EP: 137, The People Crushing It With AI Aren't Who You Think with Dan Kite

I thought I knew who was winning with AI right now. I was wrong.

In this episode I sit down with Dan Kite, founder of Workuity and the Center for AI Excellence in Phoenix, and this one changed how I think about the AI conversation entirely. Dan's built eight businesses — from Blockbuster video stores to co-working spaces — and for a while, he was convinced AI was going to crush small business owners like the ones who fill his space every day. Then something shifted.

We get into why the people getting the most out of AI right now aren't the young, tech-fluent crowd everyone assumes — it's business owners in their 40s and 50s who already know their craft. We talk about the trap of overcommitting, why building your own CRM with AI is usually the wrong move, and the exact moment Dan knew it was time to walk away from a business that wasn't working anymore.

If you've been sitting on the sidelines of AI because it feels overwhelming, or you're a founder wondering when to hold on and when to let go, this conversation is for you.

Take the Pipeline Power Score and find out where your revenue is leaking — link below.

Key topics:

• Why AI amplifies your existing skills instead of replacing them — ~00:14:00

• Finding your business “superpower” with CliftonStrengths — ~00:22:00

• The demographic surprise in who's actually winning with AI — ~00:29:00

• The turning point: from AI doomer to Center for AI Excellence founder — ~00:56:00

• Knowing when to exit a business vs. when to lean in — ~00:41:00

Guest bio

Dan Kite is the CEO and founder of Workuity, a co-working company with locations in the Biltmore and Chandler areas of Phoenix, which he opened roughly nine years ago. This is his eighth business — he previously built and sold a chain of Blockbuster video stores, ran a chain of computing centers called Screens, was a partner in one of Chicago's biggest small business brokerages, and worked in wealth management. After initially believing AI would devastate small business, Dan pivoted to launch Workuity's Center for AI Excellence, which now runs weekly AI workshops, exchanges, and hackathons for the Phoenix small business community.

Connect with Dan:

Website: https://www.workuity.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielkite/