arrives &mdash; the line-worker-to-plant-manager shift.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Dan's advice for employees: use AI to optimise your own work first, and become the use case.</li>
</ul>
Want this kind of practical, expert help every week &mdash; before your competitors do? Get tips and strategies for growing your business delivered straight to your inbox: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter
Resources Mentioned
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Miss Pepper AI &mdash; <a href="https://misspepper.ai/">https://misspepper.ai/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Dan Kurtz on LinkedIn &mdash; <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtzdan/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtzdan/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://geni.us/Linchpin-Godin">Linchpin</a> by Seth Godin (affiliate link)&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Pipedream (secure integration platform) &mdash; <a href="https://pipedream.com/">https://pipedream.com/</a></li>
</ul>
My newsletter is for people who want to build a real income from home &mdash; practical, doable ideas each week for creating a better life for you and your family, without the overwhelm: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

This podcast is for new and emerging online business owners who are determined to do what it takes to reach their financial goals, help people along the way and learn a bunch of useful new skills. Have a love/hate relationship with the tech? We talk about that. Not sure you have what it takes to achieve success? We talk about that, too, plus how to deal with mindset challenges. Trudy Rankin, Founder of the Online Business Program, shares actionable tips that will help you really get your business growing, as well as interviews with experts and inspiring stories so that you can grow your online business with confidence.

This podcast is for new and emerging online business owners who are determined to do what it takes to reach their financial goals, help people along the way and learn a bunch of useful new skills. Have a love/hate relationship with the tech? We talk about that. Not sure you have what it takes to achieve success? We talk about that, too, plus how to deal with mindset challenges. Trudy Rankin, Founder of the Online Business Program, shares actionable tips that will help you really get your business growing, as well as interviews with experts and inspiring stories so that you can grow your online business with confidence.

Online Business Launchpad | Start An Online Business | Online Business Growth

The Online Business Launchpad podcast shares tips, techniques and stories from small business owners who have solved problems and challenges like the ones you face.  This podcast is for you if you want to increase revenue and profits without burning out so that you can have more time for yourself and your family and more choices in how you live your life.

The Online Business Launchpad podcast shares tips, techniques and stories from small business owners who have solved problems and challenges like the ones you face.  This podcast is for you if you want to increase revenue and profits without burning out so that you can have more time for yourself and your family and more choices in how you live your life.

AI Is a Toddler With Crayons - How to Rein It In and Put It to Work with Dan Kurtz

“Your price selects your customers.” 

That one line from Per Sjofors stopped me in my tracks. Per — known as The Price Whisperer, a name he didn’t even give himself — has spent years running pricing experiments across companies in four countries. Some sent revenues up 30% in a quarter. Others were complete disasters. And that’s exactly why he says small businesses shouldn’t run pricing experiments at all — there’s a smarter way.

Per has been the CEO of multiple companies across the US, the UK, Switzerland and Sweden, and his secret sauce is applying behavioral science to pricing and go-to-market strategy. He’s also the best-selling author of The Price Whisperer: A Holistic Approach to Pricing Power.

We Also Talked About
Why everything your business does — marketing, messaging, targeting — affects what you can charge.
The two exact questions to ask 50 potential customers to find your pricing range.
Why copying competitors’ prices means following someone else’s guess.
Why cost-plus pricing ignores the only thing that matters: what buyers think it’s worth.
The pricing-page mistake that preconditions customers to think you’re expensive.
Why you should always present a proposal rather than just sending it — and what to say when a client insists you just email it through.
How price anchoring works, from a Thai restaurant menu to Apple’s $17,000 watch.
Why raising your prices can attract better customers and slash support costs.

Want this kind of practical, expert help every week — before your competitors do? Get tips and strategies for growing your business delivered straight to your inbox: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

Resources Mentioned
Per’s book, The Price Whisperer: A Holistic Approach to Pricing Power (affiliate link)
Per’s company, Sjöfors & Partners — https://sjofors.com
Per’s YouTube channel — https://www.youtube.com/@thepricewhisperer

My newsletter is for people who want to build a real income from home — practical, doable ideas each week for creating a better life for you and your family, without the overwhelm: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

