Is AI going to save your business… or make you feel like you're still stuck in the second inning?

This week, we bring a real convo about AI (not the buzzword nonsense). Mark Andrews pulls back the curtain on what AI actually is, what most businesses get wrong, and how entrepreneurs can stop being overwhelmed and start using AI for real business growth without selling their souls (or wallets) to tech bros.

🍸 What you'll hear in this episode:

• AI isn't some magic brain. It's pattern prediction on steroids

• ChatGPT is just the tip of the iceberg

• Most companies screw up AI because they don't know why they want it

• Bad data = bad results; cleaning data is where the real value starts

• You don't need a $2M custom AI. You need direction and purpose

• Early adopters will crush competitors while skeptics get left eating dust

• AI fatigue is real — but smart use = more time, more focus, more revenue

💡 Notable Takeaway:
There is a test and learn and trial mentality… and you need to leave your comfort zone.

👤 About our Guest:

Mark builds AI that humans can actually use. He's helped big companies and scrappy startups turn confusing tech into clear business results. From baseball analogies to real-world workflows, he breaks AI down in a way that makes you say, "Okay, now I get it."

🎧 Why Listen:
You want a business that wins tomorrow? Hit play. This episode gives you a clear-eyed look at what AI really does and how to make it work for your team.

🔗 Links + Stuff

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwilliamandrews

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealmandrews

📞 Want help prepping your business for growth or sale?
Hit us up at https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/call-with-credit-banc-pod

🎧 Subscribe. Rate. Share. Repeat.

• Our website

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Audible

• YouTube

📧 Want even more? Subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more.

Available on Substack: https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/

Connect with us on Instagram:
➡️ @matthew.r.meehan
➡️ @luigi_rosabianca,
➡️ https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/

Want to invest in real estate without swinging a hammer or begging a bank?

Matt and Lou sit down with Alex Martyn of SPG Capital to talk about how smart investors are bypassing Wall Street and making their money work in real estate through private lending.

This episode is about the real engine behind flips and rentals: capital. Alex breaks down how his fund operates, why he pays investors monthly, and what makes a good borrower (hint: it's not newbies watching HGTV).

🍸 What you'll hear in this episode:

• How SPG Capital funds real estate deals without bank red tape

• What makes private lending a killer strategy for passive investors

• Why speed, trust, and monthly payments matter more than ever

• How self-directed IRAs are unlocking access to real estate for everyday investors

• Why 50‑year mortgages might not be as scary as they sound

💡 Notable Takeaway:

It's just gonna come down to the same thing. People who own assets will get farther ahead.

👤 About our Guest:

Alex Martyn is the founder of SPG Capital, a private real estate fund based in Philly. He funds residential loans for fix‑and‑flip and value-add investors, while offering monthly payouts to private capital partners. A former flipper turned fund manager, he's all about speed, trust, and returns.

🎧 Why Listen:

If you're a business owner, investor, or side hustler thinking about real estate, this episode gives you the playbook on new mortgage strategies, alternative funding hacks, and why Florida might be your next move.

🔗 Links + Stuff

• SPG Capital
• LinkedIn

📞 Want help prepping your business for growth or sale?
Hit us up at https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/call-with-credit-banc-pod

🎧 Subscribe. Rate. Share. Repeat.

• Our website

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Audible

• YouTube

📧 Want even more? Subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more.

Available on Substack: https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/

Connect with us on Instagram:
➡️ @matthew.r.meehan
➡️ @luigi_rosabianca,
➡️ https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/

🔥 Was 2025 really overwhelming… or did we just scroll WAY too much?

Matt and Lou slam through the weirdest year in business and culture, taking stock of inflation noise, AI mania, internet frenzy, hiring headaches, and what the hell actually moved the needle for entrepreneurs.

Part reflection, part roast, 100% Liquid Lunch energy.

🍸 Key Highlights:

• Inflation still there, but news made it freakier than it was

• AI buzz was everywhere — real impact vs hype battle

• Hiring sucks. Gig minds + remote everything = chaos

• K‑shaped economy: winners vs the squeezed middle

• Biggest "internet moments" (yes, Katy Perry in space)

• What actually helped business owners this year

• 2026 playbook: accounting, credit, tax prep

• Rapid fire reflections on trends, dumb internet stuff, and what must die before 2026

🎧 Why Listen:

If you ran a business, hired anyone, checked Twitter once this year, or just survived 2025, this episode is your mental detox and truth serum. Get the laugh, the perspective, and the pep talk you didn't know you needed.

