Why Attachment to Your Systems is Killing Your Growth with Austin Reed, Digital Nomad & Founder of Horizon Development
In this episode of Exploring Growth, host Lee Murray talks with Austin Reed, Digital Nomad and Founder of Horizon Development. Austin shares how AI can automate business processes to boost efficiency. They discuss the impact of AI on customer service and highlight tools for DIY automation. Austin also reflects on his digital nomad lifestyle, emphasizing minimalism and adaptability. The episode explores the importance of streamlining operations and embracing technology for business growth.
Have a guest recommendation, question, or just want to connect?
Go here: https://www.harvardmurray.com/exploring-growth-podcast
Connect on LinkedIn:
Lee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehmurray
Austin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/automationsexpert/
#ExploringGrowthPodcast #BusinessInsights #EntrepreneurialJourney #BusinessExpansion #EmbracingGrowth #MarketingTalk #AustinReed #HorizonDev #Automation #AI #Innovation #DigitalNomad
1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,370
A lot of people are like, oh,
let's hire a guy who's an expert
2
00:00:02,370 --> 00:00:07,050
at x, x, y, z thing, right? Okay.
I always try to think, now, how could
3
00:00:07,050 --> 00:00:10,560
we use code or AI to augment that?
One really good example.
4
00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:14,220
You could take all of your
customer service transcripts,
5
00:00:14,220 --> 00:00:18,480
throw them in an AI and train it to
do customer service chat based stuff.
6
00:00:18,510 --> 00:00:22,290
Now I'm not talking about like the,
uh, the typical one that doesn't
7
00:00:22,290 --> 00:00:25,680
quite respond like you want it to,
but to actually give relevant
8
00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:29,810
responses based on the person and
actually solve the problem and reduce
9
00:00:29,810 --> 00:00:33,440
your customer service time by like,
you know, 50% or more,
10
00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:37,160
just because you have that in place
as the first step before they
11
00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:43,940
actually reach a human. All right.
Welcome back to Exploring Growth.
12
00:00:43,940 --> 00:00:46,760
Today's episode should be an
interesting one.
13
00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:51,680
Um, I was introduced to Austin Reed,
a seasoned digital nomad and
14
00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:57,360
founder of Horizon Development LLC.
Austin has a ton of experience
15
00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:01,170
traveling across 26 countries
and running a software
16
00:01:01,170 --> 00:01:04,560
development agency,
which in which he helps companies
17
00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:08,220
with automating business processes.
And so when I heard that,
18
00:01:08,220 --> 00:01:11,460
I thought immediately,
I would love to pick his brain
19
00:01:11,460 --> 00:01:15,780
about cutting the fat in in an
organization just because I know,
20
00:01:15,780 --> 00:01:19,490
you know, running a company has
its own trials of, you know,
21
00:01:19,490 --> 00:01:22,370
trying to run lean and run efficient.
But then if you're doing it as a
22
00:01:22,370 --> 00:01:26,630
digital nomad, like your default DNA
is going to be a little different
23
00:01:26,630 --> 00:01:31,370
how you approach running a company.
So I think that if CEOs had a chance
24
00:01:31,370 --> 00:01:35,570
to talk to someone like Austin,
who's had their whole lifestyle
25
00:01:35,570 --> 00:01:38,630
based on being efficient,
I think they could learn a lot.
26
00:01:38,630 --> 00:01:41,700
So welcome to the show, Austin.
Hey, thanks for having me, man.
27
00:01:41,700 --> 00:01:45,390
I really appreciate it. Yeah.
So, you know, before we jump into
28
00:01:45,390 --> 00:01:47,430
this, tell us a little bit more
about yourself and what kind of
29
00:01:47,430 --> 00:01:51,120
work you do with companies.
Yeah. My name is Austin Reed.
30
00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:55,200
Um, I started off as a developer,
and then that kind of transformed
31
00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,970
into a company by accident.
Um, but, uh, but, yeah, I mean,
32
00:01:59,970 --> 00:02:03,900
we we work on automating companies.
We help them optimizing their
33
00:02:03,900 --> 00:02:05,720
processes.
We'll take a company, we'll will
34
00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,660
kind of review what it is they do.
We'll try to cut the fat.
35
00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,770
Our prefaces is if we can save
like a team of like 20 people,
36
00:02:12,770 --> 00:02:15,230
everyone on the team like 1 or 2
hours a day, every day.
37
00:02:15,230 --> 00:02:19,790
That's a huge cost savings for a
company and that's a huge win for us.
38
00:02:19,790 --> 00:02:22,790
So that's that's our main goal.
Yeah. I love it.
39
00:02:22,790 --> 00:02:27,950
So business automating business
processes is kind of your focus
40
00:02:27,950 --> 00:02:30,330
as I understand it.
Tell me,
41
00:02:30,330 --> 00:02:34,230
like what I want our audience to
do is to get to kind of glean some
42
00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,590
practical wisdom from someone who
just naturally thinks this way,
43
00:02:37,590 --> 00:02:39,930
which a lot of business owners,
they're putting out fires right
44
00:02:39,930 --> 00:02:42,840
there, just constantly, you know,
their inbox is filled with fires
45
00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,320
put out every, every day.
So I totally am empathetic with,
46
00:02:46,530 --> 00:02:50,460
uh, business owner CEOs that,
um, are trying to get to saving
47
00:02:50,460 --> 00:02:53,130
costs or get to making money.
But a lot of times they're just,
48
00:02:53,130 --> 00:02:57,170
you know, firefighting.
What's your mindset when it
49
00:02:57,170 --> 00:03:00,740
comes to being efficient or
automating processes?
50
00:03:01,250 --> 00:03:04,190
Well, the first thing is I
always try to default code.
51
00:03:04,190 --> 00:03:07,430
So like a lot of people are like,
oh, let's hire a guy who's an
52
00:03:07,430 --> 00:03:12,440
expert at x, x, y, z thing, right?
I always try to think, nah, how could
53
00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,950
we use code or AI to augment that?
One really good example.
54
00:03:15,950 --> 00:03:19,590
You can take all of your
customer service transcripts,
55
00:03:19,590 --> 00:03:23,850
throw them in an AI and train it to
do customer service chat based stuff.
56
00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,690
Now I'm not talking about like the,
uh, the typical one that doesn't
57
00:03:27,690 --> 00:03:31,080
quite respond like you want it to,
but to actually give relevant
58
00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:35,190
responses based on the person and
actually solve the problem and reduce
59
00:03:35,190 --> 00:03:38,820
your customer service time by like,
you know, 50% or more,
60
00:03:38,820 --> 00:03:42,390
just because you have that in
place as the first step before
61
00:03:42,410 --> 00:03:46,790
they actually reach a human.
So things like that really add a
62
00:03:46,790 --> 00:03:50,420
lot of value in a, in a,
and it's really kind of simple to do
63
00:03:50,420 --> 00:03:56,840
honestly. Um, so. Simple for you.
Well that's what you do, right? Yeah.
64
00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:00,170
Yeah, yeah I guess you could say
it that way, but um, but I mean,
65
00:04:00,170 --> 00:04:02,540
all these companies that they
probably have all their,
66
00:04:02,540 --> 00:04:06,320
you know, stuff, like all their
transcripts just sitting around
67
00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:08,520
an and email or something.
All they have to do is copy paste
68
00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,880
that and put that in the AI and bam,
like, that's, that's already
69
00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:15,270
right off the bat, huge savings.
But that can scale across different
70
00:04:15,270 --> 00:04:19,350
departments like sales teams.
You can scale it up to and like AI
71
00:04:19,350 --> 00:04:22,860
personalization instead of manually
writing out a bunch of emails,
72
00:04:22,860 --> 00:04:25,050
you can.
I have I write emails,
73
00:04:25,050 --> 00:04:27,960
but to do it well, though,
that's a lot more difficult.
74
00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,280
Yes, we can dive into that if
you want, but there's a couple
75
00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:33,800
examples for you okay. Yeah.
