In this episode of the AI Profit Leaders Podcast, host Chris Wiser is joined by Crios Munnings, Founder and CEO of Deep Blue Risk, an IT, cybersecurity, and AI advisory firm based in San Antonio, Texas.

Crios walks through the real evolution of the IT industry. From reactive break-fix support, to managed services, to cybersecurity risk management. He also explains why AI now represents the next major inflection point for business leaders.

The conversation dives into a growing and dangerous reality: most companies are already using AI daily, but leadership has no visibility, no policy, and no strategy. Employees are deploying AI tools on personal devices, sensitive data is being exposed, and executives are rushing to “add AI” without understanding outcomes or risk.

Using real-world examples — including a $1.2M profit leak uncovered during a routine oil change — Crios explains how AI assessments, outcome-based strategy, and advisory leadership allow businesses to see what they’ve been missing all along.

This episode reframes AI as neither hype nor software, but a strategic lens that reveals inefficiencies, risk, and growth opportunities hiding in plain sight.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why most AI initiatives fail without leadership ownership
• How AI introduces new business risk when adopted without a strategy
• Why employees are already using AI — with or without permission
• How AI assessments expose profit leaks across sales, ops, and CX
• The shift from IT support to AI risk and strategy advisory
• Why AI must be outcome-based, not tool-driven
• How leaders can regain control before AI creates compliance, privacy, or financial damage

Key Takeaway

AI doesn’t just accelerate businesses —
It exposes what leadership has been ignoring.

Without a strategy, AI becomes a risk.
With strategy, AI becomes leverage.

Quote from the Episode

“AI isn’t a shiny tool you just throw into a business.
Without a strategy, it’s more dangerous than not using it at all.”

— Crios Munnings

Guest Spotlight

Crios Munnings
Founder & CEO, Deep Blue Risk
📍 San Antonio, Texas (serving clients nationwide)

Crios is an IT, cybersecurity, and AI advisory leader helping businesses shift from reactive support to proactive risk management and AI-driven strategy. His work focuses on assessments, outcome-based implementation, and helping leadership teams regain control of technology decisions.

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Most businesses don’t fail at AI because of technology.
They fail because of leadership.

In this episode, Lindsey Badillo is joined by Andrew Brackenbush, founder of Beefy Marketing, to unpack why chasing AI tools without a clear strategy creates overwhelm, wasted spend, and cultural breakdowns.

Andrew shares what he’s seeing inside real businesses adopting AI — from leadership resistance and “shadow AI” usage to the massive leverage unlocked when AI is aligned to vision, culture, and execution.

This conversation reframes AI from a shiny object into what it actually is:
a leadership accelerator that exposes broken processes, weak communication, and unclear strategy — for better or worse.

This episode is for founders and executives ready to stop experimenting and start leading with AI on purpose.

🎧 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why AI strategy must come before AI tools to avoid wasted spend and confusion
• How leadership-driven AI adoption creates real competitive advantage
• The biggest mistakes companies make when they “implement AI” without clear outcomes
• Why AI should support employees, not replace them
• How to identify operational bottlenecks and profit leaks before automating
• What it really means to become an AI-first organization
• Why companies that delay AI strategy risk falling behind permanently
  
  
  

🔑 Key Takeaway

AI doesn’t fail businesses — poor leadership does.
The winners in the next economy will be the organizations that lead with strategy, clarity, and intent — and use AI to execute faster, not think for them.

Guest Spotlight

Andrew Brackenbush
Founder, Beefy Marketing

Andrew helps businesses integrate AI into marketing, operations, and leadership without overwhelming teams or losing brand trust. His advisory-first approach focuses on using AI to create leverage, efficiency, and long-term business freedom.

Notable Quotes

“AI doesn’t replace people — it replaces inefficiency.”

“If you’re just chasing tools, AI will actually make your business heavier.”

“Transparency around AI builds trust. Hiding it destroys it.”

