Speaking
Talks that give a room straight answers.
I speak on brand, marketing, trade shows, video, and the one everybody is asking about right now: what AI can actually do for a small business, and what to skip. I build my own AI tools, and even so, half of what is sold to small businesses earns an honest “don’t bother.” The talks are free, and nothing gets sold from the stage.
The flagship talk
What AI Can Actually Do for Your Business (and What It Can’t)
The talk is a free 30 to 40 minutes built for a small-business audience. We walk through the gap between the hype and what is real, and I share a few examples from running my own business on tools I built, including how often “you don’t need this yet” is the right call. Everyone leaves with a simple five-minute test for judging any AI tool, a clear sense of what to ignore no matter who is selling it, and one low-risk thing to try this month, and we keep plenty of time for questions.
It is made for chambers of commerce, Rotary clubs, executive peer groups, business associations, the SBDC and SCORE, and libraries across the Metro East and greater St. Louis.
Beyond AI
That is the talk I keep polished and ready to go, but it is not the only room I can serve. I can shape a talk on:
- getting a brand straight before spending another marketing dollar
- marketing that earns trust instead of renting attention
- making a trade show booth earn its keep
- producing real video without hiring a crew
Tell me who is in the seats and I will build to the room.
Why me
I have spent forty years building things by hand: thirteen running my own multimedia production company, and over seven as the entire marketing department for a three-division company across three states, producing and hosting sixty-plus videos along the way. These days I bring that same eye to brand, marketing, and the web for Main Street businesses.
I have been performing since 1986, most of those years behind a drum kit in a working rock band, and live shows teach you to read a room and hold it. A chamber lunch is gentler than a rock club, but it is the same job, and I can promise yours stays awake.
Formats & fit
The format bends to your program: a luncheon talk, a hands-on workshop, a panel seat, or a podcast conversation, anywhere from twenty minutes to a full session.
Easy on you: I travel with my own mic and a small PA, so sound is one less thing on your list. I will send a headshot and a short blurb for your newsletter, the talk needs nothing else, and I work around your regular meeting time.
Book a date
Have an event coming up?
The fastest way is a quick call, so grab a time on my calendar and I will make the rest easy.
Saw the talk and want to go deeper? The $497 AI Clarity Session is a focused ninety minutes on your own business. I also write short notes at markheinz.com.