So let's let's stick on the
76
00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:35,960
customer service thing because I
agree with you.
77
00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:41,750
I think that being a consumer,
you know like I, I have clients,
78
00:04:41,750 --> 00:04:46,340
then I will interface with some
platforms for them or my team will.
79
00:04:46,340 --> 00:04:50,870
And we have to sit on chat and
talk to these AI bots or, or,
80
00:04:50,870 --> 00:04:53,600
you know, people that are in India
who can't speak the language and
81
00:04:53,810 --> 00:04:57,060
like there's a lot of like stuff
that's been automated, that's been
82
00:04:57,060 --> 00:05:00,630
bad for the brand and for their
for their customer service. Yeah.
83
00:05:00,630 --> 00:05:04,140
So it kind of break it down a
little bit more like what are
84
00:05:04,140 --> 00:05:08,460
some examples of that.
You've seen it work and, and what
85
00:05:08,460 --> 00:05:11,850
would be kind of like the first steps
of setting something like that up.
86
00:05:13,050 --> 00:05:16,830
Well, without mentioning any names,
uh, we have a client in the
87
00:05:16,830 --> 00:05:20,330
aerospace industry,
and their customer service is.
88
00:05:20,510 --> 00:05:24,410
It's kind of a mess, right? Um, okay.
They get a lot of questions from
89
00:05:24,410 --> 00:05:26,780
a lot of people when it comes to
valuations about aircraft and
90
00:05:26,780 --> 00:05:29,270
stuff like that.
So what we're doing with them is
91
00:05:29,270 --> 00:05:32,390
we're taking all their emails
over the last five years,
92
00:05:32,390 --> 00:05:36,380
and we're feeding that into an AI to
give the same type of responses.
93
00:05:36,410 --> 00:05:41,120
It works well because the data
that we're feeding the AI is
94
00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,920
really good data.
Now, if all your customer service
95
00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,530
responses was people from India
who don't really know how to
96
00:05:46,530 --> 00:05:50,340
speak English, well, then I'd be
training an AI to be kind of stupid.
97
00:05:50,340 --> 00:05:54,270
So yeah, yeah it doesn't.
It would never work out like that,
98
00:05:54,270 --> 00:05:56,130
right?
So I mean, you have to have good
99
00:05:56,130 --> 00:05:58,650
data coming in because if you
don't have good data,
100
00:05:58,650 --> 00:06:01,380
good questions and a lot of it,
then it's not going to work.
101
00:06:01,380 --> 00:06:04,830
If you only have like a couple months
worth of customer service data and
102
00:06:04,830 --> 00:06:07,670
you don't have a lot of volume,
then it's probably not going to
103
00:06:07,670 --> 00:06:11,360
work out very much for you either,
because you have enough data to
104
00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,750
train the AI in the first place,
because the deal is we want it
105
00:06:14,750 --> 00:06:17,990
to make it feel human.
We want it to to make sure that
106
00:06:17,990 --> 00:06:22,280
it actually solves the problem
instead of giving some generic
107
00:06:22,280 --> 00:06:27,410
response like a lot of these AIS do.
Um, and, and the trick to do that is
108
00:06:27,410 --> 00:06:30,650
being very creative with your prompt
chaining with link chain and stuff.
109
00:06:30,650 --> 00:06:33,660
More technical terms, um,
and having very,
110
00:06:33,660 --> 00:06:37,170
very good data from the beginning.
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
111
00:06:37,170 --> 00:06:40,950
And I think the first step to doing
well with AI, as we're kind of
112
00:06:40,950 --> 00:06:44,700
running out of the gate with all
the AI stuff coming on for everyone
113
00:06:44,700 --> 00:06:48,150
trying to use it is good data.
So if you're talking to a company
114
00:06:48,150 --> 00:06:52,440
that doesn't have a lot of these
emails saved or they can't access,
115
00:06:52,590 --> 00:06:55,140
you know, any of the data that
they had before, then what kind
116
00:06:55,140 --> 00:06:59,990
of step would you tell them to
take to start getting good data?
117
00:06:59,990 --> 00:07:04,820
Would it be just through the like
the email interactions with, uh,
118
00:07:04,820 --> 00:07:08,660
customer support tickets?
Um, or what would that look like?
119
00:07:08,690 --> 00:07:12,020
Well, first of all,
any documents that they have around
120
00:07:12,020 --> 00:07:16,310
the service itself, any FAQs or
educational documents that they have,
121
00:07:16,310 --> 00:07:20,070
any videos that they have, they can
grab the transcripts of those videos
122
00:07:20,070 --> 00:07:23,940
and feed those into AI as well.
Um, outside of that, yeah,
123
00:07:23,940 --> 00:07:27,180
just start recording it,
but make sure that the data that
124
00:07:27,180 --> 00:07:32,280
you're recording is high quality.
So pay a little bit extra for a more
125
00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,610
knowledgeable, better speaking,
English speaking customer service.
126
00:07:35,610 --> 00:07:38,010
Don't go the cheap route and
outsource to the Philippines or
127
00:07:38,010 --> 00:07:41,280
India or whatever.
Uh, when it comes to that, because
128
00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:43,650
looking at the end goal in mind,
eventually you're going to be able
129
00:07:43,650 --> 00:07:47,150
to pivot away from that if you
have the proper data in place.
130
00:07:47,150 --> 00:07:50,570
And then the other thing I would say
is just maybe go across all your
131
00:07:50,570 --> 00:07:54,200
clients and ask them like, hey, what
are the top three questions that you
132
00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:57,590
had when you were coming into this?
Figure out what those are, right?
133
00:07:57,590 --> 00:08:01,610
Really, really good responses to
those questions and use that also as
134
00:08:01,610 --> 00:08:06,380
data points for the AI. Okay. Yeah.
So building up a new base of
135
00:08:06,380 --> 00:08:11,220
FAQs to feed into there.
Um, and I think that's also good
136
00:08:11,220 --> 00:08:15,570
multi-use of time to to have touch
points with old clients or even
137
00:08:15,570 --> 00:08:19,320
current clients and, you know, maybe
a chance to, to sell through some
138
00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:24,210
new new products or services too.
So if you're talking AI, what are
139
00:08:24,210 --> 00:08:29,010
some of your tools that you go to?
Um, you know, I think a lot of,
140
00:08:29,010 --> 00:08:32,930
um, companies are just trying to
figure this out, right?
141
00:08:32,930 --> 00:08:37,820
So they need people like you to come
in and help them understand, like,
142
00:08:37,820 --> 00:08:41,780
how do I DIY this or or what does it
look like for a company for you to
143
00:08:41,780 --> 00:08:45,440
come in and do it for us? Right.
So the DIY solution is probably
144
00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:48,620
something like Macomb,
which is an automation service,
145
00:08:48,620 --> 00:08:52,520
kind of like Zapier.
Okay, a lot better or an eight in
146
00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,970
if you're slightly more technical
and it it is the better solution
147
00:08:55,970 --> 00:08:58,350
of the two, But you need to have
a little bit more, you know,
148
00:08:58,350 --> 00:09:01,230
technical knowledge for that.
And then pairing that with I
149
00:09:01,230 --> 00:09:05,310
mean the simple one is ChatGPT.
However, Claudia is doing a lot
150
00:09:05,310 --> 00:09:08,400
of really good stuff.
Uh, their English comes out a lot
151
00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:13,260
more human than the ChatGPT does,
or using mixture which is
152
00:09:13,260 --> 00:09:15,060
slightly more advanced.
That's um,
153
00:09:15,630 --> 00:09:21,350
you can download Facebook's O llamas,
um, AI or a mixture tool AI and
154
00:09:21,350 --> 00:09:23,930
train it yourself.
That would be the slightly more
155
00:09:23,930 --> 00:09:27,590
advanced DIY version of this. Okay.
Uh, and I'll be posting tutorials
156
00:09:27,590 --> 00:09:30,650
about this if anybody wants to go
check it out for sure. My YouTube.
