Solopreneur Archives - Business RadioX ®

Don Morron on AI Agents vs AI Assistants for Business

December 10, 2025 by John Ray

Don Morron, HighlandTech, on AI Agents vs AI Assistants, Custom Business Automation, and When to Build vs Buy AI Solutions (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 921), with host John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Don Morron on AI Agents vs AI Assistants for Business

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Don Morron, HighlandTech, on AI Agents vs AI Assistants, Custom Business Automation, and When to Build vs Buy AI Solutions (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 921)

On this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray welcomes Don Morron, Founder and CEO of HighlandTech. HighlandTech’s AI automation agency builds custom AI agents that help businesses eliminate repetitive work and unlock new levels of productivity. In barely a year of business, Don has earned recognition as the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Solopreneur of the Year, which demonstrates the rapid impact his work is having in the business community.

Don explains the distinction between AI assistants and AI agents, highlighting their role as digital workers capable of automating business processes from beginning to end. He shares his journey from enterprise sales at Fortune 100 companies to founding HighlandTech and how his commitment to education has made him a leading voice in the physical security industry through his podcast, AI PHYSEC TODAY. Don emphasizes that successful AI adoption requires leadership conviction, starting with identifying the right use cases and understanding when to buy versus build AI solutions.

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

While AI assistants merely provide information or suggestions without taking action, AI agents are digital workers that can automate entire business processes.
Businesses should begin their AI journey by identifying repetitive, manual tasks that consume significant time and resources and then evaluate whether existing products can address these issues before investing in custom solutions.
Successful AI implementation requires leaders to have conviction and a willingness to make calculated bets, taking the initiative themselves rather than expecting employees to drive adoption.
HighlandTech built an AI agent for a firm that manages security risks in 2,000 schools, which increased productivity by 400%, enabling consultants to complete more safety assessments and better protect students.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

00:20 Host John Ray introduces Don Morron and HighlandTech
02:16 Don Morron explains what HighlandTech does with AI automation
03:13 Don’s career journey from telecom sales to enterprise sales and entrepreneurship
05:13 How Don got into AI three years ago and started his podcast
07:07 How companies should approach AI and avoid common pitfalls
09:15 The difference between AI assistants and AI agents
11:47 Understanding when AI agents are the right solution for a business
14:20 The importance of focusing on business problems rather than chasing AI trends
17:16 How to identify the right AI use cases in your business
19:42 Questions businesses should ask before investing in AI solutions
22:33 When to buy an existing AI solution versus building a custom agent
25:54 The importance of leadership conviction in AI adoption
29:38 Don’s success story helping a security risk management firm quadruple productivity
31:42 How to connect with Don Morron and HighlandTech

Don Morron, Founder and CEO

Don Morron is the Founder and CEO of HighlandTech, an AI automation agency that builds custom AI agents to help businesses eliminate repetitive work and unlock new levels of productivity. Don has become one of the leading voices in the physical security industry about the future of AI agents, hosting the industry’s top podcast, AI PHYSEC TODAY, where he interviews CEOs, innovators, and thought leaders shaping the next generation of security technology.

Don brings more than a decade of leadership experience across cloud sales, enterprise solutions, and AI-driven automation. He previously held senior roles at Fortune 100 and high-growth technology companies, earning multiple industry awards and consistently leading record-breaking sales teams. He holds an MBA from Florida Atlantic University and a certification in Artificial Intelligence from MIT Professional Education.

HighlandTech has gained national recognition for its innovations in AI agents, including the company’s flagship product Electra, and was honored by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce as the 2025 Solopreneur of the Year. Don is also known for his commitment to community, education, and upskilling. He leads AI training workshops for SMBs, advisors, chambers, and security professionals, helping organizations build the foundation for their new digital workforce.

When he is not advising companies on AI strategy or building next-generation agent systems, Don continues to study AI daily, create thought leadership content, and help leaders understand how to adopt AI responsibly and effectively.

HighlandTech

HighlandTech is an AI automation agency that builds custom AI agents to replace repetitive work and streamline business operations. Most companies lose time and money to manual processes, scattered data, and workflows that depend on constant human follow up. These bottlenecks slow growth and create errors.

HighlandTech solves this by designing AI agents that take full ownership of tasks from start to finish. Their agents read, write, decide, integrate with tools, and handle real operational work with speed and accuracy. The result is a reliable digital workforce that reduces manual effort, cuts costs, and frees teams to focus on higher-value work.

At HighlandTech, they build practical automation that helps businesses work smarter and grow faster.

Website | Company LinkedIn

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.

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

With over 900 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, host of North Fulton Business Radio, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors — **John Ray, host of *North Fulton Business Radio* and Owner, Ray Business Advisors**

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.

