
AI for Business Leaders: The AI Hat Podcast
Practical AI Strategies for Business GrowthAre you a business leader interested in using AI for growth but unsure where to begin? Do you want straightforward advice and real-world examples to help you successfully integrate AI into your business?Who is this show for?"AI for Business Leaders: The AI Hat Podcast" is designed for business leaders and decision-makers across all industries who are ready to explore and implement AI solutions for business growth. Whether you're new to AI or seeking to expand your current AI initiatives, this podcast offers clear guidance and expert insights.What can you expect from this show?Join your host, Mike Allton, founder of The AI Hat [https://theaihat.com/], as he breaks down AI concepts and explores practical applications for businesses of all sizes. Each episode features insightful conversations with AI experts and business leaders who share their experiences, strategies, and best practices. You'll learn how to:‣ Identify AI opportunities within your specific industry and business model‣ Develop a human-centered approach to AI adoption‣ Implement AI solutions to improve efficiency, productivity, and decision-making‣ Navigate the evolving AI landscape and stay ahead of the curveAbout your host, Mike AlltonMike Allton is a digital marketing expert with a passion for helping businesses thrive in the age of AI. As Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse and founder of The AI Hat, Mike brings his experience and straightforward approach to deliver practical AI insights and actionable advice. Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeallton/Join the conversationTune in to "AI for Business Leaders: The AI Hat Podcast" and discover how AI can transform your business. Subscribe now and start your journey to growth!
Latest episodes

May 10, 2025 • 46min
Making AI Your Most Valuable Team Member: A Leaders Guide with Liza Adams
Liza Adams, a seasoned executive and expert in AI integration for SMBs, shares her insights on making AI a valuable team member. She emphasizes treating AI as a collaborative partner rather than just a tool. Liza discusses the importance of a strategic approach, aligning AI with human capabilities, and starting small for effective implementation. They also tackle ethical concerns and how AI can enhance creativity, innovation, and transparency in business, ultimately driving significant growth while preserving the human touch.

5 snips
May 7, 2025 • 19min
Gemini for Leadership: AI-Powered Decision-Making with Mike Allton
Discover how leaders can use Gemini to make smarter, data-driven decisions. One guest shares a personal journey of rebranding with AI support. Learn strategies for rapid market analysis and data-driven risk assessment. Understand how to optimize performance and integrate AI seamlessly into decision-making workflows. The insights presented can empower leaders to navigate critical business choices with enhanced clarity and confidence.

29 snips
May 3, 2025 • 49min
AI Digital Clone: How to Augment Your Team's Expertise with George B. Thomas
In a riveting conversation, George B. Thomas, known as the HubSpot Helper, reveals his groundbreaking creation: an AI Digital Clone trained on his vast wealth of knowledge and personal values. He discusses the potential of AI to amplify human expertise rather than replace it, allowing teams to focus on high-value tasks. George shares insights on the importance of nurturing passion and purpose in digital transformations and highlights innovative ways to enhance workplace productivity and collaboration through AI. It's a game-changer for businesses!

