A room walked in scared AI was coming for their jobs. By the end they were firing thirty-three questions at me.

I created the Digital E.T.A. small business program after the branch won a Verizon grant. I built the training out of my own experience in business. We ran two cohorts in 2024. The first started in January. The second started in July and ran about four weeks. The wider program reached seniors and returning citizens too. My track was the small business owners, and inside it I ran a class on how to personalize AI and actually put it to work.

The room came in afraid the technology was there to replace them. I made it ordinary. By the end they were not scared, they were leaning in, hitting me with thirty-three questions back to back. In 2024, 65 business owners came through the small business program. One student told me she cleared more than $10,000 from one idea after taking my AI class.