An Interview with Marvin Harris, Founder of Compound Leverage
As artificial intelligence continues to dominate conversations across industries, many small business owners feel pressure to “do something with AI” without fully understanding what that something should be. According to Marvin Harris of Compound Leverage, that pressure is exactly the problem. Marvin brings his expertise as a Google Generative AI Certified, Amazon CTO Fellow, and with 20+ years of management consulting experience.
Marvin does not position himself as an AI automation consultant. Instead, his work centers on market intelligence and strategic thinking. His focus is not on tools, but on helping organizations uncover opportunities, understand their market position, and determine what problems are actually worth solving before technology ever enters the conversation.
“I separate the thinking layer from the execution layer,” Marvin explains. “Most people jump straight to tools and automation, but the real leverage comes from strategy.”
From Tools to Thinking: A Different Approach to AI
Marvin’s methodology, known as THINK, challenges the dominant narrative that AI is primarily about efficiency. While many business owners believe AI is about doing the same work faster or cheaper, Marvin argues that this mindset misses the real opportunity.
“When you lead with strategy,” he says, “you realize that sometimes the best use of AI isn’t automation at all. It’s intelligence gathering, pattern recognition, or validating a hypothesis before you invest resources.”
Through Compound Leverage, Marvin works with government contractors, economic development organizations, universities, and large enterprises. Rather than serving small businesses one by one, he often reaches them through institutions and communities, ensuring his approach scales while remaining grounded.
His clients typically fall into two groups. The first are organizational leaders who have been given an AI mandate and are responsible for driving adoption. For them, Marvin provides diagnostics, training, and implementation support, including what he calls Digital Employee enablement, where he helps customers capture and scale organizational thinking inside Skills and other Digital Employee solutions
The second group are builders. These are hands-on professionals responsible for execution. Marvin supports them through a learning community designed to help individuals move from being “tool users” to becoming “THINK strategists,” with guided pathways, resources, and direct support.
The Bowie State University Pilot Program
One of the most exciting applications of Marvin’s work is a new pilot program launched in partnership with Bowie State University and Inncuvate, funded through the National Science Foundation’s EPIC grant.
The six-week program trains Bowie State students to become THINK strategists. The structure is intentional. The first two weeks focus on the THINK methodology and the strategic thinking layer. The next two weeks move into builder training, where students learn how to create Digital Employees for real businesses. The final phase strengthens strategist fundamentals, teaching students how to assess opportunities and apply the framework at a higher level.
The broader goal goes beyond a single cohort.
“These students become a bench,” Marvin explains. “Our long-term vision is to deploy trained strategists through partnerships with colleges and universities to support small businesses and government organizations.”
For participating businesses, the benefit is immediate and tangible. Selected small businesses receive a Digital Employee built specifically for their operations at no cost. For students, the value lies in hands-on experience solving real business problems.
Early Results and Real-World Impact
Although the pilot is still in its early stages, the results are already evident. Marvin shares examples of students applying the THINK methodology to challenges in their own lives, from academic performance to career planning.
In one case, a student struggling in calculus was guided through a THINK-based approach to diagnose what was and wasn’t working. Within days, the student reported transformative improvements. In another example, Marvin helped students analyze LinkedIn profiles and identify internship opportunities aligned with regional AI infrastructure funding, creating targeted playbooks for skills development and outreach.
“These results compound,” Marvin notes. “When students bring this way of thinking into a business environment, the impact multiplies.”
Maryland’s AI Investment and the Opportunity for Black-Owned Businesses
Maryland is making substantial long-term investments in AI, supported by a 10-year statewide AI plan and national infrastructure funding totaling $1.9 trillion. While adoption rates remain uneven, Marvin sees this gap as the opportunity.
“Follow the funding,” he advises. “Look at where mandates are being created and where behavior is changing. That’s where opportunity lives.”
He shares the example of a government contracting client whose THINK Mandate Diagnostic revealed four new product opportunities, dozens of qualified leads, and the creation of multiple Digital Employees to support execution, all in a short time frame.
For Black-owned businesses, Marvin is clear. The stakes are high.
“If you don’t have an infrastructure where you’re creating value through thinking every day and amplifying it with AI, you’re losing ground,” he says. “This is both the greatest opportunity and the greatest threat.”
Strategy, Representation, and the Future of Equity
Marvin emphasizes that AI adoption is not just a technical issue, but a leadership and equity issue. Decisions made at the policy and funding levels will shape who benefits and who is left behind.
“If your perspective isn’t included,” he warns, “you will be left out.”
He encourages Black-owned businesses to pay close attention to federal, state, and local initiatives, including Montgomery County’s AI action plan, and to actively advocate for inclusion at the tables where decisions are made.
One Final Piece of Advice
When asked for one essential takeaway, Marvin’s answer is simple and consistent.
“Don’t get caught up in tools. Get caught up in progress.”
He urges business owners to start with a clear vision of where they want to be in twelve months, identify the market opportunity, and then determine how AI can support that strategy. Tools come last. Thinking comes first.
“Put 80 percent of the work into the thinking,” Marvin says. “That’s how you get better outputs, faster action, and sustainable growth.”
Want a THINK Playbook? Submit your info at compoundleverage.com and receive a customized Market Mandate Playbook for your business.
Small businesses interested in participating in the Bowie State University pilot program can apply at https://forms.gle/