The Local Business AI Manifesto: Your 2026 Growth Playbook

There’s a lot of noise around AI right now, and most of it is steering local business owners in the wrong direction. This Sactown Marketing Mavericks' episode cuts through the confusion and lays out the real rules for using AI in 2026 — the shifts that matter, the traps to avoid, and the moves that actually help you grow. We’ll talk about why next year won’t look anything like 2025, what’s changing in search and customer behavior, and why speed, data, and simple workflows will beat complicated tech every time. You’ll learn the core AI stack every local business should have in place, the KPIs worth watching, and the principles that separate businesses that grow from those that stall out. If you’re tired of AI hype and want a straight answer on what’s real, what works, and what’s worth ignoring, this episode is your starting point.