AI for Business Masterclass Series

Streamline your operations, increase profits and stay ahead of the competition with our free AI for Business Masterclasses, courtesy of Miami-Dade County.

🧬 Build a Story-Driven Business With the AI-Powered Virtual Biographer

Part of the From AI to ROI Masterclass

"Click the image above to watch the replay!"

🔥 Your Story Isn’t Just Background—It’s a Business

Growth Strategy

Every entrepreneur has a journey.

But few know how to tell it in a way that wins trust, drives revenue, and fuels growth.

In this Masterclass from BizHack’s From AI to ROI series, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at a revolutionary AI tool that’s changing the game for purpose-driven founders: the Virtual Biographer.

“BizHack Founder Dan Grech will sat down with entrepreneur and tech visionary Mike O’Donnell, creator of Virtual Biographer, to explore how this AI-powered storytelling platform helps you shape, share, and scale your founding story for maximum impact.

💡 What You’ll Learn

In this inspiring and practical session, you’ll discover how to:

You’ll walk away with:

“Virtual Biographer doesn’t just help you tell your story—it helps you build your business with it.”

— Mike O’Donnell, Creator of Virtual Biographer

🎯 Why This Masterclass?

Because in a world of automated content, your authenticity is your superpower. If you’re building a business that’s meant to last, your story must lead the way. This is your chance to learn how to grow faster by leading with purpose – powered by AI, grounded in humanity.

🔒 Powered by Purpose

This Masterclass is part of BizHack’s From AI to ROI series – practical, no-cost trainings designed to help small businesses earn more, market smarter, and grow faster using AI-powered tools.

This session is funded by Miami-Dade County’s Strive305 initiative, supporting the growth and innovation of small businesses across the region.

Masterclass FAQs

Are the Masterclasses free?

Yes. The Masterclass series is funded by a grant from Miami-Dade County as part of its Strive305 initiative for small businesses.

Are the Masterclass sessions recorded?

Recordings of sessions will be posted on BizHack Academy’s YouTube channel approximately 48 hours after they broadcast. You can find those recordings and subscribe to the channel here https://bizhack.com/YoutubeChannel

Can I invite other people to join?

Yes. There’s no limit to the number of people who can attend. BizHack Academy is on a mission to train 1 million business owners in AI tools for marketing, and we’d love your help spreading the word. Please invite work colleagues and fellow entrepreneurs to sign up at https://bizhack.com/mc.

Do you provide other learning materials to accompany the Masterclasses?

Yes. When you register for a Masterclass, you’ll be automatically signed up for BizHack Academy’s newsletter on AI-powered growth, with tips, case studies, and tools. The week after each Masterclass, the newsletter will feature key takeaways from the session and a link to the recording.

From Heartbreak to Breakthrough: How a 20-Year Journey Sparked a Revolution in Storytelling

By BizHack Academy

In the powerful kickoff to Season 13 of BizHack’s award-winning AI for Business Masterclass Series, serial tech entrepreneur and mentor Mike O’Donnell took us on an emotional and technological journey – one that started with profound personal loss and ended with the creation of a groundbreaking AI-storytelling tool: the Virtual Biographer.

This Masterclass wasn’t just a product demo. It was a deep dive into why storytelling remains the most powerful – and most underutilized – business growth strategy. With moderation by BizHack Founder and CEO Dan Grech, the session taught attendees how to craft and use origin stories to drive growth, build trust and leave a legacy.

What You’ll Learn in This Recap

If you couldn’t attend the session live, this comprehensive blog recap has you covered. We’ll explore:

Why origin stories are a business superpower
How the biggest brands use founding stories to build billion-dollar empires
The birth and evolution of the Virtual Biographer
How AI can now write, narrate and produce your business story in seconds
Free tools to start writing your own Story of Me or your startup story

The Power of Your Story: Lessons From Giants

Mike O’Donnell opened with stories of iconic founders – Steve Jobs of Apple, Bill Gates of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, and Fred Smith of FedEx – not just to inspire, but to prove a point: The lore of a company matters.

“Whether you love or hate these founders, you know their stories,” said Mike. “And that story is the heartbeat of their company. It’s the unifying thread that carries them through good times, bad press and everything in between.”

Each of these legendary entrepreneurs faced adversity and made bold choices:

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak ignited the startup revolution in a garage.
Bill Gates closed his first deal with IBM by promising software he hadn’t built yet – then he built it.
Fred Smith gambled his last $5,000 in Las Vegas to make payroll.
Mark Zuckerberg may have stolen an idea, but his execution outpaced everyone else.

“These aren’t just anecdotes,” said Dan. “They’ve become modern myths. The Greek gods of our age are CEOs. The stories are the mythology that teaches us how to survive and succeed.”

Story of Me → Story of Us

Then Mike turned the lens inward and shared his Story of Me – a moment of heartbreak that changed his life.

When Hurricane Katrina destroyed his parents’ home in Mississippi, their entire family history – photos, letters, home movies – was wiped out. His mom, the family historian, had carefully preserved generations of memories. All of it, gone in an instant.

