Mind the Machine

TikTok Shop is quickly becoming one of the most important platforms for consumer brands, but succeeding on it takes a lot more than simply posting videos.In this episode of Mind the Machine, Cheryl Goodman talks with Ali Mirzaei about the systems, strategy, and AI behind high-performing TikTok Shops. Ali shares the playbook behind the rapid growth of Final Boss Sour, which went from roughly $6,000 in TikTok Shop revenue to selling about $250,000 worth of product in less than two weeks and selling out across channels.They discuss why TikTok Shop is different from traditional social commerce, how brands should choose affiliates, the operational mistakes that can kill a shop's momentum, and how AI can automate many of the workflows required to run the platform successfully. Ali also explains why brands should focus on quality over quantity when choosing affiliates and why shop performance can matter just as much as marketing. If you're building a consumer brand, working in e-commerce, or trying to understand where social commerce is headed, this conversation offers a practical look at what it takes to win on TikTok Shop.Subscribe to Mind the Machine for more conversations about AI, technology, entrepreneurship, and the future of business.Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at team@findgood.tech or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman

AI isn’t just changing the tools we use. It’s beginning to change how people discover businesses, content, events, and information online.In this episode of Mind the Machine, Cheryl Goodman explores the changing rules of the internet and what they could mean for businesses trying to be found in an AI-driven world. She breaks down the shift from traditional SEO toward AEO and AI-powered discovery, the rise of the “zero-click” internet, and why trust and authority are becoming increasingly important.Cheryl also explains some of the technology behind this transformation, including tokens, MCP, AI agents, vectors, and the way large language models interpret information. Plus, she shares practical ways businesses and event producers can improve how AI systems understand and discover them, including the importance of consistency across every place your brand appears online. As AI changes how search works, simply ranking on Google may no longer be enough. Businesses will increasingly need to think about whether AI systems understand who they are, trust the information surrounding them, and consider them authoritative enough to recommend.Want hands-on AI training geared toward event organizers? Visit https://events.com/aiFollow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at team@findgood.tech or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman

What separates a great brand from one that disappears in the age of AI?Ben Stubbington has spent 25 years helping build and shape major brands including Arc’teryx, Lululemon, and Theory. In this conversation, he explains why the future of branding depends on something AI can’t replicate: the soul of a brand. Ben shares how he helped transform Lululemon’s men’s business by identifying what male customers actually wanted instead of simply copying what was already working in the market. He explains why founders need to understand exactly what makes their company unique, how great brands create products that solve needs customers may not even realize they have, and why trying to be everything to everyone eventually leads to mediocrity. We also discuss how brands can stay relevant without chasing every trend, the importance of building a clear “brand bible,” why community is becoming more important than traditional marketing, and how AI can actually help companies focus more deeply on the things that make them human.Ben also shares lessons from his career in fashion and design, his approach to creativity, and how outside interests like art, music, film, and architecture continue to influence his work. Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at team@findgood.tech or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman

Max Krueger, CEO of Backland Labs and Claude Ambassador, joins Mind the Machine to talk about what actually happens when businesses begin adopting AI.From AI agents and enterprise adoption to personal productivity and the future of work, Max explains why AI isn’t necessarily eliminating work. Instead, it’s moving the bottleneck. As AI takes over tasks like writing code or handling repetitive administrative work, humans shift toward reviewing, planning, managing, and solving bigger problems.Max also shares what he’s learned from building San Diego’s AI community, running Claude Impact Labs with nonprofits, and helping organizations move beyond the hype to find practical, useful applications for AI.Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at team@findgood.tech or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman

Stephen Vigilante, OLIPOP’s first employee and one of the marketers behind its rapid growth, joins Cheryl to explain how the company evolved from an emerging soda startup into a business exceeding half a billion dollars in revenue.Stephen shares OLIPOP’s early bets on influencer marketing, podcasts, and TikTok; the science behind the product; its expansion into entertainment and licensing; and how AI is changing product discovery. He also explores the next wave of creator marketing and why speed remains one of the greatest advantages an emerging brand can have.Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at team@findgood.tech or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman