Rob Levin says every business owner should take a hands-on AI course before asking employees to use AI.
1. The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast episode "Upskilling Your Team for What's Next" centers on Rob Levin and the talent changes affecting small businesses.
2. Jon Jantz hosts the conversation, and Rob Levin appears as a serial entrepreneur, business growth expert, and chairman and co-founder of Work Better Now.
3. The episode asks how owners can build teams when hiring is harder, AI is changing tasks, and current staff may need new capabilities.
4. Levin says he wrote The New Talent Playbook because business owners were still using "2016" talent playbooks after the pandemic.
5. He says younger generations in the workforce work differently from Gen X and baby boomers, and many owners are struggling to adapt.
6. Levin describes a "talent crisis" in which small and mid-sized businesses cannot find the people they need.
7. He says the problem can force companies to keep employees who are not the right fit for future growth.
8. Levin notes that headlines about layoffs do not change the fact that small businesses still need people with experience and an "owner's mentality."
9. He says those skills are not always transferable from large companies to small or mid-sized companies.
10. Levin cites NFIB survey results showing that about a third of small and mid-sized businesses cannot fill roles.
11. He says companies should look beyond the US and consider remote talent across North America, Latin America, and even Asia.
12. Levin argues that technology, especially AI, is changing marketing and other functions so quickly that new capabilities are required.
13. He recommends identifying the new capability first and then deciding whether someone on the team is "upskillable."
14. He says owners should check whether an employee has the desire to learn, the ability to learn, and the ability to bring the skill in-house.
15. Levin points to low-cost or free training from HubSpot and other major CRM and marketing platforms.
16. He says employees who take on new capabilities should receive time, support, and possibly a promotion and raise.
17. Levin says business owners should complete hands-on AI training themselves before asking teams to adopt AI.
18. He describes Work Better Now moving toward "AI first" workflows where AI does heavy lifting and employees manage the output.
19. The tone is practical and advisory, with Jon Jantz pushing for concrete examples and Levin answering in framework-driven, business-focused language.
20. Business owners, SMB operators, and leaders managing hybrid teams would likely benefit most, while listeners looking for a general economy discussion may skip it.