35 snips
Apr 30, 2025 • 15min
Gemini Prompt Engineering: Get the Results You Want with Mike Allton
In this episode, I unlock the secrets to crafting powerful prompts that get you the exact results you need from Gemini and other large language models (LLMs). I introduce the RICCE framework, a practical system designed to help you communicate effectively with AI and achieve optimal output.
Think of RICCE as your training wheels for prompt engineering. By mastering these techniques, you'll gain the confidence and skills to harness the true potential of AI for your business.
What You'll Learn:
A clear and actionable breakdown of the RICCE framework for prompt engineering.
Practical strategies for defining roles, providing context, setting constraints, and using examples to guide AI.
How to iterate and refine your prompts for continuous improvement and better results.
Episode Outline:
00:00 Introduction: Getting Real Results from AI
00:12 Understanding Prompt Engineering
00:21 The RICCE Framework Overview
08:35 Iterative Process: Refining Your Prompts
09:14 Gemini's Unique Strengths
11:44 The AI Work Buddy: Your Personalized AI Assistant
13:58 Conclusion and Recap
SHOW TRANSCRIPT & NOTES: https://theaihat.com/gemini-prompt-engineering-get-the-results-you-want/
Grab the free AI Work Buddy: https://theaihat.com/aiworkbuddy/
AI Prompt Library with 40+ Prompts: https://theaihat.com/your-teams-ai-playbook-how-to-build-and-use-an-ai-prompt-library-for-business/
AI Training for Business Leaders & Teams: https://theaihat.com/ai-training-for-business/
Brought to you by The AI Hat - Get Your AI On. Interesting in sponsoring an episode? Learn more here.
Powered by Magai - why choose one AI tool when you can have them all? And Descript, the magic wand for podcasters.
Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, AI Consultant & Trainer at The AI Hat, where he's tirelessly helping businesses and marketers get ahead of the AI Revolution and apply advanced technologies to their roles. He's spent over a decade in digital marketing, bringing an unparalleled level of experience and excitement to the fore, whether he's delivering a presentation or leading a workshop. If you’re interested in helping business owners with AI in an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.
Powered by the Marketing Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 snips
Apr 26, 2025 • 42min
Google Cloud Expert Reveals: Making AI Agents Work for Your Bottom Line with Eva Dong
Are you throwing money at AI without seeing real returns? You're not alone. Businesses everywhere are struggling to turn their AI investments into actual revenue. But what if I told you that AI agents could become your most profitable team members?
The challenge isn't just implementing AI - it's making it pay for itself. Many business leaders are investing in AI agents without a clear path to ROI, leading to frustrated teams and disappointed stakeholders. The reality is, most companies are leaving money on the table because they don't understand how to properly monetize their AI implementations.
That's why I'm thrilled to welcome Eva Dong, Lead of AI Monetization at Google Cloud, back to the show. Eva brings over a decade of transformative leadership experience from McKinsey & Co and Visa, where she's helped countless businesses turn AI investments into profit centers. As a former entrepreneur who built a successful direct-to-consumer marketing startup, Eva knows firsthand what it takes to make AI work for your bottom line. Today, she's at the forefront of Google Cloud's AI monetization strategy, helping businesses of all sizes transform their AI agents from cost centers into revenue generators.
The AI Hat Podcast host Mike Allton asked Eva Dong about:
✨ Start Small, Scale Smart - Begin with focused AI agent implementations that solve specific revenue-generating problems.
✨ Value-Based Pricing - Structure AI agent pricing around measurable business outcomes rather than usage metrics.
✨ Human-AI Harmony - Success comes from finding the right balance between AI automation and human oversight in your revenue model.
Learn more about Eva Dong
Connect with Eva Dong on LinkedIn
Connect with Eva Dong on X
Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode
Google
Gemini
NotebookLM
Vertex AI
Learn more about Custom GPTs, Gems, and Custom Instructions
Christopher Penn on The State of AI around the world
World Economic Forum: AI in Action
Eva’s Smart AI Marketing newsletter
AI Primer: A Comprehensive Guide
Explore past episodes of the The AI Hat Podcast podcast
SHOW TRANSCRIPT & NOTES: https://theaihat.com/google-cloud-expert-reveals-making-ai-agents-work-for-your-bottom-line/
Start your AI journey with the AI Marketing Primer.
Brought to you by The AI Hat - Get Your AI On. Interesting in sponsoring an episode? Learn more here.
AI Training for Business Leaders & Teams: https://theaihat.com/ai-training-for-business/
Powered by Magai - why choose one AI tool when you can have them all? And Descript, the magic wand for podcasters.
Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, AI Consultant & Trainer at The AI Hat, where he's tirelessly helping businesses and marketers get ahead of the AI Revolution and apply advanced technologies to their roles. He's spent over a decade in digital marketing, bringing an unparalleled level of experience and excitement to the fore, whether he's delivering a presentation or leading a workshop. If you’re interested in helping business owners with AI in an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.
Powered by the Marketing Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18 snips
Apr 23, 2025 • 14min
Gemini vs. ChatGPT: Choosing the Right AI for Your Business with Mike Allton
Dive into the heated debate of Gemini versus ChatGPT, where the host dissects their similarities and differences without the hype. Learn about the H.U.M.A.N. method for evaluating AI options tailored to your business goals. Discover which AI excels in content creation, workflow automation, and data analysis. Gain actionable insights on aligning your choice with long-term value and reliable platforms in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. It's not about finding the 'best' AI, but the right fit for your needs.

