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  • G&A: AI Just Became Infrastructure. Are You Still Treating It Like a Trend?; The Sosh = Neil Patel

G&A: AI Just Became Infrastructure. Are You Still Treating It Like a Trend?; The Sosh = Neil Patel

Small businesses are pulling off what tech giants promised: AI that actually works. Here's what it means for you and why it's already too late to sit this one out. Let’s build what holds.

AuthorAuthor

Gia Cilento & Ronald Skelton
June 10, 2025

Overview

We’re in a new era, one where AI isn’t the glittery tool of enterprise giants anymore. It’s quietly becoming infrastructure. Not someday. Now. And small businesses, the scrappy, resourceful, undervalued backbone of the economy, are the ones making it work.

Here’s the truth: the AI gold rush isn’t about novelty. It’s about utility. Sales and marketing teams aren’t guessing anymore; they’re knowing. Training is smarter. Messaging is sharper. Customer support? Automated and empathetic. Not because someone dropped six figures on a solution, but because leaders stopped waiting for permission.

Local partnerships are rising. Time-based billing is crumbling. M&A is becoming identity work. Everything is shifting. If you’re paying attention, there’s leverage to grab. If you’re not, there’s relevance to lose.

Why This Matters:
AI is no longer a tool for the few. It’s an operational edge for the ready. If you're building anything that needs to last, whether it's a team, a company, or a legacy, this is your wake-up call.

Read on. This one’s not optional.

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This Week's Signal

by Gia Cilento

AI Is Becoming Business Infrastructure

Small Business, Big Impact: Why AI Is Finally Delivering on Its Promise
This piece illustrates how AI is no longer the exclusive domain of enterprise giants. SMBs are embedding AI into operations, from sales training to customer support, proving that infrastructure transformation starts with resourcefulness, not headcount.
Read more…

Speed Over Guesswork: Sales and Marketing Teams Get Smarter with AI
With AI powering decision-making in sales and marketing, teams are shifting from intuition to intelligence. This shift supports the idea that AI is no longer a tactic; it's becoming an essential business reflex.
Read more…

The Hard Reset on Pricing in the AI Era
Time-based billing is collapsing under AI efficiency. This article reflects the growing movement toward redefining value and pricing infrastructure in a world where AI accelerates delivery beyond traditional models.
Read more…

Growth Is No Longer Just About Product

How Strategic Networks Are Driving SMB Momentum
Research from American Express confirms that growth is being driven by relationships, not just revenue. Professional networks are becoming the new growth channel, elevating decision quality and opening deal flow.
Read more…

Co-Branding for Local Leverage
This article highlights how regionally aligned businesses are amplifying their visibility through shared narratives and customer experiences. A strong example of grassroots, synergy-driven growth beyond product lines.
Read more…

Diversify or Drift: Why Focus Alone Isn’t Enough
In this landscape, single-product businesses are most vulnerable. Diversification across markets, offerings, and channels is now a strategic necessity, not just a growth tactic.
Read more…

M&A Is the New Identity Work

Higher Ed Turns to Strategic M&A for Long-Term Viability
Colleges and universities are merging to create more sustainable, aligned futures. This signals a reframing of M&A from efficiency to identity evolution.
Read more…

The RIA Sector’s Evolution from Stock-Pickers to Holistic Planners
This podcast unpacks how the Registered Investment Advisor space became a prime M&A target by shifting from performance-led to planning-led business models. A masterclass in alignment before acquisition.
Watch here…

The Emotional Core of M&A: What Most Playbooks Miss
Jennifer Fondrevay offers an inside view of what really drives (or derails) integration: employee identity, legacy grief, and leadership tone. A must-watch for anyone preparing to merge human systems.
Watch here…

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🧩 In the News

Fake AI Tools Are Spreading Hidden Ransomware
Cybercriminals are hijacking AI’s popularity by disguising ransomware within seemingly legitimate AI business tools. SMBs moving fast on AI adoption need to vet tools rigorously. AI may be your edge, but security is still your foundation.
Read more…

Agentic AI Is Raising the Bar for Value Creation
The rise of AI agents isn’t just about automating tasks, it’s a structural shift in how organizations compete. This piece highlights why companies deploying agentic AI are increasing output without bloating teams.
Read more…

Coding Startups Get Sky-High Valuations But Not Without Risk
Software development is the AI sector’s strongest ROI zone right now, but the valuation frenzy raises real questions about long-term stability. A cautionary tale for founders chasing heat over hold.
Read more…