157
00:09:30,860 --> 00:09:34,700
But um, but yeah, I would say,
I would say that the simplest,
158
00:09:34,700 --> 00:09:38,240
easiest way for DIY is make
paired with ChatGPT.
159
00:09:38,450 --> 00:09:40,730
That's your DIY solution right there.
Okay.
160
00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:45,750
Um, when it comes to having us
jump in, uh, we don't use, like,
161
00:09:45,750 --> 00:09:48,990
we use an Aiden internally to test
ideas really quickly and stuff.
162
00:09:49,290 --> 00:09:51,630
Uh, but we don't use those
solutions for our clients.
163
00:09:51,630 --> 00:09:56,370
We actually code their own systems
and their interfaces and dashboards,
164
00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:00,600
because we find that a lot of our
clients there that are using, uh,
165
00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,660
you know, Salesforce and QuickBooks
and this and that and the other
166
00:10:03,660 --> 00:10:06,480
thing, and they have like ten
different platforms and Microsoft
167
00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:10,460
Teams or whatever, where, um, their
employees get bogged down because
168
00:10:10,460 --> 00:10:13,820
there's so many programs going on.
And so we'll take all those,
169
00:10:13,820 --> 00:10:17,840
join them all together in AI and
with APIs and things,
170
00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:20,570
and put it into one platform.
So employees have their own
171
00:10:20,570 --> 00:10:23,420
dashboard, they log into it,
connects with everything.
172
00:10:23,420 --> 00:10:27,080
It cleans out all the data, you know,
sales teams not updating their CRM.
173
00:10:27,170 --> 00:10:31,370
That's a huge problem, right?
We help augment that problem by
174
00:10:31,370 --> 00:10:34,530
having these systems in place.
and we'll build a custom
175
00:10:34,530 --> 00:10:37,830
solution for the company based
on what they need. Gotcha.
176
00:10:37,830 --> 00:10:41,010
So, you know,
the question that comes to mind,
177
00:10:41,010 --> 00:10:45,600
hearing all of this is privacy.
So I assume that this is a you know,
178
00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:48,390
this is not something that you would
take, you know, private data and
179
00:10:48,390 --> 00:10:53,250
throw it out on public and say,
you know, throw it against the wall.
180
00:10:53,580 --> 00:10:58,220
How do you make sure that this is how
does this integrate so that it is
181
00:10:58,220 --> 00:11:04,250
still stay private. So what's helped.
And and with the Ise specific we
182
00:11:04,250 --> 00:11:06,590
could put rails like guardrails
in there.
183
00:11:06,590 --> 00:11:10,160
It's where we can even feed it.
Maybe some proprietary info.
184
00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:15,080
But make sure that it removes any
contextual information that would,
185
00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:20,570
you know, violate any, um,
any NDAs. Right. Gotcha. Yeah.
186
00:11:20,570 --> 00:11:23,970
So, uh, outside of that,
like our CTO,
187
00:11:23,970 --> 00:11:27,540
he has a master's in cyber security.
And so security is like a huge
188
00:11:27,540 --> 00:11:30,960
major focus with us. Yeah.
Um, it's more important how you
189
00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:35,310
store the data. Yeah. Than anything.
And so making sure that things are
190
00:11:35,430 --> 00:11:38,730
hosted properly and making sure that
everything's been tested. Right.
191
00:11:39,210 --> 00:11:43,380
Um, and I mean,
because if we if we build a system
192
00:11:43,380 --> 00:11:48,110
and it gets hacked, we're liable.
And the company that hired us is
193
00:11:48,110 --> 00:11:52,670
liable to pay out damages to every
single person whose data got stolen.
194
00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:56,810
And we don't want that, you know.
So so that's why we're OWASp
195
00:11:56,810 --> 00:12:00,500
compliant. We're HIPAA compliant.
You know, we we understand what
196
00:12:00,500 --> 00:12:04,370
it takes to hack stuff because we
actively hack our applications as
197
00:12:04,370 --> 00:12:11,280
part of the testing process. Gotcha.
Well, um, so I think, you know, the
198
00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:14,730
customer service or customer support
side of this makes a lot of sense.
199
00:12:14,730 --> 00:12:18,450
What's what would be the next step if
a company wants to go beyond customer
200
00:12:18,450 --> 00:12:22,500
support and start implementing,
you know, automating more business
201
00:12:22,500 --> 00:12:25,860
processes, what would you suggest?
Well, it really depends on the
202
00:12:25,860 --> 00:12:29,100
industry, right?
I mean, like we find in warehousing
203
00:12:29,100 --> 00:12:32,970
that there there's a lot of, uh,
warehouses and logistics and
204
00:12:32,970 --> 00:12:35,480
wholesale companies who still run on,
like,
205
00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:39,230
Excel sheets and outdated systems.
Uh, there are some, uh,
206
00:12:39,230 --> 00:12:42,890
brick and mortar stores, apparel
companies and stuff that also are
207
00:12:42,890 --> 00:12:46,160
running off of outdated inventory
systems and things like that.
208
00:12:46,910 --> 00:12:50,510
Um, so we'll take those systems,
completely revamp it, like for a
209
00:12:50,510 --> 00:12:52,760
wholesale company, for example.
Like a lot of them will get
210
00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:57,260
these huge manifestos that are
like PDFs from one supplier and
211
00:12:57,260 --> 00:13:00,930
excel from another.
And they have a data warrior in
212
00:13:00,930 --> 00:13:03,720
India like entering it all.
Yeah, yeah. Biden seeds.
213
00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:06,210
But you know, humans aren't perfect.
And so there's going to be
214
00:13:06,210 --> 00:13:09,240
errors and it's slow.
So what will the system we're
215
00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:11,670
like hey have your supplier
upload it right here.
216
00:13:11,670 --> 00:13:13,710
It's instantly imported into
your system.
217
00:13:13,710 --> 00:13:15,390
You don't have to do anything,
you know.
218
00:13:15,390 --> 00:13:17,970
And so that guys work that you
hired full time.
219
00:13:17,970 --> 00:13:20,460
You don't need him anymore.
It's not bad.
220
00:13:20,460 --> 00:13:23,960
He just needs to evolve with his job
and get a better. Yeah, sure. Right.
221
00:13:24,140 --> 00:13:29,060
But, uh, but from an efficiency
standpoint, like, all of a sudden,
222
00:13:29,060 --> 00:13:31,640
you don't have to wait a week to
have your system updated from.
223
00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:34,130
It's not a new. Yeah.
You take all the manual work out
224
00:13:34,130 --> 00:13:37,280
of it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And that's just for like one
225
00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:38,600
vertical. Right.
So I mean,
226
00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:41,420
when it comes to fulfillment,
it might look something like that
227
00:13:41,420 --> 00:13:45,350
when it comes to sales teams,
it's like how do we how do we
228
00:13:45,350 --> 00:13:48,510
take a salesperson's person's
time and multiply it by ten?
229
00:13:48,510 --> 00:13:52,530
Because the amount of people that a
sales person contacts per day is
230
00:13:52,530 --> 00:13:56,730
directly proportional to the amount
of DLC is going to close 100%.
231
00:13:57,120 --> 00:14:00,600
Yeah. So but how do we take that?
Multiply it by ten without
232
00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,600
losing quality. Right.
See, that's that's the huge thing
233
00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:06,630
because a lot of people like they
have these huge email systems set
234
00:14:06,630 --> 00:14:11,120
up or LinkedIn bots or whatever,
and they're doing massive automated
235
00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:14,780
outreach, but it's kind of bad.
Or maybe they'll do like some
236
00:14:14,780 --> 00:14:18,260
slight AI personalization on it,
but it's still like it's not
237
00:14:18,260 --> 00:14:20,570
quite hitting the mark.
Like you can tell an I wrote this.
238
00:14:20,570 --> 00:14:23,150
It doesn't make sense. Yeah.
So what do you do?
239
00:14:23,150 --> 00:14:26,240
Well, first of all,
you grab their website text,
240
00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:29,150
you grab their LinkedIn text,
you grab the last 5 or 10
241
00:14:29,150 --> 00:14:32,240
LinkedIn posts, right?