“I felt this overwhelming loss. And I wasn’t alone,” Mike said. “As I talked to others, I discovered a universal pain: lost legacies.”

So, he got to work.

He spent the next five years rebuilding his family story, calling relatives, digitizing old media and recording interviews. Then, driven by his tech background and entrepreneurial spirit, he spent another 15 years building a tool to help others do the same – at a large scale, with AI.

“This was a setback that led to a calling,” said Dan. “He didn’t stop with ‘that’s tragic.’ He asked, ‘How can I prevent this from happening to others?’”

This is a textbook example of a communications strategy we teach at BizHack Academy. Mike has turned a story of personal loss (a Story of Me) into a broader cause and mission (a Story of Us). This Story of Us will help attract investors, customers and employees to his startup.

“Every working professional should have a Story of Me.

If you don’t know why you do what you do, your audience won’t either.”

– Dan Grech

Sub-Stories: A Strategic Storytelling
Framework for Growth

A major insight from the session was this: You don’t just have a story; you have many. And different audiences need different stories.

Mike broke it down:

Your story isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s like a diamond with many facets. Sub-stories let you tell the right angle to the right audience.

Meet the Virtual Biographer: 20 Years in the Making
and Now Available to You

The result of Mike’s two-decade journey is Leaves Legacy Project, a mission-driven company that built the Virtual Biographer, an AI-powered storytelling engine trained specifically to capture and preserve life stories.

This is not just another AI chatbot.

Here’s what makes the Virtual Biographer revolutionary:

✅ Interviews You Like a Human Biographer

It asks the right questions in the right order, built on more than 3,000 prompts spanning weddings, work, loss, love and business.

“You don’t write your life story. You write stories of your life. The difference is everything.”

– Mike O’Donnell

✅ Speaks In Your Voice – Literally

Upload a 30-second audio clip, and it will narrate your entire story using your voice – or even the voice of a deceased loved one, pulled from an old VHS tape.

✅ Emotional Intelligence Built In

Choose the writing style: nostalgic, humorous, dramatic. Choose the perspective: first person or third person. The Virtual Biographer tailors tone and voice to your needs.

✅ Story + Multimedia = Legacy

You can insert photos, add background music and produce the final output as:

A beautiful book
A narrated audio story (like a podcast)
A compelling video with photos and sound

✅ AI-Powered Editing in Seconds

Want the product more serious? More playful? The Virtual Biographer rewrites instantly. Think of it as a biographer, editor, and producer in your pocket.

“The Virtual Biographer isn’t AI acting as a therapist,” Dan said. “But storytelling is therapeutic for founders. And now, it’s scalable.”

For Business Owners: This Isn’t Just About Legacy –
It’s About Growth

This tool isn’t just for personal use.

Mike and Dan have co-created two free tools inside the Virtual Biographer specifically for professionals and business owners:

1. Startup Story Tool (for founders only)

🔗 Tell Your Startup Story (founders only)

Tell the story of how and why you started your business. It asks:

What problem were you trying to solve?
Who helped you build the company?
What setbacks did you overcome?

2. Story of Me Tool (For Any Professional)

🔗 Tell Your Story of Me (For all professionals)

Craft your personal brand story. The tool explores:

How your past shaped your present
What values drive your work
Why your career matters to you

Business Use Cases Already in Motion

Instead of spending millions marketing to individual consumers, Leaves partners with businesses and nonprofits that already serve the end user. Some examples of the Virtual Biographer’s use:

Final Thoughts: This Isn’t Just Tech; It’s a Movement

This session was more than a how-to. It was a reminder of what makes business human.

“The story is the unifying heartbeat of your business,” Mike said. “It’s what ties everything together.”

“And if you don’t tell your story,” Dan added, “someone else will – probably not the way you want.”

Whether you’re building a company, a brand or a legacy, this Masterclass offered a powerful message:

Your story matters. Start telling it – before it’s lost.

Ways to Learn More About Using AI in Your Business

🎙 Meet the Instructor: Mike O’Donnell

Co-Founder & CEO, The Leaves Legacy Project

Mike is a startup veteran who’s raised more than $50M for venture-backed companies and helped dozens of entrepreneurs find clarity and capital through better storytelling. He’s the former chair of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network, author of multiple startup strategy books, and the heart behind Leaves—a company born out of personal loss and a deep belief that every voice deserves to be heard.

Virtual Biographer is the culmination of his two-decade journey to help business owners preserve their legacies and turn life experiences into marketing power.

🎓 Hosted by Dan Grech

Founder & CEO, BizHack Academy

Dan Grech is a Pulitzer Prize-winning former journalist and founder of BizHack Academy. As the creator of the Story-Driven Growth™ framework, he’s helped thousands of small businesses unlock clarity, confidence, and growth by aligning their “why” with their marketing, messaging, and leadership.

Dan has led AI-powered training programs in partnership with the Knight Foundation, Miami-Dade County, and Florida International University. He’s taught storytelling at Princeton, Columbia, and University of Miami – and now he’s here to teach it to you.