Make Time: Human, Business & AI Capabilities for Small Business

Sam Hurley | 25eight
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For small business owners building the capabilities they need to thrive in an AI economy, Make Time is the podcast that helps you close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Hosted by Samantha Hurley, CEO of 25eight, each episode delivers research-backed thinking on human potential, business capability, AI adoption, leadership development, and small business growth. Practical actions that transfer directly into how you build and lead a business on your own terms.

  1. Three important decisions your need to make now about AI in your business

    5d ago

    Three important decisions your need to make now about AI in your business

    Governance isn't the most exciting word, and for a busy owner it usually sits well below customers, suppliers and staff. But in this episode of Make Time, Sam Hurley makes the case that a small amount of clarity about how AI is used in your business now saves a disproportionate amount of trouble later. EY's AI Sentiment Index found that 68% of Australian computer-based workers had used AI in the past month, while only 35% had received any training or guidance. A lot of AI use is already happening, much of it without anyone deciding what the tools are for, who is accountable, or what data they can touch.Sam's frame is refreshingly small. Drawing on a 2025 G7 governance toolkit built for small businesses deploying everyday AI tools, she translates three core challenges into three plain decisions any owner can make in an afternoon. First, what data does this AI touch? Write down what each tool can access, what it does with that data, and where it's stored. The act of writing it down makes invisible choices visible. Second, what workflow does it sit in? An AI output isn't accountable when it's wrong, so a person has to be. Decide who reviews AI work before it goes anywhere and what standard it has to meet. At the early stage that person is probably you, but naming it turns a habit into a decision. Third, what are your boundaries? A short, practical list of what you won't use AI for, and why, such as keeping confidential client information out of public models. She's clear that this doesn't need a compliance team. A single shared note or a spreadsheet reviewed quarterly is enough at this stage. The value is in the act of deciding. The episode then walks through what skipping these decisions looks like in practice: confidential data pasted into a public tool, a generic AI proposal that damages a client relationship, and the increasingly common moment when a partner in government, defence, financial services or health asks for your AI use policy and you have no clear answer. Deloitte's 2026 research makes the point: durable AI capability comes from clarity of strategy and deliberate design decided before scale, not from which tools you own. Get the foundations right early, Sam argues, and AI compounds your capability rather than building a problem in the background you'll have to stop and undo. Key takeaways Governance sounds dull, but skipping it lets AI build habits, data flows and precedents that are costly to undo later. EY's AI Sentiment Index: 68% of Australian computer-based workers used AI in the past month, but only 35% had any training or guidance. Three decisions cover it: what data the AI touches, what workflow it sits in (who reviews outputs), and what boundaries you set (what AI won't do). A single shared note or spreadsheet, reviewed quarterly, is enough governance for most small businesses at this stage (G7 toolkit, 2025). Without these decisions: confidential data leaks into public tools, generic AI output reaches clients, and you can't answer a partner's "what's your AI policy?", now a real factor in some procurement. Deloitte 2026: durable AI capability comes from clarity of strategy and deliberate design, decided before scale, not which tools you have. The practical move is a two-hour task now, not a next-quarter project: write down your answers to the three decisions and set a reminder to review in three months. Subscribe to the 25eight's newsletter: https://www.25eight.co/newsletter-sign-up?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=newsletter-signup&utm_content=2727742762&utm_term=committed-early-builder AI for Small Business Video Series & Templates Free resource https://www.25eight.co/introduction-to-ai-for-small-business?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=C5&utm_content=2727742762&utm_term=committed-early-builder