You take that, you feed that into a
242
00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:36,480
Clodagh, which sounds more human
than ChatGPT Also, you pair that
243
00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,690
with maybe some trigger data.
So you're like, oh,
244
00:14:39,690 --> 00:14:42,780
I know this company just went
through a funding round or oh,
245
00:14:42,780 --> 00:14:46,590
I know that they just announced
a partnership with XYZ. Yeah.
246
00:14:46,590 --> 00:14:49,560
And then you take that and you use
that to write the email, and then all
247
00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:52,770
of a sudden you have relevant email.
It's hitting the right person,
248
00:14:52,770 --> 00:14:55,560
it's sounding right and human at
the right time.
249
00:14:55,560 --> 00:15:02,030
And you just not only maximized your
your volume output, but you also
250
00:15:02,030 --> 00:15:05,030
maximized the amount of relevance.
So you're hitting the right
251
00:15:05,030 --> 00:15:09,260
people at the right time. 100%.
Have you seen this, uh,
252
00:15:09,260 --> 00:15:13,370
company called Clay? Oh, yeah.
Clay's huge. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
253
00:15:13,490 --> 00:15:16,820
And, uh, there's there's another
smaller one. Data factory.
254
00:15:16,820 --> 00:15:20,660
I've been in touch with them.
Actually, no, I've never heard of.
255
00:15:20,660 --> 00:15:24,510
No. Yeah. They're smaller.
Um, but, uh, you know, I really like.
256
00:15:24,510 --> 00:15:27,900
I saw Klay just got a bunch of
funding from, uh. Oh, yeah.
257
00:15:28,140 --> 00:15:31,290
Sequoia or someone, um, and that,
that makes a lot of sense.
258
00:15:31,290 --> 00:15:33,180
You know,
it's just sort of summarizing what
259
00:15:33,180 --> 00:15:36,660
you just said is taking all the
all the data and saying, how do we
260
00:15:36,660 --> 00:15:41,940
do research on the fly, you know,
quickly and make it personalized.
261
00:15:42,090 --> 00:15:45,810
Now, it's still not all the way
there, but, you know, this kind of
262
00:15:45,810 --> 00:15:48,800
going back to like the roles changing
and people understand the roles.
263
00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,820
That's what I think that, uh,
salespeople and then again,
264
00:15:52,820 --> 00:15:55,760
marketers, depending on your,
your vertical or your, your company,
265
00:15:55,760 --> 00:16:00,410
they have to adjust to the tools
and to and therefore their role.
266
00:16:00,410 --> 00:16:03,740
So I think Clay is an
interesting example of that.
267
00:16:03,740 --> 00:16:06,950
Oh yeah. Clay's amazing.
Clay's big because, uh,
268
00:16:06,950 --> 00:16:10,550
the speed of testing is huge.
Clay integrates with everything
269
00:16:10,550 --> 00:16:14,460
really easily, and it's fast,
like for sales teams and testing
270
00:16:14,460 --> 00:16:18,900
verticals and ideas and stuff.
Clay is like, that's where it's at.
271
00:16:18,990 --> 00:16:21,510
The thing about it is,
is it's really expensive.
272
00:16:21,540 --> 00:16:27,030
The credits on clay are astronomical.
So what we sometimes see sales
273
00:16:27,030 --> 00:16:29,700
teams do.
I don't know if you know of Eric
274
00:16:29,700 --> 00:16:32,010
or some of these other people
that use clay a lot.
275
00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:36,140
Eric used to work for clay, actually.
He's a good friend of mine, but, um.
276
00:16:36,650 --> 00:16:39,170
What they'll do is they'll build
stuff out on clay,
277
00:16:39,170 --> 00:16:42,590
and then they'll turn around and
and hire an automation expert to
278
00:16:42,590 --> 00:16:45,470
build that and Aiden.
Or make or to build a Python
279
00:16:45,470 --> 00:16:48,290
script for that. Okay.
And so Clay is for the testing.
280
00:16:48,290 --> 00:16:52,250
Once they have something that works,
they'll go and rebuild it to reduce
281
00:16:52,250 --> 00:16:57,920
the costs. Oh okay. Interesting.
So. Okay. That's good to know.
282
00:16:58,430 --> 00:17:02,100
Put that one in my in my, uh,
list of things to, to look into.
283
00:17:02,100 --> 00:17:06,240
I like that because I think I am
experiencing that, uh, um, won't get
284
00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:09,720
I won't get into that right now.
But going back to your, your top,
285
00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:13,560
your conversation about the
fulfillment, it sparked this question
286
00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:16,710
of if you come in and work with
a company and help them really,
287
00:17:16,710 --> 00:17:18,660
you know, get all their stuff
together, you know,
288
00:17:18,660 --> 00:17:21,480
for lack of a better way to say it,
what's the learning curve for
289
00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:25,220
them on the back end of of that
new solution, New implementation?
290
00:17:25,250 --> 00:17:27,530
Well,
it's not as hard as you might think.
291
00:17:27,530 --> 00:17:30,230
I mean, first of all,
we have a full knowledge base.
292
00:17:30,230 --> 00:17:33,050
We do videos,
we do full documentation.
293
00:17:33,050 --> 00:17:36,500
We also do documentation, if ever.
Like you, they wanted to work
294
00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:39,230
with another dev team.
They could jump in and another
295
00:17:39,230 --> 00:17:42,800
dev team could easily figure out
what's going on and take it further.
296
00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:44,870
Right? Yeah.
What's a lot of what's a lot of
297
00:17:44,870 --> 00:17:47,180
software companies don't do that
because they want you to stick
298
00:17:47,180 --> 00:17:49,020
with them.
So that's something really
299
00:17:49,020 --> 00:17:52,620
important to note.
But no, it's it's a lot easier than
300
00:17:52,620 --> 00:17:55,860
you think because a lot of our
interfaces like first we'll build
301
00:17:55,860 --> 00:17:59,160
a design and we'll make sure the
design is simple and easy to use.
302
00:17:59,190 --> 00:18:03,120
We'll go through a testing process
where we'll roll out a feature
303
00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:06,540
to the employees or something,
and we'll see how it works.
304
00:18:06,540 --> 00:18:10,830
We'll try it on and see what
happens after that.
305
00:18:10,830 --> 00:18:12,560
Depending on the feedback will
change.
306
00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:16,070
Where some things are, we'll move
some stuff around or maybe add a
307
00:18:16,070 --> 00:18:21,020
thing or remove a thing. At the end.
We find that it's just so much
308
00:18:21,020 --> 00:18:24,770
easier for people to use that they
just kind of default into it.
309
00:18:24,770 --> 00:18:29,270
I mean, everybody, at least now, not
when I grew up, but everybody now.
310
00:18:29,270 --> 00:18:32,570
Like they have a phone from like
the second, you know,
311
00:18:32,570 --> 00:18:34,970
they're they're in the second or
third grade. Right. Yeah. Yeah.
312
00:18:34,970 --> 00:18:38,130
I didn't, I didn't get a phone until
I was like almost in high school,
313
00:18:38,130 --> 00:18:41,700
you know. Yeah. Uh. Same here.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
314
00:18:41,700 --> 00:18:44,700
So, uh, but so it's a lot more
intuitive than people think,
315
00:18:44,700 --> 00:18:46,470
because, I mean,
there's a lot of commonalities
316
00:18:46,470 --> 00:18:49,380
between platforms and things.
Like you go into Google Admin
317
00:18:49,380 --> 00:18:51,300
Console, it's confusing as hell.
Yeah.
318
00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:52,860
You're just like,
what am I doing here?
319
00:18:52,860 --> 00:18:55,740
But but I mean, you go into
these other platforms like clay,
320
00:18:55,740 --> 00:18:58,020
for example, maybe it's a little
bit more complicated,
321
00:18:58,020 --> 00:19:03,920
but but there's a kind of,
a commonality in between the UX
322
00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:06,710
and all these platforms that a lot
of people have gotten used to,
323
00:19:06,710 --> 00:19:10,550
and we use that to kind of help aid
the transition to the new system.
