How AI Is Changing The Rules Of Business (with Joe Garner)

Business owners in the trades are drowning in six platforms just to run one company. Most AI advice makes it worse because it skips the foundation, your SOPs, your workflows, your people, and jumps straight to the shiny tool. That is how you burn money and lose trust. If you are running an HVAC company, a roofing crew, electrical, plumbing, or any trade-based business and you feel stuck between ignoring AI and going all-in without a plan, this conversation will ground you. In this episode of Built to Exit, Jason Sisneros sits down with Joe Garner, tech entrepreneur, former Department of Defense cryptologist, and founder of a consulting-marketing-software firm with nine platforms in its portfolio. They unpack what AI adoption actually looks like when you do it right, what it costs when you do it wrong, and why the trades have a built-in moat that most industries do not. Together, we break down: Why SOPs are the only thing that will keep your business alive in the age of AI How to tell the difference between a real AI use case and a shiny object What “people, processes, and platforms” actually means when you audit your operations Why AI agents in dispatch, accounting, and HR are here now, not five years away How one platform (Evolve ERP) replaced six tools for a multi-trade company The three AI risks most business owners have not thought about: security, unknown cost, and hallucinations Why the trades are one of the few industries with a real moat against AI displacement This episode is for business owners who want to: Stop paying for six platforms that do not talk to each other Use AI to multiply their team instead of replacing them Build enterprise value that commands top dollar when they exit You do not have to guess at this. You do not have to throw AI at everything and hope it sticks. Jason and Joe lay out what works, what does not, and where to start, with your operations documented first and the tech layered on second. Chapters 00:00 – Why ignoring AI will leave your business behind 00:37 – Welcome to Built to Exit with Jason Sisneros 01:00 – The due diligence mistake most business owners make with partners 02:47 – Joe Garner’s journey: DoD cryptology to tech entrepreneur 05:05 – The rare combination: architecture mind meets marketing mind 06:31 – How to pivot when the next wave hits your industry 08:08 – Why SOPs are the only thing keeping you alive in the AI era 10:10 – AI is turning business owners into zombies 13:00 – Joe’s true north: faith, family, and doing business with integrity 14:50 – Trust in the age of AI deepfakes and generated personas 17:50 – Evolve ERP: one platform replacing six for trades businesses 22:50 – Why the trades have a moat against AI disruption 24:50 – Price, timing, and terms: who really controls your exit 28:15 – AI agents in the trades: the dispatch example that changes everything 30:50 – Three AI risks no one talks about: security, cost, and hallucinations 35:00 – The “super suit” philosophy: AI as leverage, not replacement 39:30 – Dying breath: what to tell your kids about business 41:00 – Where to find Joe Garner and Evolve ERP 🔗 Connect with Joe Garner Website: https://garner.agency/ 🔗 Built to Exit Website: builttoexit.biz Dare To Exit live event: daretoexit.com #BuiltToExit #AIForBusiness #TradesBusiness