&ldquo;Your price selects your customers.&rdquo; 
That one line from Per Sjofors stopped me in my tracks. Per &mdash; known as The Price Whisperer, a name he didn&rsquo;t even give himself &mdash; has spent years running pricing experiments across companies in four countries. Some sent revenues up 30% in a quarter. Others were complete disasters. And that&rsquo;s exactly why he says small businesses shouldn&rsquo;t run pricing experiments at all &mdash; there&rsquo;s a smarter way.
Per has been the CEO of multiple companies across the US, the UK, Switzerland and Sweden, and his secret sauce is applying behavioral science to pricing and go-to-market strategy. He&rsquo;s also the best-selling author of The Price Whisperer: A Holistic Approach to Pricing Power.
We Also Talked About
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Why everything your business does &mdash; marketing, messaging, targeting &mdash; affects what you can charge.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The two exact questions to ask 50 potential customers to find your pricing range.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why copying competitors&rsquo; prices means following someone else&rsquo;s guess.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why cost-plus pricing ignores the only thing that matters: what buyers think it&rsquo;s worth.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The pricing-page mistake that preconditions customers to think you&rsquo;re expensive.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why you should always present a proposal rather than just sending it &mdash; and what to say when a client insists you just email it through.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How price anchoring works, from a Thai restaurant menu to Apple&rsquo;s $17,000 watch.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why raising your prices can attract better customers and slash support costs.</li>
</ul>
Want this kind of practical, expert help every week &mdash; before your competitors do? Get tips and strategies for growing your business delivered straight to your inbox: <a href="https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter">https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter</a>
Resources Mentioned
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Per&rsquo;s book, <a href="https://geni.us/price-whisperer">The Price Whisperer: A Holistic Approach to Pricing Power</a> (affiliate link)</li>
<li aria-level="1">Per&rsquo;s company, Sj&ouml;fors &amp; Partners &mdash; <a href="https://sjofors.com">https://sjofors.com</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Per&rsquo;s YouTube channel &mdash; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thepricewhisperer">https://www.youtube.com/@thepricewhisperer</a></li>
</ul>
My newsletter is for people who want to build a real income from home &mdash; practical, doable ideas each week for creating a better life for you and your family, without the overwhelm: <a href="https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter">https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter</a>

The Two Questions That Take the Guesswork Out of Pricing with Per Sjofors

“I don’t have a story.” 

Sara Lohse hears those words almost every day, and she doesn’t buy it for a second. Her proof? A spot on one of the biggest finance shows around — landed by offering to tell the story of a regrettable tattoo she got on holiday in Ireland. As Sara puts it, “you don’t need to have that massive story. You just need to tell it to people in a way that connects with them.” This episode is about finding, and finally telling, the stories you’ve been sitting on.

Sara is a podcast producer and strategist, and the founder of Branded Media and Favorite Daughter Media. She started in advertising, landed in wealth management where she was handed a podcast and told she was now the executive producer, and fell so hard for the medium she went all in — now helping everyone from wealth managers to solo creators use podcasting and storytelling as genuine marketing tools.

We Also Talked About
Why “I don’t have a story” is almost always false — and how to spot the story you should tell first.
The “use your outside voice” test for finding a podcast topic you’ll never run out of steam on.
Why we’re not short on information anymore — we’re short on connection, the one thing AI can’t fake.
The counterintuitive trick of giving away the ending up front, and why it works especially well for ADHD brains.
What podcast monetization really looks like — and why “return on impact” beats “return on investment.”
The reframe that turns 20 downloads from an empty stadium into a crowded living room.
How short-form video and long-form audio feed each other, and why your face on screen builds the trust that sells.

 

Want this kind of practical, expert help every week — before your competitors do? Get tips and strategies for growing your business delivered straight to your inbox: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

Resources Mentioned
openthisjournal.com — Sara’s hub: download her storytelling journal exercises free, grab the book, and find her socials and calendar.
Open This Book: The Art of Storytelling for Aspiring Thought Leaders(affiliate link) – Sara’s book
Branded Media — Sara’s podcast production company.
Favorite Daughter Media — Sara’s strategic podcast guesting company.
Podmatch(affiliate link) — the guest-matching tool Trudy uses (and how she found Sara).
Descript(affiliate link) — the tool Trudy uses to transcribe and edit episodes.

