AI is reshaping the business world — but for small business owners, the biggest danger isn’t the technology itself. It’s adopting it without truly understanding your processes.
In this episode of The Agent of Wealth, co-host John Williams is joined by David Quick — IT veteran, founder of Total Cover IT, and author of Winning with Tech in the Age of AI. David shares insights from 25 years in technology and business, revealing how small businesses can leverage AI safely, strategically, and profitably.
In this episode, you will learn:
- Why AI won’t fix a broken process — it will amplify it.
- The smartest (and safest) ways small businesses can begin using AI today.
- How cybersecurity threats are evolving as hackers also adopt AI — and how to protect your business.
- The biggest tech mistakes small businesses make, and how to avoid shiny-object syndrome.
- And more!
Tune in for a grounded, practical look at where AI is headed — and what business owners can do now to stay efficient, secure, and competitive.
Resources:
totalcoverit.com | totalcoverit.com/winningwithtech | totalcoverit.com/meetdavidquick | Bautis Financial: 8 Hillside Ave, Suite LL1 Montclair, New Jersey 07042 (862) 205-5000 | Schedule an Introductory Call
Disclosure: The transcript below has been edited for clarity and content. It is not a direct transcription of the full episode, which can be listened to above.
Welcome back to The Agent of Wealth Podcast, this is your co-host John Williams. Today, I’m joined by a special guest, David Quick.
David recently published a book Winning with Tech in the Age of AI: The Small Business Owner’s Guide to Leveraging Technologies Like AI to Grow Your Business and Make More Money where he shares his 25 year experience in the IT profession and how he has helped businesses excel in the ever changing landscape of technology. David is currently the founder and CEO of Total Cover IT where he uses this same experience to help businesses use AI and other technologies to succeed.
David, welcome to the show.
Thank you for having me here, John.
Yeah, I’m really excited for this conversation. There’s just so much talk about AI everywhere you look. It’s a part of our lives, but there’s also this struggle with not just AI in the marketplace, but with people. I think it’s fair to say that most people feel that AI is here to stay — it’s going to be a part of our future — but I think it’s unclear as to how it’s going to be a part of our future. It’s kind of exciting but scary at the same time. So I’m really excited to dive in and get your perspective.
But before we get started, I’d love it if you could share a little bit about your journey over the last, it sounds like, 25 years. It sounds like you started in the world of business and shifted, but I think our listeners would love to hear a little bit about your past and how you landed where you are today.
Oh sure. It’s been a very winding road for me. I’m a recovering accountant, strangely enough. I started my life as an accountant before I went into IT. My undergraduate degree is in accounting, and I got my master’s degree in finance — so totally a non-technical background. My first job was as a staff accountant at a local community bank here in New Jersey, and I did that for about eight years.
I may be dating myself, but they were still using 14-column paper, everything written down in a manual process. So even then, I was thinking about tech. Once I got an understanding of their process, I started putting it into what was then Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets — this was before Excel became a thing — and it made my job very efficient. Again, even then I was thinking about tech. I kind of liked it; it was very interesting. Accounting is a great profession, but I found it kind of boring from my perspective.
Eventually the bank was sold, and I decided to try getting a tech job. I got a job that was both accounting and tech at a small printing company and did that for about a year, got my feet wet in the tech field, and then moved on to an accounting firm — Sobel & Company, a regional accounting firm in New Jersey. I did that for a year doing software consulting for accounting software systems and ERP systems.
In 2000, I got a job as IT Director at RRBB, another regional accounting firm. That was my first foray into administration at a very high level and, essentially with the help of my team, I rebuilt the entire network. I could talk about that for the next hour or so, but long story short, we transformed their processes. We connected the two offices and got them working as one team. We enabled remote access before it was a thing, and staff working in the field were able to collaborate with the main office very efficiently. That transformed the entire process of the firm.
It was a great experience for me. Around 2008, I founded Total Cover IT. It was more of a side job for me at the time while I was still working as IT Director. It was kind of a conflict for me to work full time and work at Total Cover IT in that my time was divided, and it was very challenging to get that business going. Finally in early 2018, I decided to leave the firm. It was a great firm and I could have worked there for another 10 or 20 years, but I just got caught up with the entrepreneurial bug and I just wanted to run with it. I’ve enjoyed it ever since.
