The Business Brain Weekly Round Up
Hey there Reader
We dove deep this week, and we’re still drying off.
First, we welcomed Collin Rutherford of Founder Brands, who reminded us that building community is the brand—and that your weird, wonderful, niche idea might just be your superpower.
Then, on Friday, we let our Business Brains wander into the world of blind spots and AI prompts (hello, FridAI!)—because what’s a little entrepreneurial success without a healthy dose of self-reflection and robot-assisted productivity?
Weekly Episodes
Collin Rutherford of Founder Brands
Business Brain 640
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Put Episode 640 to Work:
Time is your real capital- If you’re not scheduling your priorities, you’re just reacting. Own your calendar.
Start small. Grow smart. - Collin launched a storage service for students (market need: ✔️), then scaled fast, but learned that expanding too quickly without the right systems burns you. Lesson? Nail it before you scale it.
Social media isn’t optional. Collin posted 3 times a day—that consistency drove growth. He modeled what works, tweaked what didn’t, and leaned into feedback. Don’t overthink it—just start sharing value.
Ideas are cheap. Execution wins.
Collin's success didn’t come from having the best idea. It came from acting on it relentlessly. Surround yourself with mentors, implement fast, and iterate even faster.
Build systems. Build teams.
Remote teams? No problem—if you’ve got the right tools (Slack, Google Workspace, AI) and clear roles. His secret? Put the right people in the right seats and trust the process.
🔥 Your Turn: Build a one-page mock business plan that you would start tomorrow.
✔️ Add time management strategies
✔️ Plan your social media approach
✔️ Think through how you’d expand to other campuses
🧠 Ask Yourself:
Where are you wasting time right now?
Are you sitting on a good idea without executing?
Could your team run without you for a week?
Go Even Deeper:
FridAI- Prompts and Blindspots
Business Brain 641
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Take Action with Episode 641:
Stay Ahead with Skill Refreshing: AI is accelerating the pace of change. To stay competitive, entrepreneurs need to update 65% of their skillset every 18 months.
Ask Smarter, Get Smarter: AI is only as effective as the questions you ask. Learning how to craft clear, insightful prompts is a business skill that’s becoming as important as knowing your numbers.
Personalized Interactions with AI Memory: With ChatGPT’s memory, your assistant remembers who you are, what you value, and where you're headed, making each session more relevant to your goals.
See What You’re Missing: Use AI to surface blind spots you didn’t know you had. Ask it to challenge your assumptions, spot gaps in your thinking, or poke holes in your strategy.
Objective Financial Feedback: Need a sounding board for your budgeting or investment strategy? AI offers logic-driven, emotion-free financial planning advice to help you stay focused on long-term wins.
💻 Try This:
Apply Today’s Lesson with 3 Simple Actions
- Ask ChatGPT:
“What disruptions are coming to my industry, and what skills should I build to stay ahead?”
- Use ChatGPT’s memory feature:
Explore how it remembers your past questions. Ask,
“Based on what we’ve discussed, what personal or professional blind spots do I need to address?”
Go Even Deeper:
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🧠
A Billionaire Changes Shannon's Perspective
Watch Now
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Business Brain Tips of The Week:
Use Notion AI for Internal SOPs.
Turn your team’s recurring tasks into documented, searchable systems using Notion AI. It helps you draft, organize & update SOPs without starting from scratch. Your future hires will thank you.
Leverage Calendly’s Workflow Automation.
Set up reminders, follow-ups, and meeting prep docs automatically through Calendly Workflows. It turns simple scheduling into a full-on client experience.
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Finance Friday
Want to keep your business financially sharp?
Try these 3 expert tips:
1️⃣ Know Your Burn Rate – Track how fast you're spending cash. Surprises kill.
2️⃣ Separate Profit & Owner Pay – Treat yourself like an employee and an investor.
3️⃣ Quarterly Forecasting – Don’t just look back. Plan 90 days ahead to stay nimble.
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FridAI
ChatGPT can now remember past convos across sessions.
What’s that mean for you?
👉 Create a virtual business assistant that gets smarter over time.
Train it once—delegate forever.
✅ SOPs
✅ Marketing voice
✅ Customer FAQs
…All in memory.
Use AI to scale YOU. 🧠📈
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Quick Links:
Guest Co-host Collin Rutherford from Business Blitz Podcast
Greenbox Storage in Dartmouth FounderBrands
America Turner-Use AI to help you learn to use AI
ChatGPT now lets you reference chat histories
Die With Zero
We’re always looking around corners so you don’t have to—sharing the wins, losses, and occasional faceplants that come with building a business and a life you love.
Whether you’re sipping your coffee or dodging distractions, we’re here to nudge you forward with insights, humor, and a little kick of motivation.
Stick with us, and let’s keep building smart… and weird… together.
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Dave Hamilton & Shannon Jean
Business Brain
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