    17 min
  2. Why knowing isn't the same as doing and how this impacts business

    Jun 11

    Why knowing isn't the same as doing and how this impacts business

    If you've read the books, taken the courses, attended the workshops and filled notebooks with good intentions, but your business looks much the same, this episode is for you. Sam makes the case up front: that gap isn't a reflection of your intelligence, your work ethic or your commitment. It's structural. The information age sold us the idea that knowing something is the same as being able to do it, and no amount of extra input closes that gap on its own. What actually changes things is the conditions for learning to transfer into your situation. Researchers call the space between what you know and what you do the knowing-doing gap, and the evidence points somewhere uncomfortable but freeing: the problem usually isn't the quality of the course or your follow-through. It's that the place you learned is disconnected from the place you have to apply it. Sam walks through the four conditions that reliably make learning stick. Most development products deliver one or two of these. Remove any one and the odds of real change drop; remove two and they shift firmly against you. The episode also names the situations you might recognise: the self-paced course a crisis displaced, the workshop whose energy faded by day ten, the consultant's correct-but-unimplementable report, the coach whose help never quite became your own repeatable skill. None of them failed because you didn't try. They failed because the four conditions weren't all there.If any of that sounds familiar, the suggestion is simple: get clear on where you actually are before your next course. Key takeaways ✅ Knowing isn't the same as being able. More information won't close that gap on its own. ✅ The knowing-doing gap is mostly about conditions, not the quality of the knowledge or your willpower (Beer, Finnström & Schrader, HBR 2016). ✅ Feedback speed and specificity is one of the strongest drivers of how fast capability builds (Bloom, 1984). ✅ Four conditions make learning transfer: context alignment, structured application, targeted feedback, and social accountability. Most programs deliver only one or two. ✅ When all four are present, owners can see measurable shifts in business metrics in roughly 8 to 12 weeks, not years. ✅ Start by understanding where you are: the Small Business Capability Gap diagnostic, about eight minutes, no commitment. Chapters00:00 The Learning Gap in Business 02:44 Understanding the Conditions for Effective Learning 05:34 The Importance of Feedback and Application 08:08 Four Key Conditions for Learning Transfer 10:41 Real-World Applications and Challenges 13:04 Building Capability in a Changing Environment 15:29 Conclusion and Next Steps Find your Small Business Capability Gap: https://www.25eight.co/the-small-business-capability-gap?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=H5&utm_content=2718704757&utm_term=relief If you're ready for a structured, supported environment with all four conditions built in: Next Level Growth Program: for small growing businesses wanting to stabilise sales or build the systems to scale. Industry Growth Program: for established businesses looking to expand or transition into new markets. Lead with AI: beginner, intermediate and advanced tracks, if building AI capability matters to you. The aim of every program is not to give you more information. It's to build the conditions that turn what you already know into how your business actually runs. Keywords: small business · business capability · capability building · learning transfer · business growth · business owner development · knowing-doing gap · structured learning · accountability why business courses don't work · why training doesn't stick · knowing-doing gap in business · the four conditions for learning transfer · learning transfer in business · why workshops don't change your business · building capability vs gathering knowledge

    17 min
  3. What you can't outsource - and why it explains the delegation gap

    Jun 4

    What you can't outsource - and why it explains the delegation gap

    Most business owners who hit a ceiling with delegation aren't failing at delegation. They're running into a structural problem: a capability layer underneath delegation that only the business owner can hold. In this episode of Make Time, Sam Hurley breaks down what that layer is, what the research says about why it can't be delegated, and why AI strategy has made the problem impossible to ignore. THE FOUR THINGS ONLY THE BUSINESS OWNER CAN DO 1. Strategic direction. Not the strategic plan document — the lived clarity about what the business is for, who it serves, and what it refuses to do. Senior teams can refine and stress-test it. They can't author it. 2. Cultural tone. How the business feels when decisions are being made under pressure. Whether disagreements are safe. Whether the truth-teller in the room gets rewarded or sidelined. It isn't usually documented — it's modelled by the business owner on hard days and then copied. 3. Trust architecture. Who gets authority for what. How decisions escalate. Who owns the call when two senior people disagree. The architecture can be designed collaboratively. Only the business owner can enforce it consistently across the cases where it's painful. 4. AI strategy. The clearest current case. You can outsource AI deployment. You can't outsource AI strategy. When you try, the team adopts tools fast and the business loses its shape. McKinsey's State of AI data shows the pattern at scale: most organisations are adopting AI; most are not capturing the value they expected. The gap isn't the tool. RESEARCH REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE Chris Argyris, "Teaching Smart People How to Learn," Harvard Business Review (1991) — on defensive reasoning in competent senior teams and what stops knowledge translating into actionBrinkerhoff's Success Case Method — why only around 30% of training outcomes survive the return to the workplace, and what the business owner does that determines whether they doDeci & Ryan, Self-Determination Theory (2008) — motivation degrades when people are asked to deliver outcomes they have no authority to setMcKinsey State of AI — the value realisation gap in AI adoption TAKE THE CAPABILITY GAP DIAGNOSTIC A complimentary tool that reads your capability across the four layers covered in this episode. Not a lead generation tool — a genuinely useful starting point for business owners and the coaches who work with them. https://www.25eight.co/the-small-business-capability-gap?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=H7&utm_content=2709214057&utm_term=aspiration ABOUT MAKE TIME Hosted by Sam Hurley, Founder of 25eight — a certified B Corp building capability for SMEs and the coaches who work with them. Each episode covers one capability idea: specific, evidence-based, and immediately applicable. www.25eight.co

