Small businesses are often described as agile, entrepreneurial, and resilient. While that is true, it is only part of the story. Behind the scenes, most small business owners are stretched thin, wearing multiple hats and making decisions under constant time pressure. They are responsible for sales, marketing, operations, customer communication, billing, staffing, and strategy—often all in the same day.
In this episode of the Training Impact Podcast, Jeff Walter sits down with Matthew Gourgeot of Thryv to unpack what small businesses actually need in order to grow with confidence. The conversation moves beyond features and functionality and into a deeper discussion about enablement, learning, and why training must be inseparable from the technology itself.
Matthew brings a perspective shaped by years of working directly with small business owners. He emphasizes that most owners are not resistant to technology. They are resistant to complexity. When tools create friction instead of clarity, adoption stalls and value never materializes.
Thryv’s approach starts with a simple premise: small businesses do not need more software. They need better alignment between tools, workflows, and learning.
A recurring theme in the conversation is the gap between purchasing software and realizing value from it. Many platforms assume that once a customer signs up, success will follow naturally. In reality, small businesses rarely have the time or capacity to explore features, configure settings, or experiment through trial and error.
Matthew explains that for small businesses, unused software is not just wasted budget. It becomes another source of frustration. When technology feels like a distraction instead of an accelerator, owners disengage quickly.
Jeff connects this insight to a broader training principle. Learning that exists outside of daily work is easy to ignore. Learning that is embedded into real tasks—sending invoices, responding to customers, scheduling jobs—becomes useful immediately. Thryv focuses on delivering guidance and education in context, at the moment it is needed.
This shift from standalone training to embedded enablement is a defining characteristic of Thryv’s platform strategy.
Rather than positioning training as a support function, Thryv treats enablement as a core growth driver. Onboarding, education, and ongoing guidance are designed to help customers achieve outcomes, not just understand features.
Matthew describes how Thryv looks at the customer journey holistically. A small business owner does not think in terms of modules or applications. They think in terms of outcomes—getting paid faster, booking more appointments, retaining customers, and reducing administrative overhead.
Integrated enablement means aligning software capabilities with those outcomes and guiding users step by step as their business evolves. This includes structured onboarding, role-aware guidance, and continuous education that adapts as the business grows.
Jeff highlights how this mirrors best practices in extended enterprise learning. Whether training franchisees, partners, or customers, success depends on aligning learning with real-world performance goals.
One of the most compelling insights from the episode is the idea that confidence is a measurable outcome of effective enablement. Small business owners who feel confident in their systems make better decisions, adopt new tools more readily, and are more willing to invest in growth.
Matthew explains that confidence comes from clarity. When owners understand how their tools work together—and why they matter—they stop reacting to problems and start planning proactively.
This confidence has ripple effects. Confident owners delegate more effectively, communicate better with customers, and build more resilient operations. Training and enablement are not just about knowledge transfer. They are about reducing uncertainty.
Jeff frames this as a strategic advantage. Organizations that enable confidence do not just retain customers longer. They create advocates who see the platform as a partner in their success.
Another key takeaway from the conversation is the importance of designing technology around real behavior, not idealized workflows. Small businesses rarely have dedicated roles for marketing, IT, or training. The same person who sends invoices may also manage social media and handle customer inquiries.
Matthew shares how Thryv designs with this reality in mind. The platform minimizes context switching and brings related tasks together into a single environment. Enablement content is designed to be concise, practical, and immediately applicable.
Jeff notes that this design philosophy aligns with modern learning science. Adults learn best when content is relevant, timely, and connected to immediate needs. Long-form documentation and generic tutorials rarely meet those criteria for small business owners.
Small businesses are not static. A company with two employees has very different needs than one with twenty. Thryv’s enablement approach is built to evolve alongside the business, providing guidance that matches the owner’s current stage of growth.
Matthew explains that early-stage users may need foundational support around customer management and payments, while more mature businesses focus on reporting, automation, and optimization. Effective enablement recognizes these stages and adjusts accordingly.
Jeff ties this back to the concept of training maturity. Programs that deliver the same content to every user, regardless of context, fail to drive long-term impact. Adaptive enablement creates momentum instead of fatigue.
Throughout the episode, Jeff and Matthew return to a central question: how do you know enablement is working? The answer lies in behavior and outcomes. Increased adoption, deeper usage, faster time to value, and stronger retention all signal effective learning.
Matthew emphasizes that when customers succeed, growth becomes sustainable. Support costs decrease, referrals increase, and long-term relationships strengthen. Enablement is not an expense to be minimized. It is an investment that compounds over time.
This perspective reflects a broader shift in how organizations think about training. Rather than asking how little education they can provide, leading companies ask how much value enablement can unlock.
While the episode focuses on Thryv and small business customers, the lessons extend far beyond one platform. Jeff highlights several principles that apply across industries:
Training must be embedded into workflows, not bolted on afterward. Enablement should be outcome-driven, not feature-driven. Confidence is a legitimate and powerful performance metric. Learning programs must adapt as learners grow and change.
For training and enablement leaders, the conversation reinforces the importance of designing programs that respect learners’ time, context, and goals.
This episode of the Training Impact Podcast offers a clear and practical look at what it takes to support small business growth in the real world. Through his conversation with Matthew Gourgeot, Jeff Walter highlights why integrated enablement—not just software—is the key to driving adoption, confidence, and long-term success.
Thryv’s approach demonstrates that when training is embedded into daily work, learning becomes a natural part of doing business. Small business owners gain clarity, confidence, and control—three ingredients that are essential for sustainable growth.
For organizations building customer-facing platforms, partner ecosystems, or extended enterprise training programs, this episode serves as a powerful reminder: technology creates opportunity, but enablement turns opportunity into results.
Learn more about Thryv at https://www.thryv.com
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