Justin Massa - Remix Partners | Building an AI Strategy for SMB Leaders

Justin Massa, Partner & Co-Founder of Remix Partners, helps SMB and mid-market teams translate rapidly evolving AI capabilities into practical workflows that unlock real business value. His perspective matters because he has spent a decade guiding leaders through emerging technology waves and building repeatable frameworks that help organizations identify, experiment with, and operationalize AI in ways that drive competitive differentiation. In this episode, he explains why most executives lack a true on-ramp into generative AI, and how techniques, jigs, and tools provide a structured path from experimentation to scalable impact.You’ll Learn:How to build an “AI on-ramp” that gives leaders strategic context—not just task-level tricksWhy techniques, jigs, and tools form a maturity path for workflow transformationHow to identify the specific AI capabilities tied to a company’s competitive differentiationHow early experimentation accelerates prototyping speed and cross-functional innovationHow to approach ROI rigorously when deciding whether to adopt, buy, or build AI toolsChapters:00:00 Intro01:00 Justin’s background in innovation and AI02:15 The client’s challenge and early skepticism03:40 The on-ramp problem for business leaders06:20 Techniques vs. jigs vs. tools10:50 How leaders decide what to build or buy14:30 Evaluating ROI and tool decisions18:45 Why leaders don’t need deep technical knowledge22:00 Coaching executives to use AI directly24:20 Startup acceleration and rapid prototyping26:45 Advice for leaders beginning their AI journeyLinks:Explore more interviews and Justin Massa's expert profile: https://www.justcurious.io/experts/justin-massaConnect with Justin Massa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmassa/Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/smZC_jLk0ZsProof of Work is the podcast of Pluris, a platform connecting investors and operators with the world's leading applied AI experts. Each episode features the builders, operators, and investors who've actually put AI into production, turning it from buzzword to bottom line through sharp case studies and practical conversations. We explore how AI is used to grow revenue, expand margins, improve operations, and create measurable value inside real businesses.Learn more at checkpluris.comExplore more interviews and connect with experts at https://www.checkpluris.com Subscribe to our newsletter at https://proof-of-work-ai.beehiiv.com/