324
00:19:10,910 --> 00:19:12,470
Well, I mean,
talking about all these tools,
325
00:19:12,470 --> 00:19:16,040
I think your role and what you
guys are doing at your company is,
326
00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:20,150
is very valuable at the at the
current day, because people
327
00:19:20,150 --> 00:19:22,400
don't really know what is what,
you know, they don't have.
328
00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:25,590
They're running a business
selling X and they're managing
329
00:19:25,590 --> 00:19:28,860
teams and putting out fires.
They don't have the time really to
330
00:19:28,860 --> 00:19:33,870
digest all of what's happening.
And with AI and to think to the
331
00:19:33,870 --> 00:19:38,220
depth of what you can think.
And are you live in for
332
00:19:38,220 --> 00:19:40,050
automating business processes
and those kind of things.
333
00:19:40,050 --> 00:19:43,500
So I think that what you guys
are doing is, is super valuable.
334
00:19:43,500 --> 00:19:46,560
I don't see it going away
anytime soon, I think.
335
00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,640
But for the current day, super
valuable helping people understand
336
00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:53,270
which just the last 10 minutes or 15
minutes of us talking I think is
337
00:19:53,270 --> 00:19:55,700
super valuable for people to see.
Like, look,
338
00:19:55,700 --> 00:19:59,840
there's lots of tools out there
that are all racing to be the tool.
339
00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:03,440
And, you know, there's outfits
like you guys that are out there
340
00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:05,480
understanding these tools,
working with the tools,
341
00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:09,020
you know, and deploying them
inside of actual projects.
342
00:20:09,530 --> 00:20:13,500
Um, and you can, you know,
you can lend that experience, Um,
343
00:20:13,500 --> 00:20:17,010
I want to now kind of shift to
the digital nomad side of things,
344
00:20:17,010 --> 00:20:21,150
because I think that I think
this will bring as much value.
345
00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:26,910
Um, but, you know, when people think
of Digital Nomad, I the way I think
346
00:20:26,910 --> 00:20:30,480
of it is like someone sipping a
cocktail on a Mexico beach, right?
347
00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:34,410
Um, something like, you know,
you're traveling, you're you're
348
00:20:34,410 --> 00:20:39,980
just living the van life, right?
It doesn't appear that that's really
349
00:20:39,980 --> 00:20:43,460
what you're doing because you're
running a company. Right. And yeah.
350
00:20:43,460 --> 00:20:47,180
And so I give us a, give us a look
into what does that mean for you?
351
00:20:47,180 --> 00:20:50,450
What does Digital Nomad mean for you.
Right. Okay.
352
00:20:50,450 --> 00:20:54,110
Well, when I started out as a digital
nomad, I wasn't running my own
353
00:20:54,110 --> 00:20:58,130
company, so it was a lot different.
Um, there was a lot more, you know,
354
00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,590
sipping the cocktail on the beach,
right? Yeah.
355
00:21:01,220 --> 00:21:05,910
Um, but as I started to,
to grow the company, like when I,
356
00:21:05,910 --> 00:21:10,380
when I first started, I would move
countries every time my visa expired
357
00:21:10,740 --> 00:21:15,120
or whenever I got bored. Right.
So that would be every 3 to 6 months,
358
00:21:15,450 --> 00:21:17,160
right?
So every 3 or 6 months I had a
359
00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:19,620
major change.
Now those major changes are really
360
00:21:19,620 --> 00:21:23,310
good because they give you, uh,
a chance to change up your routine.
361
00:21:23,310 --> 00:21:26,750
Changing your environment is a
really, really good way to change up.
362
00:21:26,750 --> 00:21:29,930
Like how your day to day looks.
Uh, that being said,
363
00:21:29,930 --> 00:21:33,620
as I started growing the company,
I needed more consistency.
364
00:21:33,650 --> 00:21:38,990
So if I was to move to another
country, um, and every three months I
365
00:21:38,990 --> 00:21:41,450
have to figure out where the gym is,
I need to make sure that my
366
00:21:41,450 --> 00:21:44,720
place has good Wi-Fi.
I need to, you know,
367
00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:47,690
figure out where the good food is,
how to do this, how to do that.
368
00:21:47,690 --> 00:21:50,100
And the other thing,
and I'm excited, you know,
369
00:21:50,250 --> 00:21:53,370
I want to go see stuff. Yeah.
So and that's uh,
370
00:21:53,370 --> 00:21:56,910
that can be a distraction sometimes,
to be honest. For sure. For sure.
371
00:21:56,910 --> 00:22:01,830
And so I've kind of slowed down
a little bit now and I'm valuing
372
00:22:01,830 --> 00:22:06,000
a little bit more staying in
places longer time one year visa
373
00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,130
here to your visa.
There's something like that.
374
00:22:08,850 --> 00:22:11,820
Um, and also to get to know the
place more because if you're rolling
375
00:22:11,820 --> 00:22:15,620
through places every 3 to 6 months,
you had a couple tourist spots,
376
00:22:15,620 --> 00:22:19,160
you had a couple of local spots,
and like you, you moved on and you
377
00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:24,380
didn't actually like get to know
the country like, and its values.
378
00:22:24,380 --> 00:22:27,260
And I've noticed the countries
where I've spent more time,
379
00:22:27,260 --> 00:22:30,530
more than six months or the countries
that I know a lot better. Yeah.
380
00:22:30,650 --> 00:22:32,840
You have more connection to them.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
381
00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:34,820
But I think all that,
all the first part,
382
00:22:34,820 --> 00:22:39,180
a lot of wisdom came out of that,
you know, and having to think
383
00:22:39,180 --> 00:22:42,570
through your process of setting
up and tearing down every time
384
00:22:42,570 --> 00:22:46,590
you go to a different place.
Um, you know, you there's a lot
385
00:22:46,590 --> 00:22:49,080
of excitement involved,
which helps carry you,
386
00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:52,920
because if it wasn't exciting, then
it would just be. What's the point?
387
00:22:52,950 --> 00:22:57,000
Yeah, but I think taking the
principles of just moving
388
00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,730
logistically and getting things
set up and all that, um,
389
00:22:59,730 --> 00:23:03,380
it's like this forced, you know,
it becomes sort of its own DNA,
390
00:23:03,380 --> 00:23:07,790
but it's this forced rethinking
and refreshing of, okay, how am
391
00:23:07,790 --> 00:23:11,270
I going to do this again? Right.
And so I think that's what's
392
00:23:11,270 --> 00:23:13,190
valuable.
So that's what I want to know.
393
00:23:13,190 --> 00:23:16,490
Like I want to dig into that a
little bit and say, okay,
394
00:23:16,550 --> 00:23:20,180
what what did you take from that
that you're applying in your company
395
00:23:20,180 --> 00:23:24,200
now that you're more settled? Okay.
Well, um, I mean, the obvious one is,
396
00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:27,240
is as digital nomad,
you can't have a lot of things.
397
00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:32,730
So if you go in a place and I've
done this, you buy a bicycle or
398
00:23:32,730 --> 00:23:37,200
a guitar or a TV or whatever.
Um, when you move, you gotta leave
399
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:40,290
it behind or you got to sell it.
And usually you don't sell it.
400
00:23:40,290 --> 00:23:42,690
Usually you just kind of leave it
behind. Give it to somebody, right?
401
00:23:43,020 --> 00:23:46,950
Yeah. It takes too long. So. Yeah.
And so first of all, that that
402
00:23:46,950 --> 00:23:50,990
leads you to not be attached to
things as much, uh, because you
403
00:23:50,990 --> 00:23:54,560
know that they come and go.
Um, and so you don't really need to
404
00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:57,920
have like, I have my basic stuff.
I do have some guitars that I
405
00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:01,670
take with me.
I have my Muay Thai gloves, uh,
406
00:24:01,670 --> 00:24:04,430
and my raps. Right.