    15 min
  4. Feeling behind with AI? Why capability matters more than speed

    May 28

    Feeling behind with AI? Why capability matters more than speed

    Make Time host, Sam Hurley, explores the pressure many small business owners are feeling right now: the sense that everyone else is moving faster with AI, while you are still trying to run the business, serve customers, manage the team, make decisions, and keep up.At the centre of this episode is a simple but important reassurance:You are not behind.Drawing on recent AI adoption research from Deloitte and McKinsey, as well as the long-standing idea of the “Knowing Doing Gap”, Sam explains why using AI is not the same as benefiting from AI. Many businesses are adopting tools quickly, but not necessarily seeing better outcomes.The reason, Sam argues, is not a lack of tools. It is a capability gap.This episode introduces the idea of the Capability Era, a moment where the businesses most likely to benefit from AI are not necessarily the fastest adopters, but the ones building stronger human, leadership, business, digital and AI capability underneath the tools.Sam explores why speed can be useful, but speed without capability often creates more complexity, more noise, and more confusion. A business can have multiple AI subscriptions and still lack the clarity, decision rhythm, customer understanding, team alignment, or operating system needed to make those tools valuable.You do not need to chase every AI tool. You need to understand what is worth amplifying.Find your capability gapIf you would like a clearer picture of your strengths and where your business may benefit from deeper capability, the complimentary 25eight Small Business Capability Gap Index was built for exactly that.https://capability-gap.25eight.coChapters00:00 The Reality of Running a BusinessSam opens with the real experience of running a small business, where AI can feel like one more fire to manage rather than a clear opportunity.02:14 AI Adoption and the Value Realisation GapWhy AI adoption is increasing quickly, but many organisations are still not seeing the outcomes they expected.06:28 The Capability Era: Building for the FutureSam introduces the Capability Era and explains why underlying capability may now matter more than speed of adoption.09:06 The Importance of Capability Over SpeedA look at why fast AI adoption without clarity, systems, and capability can create complexity rather than progress.11:10 Framing Your Business JourneyWhy seeing yourself as “falling behind” can be exhausting, and why the more useful identity is that of a builder.15:47 Identifying Your Strengths and Moving ForwardSam closes by helping business owners think about what they already know, what makes them different, and where AI could meaningfully amplify their strengths.Key topicsWhy running a business can already feel overwhelming before AI is added to the mixWhy AI adoption is not the same as AI capabilityThe difference between speed of adoption and depth of capabilityWhy many businesses are experiencing a value realisation gap with AIHow the Knowing Doing Gap applies to AI adoptionWhat the Capability Era means for small business ownersWhy capability can become a more durable advantage than speedHow AI can create complexity when the underlying business is unclearWhy comparison to other business owners can be misleadingThe role of self-efficacy in business growth and implementationWhy tools do not replace strategy, clarity, or customer understandingHow to identify what is worth amplifying in your businessKeywordsAI in business, AI for small business, AI adoption, AI capability, AI strategy, artificial intelligence for small business, business capability, capability gap, Capability Era, small business growth, business leadership, business strategy, digital capability, leadership capability, AI readiness, value realisation gap, Knowing Doing Gap, self-efficacy, business systems, working smarter, business owner burnout, entrepreneurship, future of work, AI tools, small business marketing

