Remixing AI for SMBs
It's been quite a ride 🙂.
When I hit publish on the first issue of AI for SMBs Weekly back in March, I had no idea what kind of response to expect. Twenty-three issues later, more than 2,000 of you subscribed and more than 50% of you open this newsletter every week. 🤯
You've stuck with me through proposals and cash flow forecasting, inventory optimization and meeting intelligence, tariff mitigation and competitive analysis.
But the world of GenAI has changed dramatically since Issue #1.
Back then, o3-mini had just launched. DeepSeek R1 was making waves as a disruptive force that challenged everything we thought we knew about AI training costs. The idea that AI agents could autonomously handle complex business workflows was just beginning to move from theory to reality.
Today, we're living in a completely different landscape – one where the frontier models release new capabilities almost weekly, where AI can actually do things rather than just write about them, and where the gap between "AI experiment" and "AI-powered business transformation" has collapsed to almost nothing.
Which brings me to today's announcement.
Midwest Quality Consulting is becoming Remix Partners.
This isn't just a rebrand, it's a recognition that the work has fundamentally changed. When I started MQC, I was helping businesses understand and experiment with generative AI. Today, my co-founder Jason Rubinstein and I are working hands-on with leaders to actually build AI-powered capabilities that drive growth.
The lines between strategy, design, and implementation have dissolved. Companies don't need another consultant explaining what's possible – they need partners who can roll up their sleeves and build alongside them.
We wrote an open letter explaining our thinking, which you can read here on LinkedIn. I won't repeat it all, but the core idea is simple: every business needs to remix itself with AI – holding dear what makes them unique while embracing new possibilities.
What's Changing with AI for SMBs Weekly?
The format is evolving.
Each issue will start with a few highlights from the world of generative AI that we think are particularly relevant to SMBs – the signal in the noise. Then we'll dive into one of three types of content:
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Remixes: Taking our older posts and updating them for 2025's AI landscape (because a post about "Picking a Model Family" from May 2025 is already outdated)
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Points of View: Sharing Remix Partners' perspectives on what's happening in the GenAI world
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Case Studies: Conversations with our clients about their successes and challenges in AI transformation
We're shifting from weekly to "every-other-week-ish."
Rather than forcing out content every Thursday just to hit a schedule, we're moving to roughly twice a month. This gives us room to go deeper, be more thoughtful, and honestly, only publish when we have something genuinely useful to say.
This is the last issue of AI for SMBs Weekly you'll receive through Kajabi.
Starting with our next issue, we're moving to Substack. Don't worry – the newsletter remains completely free, and you're already subscribed. You'll just see emails coming from our new Substack address instead of this one. You might need to update your filters (and double check your spam folder).
The next issue will go out on October 23rd.
Why We're Remixing
The advice from five months ago isn't wrong, but it's definitely stale.
Which is why remixing makes sense. Rather than constantly chasing the next new function to cover, let's revisit the fundamentals with fresh eyes and current capabilities. Let's take what worked and make it better. Let's acknowledge what's changed and update accordingly.
What's NOT Changing
The newsletter remains free. The focus remains ridiculously practical. The commitment to helping SMBs cut through the hype and actually use this technology remains absolute.
If anything, we're doubling down on that promise. Moving to twice a month means more depth, more testing, more real-world validation before we hit publish.
What's Next
Our first Substack issue drops in two weeks. It'll be a remix of one of our most popular posts, completely updated for where the technology is today.
After that? We've got some case studies lined up that I think you'll find fascinating – real businesses, real challenges, real results. And a few points of view on where this whole AI transformation thing is actually heading (spoiler: it's not where most people think).
Thank You!
Building something from scratch is humbling. Watching 2,000+ people choose to spend their Thursday mornings with what I've written? That's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.
Thank you for every read, every reply, every forwarded email to a colleague who needed to hear it. Thank you for the questions that pushed my thinking, the success stories that made my day, and the honest feedback that made this newsletter better.
You've helped make AI for SMBs what it's become. I can't wait to see where we take it next.
cheers,
-justin
✨ ✌🏻 ✨
P.S. – We've got some super exciting things we're working on at Remix Partners. Stay tuned.
