E-Forge With Cory Long

Cory Long
  • 5.0 (16)
  • Management
  • Weekly

E-forge with Cory Long is for faith-driven entrepreneurs who know they’re called to more; but feel stuck in the daily grind. This show is about helping you rise; from overwhelmed operator to empowered leader. Cory brings real strategies on business structure, systems, marketing, AI, and mindset to help you build a business that gives you back your time, multiplies your impact, and aligns with your purpose. If you’re ready to unlock freedom, lead with excellence, and use your business to serve others at the highest level, this podcast is your next step.

  1. 10h ago

    The AI Business Opportunity Most People Are Missing

    AI is creating one of the biggest business opportunities in years, but most people are looking in the wrong place. You don't need to become an AI developer, learn to code, or build the next ChatGPT to take advantage of it. There's a growing opportunity to help small businesses get discovered by customers using AI search, ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and other AI-powered tools. For decades, business owners have relied on traditional SEO, Google rankings, websites, and digital marketing to attract customers. But the way people search for local businesses is changing. Instead of scrolling through pages of search results, customers are increasingly asking AI for recommendations. That creates a visibility challenge for businesses that don't appear in those answers. In this episode of The E Forge Podcast, Cory Long explains why this shift matters, how AI search optimization is creating a new service-business opportunity, and why your existing career experience might be your greatest advantage. Whether you're exploring how to start an AI agency, looking for a side business, or trying to grow an existing marketing company, you'll discover a practical way to evaluate this opportunity before investing your time or money. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN → Why AI Search Is Changing Local Business Marketing: Discover how ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and other AI tools are affecting business discovery and why traditional Google rankings may not tell the whole story. → The AI Business Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight: Learn why helping local businesses improve their visibility in AI search could create demand for a new kind of marketing service—and why you don't need to build AI technology yourself. → How to Test AI Visibility in Just 10 Minutes: Cory explains how to search for local businesses with AI, compare which companies get recommended, and identify potential gaps in their online visibility. → How to Start Building an AI Search Agency: Explore four practical steps you can take over the next 30 days, how to use your existing network and industry knowledge, and what it really takes to prospect, sell, and deliver meaningful results. Subscribe to The E Forge Podcast for weekly conversations about entrepreneurship, AI business strategies, leadership, marketing, and building businesses and legacies that last. #AIBusiness #AISEO #AIAgency #Entrepreneurship #ChatGPTSEO Want to learn more about Cory Long? Check out the links below. Ai Authority Engine https://aiauthoritychallenge.com/  YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@therealcorylong Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e-forge-with-cory-long/id1823417933 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4aZD9YaIr5OttNLce5iGOm?si=7149ceb9ed9c4819 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/therealcorylong/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/therealcorylongEforge/ Disclaimer -  This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed tax professional or financial advisor to discuss your specific situation.

  2. Oct 30

    How One Scary Text Led to a $6,000/Month Client

    What if the reason your business isn't growing has nothing to do with the AI tools, sales training, or business courses you haven't finished? What if you're waiting for certainty that entrepreneurship simply can't give you? In this episode of the E Forge Podcast, Corey Long reveals how business clarity, overcoming fear, and taking consistent action can help entrepreneurs stop procrastinating and start building a real business. After launching 30+ AI marketing agencies through the AI Authority Engine certification, Corey shares four real entrepreneur stories about fear of rejection, sales prospecting, financial responsibility, and growing a successful agency. One entrepreneur sent a text he had been avoiding and went on to land a $6,000-per-month client. Another discovered that spending time building a website, watching training, and preparing sales materials wasn't the same as actually reaching potential customers. If you're starting a business in 2026, building an AI agency, growing a service-based business, or struggling to get clients, this episode will challenge how you think about business success. Learn how to find clarity without guaranteed results, overcome sales anxiety, use AI for business without getting distracted, make responsible business decisions, and take the next step toward the freedom and financial security you're building for. What You'll Learn / Episode Highlights Why clarity comes from action: Understand why waiting for a guaranteed outcome keeps entrepreneurs stuck and how taking the next responsible step creates useful feedback. How one uncomfortable conversation created a major opportunity: Hear how an entrepreneur overcame his fear of sales outreach and landed a $6,000-per-month client, plus why you shouldn't expect every outreach to produce the same outcome. The 90-minute sales challenge: Discover how dedicated prospecting time, daily outreach, and real customer conversations can move your business forward faster than endless preparation. How to build a business that lasts: Learn why identifying your ideal customer, solving real problems, managing financial risk, and using AI as a tool—not a shortcut—matter for long-term growth. Take Action This week, ask yourself: What am I really trying to build? What's actually keeping me from moving forward? What's the next responsible step I can take? Choose one step and take action. If you're starting or growing a business and want guidance from Corey Long, reach out and start the conversation. Subscribe to the E Forge Podcast for entrepreneurship advice, AI agency business strategies, leadership development, business growth, and the real lessons behind building companies that last. Share this episode with an entrepreneur who needs the push to move forward. #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #AIAgency #BusinessMindset #EForgePodcast

