Start Small, Think Big - A podcast and newsletter that guides you on your AI and Automation journey.

About Start Small, Think Big - A podcast and newsletter that guides you on your AI and Automation journey.

Start Small, Think Big is your practical guide to AI, automation, data, analytics, and business process improvement hosted by Brad Groux (CEO), and Robert Groux (CTO) from Digital Meld. Each episode explores actionable insights, real-world applications, and expert advice, featuring guest interviews, the latest industry news, and engaging discussions. Join us as we demystify technology and share strategies that can help any business innovate, scale effectively, and stay ahead in a rapidly changing business landscape.

Publisher

Digital Meld

Category

technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Mar 2025

Latest episode

3 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

37 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Sept 2026

   AI Still Needs Your Judgment, with Doug Gabbard | Episode #0037

   AI can help you finish the work. It cannot take responsibility for whether the work is right. Doug Gabbard, Principal Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft and the creator behind Practicing Photography, joins Brad Groux and Robert Groux to talk about using AI where it actually helps: learning unfamiliar creative tools, finding buried knowledge, improving scripts, and turning experience into better requirements. Doug shares how he uses screenshots to get help in Photoshop and Lightroom, builds agents around departmental SharePoint knowledge, and brings engineering discipline to his photography workflow. We also get into the limits: confident wrong answers, missing security requirements, the future of entry-level learning, and why people skills still matter. The question to take back to your next project: What did I miss? Takeaways Start with a real task you understand, not a tool you want an excuse to use. Give AI the relevant context: source material, desired outcome, constraints, and what failure looks like. A script that runs is not automatically secure, scalable, or ready for other people to use. Ask for criticism and missing requirements, then check the response against evidence. Use AI to repurpose your own ideas without handing over your point of view. Keep learning the fundamentals—and learn to explain them to people. Resources discussed Microsoft (https://www.microsoft.com/) Adobe Photoshop (https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html) Adobe Lightroom (https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom.html) ChatGPT (https://chatgpt.com/) Gemini (https://gemini.google.com/) Claude (https://claude.ai/) Microsoft Copilot (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot) SharePoint (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/sharepoint/collaboration) Backblaze (https://www.backblaze.com/) Azure Blob Storage (https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/storage/blobs) Synology (https://www.synology.com/) n8n (https://n8n.io/) Supabase (https://supabase.com/) OpenClaw (https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw) PowerShell (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/) Microsoft Sentinel (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/siem-and-xdr/microsoft-sentinel) Microsoft Agent Builder quick start (PDF) (https://adoption.microsoft.com/files/copilot/AgentBuilderQuickStart.pdf) Follow Doug Practicing Photography (https://practicingphotography.com/) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@PracticingPhotography) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougga/) Follow Start Small, Think Big Find the podcast, newsletter, and our other channels: https://linktr.ee/digitalmeld (https://linktr.ee/digitalmeld) More episodes and articles: https://digitalmeld.io/podcast/ (https://digitalmeld.io/podcast/) Recorded February 19, 2026. Product availability, pricing, and policies discussed reflect the conversation at that time. Doug shares his own experience; this is not an official Microsoft product announcement. Recorded and edited using Riverside — https://go.sstb.ai/riverside (https://go.sstb.ai/riverside) (affiliate link). Affiliate disclosure: Some links above are affiliate links. Digital Meld may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you.

2. 

   21 Aug 2026

   Questions Before Platforms: Building the Data Foundation AI Actually Needs | Episode #0036

   Follow the Start Small, Think Big newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7305986878653022210/ Sid Atkinson, co-founder and CEO of Applied Curiosity and co-host of The Data Culture Podcast, joins Brad Groux to explain why AI readiness starts with better questions, consistent data practices, and a clear business purpose—not another platform. Brad and Sid discuss how lightweight governance helps smaller companies move quickly without taking unnecessary risks, why institutional knowledge needs context and effective dates, and how leaders can close the perception gap between what they think is happening and the ground truth inside the business. They also explore the role of SOPs in agentic work, the danger of treating governance frameworks as the goal, how to balance repeatable processes with innovation, and why human accountability remains essential. Sid closes with a blunt rule for every leader: know the nouns that define your business—customers, markets, segments, channels, and products—before asking AI to reason across them. KEY TAKEAWAYS • Start with the business questions that matter, then identify the data and capabilities required to answer them. • Small organizations need lightweight rigor, not enterprise bureaucracy. • Capture the reasoning and context behind experienced employees’ decisions, not only the written steps. • Tag or retire outdated knowledge so AI does not treat decades of documentation as one current truth. • Use governance frameworks to identify useful capabilities; do not mistake the framework for the mission. • Standardize proven work and reserve deliberate time and budget for larger experiments. • Automate the discovery of commitments and follow-ups, while keeping human relationships human. • Define the shared nouns of the business before attempting advanced analytics or AI. RESOURCES DISCUSSED, IN EPISODE ORDER Applied Curiosity — https://www.appliedcuriosity.ai/ The Data Culture Podcast — https://rss.com/podcasts/dataculture/ Veritas Kanban — https://github.com/BradGroux/veritas-kanban Leaders Eat Last — https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last Start With Why — https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why The Infinite Game — https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game In Search of Excellence — https://tompeters.com/writing/books/ OpenClaw — https://openclaw.ai/ Like Clockwork — https://samgoodner.com/ Start Small, Think Big links — https://linktr.ee/digitalmeld CRISP-DM — https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/spss-modeler/18.6.0?topic=guide-about-spss-modeler DAMA-DMBOK — https://dama.org/learning-resources/dama-data-management-body-of-knowledge-dmbok/ CMMI Model — https://www.isaca.org/resources/reference-guide/cmmi-model-quick-reference-guide BrainMeld.io — https://www.brainmeld.io/ Claude — https://www.anthropic.com/claude Microsoft 365 Copilot — https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/microsoft-365-copilot-overview PLAUD — https://www.plaud.ai/ Sid Atkinson on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidatkinson TASSCC — https://www.tasscc.org/ Watch, listen, and find Digital Meld at https://linktr.ee/digitalmeld. Digital Meld helps organizations build the capability to adapt by combining clear business standards, accountable AI, useful automation, and practical data systems.