Resources Mentioned

📘 Who Not How — Dan Sullivan
🧠 Custom GPTs & AI agents for internal operations
📈 Fractional AI advisory & strategy-first adoption models

Connect with the Guest

🔗 Website: https://beefymarketing.com
🔗 Personal Site: https://andrewbrackenbush.com

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• 📘 Making Your First One Million Dollars With AI
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In this episode of the AI Profit Leaders Podcast, Chris Wiser is joined by Tyler Wallace, CEO of CTS Computers, a multi-generation IT and cybersecurity firm serving Central Illinois and Northern Indiana.

Tyler uncovers a critical misconception holding many businesses back: using AI tools is not the same as having an AI strategy.

While most leaders believe they have not started using AI, the reality is very different. Employees are already using AI across organizations, often without policies, guardrails, or leadership oversight. This creates hidden risks around data security, compliance, efficiency, and profitability.

Drawing from real-world experience with healthcare, engineering firms, nonprofits, and SMBs, this conversation explains why random AI adoption creates more problems than progress. Tyler and Chris discuss why AI leadership must start at the top, how to put the right guardrails in place, and why businesses that delay strategic AI adoption will be outpaced by faster-moving competitors.

This episode is a wake-up call for business owners, MSPs, and leadership teams who believe ChatGPT equals AI adoption and are unknowingly leaking data, time, and profit because of it.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why “we use ChatGPT” is not a real AI strategy
• How AI should automate business processes—not just tasks
• The difference between AI tools and AI-driven organizations
• Why leadership must own AI adoption before employees do
• How poor AI implementation can lose money instead of saving it
• Why clean data and process clarity are required before automation
• How AI is reshaping search, buying behavior, and brand visibility
• What “AI-first” actually means for small and mid-sized businesses

Key Takeaway

'AI Profit Leaders do not chase tools. They design strategy, control adoption, and execute with speed. '

Connect with us!

• Instagram: @theAIProfitMachine
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Available on Amazon

• 📘 Making Your First One Million Dollars With AI
• 📘Maximizing Business Potential with AI by Tyler Wallace

In this episode of the AI Profit Leaders Podcast, host Chris Wiser is joined by John Hansman of Truit to unpack one of the most expensive habits in business:

Hiring people to solve problems that strategy and automation should fix.

John works closely with legacy businesses across Washington State, particularly in trucking, logistics, and home services—industries that are under intense pressure from rising costs, shrinking margins, and increased regulation.

Together, the conversation challenges outdated thinking around growth, staffing, and technology, and reframes AI as a time-buying, margin-protecting strategy rather than a collection of tools.

This is a must-listen for owners who want to protect profitability, increase valuation, and build a business that can scale or exit in the AI era.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why legacy businesses instinctively hire instead of fixing systems
• How AI helps business owners buy back their time — and their team’s time
• Why “we’ve always done it this way” is the most expensive mindset in business
• How automation increases revenue per employee without replacing people
• Why AI strategy matters more than AI tools
• The hidden risks of employees using AI without leadership oversight
• Why uncontrolled LLM usage can expose IP and sensitive business data
• How automation outperforms LLMs alone in real-world operations
• Why younger competitors are moving faster — and winning
• How AI directly impacts business valuation and exit potential

This episode highlights why AI governance and leadership matter more than tools, and why partnering with the right strategist is critical in a fast-moving market.

Key Takeaway

Hiring adds overhead.
Automation adds leverage.

The most profitable businesses use AI to remove repetitive work, protect margins, and refocus people on high-value decisions — not to chase tools or trends.

Resource

• 📘 Making Your First One Million Dollars With AI
  Available on Amazon

Connect with us!

• Instagram: @theAIProfitMachine
• Free Facebook Community

Your team is already using AI.
The question is whether you’re leading, or avoiding the conversation.

In this episode, Lindsey and Chris talk with Jerem Morris, founder of Data Tech AZ, about building an AI-first, people-first culture where AI is used openly, responsibly, and daily.

