Coffee connection

Coffee Connection at the Texas Tech Club

Breakfast, good company, a prize drawing — and twenty minutes on what separates AI that works from AI that doesn't.

Date
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Time
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM CT · 60 minutes
Location
Texas Tech Club, Lubbock, TX
Attendance
Free · Breakfast and coffee included
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About this session

This is a Coffee Connection first and a talk second. Come for the breakfast, the coffee and a room full of Lubbock owners and operators who are working through the same questions you are. There is a prize drawing, there is time to actually talk to people, and nobody is going to make you wear a lanyard and watch a demo.

Somewhere in the middle, Dr. Dominik Kalisch will take about twenty minutes to answer one question: what separates the AI projects that work from the ones that quietly do not? It starts with two support inboxes at two different companies. Both closed ninety-eight per cent or better of what came in. One of them was drowning. The difference had nothing to do with the model, the budget or the vendor.

It is written for people who run businesses, not for engineers — no jargon, nothing to install, and nothing being sold in the room. If it turns out to be useful, Dominik will be around afterwards with more coffee.

What you'll leave with

  • The three things every AI project that works has in common: a narrow scope, an output someone actually checks, and one named owner
  • Why a great-looking number can hide the real problem — and the twenty-minute exercise, involving no technology at all, that surfaces it
  • Where these tools reliably break, including what a booking system like yours may have been exposed to for years without anyone noticing
  • What to ask about the AI tools your team is already using, whether or not you approved them
  • Breakfast, a prize drawing, and a room of local owners worth knowing

Who it's for

  • Owners and operators of small and mid-sized businesses around Lubbock and West Texas
  • Anyone whose team has quietly started using AI tools, whether or not that was ever decided
  • People who would rather spend an hour with other operators than watch a product demo

Agenda

  1. 8:30 Coffee, breakfast and open networking
  2. 8:50 Welcome and introductions
  3. 8:55 What separates AI that works from AI that doesn't A twenty-minute talk for non-technical owners and operators: two companies, the same numbers, opposite outcomes — and what actually made the difference.
  4. 9:15 Prize drawing
  5. 9:20 More coffee, more conversation

All times CT.

Who's presenting

  • Dr. Dominik Kalisch Dr. Dominik Kalisch Co-Founder & CEO, Alephnet · Adjunct Professor, Texas Tech University — Rawls College of Business Read full bio

Questions people ask

Do I need to know anything about AI to get something out of this?

No. The talk is written for owners and operators, not engineers. There is no jargon, nothing to install, and no assumed background. If you run a business and your team has started using these tools, you are exactly the audience.

Is this a sales pitch?

No. There is no product to demo and nothing to buy in the room. Alephnet is independent — we do not resell software. Dominik will mention what he does once, at the end, and then get out of the way so people can talk to each other.

What does it cost?

Nothing. Coffee and breakfast are included, and there is a prize drawing.

Can I bring a colleague?

Please do — just register them too so we have a breakfast count. If you would rather send someone in your place, reply to your confirmation email and we will swap the name.