🚨 Like what you hear? Well, you're in luck! We do a Weekly Recap video of the top news stories each week. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss a drop. youtube.com/@Credit_Banc

What if your future kid could hear from a grandparent who's no longer here? Not in a cheesy, preloaded card, but a real message, made just for them?

This week, Matt grabs a digital drink with Jared Emerick, Founder & CEO of Emotiga, the company behind Kapsol, a platform that lets people record heartfelt messages today and deliver them years from now. Think wedding day notes from your late father, or advice from Grandpa showing up exactly when your kid needs it.

But don't get it twisted—this isn't sci-fi fluff. Jared's building tech that blends emotional intelligence, AI, and storytelling to bring meaning back into our hyper-automated world.

🍸 What you'll hear in this episode:

• How "Kapsol" lets you send messages into the future

• Why emotionally intelligent tech is the next big market

• The moment that sparked Jared's mission (and why it still gets him choked up)

• What entrepreneurs get wrong about "scaling" emotional connection

• Why the 50+ crowd might be your startup's secret weapon

• How to build software people feel, not just use

💡 Notable Takeaway:
We're losing intergenerational wisdom…and relying on AI to fill that gap. That's dangerous.

👤 About our Guest:

Jared Emerick is the Founder & CEO of Emotiga, a platform designing emotionally intelligent tech that bridges the gap between people and their future moments. With roots in innovation, marketing, and storytelling, Jared's focused on building software that makes digital interaction more human—and helping people hold on to what matters most, even when they can't be there in person.

🎧 Why Listen:
If you want to leave more behind than just a LinkedIn bio, hit play. This one stays with you.

🔗 Links + Stuff

• Emotiga: https://emotiga.com

• Connect with Jared: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredemerick

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaredemerick

📞 Want help prepping your business for growth or sale?
Hit us up at https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/call-with-credit-banc-pod

🎧 Subscribe. Rate. Share. Repeat.

• Our website

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Audible

• YouTube

📧 Want even more? Subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more.

Available on Substack: https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/

Connect with us on Instagram:
➡️ @matthew.r.meehan
➡️ @luigi_rosabianca,
➡️ https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/

What's the real reason your business growth feels like you're carrying bricks uphill?

On today's episode, Michael Walsh takes us behind the curtain of business growth, from "we're doing fine" to "we're doing great, but I'm drowning anyway." He walks through the hidden growth blockers (structures, people, manager vs. individual contributor), his "Freedom by Design" framework, and how to shift your business from a grind to something that actually frees you.

🍸 What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why the common growth trap isn't revenue; it's the structures you've outgrown and the people you can't manage.

• Why your top salesperson might be the worst person to promote into management.

• The difference between "authority + wisdom" and "connection → wisdom" in leadership.

• Michael's four human‑behavior levers (survive/thrive/connect/adapt) that drive business culture and freedom.

• The idea of "talking‑back‑money (TBM)"—why you should pass on the client who doesn't fit your values.

• How a strong core‑value system doesn't change when you grow. It anchors you even when everything else is different.

💡 Notable Takeaway:
Freedom in your business, freedom from your business, and freedom because of your business.

👤 About our Guest:

Michael Walsh is the founder and CEO of the Walsh Business Growth Institute. He's authored multiple books—Business by Design, Thinking Big Is Not Enough, and Freedom by Design. He works with professional services and engineering‑type firms to scale from the 1‑to‑5‑to‑10‑million range and beyond by aligning people, process, and profit.

🎧 Why Listen:
Don't just grow bigger; grow better. Hit play, listen with a notebook, and give your business the structure and human backbone it's been missing. You'll thank yourself later.

🔗 Links + Stuff

• Freedom by Design by Michael Walsh

• Walsh Business Growth Institute

📞 Want help prepping your business for growth or sale?
Hit us up at https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/call-with-credit-banc-pod

🎧 Subscribe. Rate. Share. Repeat.

• Our website

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Audible

• YouTube

📧 Want even more? Subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more.

Available on Substack: https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/

Connect with us on Instagram:
➡️ @matthew.r.meehan
➡️ @luigi_rosabianca,
➡️ https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/