My newsletter is for people who want to build a real income from home — practical, doable ideas each week for creating a better life for you and your family, without the overwhelm: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

<blockquote>
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have a story.&rdquo; 
</blockquote>
Sara Lohse hears those words almost every day, and she doesn&rsquo;t buy it for a second. Her proof? A spot on one of the biggest finance shows around &mdash; landed by offering to tell the story of a regrettable tattoo she got on holiday in Ireland. As Sara puts it, &ldquo;you don&rsquo;t need to have that massive story. You just need to tell it to people in a way that connects with them.&rdquo; This episode is about finding, and finally telling, the stories you&rsquo;ve been sitting on.
Sara is a podcast producer and strategist, and the founder of Branded Media and Favorite Daughter Media. She started in advertising, landed in wealth management where she was handed a podcast and told she was now the executive producer, and fell so hard for the medium she went all in &mdash; now helping everyone from wealth managers to solo creators use podcasting and storytelling as genuine marketing tools.
We Also Talked About
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Why &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have a story&rdquo; is almost always false &mdash; and how to spot the story you should tell first.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The &ldquo;use your outside voice&rdquo; test for finding a podcast topic you&rsquo;ll never run out of steam on.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why we&rsquo;re not short on information anymore &mdash; we&rsquo;re short on connection, the one thing AI can&rsquo;t fake.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The counterintuitive trick of giving away the ending up front, and why it works especially well for ADHD brains.</li>
<li aria-level="1">What podcast monetization really looks like &mdash; and why &ldquo;return on impact&rdquo; beats &ldquo;return on investment.&rdquo;</li>
<li aria-level="1">The reframe that turns 20 downloads from an empty stadium into a crowded living room.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How short-form video and long-form audio feed each other, and why your face on screen builds the trust that sells.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Want this kind of practical, expert help every week &mdash; before your competitors do? Get tips and strategies for growing your business delivered straight to your inbox: <a href="https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter">https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter</a>
Resources Mentioned
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://openthisjournal.com/">openthisjournal.com</a> &mdash; Sara&rsquo;s hub: download her storytelling journal exercises free, grab the book, and find her socials and calendar.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://geni.us/open-this-book">Open This Book: The Art of Storytelling for Aspiring Thought Leaders</a> (affiliate link) &ndash; Sara&rsquo;s book</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://workwithbranded.com/">Branded Media</a> &mdash; Sara&rsquo;s podcast production company.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://favoritedaughtermedia.com/">Favorite Daughter Media</a> &mdash; Sara&rsquo;s strategic podcast guesting company.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/podmatch">Podmatch</a> (affiliate link) &mdash; the guest-matching tool Trudy uses (and how she found Sara).</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/Descript">Descript</a> (affiliate link) &mdash; the tool Trudy uses to transcribe and edit episodes.</li>
</ul>
My newsletter is for people who want to build a real income from home &mdash; practical, doable ideas each week for creating a better life for you and your family, without the overwhelm: <a href="https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter">https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter</a>

The One Thing ChatGPT Can’t Do for Your Business with Sara Lohse

"I had no idea that even existed. I didn't even know that you could do that. What a dream job!"

When Lindy Alexander first discovered that travel writers could be flown around the world to write about their experiences, it opened a door she never knew existed. But her journey into travel writing didn't begin with exotic destinations. It started much closer to home, with a curiosity about writing, a willingness to learn, and a determination to create a flexible career that fit around family life. In this episode, Lindy shares what it really takes to break into travel writing, why human stories matter more than ever in the age of AI, and what she learned from launching her own podcast.

Lindy Alexander is an award-winning freelance writer, travel writer, educator, and founder of The Travel Writer Accelerator. After spending a decade as a social worker and completing a PhD, she transitioned into freelance writing and built a successful career writing for major publications while helping aspiring travel writers get published. Through her courses, coaching, newsletter, and podcast, she helps writers develop the skills and confidence needed to land regular commissions.

We Also Talked About
How Lindy transitioned from social work into a full-time freelance writing career.
Why travel writing is about much more than exotic destinations.
The surprising opportunities that emerged for travel writers during the pandemic.
Why human experiences are becoming more valuable as AI-generated content increases.
The thinking behind launching her new podcast, Inside Travel Writing.
The benefits of creating short, practical podcast episodes.
How podcasting helps build trust and authority with an audience.
The role AI can play in research, editing, and idea generation—and where it falls short.
Why reading the publications you want to write for is still one of the most important success factors.
What editors are really looking for when evaluating story pitches.
The difference between a great experience and a great story.
How The Travel Writer Accelerator helps writers get their first commissions and build long-term careers.

If you've ever wondered whether freelance writing or travel writing could become part of your business or income strategy, this episode is packed with practical insights and encouragement. Listen now and discover how small steps, consistent effort, and strong storytelling can open unexpected opportunities.