    19 min
  5. Why Local AI Could Change Everything for Small Businesses

    May 21

    Why Local AI Could Change Everything for Small Businesses

    Make Time host, Sam Hurley, explores one of the most important emerging shifts in artificial intelligence for small and medium-sized businesses: the move from cloud-based AI tools toward local AI models owned and controlled by the business itself. While most businesses currently interact with AI through browser-based tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini, Sam explains why a transformation is underway. Smaller, highly capable AI models are now becoming accessible enough to run locally on business-owned hardware, creating new opportunities around privacy, cost control, customisation, and strategic independence. The episode breaks down the hidden trade-offs involved in cloud AI adoption, including data governance concerns, rising subscription dependency, and the operational risks of relying entirely on third-party platforms. Sam explains why this matters particularly for businesses handling sensitive customer information, proprietary processes, regulated data, or complex operational workflows. The conversation introduces the rise of local AI models and Small Language Models (SLMs), showing how rapidly improving model quality, lower infrastructure costs, and easier deployment tools are making local AI viable for smaller operators for the first time. Sam explores where local AI creates the most value, including: internal knowledge management document review compliance support quoting and estimation proprietary workflow automation The episode also examines why the future of AI in business is likely to be hybrid rather than all-or-nothing, with businesses using local AI for sensitive, repetitive, operational work while leveraging larger cloud models for broader reasoning and creative tasks. At its core, this episode is not simply about AI tools. It is about strategic ownership, capability building, and designing an AI approach that aligns with the way your business actually operates. Want to understand where your capabilities and AI Readiness maps - take the complementary Small Business Capability Gap diagnostic to get a full report - https://capability-gap.25eight.co What you’ll learn in this episode: The difference between cloud AI and local AI models Why businesses are beginning to move AI infrastructure in-house The hidden risks of cloud AI subscriptions and data sharing How Small Language Models (SLMs) are changing AI adoption Why local AI can dramatically reduce long-term costs The business advantage of training AI on your own data Practical use cases for local AI in small businesses Why the future of AI is likely hybrid rather than fully cloud-based What small businesses should consider before adopting AI infrastructure Key takeaway: The businesses that benefit most from AI over the next decade may not be the ones adopting the most tools. They may be the ones thinking most carefully about ownership, capability, data control, and where AI fits strategically inside their operations. Notable insight:“The AI you build into your operations does not have to sound like everyone else’s. It can sound like yours.” Chapters: 00:00 – The Shift in AI for Small Businesses 01:25 – Understanding Cloud AI Limitations 03:27 – The Rise of Local AI Models 08:39 – Practical Applications of Local AI 11:00 – Implementing Local AI in Your Business 12:13 – Strategic Considerations for AI AdoptionResources & Technologies Mentioned: ChatGPT Claude Gemini Copilot Ollama Mistral 7B Gemma2 Phi-3 Gartner AI forecasts Local AI, small language models, AI for small business, cloud AI, AI infrastructure, local LLMs, AI privacy, AI data security, business AI strategy, artificial intelligence, AI adoption, AI in Australia, AI business tools, digital transformation, small business technology, AI governance, AI operations, hybrid AI strategy, sovereign AI, AI capability

    14 min
  6. Why AI Isn't Delivering ROI for Many Business

    May 14

    Why AI Isn't Delivering ROI for Many Business

    Make Time host, Sam Hurley, explores one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding AI adoption in business today: the assumption that AI tools alone create value. Drawing on research from organisations including McKinsey, Stanford, MIT, and OECD, Sam explains why many businesses are investing heavily in AI yet failing to see meaningful returns. While AI adoption has accelerated rapidly, capability development has not kept pace. The result is often faster output, but not necessarily better outcomes. At the centre of this episode is a simple but powerful framework: Capability × AI = Output AI, Sam argues, is not an addition to business performance. It is a multiplier. When underlying capability is strong (clear leadership, aligned teams, sound operations, strategic thinking, and digital literacy), AI can become transformative. But when capability is weak, AI often amplifies confusion, misalignment, and inefficiency at scale. The conversation traces the evolution of technological disruption through the lens of the printing press, showing how every major technological shift eventually stops being about the tool itself and starts becoming about human capability. Sam argues that AI is now entering that same phase. The episode introduces the four capability layers AI amplifies in business: Human capabilityLeadership capabilityBusiness capabilityDigital and AI capabilityAlongside these, Sam explores the one category AI cannot create: embedded human capability. These are the capabilities developed through real-world experience, pressure, judgment, and repeated application under genuine business conditions. This episode reframes the AI conversation away from tools, prompts, and automation hype, and toward the deeper question every business leader should be asking: “What exactly am I multiplying?” Key topics Why many businesses are failing to see ROI from AIThe hidden reason AI can create distraction instead of valueWhy AI is best understood as a multiplier, not a replacementThe four capability layers AI amplifiesThe difference between digital capability and embedded human capabilityWhy leadership and operational clarity matter for AI adoptionHow capability becomes the real competitive advantage in the AI economyWhy small businesses may be better positioned than they realiseAI does not fix unclear strategy, poor leadership, weak operations, or low confidence. It amplifies whatever already exists underneath. The businesses that benefit most from AI will be those investing in the capability behind the tools. “Weak capability multiplied by AI equals fast mediocrity at scale.” Find your capability gap 25eight Small Business Capability Gap Index Keywords: AI in business, AI ROI, artificial intelligence for small business, business capability, leadership capability, AI strategy, digital transformation, AI readiness, small business growth, business systems, human capability, AI adoption, entrepreneurship, business leadership, capability building, future of work, AI economy, strategic thinking

