In this episode of the AI Profit Leaders Podcast, host Chris Wiser is joined by Crios Munnings, Founder and CEO of Deep Blue Risk, an IT, cybersecurity, and AI advisory firm based in San Antonio, Texas.

Crios walks through the real evolution of the IT industry. From reactive break-fix support, to managed services, to cybersecurity risk management. He also explains why AI now represents the next major inflection point for business leaders.

The conversation dives into a growing and dangerous reality: most companies are already using AI daily, but leadership has no visibility, no policy, and no strategy. Employees are deploying AI tools on personal devices, sensitive data is being exposed, and executives are rushing to “add AI” without understanding outcomes or risk.

Using real-world examples — including a $1.2M profit leak uncovered during a routine oil change — Crios explains how AI assessments, outcome-based strategy, and advisory leadership allow businesses to see what they’ve been missing all along.

This episode reframes AI as neither hype nor software, but a strategic lens that reveals inefficiencies, risk, and growth opportunities hiding in plain sight.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why most AI initiatives fail without leadership ownership
• How AI introduces new business risk when adopted without a strategy
• Why employees are already using AI — with or without permission
• How AI assessments expose profit leaks across sales, ops, and CX
• The shift from IT support to AI risk and strategy advisory
• Why AI must be outcome-based, not tool-driven
• How leaders can regain control before AI creates compliance, privacy, or financial damage

Key Takeaway

AI doesn’t just accelerate businesses —
It exposes what leadership has been ignoring.

Without a strategy, AI becomes a risk.
With strategy, AI becomes leverage.

Quote from the Episode

“AI isn’t a shiny tool you just throw into a business.
Without a strategy, it’s more dangerous than not using it at all.”

— Crios Munnings

Guest Spotlight

Crios Munnings
Founder & CEO, Deep Blue Risk
📍 San Antonio, Texas (serving clients nationwide)

Crios is an IT, cybersecurity, and AI advisory leader helping businesses shift from reactive support to proactive risk management and AI-driven strategy. His work focuses on assessments, outcome-based implementation, and helping leadership teams regain control of technology decisions.

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Most businesses don’t fail at AI because of technology.
They fail because of leadership.

In this episode, Lindsey Badillo is joined by Andrew Brackenbush, founder of Beefy Marketing, to unpack why chasing AI tools without a clear strategy creates overwhelm, wasted spend, and cultural breakdowns.

Andrew shares what he’s seeing inside real businesses adopting AI — from leadership resistance and “shadow AI” usage to the massive leverage unlocked when AI is aligned to vision, culture, and execution.

This conversation reframes AI from a shiny object into what it actually is:
a leadership accelerator that exposes broken processes, weak communication, and unclear strategy — for better or worse.

This episode is for founders and executives ready to stop experimenting and start leading with AI on purpose.

🎧 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why AI strategy must come before AI tools to avoid wasted spend and confusion
• How leadership-driven AI adoption creates real competitive advantage
• The biggest mistakes companies make when they “implement AI” without clear outcomes
• Why AI should support employees, not replace them
• How to identify operational bottlenecks and profit leaks before automating
• What it really means to become an AI-first organization
• Why companies that delay AI strategy risk falling behind permanently
  
  
  

🔑 Key Takeaway

AI doesn’t fail businesses — poor leadership does.
The winners in the next economy will be the organizations that lead with strategy, clarity, and intent — and use AI to execute faster, not think for them.

Guest Spotlight

Andrew Brackenbush
Founder, Beefy Marketing

Andrew helps businesses integrate AI into marketing, operations, and leadership without overwhelming teams or losing brand trust. His advisory-first approach focuses on using AI to create leverage, efficiency, and long-term business freedom.

Notable Quotes

“AI doesn’t replace people — it replaces inefficiency.”

“If you’re just chasing tools, AI will actually make your business heavier.”

“Transparency around AI builds trust. Hiding it destroys it.”

Resources Mentioned

📘 Who Not How — Dan Sullivan
🧠 Custom GPTs & AI agents for internal operations
📈 Fractional AI advisory & strategy-first adoption models

Connect with the Guest

🔗 Website: https://beefymarketing.com
🔗 Personal Site: https://andrewbrackenbush.com

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• 📘 Making Your First One Million Dollars With AI
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In this episode of the AI Profit Leaders Podcast, Chris Wiser is joined by Tyler Wallace, CEO of CTS Computers, a multi-generation IT and cybersecurity firm serving Central Illinois and Northern Indiana.

Tyler uncovers a critical misconception holding many businesses back: using AI tools is not the same as having an AI strategy.

While most leaders believe they have not started using AI, the reality is very different. Employees are already using AI across organizations, often without policies, guardrails, or leadership oversight. This creates hidden risks around data security, compliance, efficiency, and profitability.

Drawing from real-world experience with healthcare, engineering firms, nonprofits, and SMBs, this conversation explains why random AI adoption creates more problems than progress. Tyler and Chris discuss why AI leadership must start at the top, how to put the right guardrails in place, and why businesses that delay strategic AI adoption will be outpaced by faster-moving competitors.

This episode is a wake-up call for business owners, MSPs, and leadership teams who believe ChatGPT equals AI adoption and are unknowingly leaking data, time, and profit because of it.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why “we use ChatGPT” is not a real AI strategy
• How AI should automate business processes—not just tasks
• The difference between AI tools and AI-driven organizations
• Why leadership must own AI adoption before employees do
• How poor AI implementation can lose money instead of saving it
• Why clean data and process clarity are required before automation
• How AI is reshaping search, buying behavior, and brand visibility
• What “AI-first” actually means for small and mid-sized businesses

Key Takeaway

'AI Profit Leaders do not chase tools. They design strategy, control adoption, and execute with speed. '

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• Instagram: @theAIProfitMachine
• Free Facebook Community

Available on Amazon

• 📘 Making Your First One Million Dollars With AI
• 📘Maximizing Business Potential with AI by Tyler Wallace