Get regular access to tips, techniques and advice from experts about growing your business:
https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter/

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Lindy's Website
https://www.lindyalexander.net/

The Freelancer's Year
https://thefreelancersyear.com/

Inside Travel Writing Podcast
https://thefreelancersyear.com/podcast/

Travel Writer Accelerator
https://thefreelancersyear.com/

Instagram – Lindy Alexander Writer
https://www.instagram.com/lindyalexanderwriter/

Instagram – The Freelancer's Year
https://www.instagram.com/thefreelancersyear/

Publications Mentioned

BBC Travel
https://www.bbc.com/travel

National Geographic Travel
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/

Condé Nast Traveler
https://www.cntraveler.com/

Lindy mentions that writers who have completed her travel writing training have gone on to secure publication opportunities with outlets including BBC Travel, National Geographic Travel, and Condé Nast Traveler.

Tools Mentioned

Claude
https://claude.ai

ChatGPT
https://chatgpt.com

Airtable
https://www.airtable.com

My newsletter is for people who need a way to make money from home so they can build a better life for themselves and their families: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter/

<blockquote>
"I had no idea that even existed. I didn't even know that you could do that. What a dream job!"
</blockquote>
When Lindy Alexander first discovered that travel writers could be flown around the world to write about their experiences, it opened a door she never knew existed. But her journey into travel writing didn't begin with exotic destinations. It started much closer to home, with a curiosity about writing, a willingness to learn, and a determination to create a flexible career that fit around family life. In this episode, Lindy shares what it really takes to break into travel writing, why human stories matter more than ever in the age of AI, and what she learned from launching her own podcast.
Lindy Alexander is an award-winning freelance writer, travel writer, educator, and founder of The Travel Writer Accelerator. After spending a decade as a social worker and completing a PhD, she transitioned into freelance writing and built a successful career writing for major publications while helping aspiring travel writers get published. Through her courses, coaching, newsletter, and podcast, she helps writers develop the skills and confidence needed to land regular commissions.
We Also Talked About
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">How Lindy transitioned from social work into a full-time freelance writing career.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why travel writing is about much more than exotic destinations.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The surprising opportunities that emerged for travel writers during the pandemic.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why human experiences are becoming more valuable as AI-generated content increases.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The thinking behind launching her new podcast, Inside Travel Writing.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The benefits of creating short, practical podcast episodes.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How podcasting helps build trust and authority with an audience.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The role AI can play in research, editing, and idea generation&mdash;and where it falls short.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why reading the publications you want to write for is still one of the most important success factors.</li>
<li aria-level="1">What editors are really looking for when evaluating story pitches.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The difference between a great experience and a great story.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How The Travel Writer Accelerator helps writers get their first commissions and build long-term careers.</li>
</ul>
If you've ever wondered whether freelance writing or travel writing could become part of your business or income strategy, this episode is packed with practical insights and encouragement. Listen now and discover how small steps, consistent effort, and strong storytelling can open unexpected opportunities.
Get regular access to tips, techniques and advice from experts about growing your business: <a href="https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter/">https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter/</a>
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Lindy's Website <a href="https://www.lindyalexander.net/">https://www.lindyalexander.net/</a>
The Freelancer's Year <a href="https://thefreelancersyear.com/">https://thefreelancersyear.com/</a>
Inside Travel Writing Podcast <a href="https://thefreelancersyear.com/podcast/">https://thefreelancersyear.com/podcast/</a>
Travel Writer Accelerator <a href="https://thefreelancersyear.com/">https://thefreelancersyear.com/</a>
Instagram &ndash; Lindy Alexander Writer <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lindyalexanderwriter/">https://www.instagram.com/lindyalexanderwriter/</a>
Instagram &ndash; The Freelancer's Year <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thefreelancersyear/">https://www.instagram.com/thefreelancersyear/</a>
Publications Mentioned
BBC Travel <a href="https://www.bbc.com/travel">https://www.bbc.com/travel</a>
National Geographic Travel <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/">https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/</a>
Cond&eacute; Nast Traveler <a href="https://www.cntraveler.com/">https://www.cntraveler.com/</a>
Lindy mentions that writers who have completed her travel writing training have gone on to secure publication opportunities with outlets including BBC Travel, National Geographic Travel, and Cond&eacute; Nast Traveler.
Tools Mentioned
Claude <a href="https://claude.ai">https://claude.ai</a>
ChatGPT <a href="https://chatgpt.com">https://chatgpt.com</a>
Airtable <a href="https://www.airtable.com">https://www.airtable.com</a>
My newsletter is for people who need a way to make money from home so they can build a better life for themselves and their families:&nbsp;<a href="https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter/">https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter/</a>

AI Is a Toddler With Crayons - How to Rein It In and Put It to Work with Dan Kurtz

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