  3. Oct 21

    How to Build a Business That Lasts 30+ Years, Not 30 Days

    Everyone wants to start a business. But how do you build one that actually lasts 30 years? What separates entrepreneurs who survive economic changes, tough customers, staffing problems, and setbacks from those who quit? In this episode of the E Forge Podcast, host Cory Long sits down with Don Sizemore, founder of Anything Goes Moving (AG Moving), to uncover the secrets behind building a successful small business that has stood the test of time. After being laid off from the aviation industry, Don started his moving company in 1993 with a pickup truck, a trailer, and a willingness to work 16 to 18 hour days. More than three decades later, his North Texas moving business demonstrates the power of customer service, reputation, leadership, hard work, and relationship-driven growth. This conversation explores real-world entrepreneurship, starting a business from scratch, growing a service business, hiring and retaining loyal employees, building customer trust, generating referrals, and creating long-term financial freedom. Don shares how he found his first customers, navigated difficult business seasons, adapted to changing technology, and developed a team that allows him greater freedom to serve others. Whether you're a startup founder, established business owner, or overwhelmed entrepreneur trying to become a stronger leader, this episode offers practical lessons on sustainable business growth, employee loyalty, customer relationships, and building a lasting legacy. What You'll Learn →How Don built a business from nothing: Discover how a layoff led to entrepreneurship, how door-to-door marketing helped him find customers, and why consistent sales effort mattered more than having the perfect business plan. →Why reputation is your greatest business asset: Learn how delivering on promises, solving customer problems, answering the phone, and generating word-of-mouth referrals can help a service business thrive for decades. →How to build a team that creates freedom: Hear why Don made a loyal 17-year employee part-owner, how he trains employees to protect the customer experience, and why keeping great people is essential for long-term business success. →How to build a business that supports your purpose: Explore Don's transition from exhausting workdays to greater flexibility, community service, disaster relief volunteering, and creating a business that makes a difference beyond profit. Want to learn more about Cory Long? Check out the links below. Ai Authority Engine https://aiauthoritychallenge.com/  YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@therealcorylong Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e-forge-with-cory-long/id1823417933 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4aZD9YaIr5OttNLce5iGOm?si=7149ceb9ed9c4819 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/therealcorylong/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/therealcorylongEforge/ Disclaimer -  This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed tax professional or financial advisor to discuss your specific situation.

  4. Oct 15

    You Don't Own a Business… You've Built Yourself a Job

    Ready-to-publish description using the three-block formula. The opening section is approximately 200 words. Are you running a successful business, or have you built yourself a job you can never escape? If your company depends on you for every decision, every sale, and every problem, you may be stuck in The Operator Trap. Discover how to stop being the bottleneck, transition from operator to owner, and build a business that can grow without you. In this episode of the E-Forge Podcast, host Cory Long sits down with Louis Hunter, business investor, entrepreneur, and co-author of The Operator Trap, to uncover why so many business owners struggle with delegation, leadership, systems, and sustainable growth. Louis shares lessons from buying, building, and exiting businesses, including what makes a company valuable, why profitable companies aren't always sellable, and how owner dependency can destroy business value. You'll discover the difference between self-employment and true business ownership, how to identify key-person risk, and why working harder isn't always the answer to scaling your company. Whether you're an overwhelmed entrepreneur, small business owner, founder, or CEO looking for business growth strategies, this conversation will challenge how you think about freedom, building wealth, business acquisitions, and creating a company that operates without your constant involvement. You’ll Learn:  → How to Escape the Operator Trap: Why the habits that made your business successful can eventually prevent it from growing, and how to shift your mindset from doing everything yourself to building a business that doesn't depend entirely on you. → Why Profitable Businesses Aren't Always Sellable: Understand key-person risk, how business buyers evaluate owner-dependent companies, and why removing yourself from daily operations can increase the enterprise value of your business. → Building Systems, Teams, and Real Business Assets: Learn why delegation, accountable leadership, clear agreements, operational systems, and scalable business structures matter when turning a business into a long-term investment. → How Smart Entrepreneurs Think About Growth and Ownership: Explore business acquisition strategies, vertical integration, long-term decision-making, authentic marketing, mentorship, and the power of viewing your own company through an investor's eyes. Want to learn more about Cory Long? Check out the links below. Ai Authority Engine https://aiauthoritychallenge.com/  YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@therealcorylong Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e-forge-with-cory-long/id1823417933 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4aZD9YaIr5OttNLce5iGOm?si=7149ceb9ed9c4819 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/therealcorylong/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/therealcorylongEforge/ Disclaimer -  This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed tax professional or financial advisor to discuss your specific situation.

