Deb Hanson

At the summit

All session times are Eastern Time (Charlotte).

• ClassroomAI for Small Business Growth

  Stop Re-Explaining Your Business to AI: Build Your First AI Team Member

  Thursday, November 51:30 PM – 2:10 PM ET

  AI for Small Business Growth

  Most small business owners use AI like a temp worker. Every chat starts from zero, so they keep re-explaining their business and get generic answers back. I fixed this in my own business by building a small AI team. Each “team member” has one job, a written role guide, clear rules, and a human who approves the work. None of them make final calls. In this hands-on session, you’ll build your first one, live. I’ll show my real setup, what broke, and what I’d do differently. You’ll learn: * How to pick the one role worth building first * How to write a one-page role guide AI can follow * Where AI should stop and a human should decide * How to test it on real work before you trust it You’ll leave with a working AI team member and a role guide template. Bring a laptop signed in to Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini (preferably a paid plan to one of them). No tech skills needed.

  View session details  →

About Deb Hanson

Deb Hanson is the founder of Zien Advisors, a Charlotte-based firm that helps small businesses, solopreneurs, and nonprofits put AI to work in practical ways. Her rule is simple: technology is never the goal, better business results are. Deb brings a background in sales, marketing, and customer management, and teaches through workshops, one-on-one training, and automation builds. She runs her own business on a role-based AI system she built, and shows owners how to do the same without a tech team. Deb serves on the Executive Committee of the UNCW Alumni Board and the Executive Leadership Board of the American Cancer Society Gala.