Selling a Digital Kidney

January 27, 2023 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Selling a Digital Kidney

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Selling a Digital Kidney

Pricing an online coaching session–or anything else, for that matter–can turn into the equivalent of selling a digital kidney when that pricing exudes whiffs of desperation. Always remember that prices can act as marketing signals.

The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

TRANSCRIPT

John Ray: [00:00:00] Hello. I’m John Ray on The Price and Value Journey. Some time ago, I noticed a solopreneur services provider offering access to their expertise in a live online session. Given the value of what they claim to offer in this session, from my perspective anyway, I would have expected a three-figure price easily. The price, it was $99. It got worse, though. For a limited time, the offer claimed, seats were available for half that price. Well, my perception of the value they were offering collapsed completely.

John Ray: [00:00:40] Why is that? Well, price is an indicator of value in the minds of buyers, particularly in the absence of any other marketing signal. That price can signal quality or is, as in this case, mediocrity. We’ve all made some version of this mistake. I sure have, anyway, early on in my career. We think that cutting prices attracts buyers. When, in fact, it often repels them. When the gap between price and what’s promised is gapingly wide, it often screams too good to be true, or there’s a catch, or something’s not right here.

John Ray: [00:01:21] Most especially if you’re a solopreneur early on in your practice, one of those something is not right signals that you must be very careful to avoid is the whiff of desperation. Looking like you badly need revenue, any revenue, just to stay alive. Even if you didn’t intend it that way, you might be signaling that you’re selling a digital kidney.

John Ray: [00:01:47] Maybe this individual was trying to attract prospects into their funnel. If so, it’s illustrative of how solopreneurs and smaller firms get tripped up by digital marketing whiz bang. When, in fact, all they need to move the needle for their business is a handful of new or deepened relationships which turn into revenue.

John Ray: [00:02:09] This person might have been better off if they’d handled the limitation a little differently. One idea is limiting the number of seats available at that super low price and holding to that limit even after it’s met. Even with that change, though, the negative signals of poor pricing remain.

John Ray: [00:02:31] I’m John Ray on The Price and Value Journey. If you’d like more information on this podcast, a link to our show archive, or also information on a book I have coming out in 2023 – the book is called The Price and Value Journey: Raise Your Confidence, Your Value, and Your Prices to Grow Your Business Using the Generosity Mindset – if you’d like information on any of the above, you can go to pricevaluejourney.com, and you’re also welcome to email me directly, john@johnray.co. Thank you for joining me.

About The Price and Value Journey

The title of this show describes the journey all professional services providers are on: building a services practice by seeking to convince the world of the value we offer, helping clients achieve the outcomes they desire, and trying to do all that at pricing which reflects the value we deliver.

If you feel like you’re working too hard for too little money in your solo or small firm practice, this show is for you. Even if you’re reasonably happy with your practice, you’ll hear ways to improve both your bottom line as well as the mindset you bring to your business.

The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.

John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey

John Ray The Price and Value Journey — **John Ray, Host of “The Price and Value Journey”**

John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.

John owns Ray Business Advisors, a business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneur and small professional services firms on their pricing. John is passionate about the power of pricing for business owners, as changing pricing is the fastest way to change the profitability of a business. His clients are professionals who are selling their “grey matter,” such as attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, consultants, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

In his other business, John is a Studio Owner, Producer, and Show Host with Business RadioX®, and works with business owners who want to do their own podcast. As a veteran B2B services provider, John’s special sauce is coaching B2B professionals to use a podcast to build relationships in a non-salesy way which translate into revenue.

John is the host of North Fulton Business Radio, Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio, Alpharetta Tech Talk, and Business Leaders Radio. house shows which feature a wide range of business leaders and companies. John has hosted and/or produced over 1,700 podcast episodes.

Coming in 2023: A New Book!

John’s working on a book that will be released in 2023: The Price and Value Journey: Raise Your Confidence, Your Value, and Your Prices to Grow Your Business Using The Generosity Mindset. The book covers topics like value and adopting a mindset of value, pricing your services more effectively, proposals, and essential elements of growing your business. For more information or to sign up to receive updates on the book release, go to pricevaluejourney.com.

Connect with John Ray:

Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Business RadioX®: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Jamie Cox, Strange Salt

July 18, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Jamie Cox, Strange Salt

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Jamie Cox, Strange Salt (Time Well Spent with Julie Hullett, Episode 4)

Jamie Cox, Brand Strategist and Founder of Strange Salt, was Julie Hullett’s guest on this episode of Time Well Spent with Julie Hullett. Jamie described growing up on a cattle farm, learning a strong work ethic, and how that informed her life. She and Julie also talked about being a solopreneur, what a creative collective is, where “Strange Salt” came from, her eclectic hobbies, and much more.