I have my laptop, I have my
407
00:24:04,430 --> 00:24:07,640
extra screen, which is a little
portable monitor, just so that I
408
00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:11,090
always have two screens. Right?
Uh, I've got my camera and my
409
00:24:11,090 --> 00:24:14,450
clothes and, like, that's it.
Like, that's all I got, you know?
410
00:24:14,570 --> 00:24:18,660
Um, so when I moved locations,
first of all, packing is really easy
411
00:24:18,660 --> 00:24:21,540
because it's like, I don't have a
lot of things. You already packed?
412
00:24:21,780 --> 00:24:25,200
Yeah, I just store them in the bag.
Takes me maybe, like, 30 minutes.
413
00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:28,560
25 minutes, you know?
I don't even pack the day before.
414
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:31,410
I'm like, I'll just pack a couple.
You're literally like Jason Bourne.
415
00:24:31,650 --> 00:24:34,080
Yeah, something like that.
That's cool.
416
00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:37,290
I mean, once I, you know,
you can leave a place.
417
00:24:37,290 --> 00:24:39,800
Leave it, leave a trace.
No trace in 25 minutes.
418
00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:42,830
Jason Bourne. There you go.
Yeah. No. That's awesome.
419
00:24:42,980 --> 00:24:45,470
The other thing, though,
is it's forced me to, like,
420
00:24:45,470 --> 00:24:47,870
become a lot faster when I do do
these transitions.
421
00:24:47,870 --> 00:24:52,730
So, um, it's gotten a lot easier.
It used to take me, like, 2 or 3
422
00:24:52,730 --> 00:24:57,950
weeks to get settled in a location.
Now I can get settled in like 3
423
00:24:57,950 --> 00:25:02,780
to 5 days, roughly.
Um, so, like part of that is, you
424
00:25:02,780 --> 00:25:06,270
know, I know that I trained Muay Thai
and that's really important to me.
425
00:25:06,270 --> 00:25:10,470
So before I go to a place, uh,
I'll look on Instagram,
426
00:25:10,470 --> 00:25:13,770
on Google Maps and I'll reach out
to Muay Thai trainers and get a
427
00:25:13,770 --> 00:25:19,140
private trainer before I even go.
So that the day I show up the next
428
00:25:19,140 --> 00:25:23,520
day, I wake up, I'm still with my
same routine of I'm doing Muay Thai
429
00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:27,800
in the mornings. Yeah, right. Yeah.
Um, also, one thing that's really
430
00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:31,580
important is messaging Airbnb hosts
and having them send the screenshot
431
00:25:31,580 --> 00:25:37,250
of the internet speed. There you. Go.
Because I've landed some Airbnbs
432
00:25:37,250 --> 00:25:41,270
that look really, really nice and
the internet is slow and it's like,
433
00:25:41,270 --> 00:25:44,270
dude, I can't be leaving the
house every day to go to a cafe.
434
00:25:44,300 --> 00:25:46,910
I mean, some people like the
co-working stuff. Yeah. Yeah.
435
00:25:46,910 --> 00:25:49,190
For me, first of all,
I'm making videos.
436
00:25:49,190 --> 00:25:51,840
I'm talking to clients,
I'm doing sales calls.
437
00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,720
I'm talking with the team.
You know, I have so much stuff
438
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:58,740
going on that, you know,
I can't have that in my space.
439
00:25:58,740 --> 00:26:01,830
It doesn't make sense, you know?
So, um,
440
00:26:01,830 --> 00:26:05,640
having a really good Wi-Fi connection
at the house is really important.
441
00:26:05,850 --> 00:26:10,050
That also brings up another thing.
If you're living with someone like
442
00:26:10,050 --> 00:26:14,880
my, my girlfriend is a psychologist
and she has her, you know, her own
443
00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:20,000
business and she has patients like,
I can't be around because of
444
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:23,810
patient privacy stuff. Yeah.
So we have to have a house that has,
445
00:26:24,140 --> 00:26:28,940
you know, doors. We can't do studios.
So, like you, you learn stuff
446
00:26:28,940 --> 00:26:32,450
like that when you travel.
Well, here's here's the bridge
447
00:26:32,450 --> 00:26:34,910
that I see in what we were
talking about before.
448
00:26:35,060 --> 00:26:39,930
And the, the digital nomad life is
that you talked about not having
449
00:26:39,930 --> 00:26:43,890
attachments to things. Yeah.
And to me, I think a lot of business
450
00:26:43,890 --> 00:26:47,700
owners, they have attachment to their
processes and their systems a lot.
451
00:26:47,700 --> 00:26:52,170
And so when you come in, isn't that
what you see? Oh yeah. Oh yeah.
452
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:54,390
The bigger the companies get,
the more attached they are.
453
00:26:54,390 --> 00:26:57,450
And they're losing hundreds of
thousands of dollars on systems.
454
00:26:57,450 --> 00:27:00,270
And they're just like, but it would
be more of a pain to change them.
455
00:27:00,270 --> 00:27:02,520
Like, okay, so you're going to lose
a couple hundred thousand dollars
456
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:05,450
just because you don't change.
It's like metaphorical hoarding,
457
00:27:05,450 --> 00:27:08,960
you know, of of systems and process.
Like you would maybe more TVs or
458
00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:12,590
whatever you leave behind. Yeah.
I think it's so super interesting
459
00:27:12,620 --> 00:27:15,530
to think about it that way, where
if you thought about your company,
460
00:27:15,530 --> 00:27:18,650
like you're going to leave in
three months and you have to
461
00:27:18,650 --> 00:27:21,920
pack your stuff in 30 minutes,
well, what are you taking and
462
00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:24,470
what are you leaving and what
does that cost to you? Right.
463
00:27:24,860 --> 00:27:28,950
Um, and so I think the attachment to
processes is, uh, is a real thing
464
00:27:28,950 --> 00:27:33,270
because you've got this person
who brought you the system that's
465
00:27:33,270 --> 00:27:37,080
integral to your organization,
and you value them. Right?
466
00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:38,880
You don't want to get rid of them.
You don't want to hurt their
467
00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:41,010
feelings.
You know, you're gonna you're
468
00:27:41,010 --> 00:27:43,680
gonna rock the boat if you start
to change things because they've
469
00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:46,470
got their ways. Right.
And so all these things start to
470
00:27:46,470 --> 00:27:48,480
add up.
So when you come into a company,
471
00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:51,210
you start to see this.
I mean, your reaction was exactly
472
00:27:51,210 --> 00:27:52,970
what I thought it was going to be,
You know. Yeah.
473
00:27:52,970 --> 00:27:55,850
You do see this right there?
Attached. Yeah. Oh, yeah.
474
00:27:55,850 --> 00:28:00,920
Well, another thing that that I find
a lot is they have a lot of data on a
475
00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:03,890
particular platform and they're like,
yeah, how do we move all this data?
476
00:28:03,890 --> 00:28:05,750
It's already there.
Everything's already set up.
477
00:28:06,020 --> 00:28:09,290
It's like I mean,
there are ways I mean, even if the
478
00:28:09,290 --> 00:28:12,440
system doesn't give you API access
and no way of downloading the data,
479
00:28:12,620 --> 00:28:17,130
we have ways of grabbing that data,
trust me. So but that's a huge fear.
480
00:28:17,130 --> 00:28:20,490
And so they're not even open for
the conversation because they're
481
00:28:20,490 --> 00:28:25,290
so attached to said thing.
But also it's like, okay, uh,
482
00:28:25,290 --> 00:28:29,340
you can keep going this way and
keep losing X on your bottom line.
483
00:28:29,340 --> 00:28:32,190
But I'll tell you, in ten, 15 years,
all these other companies,
484
00:28:32,190 --> 00:28:35,040
they're going to pass you, they're
going to pass you because you didn't
485
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:38,340
make the important decision before.
Yeah. You know what I mean. Yeah.
486
00:28:38,340 --> 00:28:41,450
I have a client that I've been
doing work with for a long time,
487
00:28:41,450 --> 00:28:44,960
and he's very good at not being
attached to things in his business.