AI Governance Theater Is Getting in the Way
Superficial “responsible AI” talk isn’t cutting it anymore. This article explains why performative governance practices are being called out and what leaders must do to anchor trust, not just optics.
Read more…

The AI Hiring Question That Leaders Must Ask
If you're still hiring like it's 2022, you're behind. AI is changing not just how we hire, but who we need, and what roles should even exist. A must-read for teams in transition.
Read more…

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🎧 In the Pods

Featuring Original Reviews by Ron Skelton

The RIA Sector’s Evolution from Stock-Pickers to Holistic Planners
ModCast | Hosts: Jason Gordo & Gary Roth
A wide-angle lens on how the financial advisory world became a prime target for institutional capital. The episode tracks the evolution from commission-driven brokers to full-scope planners, and what that shift means for valuation, integration, and independence. Packed with strategic cues for buyers and solo advisors alike.

The Emotional Core of M&A: What Most Playbooks Miss
Host: Klint Kendrick
Guest: Jennifer Fondrevay
This is the human blueprint most M&A manuals skip. From grief over lost company identities to the importance of ceremonial respect, Fondrevay brings a deep emotional intelligence lens to integration. Every founder and operator should bookmark this one.

Mastering M&A: Strategies for Risk Management
Host: Joan Woodward
This episode delivers the unsexy truth: risk is the quiet killer of deal value. With insights from over 800 insurance professionals, it highlights cyber threats, cultural mismatches, and why PE is still moving while strategies hesitate. A critical listen for anyone planning a buy-side move.

Founders don’t always know what’s changing until someone sends them the signal. If this issue brought clarity, share it with someone who needs it. 

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The Sosh

 Who to follow this week: Neil Patel

Neil Patel isn’t just another marketing guru; he’s one of the few who has crossed both strategy and scale. A New York Times bestselling author and co-founder of NP Digital, he’s helped brands like Amazon, Microsoft, and Airbnb build revenue machines that last.

Follow him if you want actionable, algorithm-smart, no-fluff marketing insight that converts.

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🏢 The Big Guys

Viper Energy Merges with Sitio Royalties in $4.1B Deal
Energy sector consolidation continues. Viper’s $4.1B grab of Sitio signals long-game mineral aggregation as valuations stay compressed but asset value remains high.
Read more…

Owens & Minor Terminates $1.36B Rotech Deal
A reminder that deal structure is only half the battle. The FTC barrier here stalled a multi-billion-dollar merger, and hints at rising regulatory complexity for healthcare rollups.
Read more…

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TODAY - SMB Acquisitions Entrepreneurs (buying / Selling of businesses) Networking June 10, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST
Virtual | Twice Monthly Tuesday Meetups
Connect with active buyers, sellers, and intermediaries, building real acquisition momentum.

The Overlooked Leg of the Stool: Post-Exit Success - June 11, 1:00 PM ET
How to build beyond liquidity and avoid the post-exit spiral.

2025 Leadership In Dealmaking Summit - September 16 & 17, 2025 – New York, NY
Featuring:  International M&A thought leadership sessions, M&A Connects Networking and One-on-One Meetings, 16th Annual International M&A Awards, and 16th Annual Emerging Leaders Awards. Check it out…

3rd Annual M&A Summit - 2025 - September 17, 2025 - JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America, Bloomington, MN
From broad perspectives on deal-making to insightful tips on exiting a business, attendees gained a wealth of knowledge. Want in? Don’t miss our 2025 Summit. Check it out…

2025 Future of Dealmaking Summit - November 18 & 19, 2025 – New York, NY
Featuring: Financing, restructuring, and M&A thought leadership sessions, M&A Connects Networking and One-on-One Meetings, and the 24th Annual M&A Advisor Awards. Check it out…

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🔭 Strategic Throughline

"The firms that hold value are those that build what holds, connect what matters, and evolve with clarity."

This week reaffirmed that shift. From the rise of AI as real infrastructure to the deeper emotional intelligence now required in M&A, the signal is clear:

Value isn’t just created, it’s carried. And only what’s structurally sound, culturally aligned, and strategically visible will hold under pressure.

We’ll keep following the threads that reinforce this throughline week by week, deal by deal.

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Until Next Week

Founders don’t always know what’s changing until someone sends them the signal.
If this issue brought clarity, share it with someone who needs it.

Questions? Sponsorships? Something you’d like us to explore, discuss, or analyze? Reach out to:
Gia Cilento on LinkedIn
Ronald Skelton on LinkedIn

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