This virtual workshop is designed for business advisors at economic development and entrepreneurship support organizations who are navigating how to support outdoor businesses with AI adoption.
AI is changing how entrepreneurs find information, market their businesses, make decisions, and interact with customers. Business advisors are increasingly being asked when AI is worth using, where it can create value, and how to help clients navigate these changes so they can compete, grow, and thrive.
In this 90-minute session, we’ll cover:
- What we’re hearing from small businesses about AI, including how they’re using it, their concerns, and the barriers preventing implementation.
- When AI can help and when it can’t, with practical examples of how advisors can help clients evaluate opportunities, avoid common pitfalls, and focus on the highest-impact applications.
- The changing customer discovery landscape, including the shift from traditional SEO toward AI-powered search and recommendation tools, and how advisors can help businesses remain visible and competitive as customer behavior evolves.
The workshop is highly interactive and capped at 25 participants to allow ample time for discussion.
About the Facilitators
Marek Bowers is a business owner and consultant at Bain Capital, where he leads UX/UI and AI strategy projects.
Katie Doherty and Enhao Li are the founders of Founded Outdoors, an organization that supports outdoor recreation entrepreneurs through education, mentorship, and community-building programs. Together, they work closely with founders across a wide range of industries and stages of growth.
We’re passionate about helping entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them navigate change. Through this work, we’re developing practical education that helps small business owners understand, evaluate, and adopt emerging technologies so they can continue to grow, innovate, and strengthen their communities.