3. 

   27 Feb 2026

   The AI Operating Model: Governance, Brand Experience, and Execution for Business | Episode #0035

   Follow the SSTB Newsletter (https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7305986878653022210/). Special thanks to Allen Martinez (https://www.linkedin.com/in/allenmartinez/) , and check out BXAIOS (https://bxaios.com). Summary In this episode of the Start Small Think Big podcast, Brad Groux and Allen Martinez delve into the intricate relationship between AI, governance, and brand experience. They discuss the importance of coherence in AI systems, the necessity of establishing a solid governance framework, and the role of accountability and receipts in AI operations. The conversation also touches on the challenges of shadow IT, the significance of capturing corporate knowledge, and the evolving landscape of AI in business processes. Allen emphasizes the need for a holistic AI strategy that integrates governance, identity, and accountability to drive meaningful outcomes and compounding advantages for organizations. Keywords AI, governance, brand experience, accountability, coherence, business processes, knowledge capture, ROI, automation, shadow IT Takeaways AI is not just about technology; it's about the operating model. Creativity plays a crucial role in AI implementation. Connecting data across systems is essential for effective AI. Governance defines what AI can and cannot do. Every AI workflow must have a defined trigger for human intervention. The corporate hippocampus helps capture and organize knowledge. Measuring hidden costs of AI outputs is vital for understanding ROI. Building a brand identity is crucial for AI success. A center of excellence can streamline AI governance. The future of work will involve leveraging AI for enhanced productivity. Titles Unlocking AI: Governance and Brand Experience The Future of AI in Business: Strategies for Success Sound Bites "You need to start connecting the data." "The future favors the bold." "Governance is your charter." Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AI and Governance 02:25 The Journey of Allen Martinez 05:21 Understanding AI's Role in Business 08:18 The Importance of Data Integration 10:53 Governance, Identity, and Receipts in AI 13:59 Building a Holistic AI Framework 16:34 The Balance of Constraints in AI 19:26 Conclusion and Future of AI Governance 22:29 The Role of Governance in AI 25:13 Understanding Constraints in AI Deployment 27:27 Navigating Governance in Mid-Market Companies 29:22 Balancing Innovation and Risk Management 31:04 Building a Defensible Business Case for AI 32:35 Establishing a Center of Excellence 33:03 Setting Standards for AI Governance 36:11 The Importance of Corporate Memory 40:37 The Corporate Hippocampus and Brand Advantage 45:14 Building Authentic Connections in AI 45:53 The Importance of Execution Over Technology 46:39 The Rise of Small Innovators in AI 48:25 Measuring Hidden Costs in AI Implementation 49:34 The Future of SaaS in an AI-Driven World 52:44 Governance and AI Workflows 52:58 First Steps in AI Adoption 55:28 Revolutionizing Work with AI 56:47 The Need for Educational Reform 58:36 Encouraging Entrepreneurship in the AI Era 01:02:08 The End https://linktr.ee/digitalmeld (https://linktr.ee/digitalmeld) We build tools that save businesses time and money by helping them unlock their greatest potential and achieve growth through data, automation, and AI-powered solutions.

Who has been a guest on Start Small, Think Big - A podcast and newsletter that guides you on your AI and Automation journey.

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• John Ohlwiler
• Craig A Kaplan
• Lucas Blondheim
• Scott Morris
• Hanah Darley

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

55,780

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

14 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

9 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

45

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

51

Contact Start Small, Think Big - A podcast and newsletter that guides you on your AI and Automation journey.

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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