488
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:47,210
That's good.
And that's that's a big reason why he
489
00:28:47,210 --> 00:28:52,940
wins. He he's a good leader in that.
He will help communicate and
490
00:28:52,940 --> 00:28:58,340
translate to his key employees
why they they need to get rid of
491
00:28:58,340 --> 00:29:01,310
this thing or this company or
vendor or whatever. Yeah.
492
00:29:01,460 --> 00:29:05,340
Uh, because as he's growing in
the vision that the. Yes.
493
00:29:05,340 --> 00:29:09,510
For the company, um, it is all
clear that things are changing,
494
00:29:09,510 --> 00:29:12,420
is shifting and then over, you know,
after over the last decade,
495
00:29:12,420 --> 00:29:16,410
so many things have shifted and
change in all companies.
496
00:29:16,410 --> 00:29:19,830
In the last six months,
things have changed dramatically.
497
00:29:20,220 --> 00:29:26,790
So you can't be a leader of a
small or or growing business and,
498
00:29:26,790 --> 00:29:30,230
and be attached to anything because
you're going to be the bottleneck.
499
00:29:30,230 --> 00:29:34,880
Those things will be the bottleneck.
Yeah. No, I totally agree.
500
00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:38,090
I and I think the bigger the
companies get, the more they have
501
00:29:38,150 --> 00:29:42,440
SOPs and systems in place. Yes.
And it becomes a little bit harder
502
00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:46,040
because like me as an entrepreneur,
like I changed my mind a lot
503
00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:48,110
about things.
So like one week I'm like, oh,
504
00:29:48,110 --> 00:29:49,760
this is the coolest thing.
We all have to use this.
505
00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:51,350
And the next week I'm like,
oh no, that sucks.
506
00:29:51,350 --> 00:29:52,970
We need to actually do this thing.
Yeah.
507
00:29:52,970 --> 00:29:55,860
You know, and that can be really
jarring on employees, right?
508
00:29:56,100 --> 00:30:01,230
So I have a buffer system,
my CTO and our main PM. Jesus.
509
00:30:01,770 --> 00:30:04,830
Um, they're kind of a buffer between
me and the employees because I'm
510
00:30:04,830 --> 00:30:08,340
like, ah, this. That's good. Yeah.
Um, and they kind of, like, roll
511
00:30:08,340 --> 00:30:11,970
things out a little bit more slowly.
They let it kind of test out, um,
512
00:30:11,970 --> 00:30:14,880
so it's not quite as jarring.
And a bigger company, though,
513
00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:17,870
like, yeah, I can see how,
like changing the entire structure,
514
00:30:17,870 --> 00:30:20,330
the entire system.
I mean, like for example,
515
00:30:20,330 --> 00:30:23,570
like HubSpot is a big one, dude,
HubSpot is expensive.
516
00:30:23,570 --> 00:30:26,630
Salesforce is really expensive.
Super expensive. Yeah, yeah.
517
00:30:26,630 --> 00:30:30,320
And like, dude, honestly,
once you get to a bigger team size,
518
00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:32,810
yeah, it kind of does everything,
but it kind of is everything in
519
00:30:32,810 --> 00:30:36,440
a really clunky, crappy ass way.
Like, let's be real, you know?
520
00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:39,860
So but they're really attached
to it because of the data,
521
00:30:39,860 --> 00:30:42,300
because this and that.
I'm like, well, that's good.
522
00:30:42,300 --> 00:30:46,110
But you calculate, okay,
this is the subscription cost,
523
00:30:46,110 --> 00:30:49,260
right? It's expensive. Yes.
But what they're not thinking
524
00:30:49,260 --> 00:30:52,170
about is the amount of time and
efficiencies that their employees
525
00:30:52,170 --> 00:30:55,740
are spending on that system.
So you have to add both of those
526
00:30:55,740 --> 00:30:57,540
together.
And they'd be like, okay,
527
00:30:57,540 --> 00:31:01,710
now does this cost the same as it
would for me to maintain a new
528
00:31:01,710 --> 00:31:05,610
system that I built for myself?
And the answer for a lot of
529
00:31:05,630 --> 00:31:08,090
companies is no.
I mean, for some companies it
530
00:31:08,090 --> 00:31:10,820
does make sense. But.
But not for every company.
531
00:31:10,820 --> 00:31:13,430
Definitely not.
Yeah, I think whenever it's a
532
00:31:13,430 --> 00:31:18,290
red flag for me, whenever these
platforms that were cutting edge
533
00:31:18,290 --> 00:31:23,510
and were very valuable to various
different processes in a company,
534
00:31:23,510 --> 00:31:26,960
when they start creating
certification courses that you get
535
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:31,080
certified in their platform, that to
me is the is sort of the writing on
536
00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:36,030
the wall for what's coming, you know.
Um, and it's again, for a lot of
537
00:31:36,030 --> 00:31:39,810
companies, it still makes sense.
Um, but when you start talking about
538
00:31:39,810 --> 00:31:42,810
being attached to systems and things
that are happening in your company,
539
00:31:42,810 --> 00:31:44,910
when you start to say, okay,
now we're going to get certified in
540
00:31:44,910 --> 00:31:47,220
this thing and we're going to hire
people who are certified in this,
541
00:31:47,220 --> 00:31:51,090
these things.
It's going to last for some time,
542
00:31:51,090 --> 00:31:54,770
but at some point it's going to come
where this now thing that we have
543
00:31:54,770 --> 00:32:00,170
14 people certified in is old hat.
Now we have to want to declutter
544
00:32:00,170 --> 00:32:02,240
all of this.
I'm going to stick with the analogy,
545
00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:04,970
but we have to, you know,
disconnect all of this and
546
00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:06,860
really kind of start over.
It's almost like a first
547
00:32:06,860 --> 00:32:09,350
principles type of thinking again.
Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah.
548
00:32:09,350 --> 00:32:11,990
It's like every time I move you
got to kind of start over again
549
00:32:11,990 --> 00:32:14,390
and again. Again.
That's exactly right. Yeah. Yeah.
550
00:32:14,390 --> 00:32:17,570
No, I mean we we find that too.
We find that, um,
551
00:32:17,570 --> 00:32:20,280
even with our systems, like.
Yeah, they're going to work for
552
00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:23,700
like 5 or 7 years or whatever,
but eventually you're going to
553
00:32:23,700 --> 00:32:26,850
have to do updates.
We we build it in such a way and
554
00:32:26,850 --> 00:32:28,440
where it's really easy to make
changes.
555
00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:31,860
So if ever, you know,
there's a new vertical or the
556
00:32:31,860 --> 00:32:35,640
company ships or something like we,
we can kind of pivot the program.
557
00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:40,050
But that being said, like programs
are also like a learning experience.
558
00:32:40,050 --> 00:32:42,180
So like we can build it.
It'll work for a couple of years,
559
00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:44,480
but eventually,
like it's going to have to change.
560
00:32:44,690 --> 00:32:47,060
I mean, even the stuff we build is
going to have to change everything
561
00:32:47,450 --> 00:32:48,800
eventually have to change.
That's right.
562
00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:52,670
So it's better to have a living
and breathing system that evolves
563
00:32:52,670 --> 00:32:57,080
with the company than it is to
have a system that evolves for the
564
00:32:57,080 --> 00:33:00,380
system to make more money, and
you're just kind of attached to it.
565
00:33:00,620 --> 00:33:02,900
Another thing that we find is
really important is having
566
00:33:02,900 --> 00:33:06,780
control of your own data.
So you know, you're using HubSpot,
567
00:33:06,780 --> 00:33:10,590
Salesforce, all this other stuff.
I mean, you don't know where
568
00:33:10,590 --> 00:33:12,540
they're storing that data.
You don't know what they're
569
00:33:12,540 --> 00:33:14,100
doing with that data.
