Brent Weaver is the CEO of E2M, a company specializing in white-label digital services to help agencies scale through web development, digital marketing, AI solutions, and fractional account management. Under Brent's leadership, E2M has expanded its offerings and now serves a global client base, empowering hundreds of agencies to grow profitably and confidently. A digital agency entrepreneur who started building websites as a teenager, Brent is passionate about connecting people and empowering business owners to achieve their dreams through technology.

The way agencies are built and scaled is shifting faster than most leaders can keep up. With AI accelerating everything from operations to creativity, the real question becomes: how do you grow without becoming the bottleneck?

Brent Weaver believes the answer lies in rethinking how work gets done and who (or what) does it. Drawing from his experience as a longtime agency leader and ecosystem builder, he explains that AI isn't about replacing people but expanding what's possible, giving teams near-infinite capacity to execute. He compares it to having a tireless assistant that can scale instantly, freeing up human energy for higher-level thinking and creativity. The result is a new kind of agency model where growth is no longer capped by time but by imagination.

In this episode of Own Your Next, Jennifer McPherson is joined by Brent Weaver, CEO of E2M, to discuss how AI is transforming agency growth and operations. They explore why agency owners become bottlenecks, how fractional account management unlocks scale, and where AI creates new competitive advantages. Brent also talks about building community through Vistara and how leaders can stay ahead in an AI-first world.

Josiah Bussing is the Founder and CEO of Mountaintop Web Design, a digital agency that helps businesses generate leads through strategic website design and digital marketing systems. Under his leadership since 2013, the company scaled rapidly from a solo side project into a thriving, remote-first agency. It now serves clients ranging from small businesses to billion-dollar enterprises, while maintaining a strong focus on high-quality work and long-term client retention.

AI is changing the way businesses show up online, but it's also raising bigger questions about trust, strategy, and what really matters when technology moves fast. In a world full of hype and fear-driven headlines, how do you stay grounded and build something that actually helps your clients grow?

According to Josiah Bussing, a digital marketing strategist with years of experience helping businesses get found online, the key lies in using AI as leverage, not a replacement for real expertise. He explains that the best results come when professionals bring context, clarity, and human judgment to the tools, instead of letting automation cover up a lack of strategy. The takeaway is clear: AI can make work more efficient, but trust and thoughtful guidance are what truly move businesses forward.

In this episode of Own Your Next, Jennifer McPherson is joined by Josiah Bussing, Founder and CEO of Mountaintop Web Design, to discuss AI, SEO, and building client trust in a rapidly changing marketing landscape. They explore how AI is being used to improve internal operations, why SEO still depends on human strategy, and how businesses can avoid fear-based marketing narratives. Josiah also shares advice on using AI responsibly while keeping quality and relationships at the center.

Megan Franklin is the Principal and Lead Civil Engineer at SCE Engineering, a full-service design consulting firm specializing in geotechnical, roadway, civil, and structural engineering for community infrastructure projects. As majority owner, Megan oversees a team spanning three offices, and under her leadership, SCE Engineering has maintained a strong culture with remarkable employee retention and has implemented advanced technologies like AI-powered drone surveying to accelerate project delivery and ensure safety.

Stepping into ownership is rarely a straight line. It's a mix of timing, confidence, risk, and a quiet question many professionals wrestle with: how do you know when you're ready to take the leap and lead something that already has a history?

For Megan Franklin, the answer starts with patience and perspective. As an experienced engineer who spent years building technical depth and leadership confidence, she believes ownership comes after you've seen the industry from multiple angles and learned what kind of leader you want to be. By progressing through hands-on roles and observing what made teams thrive or struggle, she gained clarity that ownership wasn't about perfect timing, but about trusting her growth and values. That mindset reframes leadership as something earned through experience, not rushed by ambition.

In this episode of Own Your Next, Jennifer McPherson is joined by Megan Franklin, Principal and Lead Civil Engineer at SCE Engineering, to discuss stepping into ownership and leading the next chapter of a legacy firm. They explore why timing is rarely perfect, how company culture outweighs company size, and what it means to lead with trust and ethics. Megan also shares advice on embracing risk and staying flexible as a new owner.