    21 min
  7. The Capability Advantage In The AI Economy

    May 7

    The Capability Advantage In The AI Economy

    Make Time host, Sam Hurley, opens season two by exploring one of the most significant shifts facing small and medium-sized businesses today: the closing gap between individuals and large organisations, driven by the rapid advancement of AI. Drawing on over a decade of experience supporting business leaders, she reflects on a growing pattern. As access to information, tools, and strategy becomes universal, more business owners are turning to external systems, blueprints, and “proven frameworks” in search of certainty. While these can provide short-term relief, Sam explains why they rarely lead to meaningful, lasting change. The conversation explores the psychology behind why business owners are drawn to step-by-step systems, especially in times of uncertainty, and why this response is both natural and limiting. Sam introduces a critical distinction: systems can provide structure, but they cannot replace judgment, context, or the ability to adapt when conditions change.At the centre of this episode is a powerful idea. In the AI economy, success is no longer determined by access to tools. It is determined by the quality of human capability behind those tools. AI acts as a multiplier, amplifying both strengths and weaknesses, making capability the true competitive advantage.Sam outlines why capability compounds over time, while external systems decay. She explains how businesses that invest in their ability to think clearly, make decisions, and apply knowledge in context will outperform those that rely on borrowed solutions. This episode sets the foundation for season two, where the focus shifts to building practical capability across human, leadership, business, and digital domains. It reframes growth not as following the right system, but as becoming the kind of leader who can navigate complexity with confidence.Want to benchmark your capabilities and AI readiness of your business? Take our complementary diagnostic tool to uncover your strengths, spot your gaps and where to focus your efforts for maximum impact. It takes less than 10 minutes - https://capability-gap.25eight.co What you’ll learn in this episode: Why AI has levelled the playing field for small businesses The hidden psychology behind the appeal of business “blueprints” Why systems fail to deliver long-term results The difference between borrowed solutions and built capability How AI acts as a multiplier, not a shortcut Key takeaway:In a world where tools and information are abundant, the advantage shifts to those who can think, decide, and act effectively. Capability is no longer optional. It is the infrastructure that determines business success. Why human judgment and discernment are becoming more valuable The five capabilities small business leaders need to build right now. Notable insight:“AI has made the quality of your outputs… essentially independent of the size of your organisation.” Timestamps: 00:00 – The shift in access and opportunity 02:00 – Why we’re drawn to systems and blueprints06:00 – The problem with following external frameworks 10:00 – AI as a multiplier (and the hidden risk) 14:00 – Capability vs systems: what actually compounds 18:00 – The five capabilities that matter most 23:00 – What this means for small business leaders 26:00 – Season two: what’s coming next Keywords: AI for small business, capability building, business strategy, decision making, entrepreneurship, small business growth, AI economy, leadership capability, digital capability, human skills in business, business mindset, adaptability, AI literacy, strategic thinking, business coaching, 25eight, Make Time podcast

    16 min
  8. Business Don't Fail Because People Are Incapable

    Apr 30

    Business Don't Fail Because People Are Incapable

    Make Time host, Sam Hurley, explores one of the most important things to get right early in business: understanding the problem you solve and why it matters.Drawing on over a decade of experience working with small and medium-sized business leaders, she reflects on the patterns behind business success and failure. While external factors play a role, Sam explains why outcomes are ultimately shaped by the decisions business owners make, and how those decisions are often limited by the knowledge available at the time.The discussion traces the evolution of 25eight’s approach, from solving for time constraints through accelerated learning, to uncovering the deeper drivers of success. It highlights why knowledge alone is not enough, and why the ability to apply that knowledge consistently under real conditions is what separates businesses that survive from those that thrive.Sam introduces the role of diagnostics, personalised learning, and the often overlooked human elements such as self-efficacy, clarity, and intrinsic motivation. She explains how these factors influence completion, implementation, and ultimately business performance.As the final episode of season one, this conversation sets the foundation for season two, where the focus will shift to building capability across human, leadership, business, and digital domains in a way that is practical, applied, and immediately useful.Keywords: small business growth, problem-solution fit, decision making, business strategy, capability building, self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, leadership capability, digital capability, AI in small business, personalised learning, business diagnostics, entrepreneurship, business success.

    13 min
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About

For small business owners building the capabilities they need to thrive in an AI economy, Make Time is the podcast that helps you close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Hosted by Samantha Hurley, CEO of 25eight, each episode delivers research-backed thinking on human potential, business capability, AI adoption, leadership development, and small business growth. Practical actions that transfer directly into how you build and lead a business on your own terms.

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