Julie rounded out the show with a Quick Tip about things to consider when taking on new projects.

Time Well Spent with Julie Hullett is presented by Julie Hullett Concierge, LLC and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

Strange Salt

Strange Salt is a creative collective of talented individuals who work together to set your brand apart. They work with small business owners and entrepreneurs to create brand systems and identities backed by strategic vision.

Founded by Jamie Cox in 2022, Strange Salt is based in Nashville with creatives working across the country.

Company website | Linkedin | Instagram

Jamie Cox, Founder & Brand Strategist, Strange Salt

Jamie Cox, Founder & Brand Strategist, Strange Salt

Jamie Cox is a serial hobbyist, dabbling in whatever interests here at the moment. She’s tried her hand at baking (success!), illustration (mediocre at best), and rug making (a total flop). She recently founded Strange Salt, a creative collective that brings creative entrepreneurs together to build brands for small business owners.

With over nine years of brand-building experience, Jamie has worked with dozens of brands across various industries, including tech, consumer package goods, and hospitality. With experience as a strategist and creative director, she collaborates with business owners and entrepreneurs to guide them toward building meaningful relationships with their audiences.

When she’s not building brands, you can catch her coaching spin classes at KrankFit in Nashville, traveling with her husband in search of the best vegan food, and cuddling with her two rescue pups, Georgia and Snoop.

Jamie’s website | LinkedIn | Instagram

About Time Well Spent

Time Well Spent with Julie Hullett features stories from busy professionals who have created more time to do what they love. Every other week, your host and personal concierge Julie Hullett speaks with entrepreneurs, community leaders, and influencers to answer the question: What would you do if you had more time?

The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.

Julie Hullett, Host of Time Well Spent with Julie Hullett

Julie Hullet, Host of Time Well Spent with Julie Hullett

Julie Hullett is the host of Time Well Spent with Julie Hullett.

Julie Hullett is a personal concierge and entrepreneur in Nashville, TN. She founded Julie Hullett Concierge, LLC in 2011 to give people their time back so they can do more of what they love. No stranger to big ideas and pursuing passions, Julie left corporate America to create her business. She capitalized on her skills—multi-tasking, attention to detail, and time management, to name a few—to build a successful business that gives back. Her clients enjoy ample free time. They’ve traveled more, spent more time with those they love, and have even created their own businesses.

Connect with Julie:

Website| LinkedIn | Instagram. Sign up to receive her newsletter.

Jamie Cox, Brand Strategist and Designer

March 31, 2022 by John Ray

Nashville Business Radio

Jamie Cox, Brand Strategist and Designer

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Jamie Cox, Brand Strategist and Designer (Nashville Business Radio, Episode 40)

With a breadth of experience in the branding and marketing space, brand strategist and designer Jamie Cox took the leap in early 2020 to open her own business. Acknowledging that the timing wasn’t ideal, Jamie discussed her journey with host John Ray and shared how she made it work. She also talked about her approach to working with solopreneurs, the need for clients to keep an open mind, content creation, spin classes(!), and much more. Nashville Business Radio is produced virtually from the Nashville studio of Business RadioX®.

Jamie Cox, Brand Strategist and Designer

Jamie Cox, Brand Strategist and Designer

Jamie Cox is a brand strategist and designer in Nashville, TN.

She works one-on-one with business owners and entrepreneurs to help them identify their brand purpose and share it with their target customers.

Jamie began her career as the Creative Services Manager at Visit Franklin. She started her business in what she thought was the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, in May of 2020. She bet on herself—leaving her corporate career as a Creative Director to pursue something that would make her happy.

Named one of Destinations International’s 2017 30 Under 30, she graduated from Indiana University – Bloomington with a BS in Arts Management and a focus in Studio Art. She’s had the pleasure of speaking at conferences like Destinations International and the Wyoming Governor’s Conference on Tourism.

This isn’t her first business venture. From 2017 to 2019, Jamie ran a cookie company, The Ruby Cookie. Jamie has a lot of hobbies to keep her busy. In addition to her work as a consultant, she coaches spin classes at KrankFIT in Nashville. Always one to dabble in something new, Jamie’s latest project is restoring a 1920’s Chandler & Price Craftsman Press.

When she’s not working, spinning, or sleeping, Jamie can be found traveling with her husband, Cory, and cuddling with her rescue pups, Georgia and Snoop.

Company Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Questions and Topics Discussed in this Episode

What is brand strategy and why it’s important for every business
What it’s like to work with a brand strategist
Content creation and marketing to build a brand.
Leaving a corporate job and moving into consulting
What else are you up to?