It takes a lot of guts to put yourself on that island and throw away the oars — there’s no looking back. So congratulations on that, and thanks for sharing the journey. I was laughing to myself as you were talking about Excel spreadsheets. In any part of technology or life, you look back and think, “Wow, that was cutting edge.”
What was the reaction when you started using that system — when you were talking about the columns and whatever it was you guys were doing on ledgers? Did you come across as the snake oil salesman? Were people like, “This guy down here is using Excel with these boxes on the computer?” What was that transition like? Was it tough convincing people that was the way to go?
Well, my boss was very old school, but it was interesting. Once I developed it and started working with it, he embraced it. He actually adopted my system and used it even after I left. For the short time the firm was still in business, he was basically running things with my system that I had put in place. So I would say maybe a tad of resistance, but he embraced it as soon as he saw the efficiency.
It seems like that’s important, because it’s really easy for those who are set in their ways — maybe old school in their mindset — to see these new technologies like AI and resist them. With that said, there’s a lot that still needs to be determined as AI fights its way to find its place in business and in our lives in general. With that said, where do you see AI affecting small businesses early on? Where have you seen it make the most impact?
Well, first off, AI is like any new technology. It’s the new shiny object out there. Everybody sees it, everybody wants it. Very often they don’t know exactly what they want to do with it, but it’s there. Businesses have to be careful because, like any new technology, you don’t know exactly how you’re going to use it before you adopt it.
Not just AI, but with any new developing technology, you have to take a look at the business first. Understand your processes first — how your business runs. Your processes may not be optimal, and AI simply amplifies your processes and makes them more efficient. So if it’s a bad process and you bring AI in, it’s going to massively amplify your inefficiency.
So step one: understand your processes and make sure they’re optimal. Then look into AI solutions that could benefit your company — and one process at a time. Don’t just do everything at once.
A lot is yet to be determined as AI finds its place in business and in our lives in general. With that said, where do you see AI affecting small businesses in the early onset?
Well, I’ve seen a lot of application in marketing and social media. Businesses are using AI to amplify themselves in social media with more social posts, blogs, etc. You’ve got to be careful with that, because you can’t simply ask AI to spit out something without giving it input. If you do that, it’s going to give you something that may not be relevant to your business.
So the key thing here is you have to give AI relevant content — like your company’s website, descriptions of your services, or any blogs that are written there. Everything that may be relevant to your company. Once you do that, then you can start asking it to generate some content. That’s the best way to do it. Because if you don’t, again, it’s not going to be relevant and it’s not going to be helpful.
The second key thing is that you shouldn’t just accept what’s being spit out by AI, because AI makes mistakes. It’s a program, so there could be mistakes here and there. You have to review it before it goes out. That’s a key thing about AI — you always have to have that human element at the end and going forward.
And in general for businesses, you’ve got to be very careful when evaluating AI because, again, all AI does is amplify your processes. You have to make sure that your processes are efficient for you. When people think about AI, they think it’s just going to do everything for you. No — AI is a tool. It’s not the main event.
That makes sense. And that’s kind of been my experience with it. In the ways that I’ve used it, I’d say it’s 90–95% right and super helpful, but you just have to be aware of not putting that 5% out there. And that might not even be wrong — it just might be something you don’t want to include. Right? It can be very thorough in my experience too.
You said something interesting about processes. You being the expert in tech, it’s probably difficult for you to understand whether or not — and really, as a small business owner, you might think your processes are actually pretty strong. Do you find, when you come in and do these engagements and work with businesses, is there somewhere you refer them? Are you helping them with the processes? What does that all look like, to make sure you’re not throwing fire on a flame you don’t necessarily want burning any bigger?
Well, one of the first things we do when we start an engagement is understand the business. Though we’re a tech company, the first thing I want to do is understand the business and know how your workflows work. I want to understand the whole flow of how you make money. We’re not even getting into the tech part yet because the key thing here is that tech serves the business — the business doesn’t serve the tech. You use tech to help your business be more efficient and grow. So first, we understand the business, understand the processes, and what data flows in the business are supporting those processes — and then the technology that underpins those data flows.
So the idea of your business experience and your experience in tech coming together, along with your experience in accounting — has your business swayed toward that niche or industry just because you have this great experience and knowledge in the accounting world?
