How small businesses can use AI without losing the human touch

"Most businesses don't require another AI tool or consultant, they need the work completed." — Jojo Palacio, founder of Cheerzz

Ned Hayes welcomes Jojo Palacio, founder of Cheerzz, to this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network. A multidisciplinary executive with over a decade spent leading people and technology strategy across high-growth and turnaround companies, from taking eNPS from -10 to +90 to scaling a workforce from 200 to 800 in six months, Jojo launched Cheerzz just a month before this conversation to bring that same operational discipline to small businesses and community organizations.

Cheerzz is a human-led, agent-powered managed service provider offering accounting, HR, IT, and AI support starting at $500 a month, designed for the 80% of the economy that will never have its own AI department. The conversation covers why Jojo built the company around overlooked communities rather than enterprise clients, why environmentally responsible and human-reviewed AI matters more than the current hype, and what it took to move from a career supporting CEOs and boards to becoming a founder himself.

• Why Cheerzz manages AI operations instead of selling AI tools

• How back-office support frees small businesses to focus on their core mission

• Why community-first pricing matters for towns like Astoria, Oregon

• What it took to go from HR and people strategy leader to first-time founder

If you're running a small business drowning in back-office tasks and wondering how AI fits in without losing the human element, this episode has your answer.

The work doesn't get easier with more AI tools, it gets easier when someone actually finishes it.