I mean, you could read the
570
00:33:14,100 --> 00:33:18,030
contracts and whatnot, but, I mean,
we all know that that Gmail,
571
00:33:18,030 --> 00:33:20,550
like Google is selling a lot of
your search data to other
572
00:33:20,550 --> 00:33:25,800
companies and stuff. Sure.
And so having just control of
573
00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:29,760
your own data from a security
standpoint is huge.
574
00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:32,750
But from an analytical standpoint,
like the things you can do after
575
00:33:32,750 --> 00:33:36,110
you have ultimate control of all
your data is insane.
576
00:33:36,110 --> 00:33:40,550
Like the predictive analysis of
markets, the ability to predict
577
00:33:40,550 --> 00:33:43,370
ebbs and flows.
So, you know, when your your high
578
00:33:43,370 --> 00:33:46,400
months are going to be like the AI is
going to tell you that way better
579
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:50,030
than you'd be able to predict it
100% every time? Uh, yeah, 100%.
580
00:33:50,210 --> 00:33:53,570
So to round this conversation out,
I have a question for you. Okay.
581
00:33:53,570 --> 00:33:58,650
If if you were put in charge of,
let's say, uh, $5 million
582
00:33:58,650 --> 00:34:02,400
company still sort of stage one
looking to grow to stage two,
583
00:34:02,940 --> 00:34:06,810
what would be some of the first
things that you would cut and why?
584
00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:09,390
You know, now I say cut for
efficiency sake because it's a
585
00:34:09,390 --> 00:34:12,660
lot of what we're talking about.
But or maybe automate, right.
586
00:34:12,750 --> 00:34:16,770
If you went in there and you pick
your own vertical pick, you know,
587
00:34:16,770 --> 00:34:19,070
you know, because I know you,
you've already done this with
588
00:34:19,070 --> 00:34:22,700
some companies.
Um, what would be the first
589
00:34:22,700 --> 00:34:25,550
things that you would point at?
I mean, it's really different for
590
00:34:25,550 --> 00:34:29,540
every company. That's a thing.
Um, customer service is a huge
591
00:34:29,540 --> 00:34:32,240
overhead for a lot of companies.
Some companies is not, though.
592
00:34:32,240 --> 00:34:34,880
But customer service definitely
is a huge time suck.
593
00:34:35,270 --> 00:34:37,880
Um,
I would really hit sales really hard.
594
00:34:37,910 --> 00:34:40,520
I'd, uh, try to thin down the
sales team quite a bit.
595
00:34:41,030 --> 00:34:45,990
Um, because, you know,
five really intelligent sales guys
596
00:34:45,990 --> 00:34:50,550
that know how to use clay are
way more valuable than 20 stars
597
00:34:50,550 --> 00:34:54,600
and members and AI's, right?
Yeah, those five guys are going to
598
00:34:54,600 --> 00:35:01,050
smash that whole, like, 30% by far.
Um, so sales processes is huge.
599
00:35:01,260 --> 00:35:04,770
Also making sure there's a huge
inbound flow of leads instead of
600
00:35:04,770 --> 00:35:08,990
outbound because it's a lot easier
on everybody involved. Sure.
601
00:35:09,020 --> 00:35:11,510
Um, you know, they're already sold
before they hop on the meeting.
602
00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:14,270
You know, it's going to be a
good relationship. Yeah.
603
00:35:14,570 --> 00:35:17,750
Um, I'd say filtering of clients
is a big thing.
604
00:35:17,750 --> 00:35:19,820
Making sure you don't get crappy
clients.
605
00:35:19,820 --> 00:35:23,690
I think it's just as important
to vet the client as much as it
606
00:35:23,690 --> 00:35:26,360
is for the client to vet you.
You want to make sure that the
607
00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:28,550
relationship is valuable for
both parties.
608
00:35:28,580 --> 00:35:30,920
I want to make sure that I can
provide value to you.
609
00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:33,750
And if I can't provide value to you,
then great.
610
00:35:33,750 --> 00:35:37,500
I'm going to try to find someone who
can. And if I can't, that's fine.
611
00:35:37,860 --> 00:35:40,290
It's better if we don't work
together, because I don't want to
612
00:35:40,470 --> 00:35:43,110
end up down the road with you.
No problem.
613
00:35:43,110 --> 00:35:47,490
So just defining who your ideal
client is and getting rid of all the
614
00:35:47,490 --> 00:35:52,320
all the other noise, that is huge.
So that's where I would really start
615
00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:56,150
out with like that when it comes to
to jumping in on that situation.
616
00:35:56,150 --> 00:35:59,000
I like that the front end
producing revenue, good, solid,
617
00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:03,410
high quality opportunities that
bring on, you know, clients are
618
00:36:03,410 --> 00:36:06,920
going to be long term value. Yeah.
And then and then the back end of
619
00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:10,310
serving them and supporting them.
You know funny you say a lot.
620
00:36:10,310 --> 00:36:12,740
It's a lot of overhead for a lot
of companies is true.
621
00:36:12,740 --> 00:36:15,290
But it should be a higher
overhead for some companies.
622
00:36:15,290 --> 00:36:17,810
Some companies are not paying
attention to their customers and they
623
00:36:17,810 --> 00:36:20,520
need to have more customer support.
Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah.
624
00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:24,720
And I find that that, uh, the better
you make the onboarding process,
625
00:36:24,720 --> 00:36:28,500
the better. The more cozy you make.
The, uh, the whole fulfillment
626
00:36:28,500 --> 00:36:32,490
process as a whole that's going to
have three, four acts, you know,
627
00:36:32,490 --> 00:36:35,790
the amount of referrals you get
and then all ten of the business.
628
00:36:35,790 --> 00:36:38,520
And if you stick to your bread and
butter and understand that, like,
629
00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:41,460
you don't need to be HubSpot,
you don't have to do ten
630
00:36:41,460 --> 00:36:44,120
different services.
If you're really good at this thing,
631
00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:46,220
it's better to cut all the rest.
Just do that.
632
00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,850
You're like, really good at
Stack Services up on that,
633
00:36:50,150 --> 00:36:54,710
but you don't need to to go wide.
You can go. Yeah. Going why?
634
00:36:54,710 --> 00:36:58,070
It's good for testing out when you're
first starting out, stuff like that.
635
00:36:58,070 --> 00:37:01,760
But once you find what's working,
stick to that thing. That's right.
636
00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:05,210
Yeah, that's really good advice.
Hey, this has been great and I
637
00:37:05,210 --> 00:37:08,180
appreciate all your insights.
I think this is so timely for people
638
00:37:08,180 --> 00:37:11,940
that are, you know, dabbling in AI,
trying to automate some things.
639
00:37:11,940 --> 00:37:15,360
People have, you know,
antiquated systems. So thanks a lot.
640
00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:18,450
No, I appreciate being on.
Um, and yeah,
641
00:37:18,450 --> 00:37:21,360
thanks a lot as well. Yeah.
So if people want to, you know,
642
00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:23,850
want to send people your way,
how do we get in touch with you?
643
00:37:23,850 --> 00:37:27,900
Yeah, you can go to horizon dev.
Um, easy to remember.
644
00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:30,900
Uh, that's our website.
And then on there, we also have a
645
00:37:30,900 --> 00:37:33,620
YouTube that I've been working really
hard on posting a lot of videos.
646
00:37:33,620 --> 00:37:37,280
So if you guys want to start doing
this DIY and kind of check out some
647
00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:40,460
of the stuff that's possible, I'll
be posting videos there regularly.
648
00:37:41,090 --> 00:37:44,480
Um, and if you want to reach out,
just, you know, all the contact
649
00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:46,670
info is there and you can always
talk to me on LinkedIn too,
650
00:37:46,670 --> 00:37:49,100
if you have questions.
You know, I'm always happy to
651
00:37:49,100 --> 00:37:52,940
answer for free, so love it.
Super valuable. Thank you so much.
652
00:37:52,940 --> 00:37:56,210
And, uh, we'll have to have you back.
All right. I appreciate it, man.
653
00:37:56,660 --> 00:37:57,410
All right. Thanks a lot.