  5. Oct 8

    The Hard Truth About Scaling From $30M to $200M

    What does it really take to scale a company from successful to massive, without destroying the culture, losing your family, or becoming the bottleneck? In this episode of the EForge Podcast, Cory Long sits down with Stephen Lambert, founder of Oprex Construction, a fast-growing commercial general contractor serving West Texas, the Permian Basin, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and beyond. Stephen shares what he has learned while growing a construction company, building a high-performance team, managing multimillion-dollar commercial projects, and pursuing an ambitious goal of becoming a $200 million company. This conversation goes far beyond commercial construction. It is about leadership, business growth, scaling, hiring great employees, building company culture, extreme ownership, trust, delegation, faith, family, and becoming the kind of leader capable of carrying a much larger organization. Stephen also explains why growth exposes weaknesses, how Oprex decides which projects to pursue, why great people are expensive, how leaders can remove themselves as the bottleneck, and why protecting your reputation may matter more than chasing revenue. What You’ll Learn → You’ll learn why the leadership style that gets a company to one level often cannot take it to the next, and why founders must intentionally become more capable as the organization grows. → Stephen explains how trust is built through character, competency, communication, accountability, and doing what you said you would do—even when a project becomes difficult or expensive. → You’ll hear how Oprex uses core values, extreme ownership, strategic hiring, delegation, partnerships, and experienced construction professionals to pursue larger commercial projects while protecting execution quality. → You’ll also learn how Stephen thinks about faith, family, business growth, boundaries, ego, financial pressure, company culture, and building an organization that can continue operating at a high level without depending entirely on the founder. Want to learn more about Cory Long? Check out the links below. Ai Authority Engine https://aiauthoritychallenge.com/  YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@therealcorylong Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e-forge-with-cory-long/id1823417933 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4aZD9YaIr5OttNLce5iGOm?si=7149ceb9ed9c4819 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/therealcorylong/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/therealcorylongEforge/ Disclaimer -  This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed tax professional or financial advisor to discuss your specific situation.

  6. Oct 1

    The AI Agency Opportunity Most Businesses Don’t See Yet

    AI is changing how customers find businesses, and that could create one of the biggest agency opportunities of the next decade. For years, businesses competed to rank at the top of Google using SEO, websites, reviews, backlinks, content, and Google Ads. But customers are increasingly asking ChatGPT, Google AI, Claude, Perplexity, Grok, and other AI assistants a very different question: Who should I hire? That shift changes everything. A business can have strong traditional SEO, great Google rankings, hundreds of reviews, and an established website, and still be almost invisible when customers ask AI for a recommendation. In this episode of the E-Forge Podcast, Cory Long explains why AI search visibility, AI SEO, AEO, GEO, and AI authority could create a major new opportunity for agency owners, consultants, marketers, freelancers, coaches, and entrepreneurs. You’ll discover how businesses can become brands that AI understands, trusts, and recommends, and how marketers can build recurring services around solving that problem. If you’ve been wondering how to turn AI into a legitimate service business instead of selling another chatbot, prompt pack, or AI course, this episode breaks down a practical agency model built around an emerging customer acquisition problem. What You’ll Learn: → Why ranking at the top of Google no longer guarantees that a business will appear when customers use ChatGPT and other AI search platforms, and how this creates an entirely new visibility problem for business owners. → How an AI search agency can audit what AI currently understands about a company, uncover authority and visibility gaps, compare competitors, strengthen digital signals, create the right content, and measure improvements over time. → Why the future of marketing agencies may depend less on simply producing websites, articles, graphics, and social posts—and more on strategy, diagnosis, authority building, implementation, and solving expensive business problems. → How the AI Authority Engine model combines AI search strategy, positioning, prospecting, sales, client retention, certification, fulfillment, and authority building to help entrepreneurs create an actual AI agency rather than simply learn more about artificial intelligence. Want to learn more about Cory Long? Check out the links below. Ai Authority Engine https://aiauthoritychallenge.com/  YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@therealcorylong Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e-forge-with-cory-long/id1823417933 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4aZD9YaIr5OttNLce5iGOm?si=7149ceb9ed9c4819 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/therealcorylong/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/therealcorylongEforge/ Disclaimer -  This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed tax professional or financial advisor to discuss your specific situation.

