The Spark

Front Burner Marketing

The Spark is a podcast for business owners, leaders, and growth-minded professionals who want practical ideas they can actually use. Hosted by Jay Kozar and Kendra Morvillo of Front Burner Marketing, each episode explores the intersection of business strategy, technology, marketing, sales, leadership, and operations. Through candid conversations with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, we uncover the tools, systems, and ideas that help organizations grow, scale, and stay ahead in a rapidly changing world. Whether we're discussing AI, sales processes, customer experience, marketing trends, business technology, or leadership lessons, our goal is simple: deliver actionable insights that help you keep up the heat and build what's next. New episodes released regularly. Subscribe and join the conversation. 🔥

  1. 4d ago

    Start With the Problem: Putting AI to Work

    Stop asking, “How can we use AI?” Start asking, “What problems can AI solve for our business?” In Part 2 of our conversation with Amit Gupta, engineering and AI leader at TIU Consulting, The Spark gets practical about AI development: what it actually looks like, which business problems are good candidates, and how companies can begin turning ideas into real solutions. Jay Kozar and Kendra Morvillo also officially introduce the partnership between Front Burner Marketing and TIU Consulting, bringing business strategy, marketing, technology, and AI development together under one roof. Amit walks through real-world examples across legal services, healthcare, insurance, title services, and other industries where businesses are using technology and AI to replace outdated processes, automate repetitive work, increase efficiency, and unlock ideas that previously weren't practical to build. The key? Start with the problem—not the technology. In this episode: • What AI development actually means   • How to identify processes worth automating   • Why repetitive, manual, and error-prone work is a great place to start   • How proof-of-concept development lets businesses test ideas quickly   • Real-world AI applications in legal, healthcare, insurance, and title services   • How AI can handle repetitive work while humans focus on judgment and expertise   • Why your existing technology shouldn't limit what's possible   • What an AI development engagement actually looks like   • Why AI could become an operating layer for businesses in the near future   You don't need to know what AI solution you need. You need to know where your business is stuck, inefficient, or unable to scale. Bring us the problem. Let's figure out what's possible. Like, subscribe, and follow The Spark for more conversations on business, marketing, AI, technology, and growth.

  2. 4d ago

    Building In The Fast Lane

    Months are becoming weeks. Teams are becoming individuals. And ideas are reaching the marketplace faster than ever. In this episode of The Spark, Jay Kozar and Kendra Morvillo sit down with Amit Gupta, technology leader and AI strategist at TIU Consulting, to explore just how quickly artificial intelligence is changing the way businesses build, operate, and grow. With more than 25 years in technology—including a decade at Amazon and AWS—Amit brings a builder’s perspective to the AI revolution. His message is simple: AI is no longer just a chatbot or a novelty. It’s becoming part of how real work gets done. The conversation explores why today’s AI moment feels similar to the early days of the internet, how AI is dramatically accelerating software development and prototyping, and why businesses should start with their problems—not the technology. They also dig into the economics of AI development. Projects that once required teams of developers, designers, project managers, and months of work can now be prototyped and tested dramatically faster. But speed comes with responsibility: strong processes, validation, and human oversight matter more than ever. In this episode: • Why AI today feels like the internet in 1999   • The shift from AI chatbot to AI-powered workflows   • How business leaders should identify opportunities for AI   • Why problems should come before technology   • How AI is changing software development and go-to-market speed   • The impact on developers and traditional technology roles   • Why human oversight still matters   • What Amit believes the next year of AI could bring   For business leaders wondering what AI actually means for their organization, this conversation moves beyond the hype and into what’s becoming possible right now.

  3. Jul 10

    Consolidate or Die

    Is your technology helping your business—or is your business spending all its time managing technology? In this episode of The Spark, Jay Kozar and Kendra Morvillo tackle a challenge facing nearly every growing business: software sprawl. As companies add more apps, dashboards, AI tools, and subscriptions, they often create more complexity instead of more efficiency. The conversation introduces the idea of the "Complexity Tax"—the hidden cost of adding new software, integrations, reporting requirements, and training every time another platform enters your tech stack. Jay and Kendra discuss why consolidation is becoming a competitive advantage, how AI has helped (and where it still falls short), and why even sophisticated organizations often end up back in Excel to make sense of their data. You'll also learn practical questions every business should ask before purchasing another software platform, the "75% Rule" for evaluating technology, and why sometimes the smartest investment is getting more from the tools you already own. If you're a business owner, marketing leader, or operations professional trying to simplify your tech stack while improving reporting and efficiency, this episode is packed with practical advice you can put to work immediately. Topics Covered: • The hidden cost of software sprawl • The "Complexity Tax" • Why AI hasn't solved reporting challenges (yet) • Consolidating your tech stack • Better software buying decisions • The 75% Rule for technology investments • Why every business still ends up in Excel • Building a simpler, more scalable business Subscribe for more conversations on business growth, marketing, AI, technology, and leadership.

About

The Spark is a podcast for business owners, leaders, and growth-minded professionals who want practical ideas they can actually use. Hosted by Jay Kozar and Kendra Morvillo of Front Burner Marketing, each episode explores the intersection of business strategy, technology, marketing, sales, leadership, and operations. Through candid conversations with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, we uncover the tools, systems, and ideas that help organizations grow, scale, and stay ahead in a rapidly changing world. Whether we're discussing AI, sales processes, customer experience, marketing trends, business technology, or leadership lessons, our goal is simple: deliver actionable insights that help you keep up the heat and build what's next. New episodes released regularly. Subscribe and join the conversation. 🔥