#853 AI Is Useful. Now What?

Dan and Ian break down the real use cases they’re seeing inside DC companies right now — not theory, not hype, but the actual workflows founders are using to make and save money.
They cover:
● The difference between sidecar AI, AI-first companies, and AI-native businesses
● Real-time dashboards, CRM systems, financial intelligence, and onboarding workflows
● Why founders can suddenly revisit old projects, landing pages, pricing, and customer journeys
● The biggest question every founder needs to answer in 2026: what are we actually going to do with this thing?

Tropical MBA is a podcast for entrepreneurs building location-independent businesses.
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CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) “Every Business Needs an AI Implementation”
(00:05:23) Why “Sidecar AI” Is No Longer Enough
(00:08:00) What an AI-First Business Actually Looks Like
(00:10:49) The Future: AI-Native Companies
(00:12:58) Real-Time Dashboards, Reports, and Scoreboards
(00:15:36) CRM, Campaigns, and Customer Data
(00:18:32) Why Financial Intelligence Matters More Than Ever
(00:21:44) Building Landing Pages Without Developers
“These are revenue experiments, growth experiments.”
(00:24:23) The First Workflows Founders Should Rebuild

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Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.

PLAYLIST:

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