  7. Sep 24

    Your Business Is Growing… But Is Your Life Shrinking?

    What if your business is growing while everything that matters most is shrinking? Entrepreneurs are taught to chase business growth, more revenue, bigger teams, more clients, wealth, influence, and opportunity. But sustainable business growth means very little if success costs you your marriage, your relationship with your kids, your faith, or your peace. In this episode of the eForge Podcast, Cory Long sits down with entrepreneur JC Hite to explore how ambitious business owners can scale without sacrificing their family and personal life. JC shares lessons from building companies, making the Inc. 5000, managing hundreds of employees, investing in businesses, and developing relationships with influential leadership voices including John Maxwell and Dr. Gary Chapman. He also shares what happened when outward business success collided with panic attacks, overwhelming pressure, and the realization that growth alone isn't the goal. If you're an entrepreneur, founder, business owner, or leader trying to build wealth, create impact, strengthen your marriage, raise your kids well, deepen your faith, and grow a profitable company, this conversation challenges the traditional definition of success. What You’ll Learn: → You’ll discover why more time with your children doesn't automatically mean more meaningful connection, and why JC emphasizes intentional, distraction-free time with family. → You’ll hear how entrepreneurs can navigate the tension between business growth, marriage, faith, family obligations, and opportunities that could accelerate their careers. → JC explains his approach to finding mentors and intentionally getting into rooms with successful leaders, including the formula he uses: vulnerability, the right room, execution over time, and faith. → You’ll also hear a different definition of entrepreneurial success: building profitable companies and creating meaningful impact without sacrificing the people and relationships you were building everything for in the first place. Want to learn more about Cory Long? Check out the links below. Ai Authority Engine https://aiauthoritychallenge.com/  YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@therealcorylong Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e-forge-with-cory-long/id1823417933 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4aZD9YaIr5OttNLce5iGOm?si=7149ceb9ed9c4819 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/therealcorylong/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/therealcorylongEforge/ Disclaimer -  This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed tax professional or financial advisor to discuss your specific situation.

  8. Sep 17

    AI Made Your Course Less Valuable, Here’s What Sells Now

    AI can build a marketing plan, write a sales script, explain Facebook ads, teach SEO, and create an entire business curriculum in seconds. So if you’re a coach, consultant, trainer, expert, or course creator, you need to answer a difficult question: What happens when the information inside your online course is no longer the main reason someone should pay you? In this episode of the E-Forge Podcast, Cory Long sits down with Alex Changho to explore how artificial intelligence is changing the online coaching and knowledge business, and why the future may be less about selling information and more about creating transformation, competency, accountability, and certification. They unpack the difference between someone saying, “I watched your course,” and being able to say, “I was trained, evaluated, and certified by you.” You’ll discover why AI may continue to commoditize information while increasing the value of human judgment, feedback, implementation, community, testing, and demonstrated expertise. If you sell coaching programs, online courses, consulting, training, masterminds, or intellectual property, this conversation will challenge you to rethink exactly what your clients are paying for, and how to build an offer AI can strengthen instead of replace. Highlights: → Discover why information alone is becoming harder to monetize as AI makes expert knowledge faster and easier to access. → How certification changes a course from information consumption into demonstrated competency and skill. → Why accountability, human feedback, judgment, community, and implementation can become increasingly valuable in an AI-driven coaching business. → How coaches and experts can identify the critical 20% of their expertise clients still need from a human even when AI can provide much of the underlying information. Want to learn more about Cory Long? Check out the links below. Ai Authority Engine https://aiauthoritychallenge.com/  YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@therealcorylong Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e-forge-with-cory-long/id1823417933 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4aZD9YaIr5OttNLce5iGOm?si=7149ceb9ed9c4819 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/therealcorylong/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/therealcorylongEforge/ Disclaimer -  This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed tax professional or financial advisor to discuss your specific situation.

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About

E-forge with Cory Long is for faith-driven entrepreneurs who know they’re called to more; but feel stuck in the daily grind. This show is about helping you rise; from overwhelmed operator to empowered leader. Cory brings real strategies on business structure, systems, marketing, AI, and mindset to help you build a business that gives you back your time, multiplies your impact, and aligns with your purpose. If you’re ready to unlock freedom, lead with excellence, and use your business to serve others at the highest level, this podcast is your next step.

Information

  • Creator
    Cory Long
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    67
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Cory Long
  • Show Website
    E-Forge With Cory Long

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