Well, I would say that although we’re not exclusively focused on accounting firms, it has become a focus for me because of my experience. I worked 17 years at RRBB as their IT Director, so I sat through 17 years of tax seasons and all the other busy times at the firm, understanding all the workflows, the software they use — everything about the firm. I have that insight. So it’s become a niche for me, which is why I very much focus on and enjoy working with accounting firms.
That makes sense. As this evolves, and as you continue to work with businesses and help them through this, is there a place where you see this going? Is there more opportunity on the horizon? Because so far, let’s say we have the business, the business needs to be efficient, and then we can use AI to integrate into those processes and become even more efficient. Is there a place you see this going where it’s going to get even more involved? And with that said, is there anything you think businesses can do to be ready for these shifts and changes?
Well, it comes back to understanding themselves — how they make money and what their processes look like. Everything has to be framed in that, regardless of whatever technology is out there. Technology is constantly changing. Again, AI is the main thing right now, and who knows where that’s going to go. It’s a matter of keeping a level head about your business and knowing where you are as a business and knowing where you want to be as a business a year from now, maybe five years from now, and knowing what technologies could support your growth in that area. It could be AI, it could be something else — you don’t know. And you have to make sure that you’re protecting your assets as well. Cybersecurity is not going to go away anytime soon. Threat actors are going to become far more efficient. They’re making use of AI as well. It’s like any technology — it can be used for good or bad.
Yeah. The reason why I ask is, even in our own business in the world of wealth management, there are a lot of companies that have embraced AI and used it to supercharge their technology. Then they come to us and say, “Hey, look, this is how we can help you through AI.” For instance, one of the main ways we use AI is recording and recordkeeping of meetings, which I just never imagined would be such a game changer for me. Because one, it’s one of the things I just don’t like doing, and two, it takes the meeting notes, it pulls everything together. And it really resonated with me when you were talking about that because we’ve embedded that now in our process. We have the meeting, and everything more or less gets sent to this AI portal, tasks get created — it’s really wild how accurate it is.
It’s going to be interesting, at the very least, to see what it’s all going to look like. Because, just like any technology, the acceleration of how this is going to change things… and there are really smart people out there trying to harness this energy of AI. Personally, I don’t think it’s quite there yet. I think we don’t have any idea what this thing’s going to look like or the impact it’s going to have on us. Are there common pitfalls — not even just with AI, but with technology in general — that you see small businesses making?
The biggest pitfall, as I mentioned before, is falling for the shiny-new-object syndrome. Regardless of whether it’s AI or something else, you see a great new technology brought out by a startup company, and it looks great. You decide, “Hey, maybe I should talk to them.” And you get this very excited, yet somewhat aggressive salesperson selling you on the new technology, and you just say, “Hey, I’m just going to try it. It looks great. It looks like it’s going to give me great results,” without giving any thought to the fact that maybe it isn’t proven in the market yet. There might still be bugs in it. It may still be somewhat at a beta stage and not ready for prime time, and you end up with a disastrous result.
Yeah, there’s a fine line between wanting to be an early adopter and not wanting to jump in too quickly.
Yeah. You feel you’ve got to get into it just to get ahead of your competitors — a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses kind of thing. You’re excited about it, but you’re not giving any thought to what it will do for you, or whether it’s even relevant or improving anything. And I’ve seen disastrous results from companies that jumped too early on these new technologies. You don’t have to be one of the first people to grab it. In fact, I would strongly urge you not to be. Let others take the fall — not you. You can learn from their mistakes. And don’t be intimidated by over-aggressive and persuasive salespeople. Keep a level head about your business and what you need. Your needs drive what you buy — not the other way around.
Yeah, it is tempting. It’s funny — this kind of reminds me, it’s off topic, but it’s the same thing. My sons love… who doesn’t love Mr. Beast? I mean, if anyone knows who he is, he’s a massive YouTuber. But the idea there is he was one of the first people putting it out there. So that idea of FOMO — saying, “Hey, we really have to jump on this.” I can definitely feel what you’re saying: the temptation is to harness this and really run with it. And there’s a level of stress for me, because we’re in the world of advice. How is this going to change? How do we avoid getting left behind? But also find that balance — that dichotomy — of not getting in too early but making sure it still fits your business. I can imagine there’s a lot to be considered there for sure.
