Rachel Stuve, RBMS Professionals, on Avoiding Costly AI Mistakes by Getting Data, Process, and People Right First (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 991)
Rachel Stuve, CEO and Founder of RBMS Professionals, returns to North Fulton Business Radio to talk with host John Ray about the AI mistakes she sees small and mid-sized businesses make and how to avoid them. Rachel started RBMS Professionals in 2018 to help owners put AI to practical use running their businesses and get time back in their day.
Rachel has worked in data and AI for more than 20 years, long before anyone called it AI. She explains that the math behind AI has been around for decades, and the recent leap comes from computing power. She walks through the three things a business has to get right before AI pays off: clean data, sound processes, and people who are ready to use the tools. She also describes a client whose new customer service chatbot told customers it was opening trouble tickets, though no one had ever trained it to do that. Customer experience dropped sharply as people kept calling to ask about tickets that did not exist.
Rachel compares AI adoption to giving a 16-year-old their first car: a used one with a few dents makes more sense than a Ferrari. She also describes a voice-activated CRM she built for a business owner who spends a lot of time on the road and lists four signs that a business could use outside help with AI.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- The most common AI mistakes come from all-or-nothing thinking, putting AI on top of incomplete or bad data, and automating broken processes, including undocumented workarounds employees use to get work done.
- People matter as much as the tools. Rachel cites a study in which most respondents said they trusted AI, yet their daily work habits showed they did not. She has also seen well-built AI tools go unused.
- Starting with a small, low-risk internal process helps the company culture adjust, and the efficiency gains can pay for larger AI projects later.
- Rachel opens every engagement by asking which business decision relies most on data and how confident the owner is in it. She then looks for repetitive tasks that eat up time and builds a step-by-step roadmap tied to the company’s business goals.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:20 John Ray introduces the show and guest Rachel Stuve
01:59 Rachel introduces RBMS Professionals and her 20-plus years in data and AI
05:18 Where businesses go wrong: all-or-nothing thinking, bad data, and broken processes
10:49 Redesigning processes and the risk of automating undocumented workarounds
12:51 The third piece: people, adoption, and fear of AI
14:22 Privacy, transparency, and emerging AI regulation
20:14 The Ferrari metaphor and a chatbot that promised trouble tickets it never opened
24:10 How an RBMS Professionals engagement unfolds, from business goals to an AI roadmap
27:48 Four signs a business needs help with AI
29:55 A voice-activated CRM built for a business owner on the road
Rachel Stuve, CEO & Founder, RBMS Professionals
Rachel Stuve is the founder of RBMS Professionals, an Atlanta-based AI consulting firm that partners with small and mid-sized businesses to build practical AI strategy. She brings more than 20 years of experience across SMB and enterprise and has led AI programs inside private equity-backed and regulated organizations. Rachel builds teams that deliver AI-based solutions to drive operational efficiencies and help leaders make informed technology decisions. She is a LinkedIn Top Voice and keynote speaker who explains AI in language every leader can act on.
RBMS Professionals
RBMS Professionals is an AI and data strategy consulting firm that builds a practical AI plan for small & mid-sized businesses and stays with them through delivery as their strategy grows with their AI maturity. They translate complex technology into language every leader can act on. They are a federally certified Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB).
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, having started in 1904 as a $100,000 bank located in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown into one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, boasting over $26 billion in assets and more than 280 offices offering banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from the commitment of each banker to invest in the communities they serve, which in turn helps them better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, their banking professionals understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter) | YouTube
Beyond Computer Solutions supports North Fulton Business Radio
Whether you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.
Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.
Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube
About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
Approaching 1,000 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their respective markets, communities, and professions. There is no discrimination based on company size, and there is never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, which is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio is located at 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the entire archive of shows by following this link. The show is accessible on all major podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the five-star-rated book The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