Nashville Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and produced virtually from the Nashville studio of Business RadioX®. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Michael Katz, Blue Penguin Development

July 23, 2021 by John Ray

Business Leaders Radio

Michael Katz, Blue Penguin Development

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Michael Katz, Blue Penguin Development

Michael Katz is an authority on email newsletter marketing for small professional services firms and solopreneurs. Michael shared with host John Ray how he got into his work, the power of story, why email marketing still works, how to decide where to place your marketing emphasis, and much more. Business Leaders Radio is produced virtually from the Business RadioX® studios in Atlanta.

Michael Katz, Chief Penguin, Blue Penguin Development

Blue Penguin Development Inc is a marketing and advertising company based out of Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

An award-winning humorist and former corporate marketer, Blue Penguin founder and Chief Penguin, Michael Katz, specializes in helping professional service firms and solos develop effective email newsletters.

Since launching Blue Penguin in 2000, Michael has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week Online, Bloomberg TV, Forbes.com, Inc.com, USA Today, and other national and local media.

He is the author of four books and over the past 20 years has published more than 500 issues of “The Likeable Expert Gazette,” a twice-monthly email newsletter and podcast with 6,000 passionate subscribers in over 40 countries around the world.

Michael has an MBA from Boston University and a BA in Psychology from McGill University in Montreal. He is a past winner of the New England Press Association award for “Best Humor Columnist.”

Company website | LinkedIn

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Show

Why is having a niche so important?
What are some of the biggest mistakes professionals make in marketing themselves?
How can small business owners benefit from “storytelling” in their marketing?
With so many marketing/visibility options, it can feel overwhelming. How does a business owner decide where to put their energy?
How does one balance “making a personal connection” with not being seen as “unprofessional?”
Are email newsletters still effective marketing tools?

Business Leaders Radio is hosted by John Ray and produced virtually from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta. The show can be found on all the major podcast apps and a full archive can be found here.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Alicia Butler Pierre, Equilibria, Inc.

July 9, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Alicia Butler Pierre, Equilibria, Inc.

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Alicia Butler Pierre, Equilibria, Inc. (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 255)

Alicia Butler Pierre joins host John Ray to discuss how vital business infrastructure is to a fast growing company, how customer experience is directly connected to the back office, the myth of the solopreneur, and much more. “North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

Alicia Butler Pierre, Founder and CEO, Equilibria, Inc.

Alicia Butler Pierre is the founder and CEO of Equilibria, Inc., a 15-year-old operations management firm. She specializes in increasing bandwidth for fast-growing organizations via business infrastructure. Alicia has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana State University, an MBA from Tulane University, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification. Combined, her content has over three-quarters of a million views across various online platforms.

Alicia hosts the weekly Business Infrastructure: Curing Back Office Blues podcast which recently celebrated its 100th episode. She’s also the author of the 2x Amazon bestseller, Behind the Façade: How to Structure Company Operations for Sustainable Success. Committed to doing the right things the right way, Alicia’s mantra is “to leave it better than you found it.”

Point of Contact for Alicia Butler Pierre

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Show

What is Business Infrastructure?
How business infrastructure and customer experience are intertwined
How has your business changed as a result of COVID-19?
Why do you say business infrastructure is a blessing and a curse?
The myth of the solopreneur
What home office setup tips do you have for people working from home for the first time?
Alicia’s book and her podcast

North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Katharine Chestnut with Alkaloid Networks, Lisa Laday-Davis with Kennesaw CPA and Nikkita Gordon with Cute and Cocky

June 11, 2019 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Katharine Chestnut with Alkaloid Networks, Lisa Laday-Davis with Kennesaw CPA and Nikkita Gordon with Cute and Cocky

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Katharine Chestnut spent 30+ years focused on marketing strategy continues to provide marketing consulting along being active as a speaker and mentor. She opened Alkaloid Networks, an Atlanta coworking office, four+ years ago and recently launched the Atlanta Coworking Alliance.

Connect with Katharine on LinkedIn, follow Alkaloid Networks on Twitter and Facebook, and Atlanta Coworking Alliance on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Lisa Laday-Davis has been a CPA for over 18 years Specializing in Accounting, Tax and Business Planning. She started Kennesaw CPA with the goal of assisting small business owners and entrepreneurs in creating and maintaining thriving businesses. She creates educational webinars, programming and products specifically for business owners.

Laday-Davis is a graduate of Louisiana State University and is licensed in the field of accounting, insurance and risk management. She lives in the Metro Atlanta area.

Follow Kennesaw CPA on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Nikkita Gordon, CEO of Cute and Cocky. Never Be Compromised with Cute & Cocky Firearm Accessories and Apparel.