18 snips
Apr 19, 2025 • 58min
One Platform to Rule Them All: The Magai Approach to AI Integration with Dustin W. Stout
Are you juggling five different AI tools just to get through your workday? Trying to remember which login goes with which platform and wondering if you're actually saving time or just creating new headaches? You're not alone.Today we've got the AI whisperer himself, Dustin W. Stout. This guy isn't just another tech founder with fancy promises—he's been in the trenches as a digital marketing consultant for over a decade before founding Magai, which he brilliantly designed as "the world's best AI tools in one place." Think of Dustin as the Marie Kondo of AI tools—except instead of asking if your tech sparks joy, he's built a platform that actually brings the joy back to your workflow. He's helped countless businesses stop drowning in subscription chaos and start actually leveraging AI for growth. What would your business look like if you could reclaim all those hours spent switching between tools?The AI Hat Podcast host Mike Allton asked Dustin W. Stout about:✨ Consolidation Creates Clarity - Bringing your AI tools under one roof eliminates the mental overhead of managing multiple platforms, allowing you to focus on results rather than juggling logins and interfaces.✨ Integration Drives ROI - The real value of AI comes not from individual tools, but from how they work together in your business processes to save time and enhance decision-making.✨ Start Simple, Scale Smart - Begin your AI consolidation journey by identifying your most frequent use cases and finding a platform that handles those well, then expand as your needs and confidence grow.Learn more about Dustin W. StoutConnect with Dustin W. Stout on LinkedIn
Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode
Magai
My Podcast Showrunner
AI Work Buddy - Your Own Personalized AI Assistant
AI Primer: A Comprehensive Guide
AI Training for Businesses
Explore past episodes of the The AI Hat Podcast podcast
SHOW TRANSCRIPT & NOTES: https://theaihat.com/one-platform-to-rule-them-all-the-magai-approach-to-ai-integration/Start your AI journey with the AI Marketing Primer.Brought to you by The AI Hat - Get Your AI On. Interesting in sponsoring an episode? Learn more here.AI Training for Business Leaders & Teams: https://theaihat.com/ai-training-for-business/Powered by Magai - why choose one AI tool when you can have them all? And Descript, the magic wand for podcasters.Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, AI Consultant & Trainer at The AI Hat, where he's tirelessly helping businesses and marketers get ahead of the AI Revolution and apply advanced technologies to their roles. He's spent over a decade in digital marketing, bringing an unparalleled level of experience and excitement to the fore, whether he's delivering a presentation or leading a workshop. If you’re interested in helping business owners with AI in an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.Powered by the Marketing Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17 snips
Apr 16, 2025 • 12min
Gemini for Growth: 3 AI Breakthroughs for Your Business with Mike Allton
Discover how Google's Gemini AI can transform your business with practical strategies. Learn to create compelling marketing content that boosts ROI and personalize campaigns for better customer connection. Uncover the secrets to automating operations, streamlining workflows, and making informed decisions with data. Dive into next-level customer engagement by enhancing communication and building loyalty through personalized experiences. Real-world examples showcase how companies like Kraft Heinz and Mercedes-Benz have leveraged these breakthroughs for success.

11 snips
Apr 12, 2025 • 39min
Marketing Automation 2.0: Why Agentic AI is a Game-Changer for Small Business with Alex Carlson
In this discussion, Alex Carlson, host of The AI Marketing Navigator and owner of Digital Pop, reveals how agentic AI transforms the marketing landscape for small businesses. He shares insights on automating marketing tasks without human oversight, enabling businesses to compete with larger firms. Alex discusses tools like Clay.com that enhance efficiency while tackling common adoption hurdles. He emphasizes a framework for effectively integrating AI into digital marketing strategies, empowering entrepreneurs to improve productivity and focus on high-value priorities.

27 snips
Apr 5, 2025 • 44min
The AI Advantage: How Small Businesses Can Punch Above Their Weight Class with Phil Pallen
Phil Pallen, a brand strategist and author of "AI for Small Business," shares his expertise on how small businesses can harness AI tools for efficiency. He discusses the concept of a "1+ business," enabling solopreneurs to deliver impressive results without needing large teams. The conversation covers the transformative potential of generative AI, practical strategies for embracing AI in branding, and tips for maximizing tool effectiveness. Pallen emphasizes a careful approach to adopting AI while maintaining personal connections with clients.
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