Jerem shares how embedding AI into leadership, culture, and team communication unlocked efficiency, professionalism, and trust. And why “shadow AI” is one of the biggest hidden risks inside modern businesses.

This episode is for leaders ready to stop pretending AI isn’t happening and start leading with it.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why AI should augment people, not replace them
• How to transition from “IT guy” to trusted business advisor
• The dangers of chasing AI tools before fixing broken processes
• Why culture — not incentives — drives successful AI adoption
• How daily AI conversations (even 5 minutes a day) transform teams
• The importance of guardrails, privacy, and security in AI use
• How AI exposes underlying business problems, for better or worse
• Why leadership context matters more than AI output
• How MSPs can move into boardroom-level strategy conversations

Key Takeaway

AI doesn’t replace teams.
Silence, fear, and bad leadership do.

Guest

Jerem Morris
Founder, Data Tech AZ
Jerem helps businesses integrate AI into leadership, culture, and operations — without sacrificing people or trust.

Quotes

“AI should make business lighter, not heavier.”
“If you’re just looking for a tool, AI will actually create more problems.”

Resources

• 📘 Co-Intelligence (Book recommendation)
• 📘 Making Your First One Million Dollars With AI
  Available on Amazon

Connect with Jerem

• 🔗 LinkedIn: Jerem Morris
• 📧 Email: jerem@datatechaz.com

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AI can accelerate growth… or blow up a business.

In this episode, Lindsey and Chris sit down with John Britt, founder of U.S. Technical Services Group, to talk about the side of AI most people ignore: risk, responsibility, and balance.

John shares his evolution from break-fix IT to managed services to AI advisement, and explains why blindly adopting AI tools without strategy, policies, or guardrails is one of the fastest ways to lose trust, clients, and money.

This episode is a wake-up call for leaders who think “moving fast” means skipping fundamentals.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why AI adoption without guardrails creates legal and operational risk
• The real reason building AI tools is usually a losing strategy
• How AI exposes weak processes and leadership gaps
• Why balance beats hype in every industry
• How to position AI as a strategic advisory service
• What responsible AI enablement actually looks like in practice
  
  
  

Key Takeaway

AI is powerful… and power without discipline is dangerous.

Guest Spotlight

John Britt
Founder, U.S. Technical Services Group
John helps businesses adopt AI safely, strategically, and profitably, without hype or shortcuts.

Connect with John

• 🌐 Website: ustsg.com
• 🔗 LinkedIn & Facebook: Search John Britt

Connect with us!

• 📘 Making Your First One Million Dollars With AI
  Available on Amazon
• Instagram: @theAIProfitMachine
• Free Facebook Community

AI isn’t the opportunity… Leadership is.

In this launch episode, hosts Lindsey Badillo and Chris Wiser lay out why most businesses are already approaching AI the wrong way. While everyone else is chasing tools, features, and shiny demos, the real money is being made by those who lead with strategy, outcomes, and advisory authority.

Recorded live from AI Profit Leaders HQ in Austin, Texas, this episode sets the tone for the entire podcast:
👉 AI Profit Leaders don’t peddle tools, they solve problems and get paid for it.

If you’re serious about profiting from AI (not just experimenting with it), this is your starting point.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why AI tools are becoming obsolete faster than ever
• The costly difference between selling AI and leading with AI
• How MSPs, consultants, and service providers should reposition right now
• Why strategy, sales, and advisement outlast any tool
• How to become the advisor clients trust — and pay premium fees for
• The mindset shift required to profit from AI long-term
  
  

Key Takeaway

Tools change fast. Strategy, sales, and advisement don’t.
AI Profit Leaders focus on outcomes, not features.

Resources

• 📘 Making Your First One Million Dollars With AI
  Available on Amazon or at AIMoneyPlay.com
• Instagram: @AIProfitMachine
• Facebook: Search AI Profit Leaders

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