AI isn’t here to replace your team—it’s here to amplify them. In this episode, Justin Goethe sits down with Larry Collett, founder of Larry Collett Consulting Group and Automation Captain, to cut through the hype and show how mid-market manufacturers can get real value from AI right now.
Larry shares how to start small by automating repetitive, rules-based workflows—like order admin or reporting—while keeping a human in the loop for oversight. He explains why process clarity is more important than tools (“never skip paper”), how to use prompts effectively, and why AI should augment your expertise rather than replace it.
The conversation highlights where AI delivers immediate wins (debugging, data analysis, forecasting) and where it risks slowing you down if used outside your domain knowledge. Most importantly, Larry emphasizes that the goal isn’t headcount reduction—it’s about giving people better tools so they can shift energy to higher-value work.
**Connect with Larry:**
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lcollett/
Website: http://www.LarryCollett.com
**Resource:**

Download Larry’s **Automation Impact Matrix** here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xsTTy-Duqap9Bxj46ttLWVolAlxIhb0ZUlS5mNplN4w/edit?gid=0#gid=0
**Memorable Quotes**
"Garbage in, garbage out. What you put into a GPT is what you’ll get out of it."
"Never skip paper. If you miss a step on paper, you’ll miss it in your automation."
"Use AI to remove the 80% repetitive work so your team can focus on the 20% high-impact priorities."
"Always keep a human in the loop—AI is powerful, but oversight makes it trustworthy."