Paul Henderson is the CEO of Pure UT Processing, a business he acquired through self-funded search. Paul has navigated the full searcher journey — from identifying the right acquisition target and underwriting the deal to taking over operations and growing the business post-close. His path from searcher to operator gives him a uniquely honest perspective on what the transition actually looks like.

At SMBash 2026, Paul tackles Artificial Intelligence 2.0 for SMBs — a practical look at how today's AI tools are changing the way small business operators run their companies. Drawing on his hands-on experience as an operator and his direct engagement with AI in business operations, Paul covers the specific use cases where AI is already delivering real ROI for SMB owners, what's still overhyped, and how to build an AI-forward operation that gives you a competitive edge without requiring a technical background.