One of the other parts of our business that we take very seriously is cybersecurity. And I want to talk a little bit about your experience, or how you think AI will… you already mentioned that it’s obviously going to be a big part of how phishing scams and other technology-related scams will potentially accelerate or change in some way. What have you seen, and how do you see AI being part of this ever-growing threat?
Well, as I mentioned, any technology — not just AI — can be used for both good and bad purposes. It’s an arms race now between the security professionals and the threat actors, each getting better and better at their craft to work against the other. The security professionals are certainly working to make sure businesses are protected using new technologies. The threat actors are doing the same on their side, and they’re using it for things like making it easier to write scripts.
It seems as though any individual who wants to be a hacker now… their lives are much easier because of AI. They can use AI to generate scripting and phishing campaigns more efficiently. I mean, it used to be that you could generally tell what a phishing email looked like versus one that is genuine. But that’s becoming harder and harder to do as a result of AI, because AI can mimic legitimate emails almost perfectly. And it’s making the lives of hackers much easier.
Now they can target not just larger businesses, but small businesses as well — at a much larger scale. You would think hackers would focus on larger businesses because there’s much more at stake and bigger payouts. But small businesses are a target too — and even more so now because of AI. Some portion of those small businesses are going to get compromised, and that’s how the hackers play their game. So it’s a jungle.
But the good news is that AI is helping the security professionals as well. When security professionals are monitoring a network, a large number of logs are generated. Hackers can get in anywhere. They can make very subtle changes at the very start of a compromise to get a foot in the door. Monitoring systems look for these types of alterations as a signal that a system may have been compromised.
Now, enormous amounts of information are generated from that, and security professionals have to parse through all of it. It can be brain-intensive, especially now that there’s a shortage of security professionals. It can be very time-consuming and expensive to review all these logs. That’s where AI comes to the rescue — because AI can parse through all those logs, find the ones that are relevant, and present them to the security professionals for review. So it makes their jobs much easier and more efficient. So there is hope. It’s not all bad. The good guys just have to keep up with the bad guys.
Yeah, it’s not always easy, I’m sure. It sounds very similar to how it’s always been — finding good professionals who can help with these cybersecurity threats. Is that something you do in your engagements? Is that something you help businesses with?
Yeah. What we do is… it’s not just one thing. It’s a multi-layered approach. Certainly, we’re going to have security tools in place — that’s more obvious and apparent. We also have active monitoring so we’re watching logs that are generated and looking for signs of intrusion. Not only that, but we provide security awareness training for phishing. That’s part of it as well.
But also having a plan in place — because it’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. That’s the big shift you have to make as a business. It’s not the castle-and-moat approach anymore. Hackers are going to get around the walls and get inside your network. If you haven’t protected the inside, it’s an open game. So you have to protect your business at all levels.
A key part of that is security awareness, but also knowing what you’re going to do when a compromise happens. A compromise doesn’t necessarily mean there’s been a breach. There’s a difference between a security incident — where hackers got into your network and maybe compromised one system — and a full breach where they get into the entire network.
Your goal is to make sure they get as little as possible when they get in. If you don’t, and a compromise happens, all hell is going to break loose. It’s going to be a panic. Everybody’s going to run around like chickens without heads, and it’s going to be a very bad result. You need to have a plan in place — it’s called an incident response plan.
Yeah, that makes sense. Scary stuff. So, that’s all I had for you today. We’re super excited that you were able to join us. This was a great conversation. Thank you enough for joining me for this episode of The Agent of Wealth Podcast. But before we go, I’d love for you to share where listeners might be able to learn more about you, get a copy of your book, or get in touch with you.
Information about our company you can find at totalcoverit.com. To get a copy of my book, go to totalcoverit.com/winningwithtech. If you want to chat with me, you can go to totalcoverit.com/meetdavidquick.
Great. We’ll link to that in the resources section of the show notes. Thanks again, David. And thank you to everyone who tuned into today’s episode. Don’t forget to follow The Agent of Wealth on the platform you listen from and leave us a review of the show. We are currently accepting new clients, if you’d like to schedule a 1-on-1 consultation with our advisors, please do so below.
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