WEBVTT
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Good to see you guys.
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Welcome to another episode of the AI Profit Leaders Podcast.
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My name is Chris Weiser, your host for today.
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I am here with the one, the only Eddie Key.
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What's up, my man?
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How you doing, buddy?
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Good.
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How you doing, Chris?
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I'm doing good, sir.
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Welcome to Austin.
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It's good to see you.
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Enjoyed it.
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So I'm really pumped about today's conversation because this is, you know, you and I have known each other for a while, but as both as entrepreneurs and we've but also like through this whole AI boom, we've kind of watched this thing kind of start from zero and start to take off for me as a as a coach and a leader, but then also you as a business owner and a leader.
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Tell us about like what your business looks like, etc.
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And actually feel free to introduce yourself because I didn't do a very good job of that.
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So I'm Eddie Key, I own Key Innovations.
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We're out of Canton, Ohio, Pro Football Hall of Fame town, and been in business actually since the late 80s.
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Damn, bro.
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Damn.
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Okay, so related to your background, and I'll kind of like set some groundwork here for our viewers.
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IT company owner.
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I've been in business since the 80s.
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Now you know, pivoting into AI.
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What does that look like?
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Like where were you and what is it looking like?
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AI has become very pivotal in my business to the point that our management uh endpoint management and stuff is going to go away.
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We're going to be concentrating 100% on AI as it goes.
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So you're going to actually shut down the IT side?
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Is that your goal?
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We're going to diminish it out.
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Right now I've got somebody contracted to do a lot of the work for me.
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But it's also, I see more value and more profit in AI consulting and AI profit product product.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Okay.
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Um where we're going with it, it's AI.
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We don't know.
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Yeah.
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It's kind of driven on what the demands are for the marketplace, what the demands are for other businesses, and also just on the demand of where the technology is going.
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The technology is evolving day to day.
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We don't know where it's going to go.
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We don't know the safeguards.
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We don't know the guardrails.
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We know very little what we can do.
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And when we put something up, generally you end up having to modify it.
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So what's your overall approach?
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I know, and just so you guys all know, AI Eddie's in our AI profit machine program.
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So are you following our viewpoint, which is leading with strategy?
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Are you following that exclusively?
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Are you adding other things to it?
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What does that what does that look like?
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We're leading with strategy.
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We're leading with you know become to business advisement.
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So I've been a counselor for score, business advisement.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Taking their model, taking your model, and working with it.
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Their models leaves a lot on not a lot to be desired, but at least you can, once you get in a business and you start evaluating it and introducing them and talking to them, they start getting excited.
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You know, like I told you before, we've had a doctor that doesn't want to mess with AI because he thinks his practice could be replaced by AI.
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So instead of embracing it and growing from it, he's gonna just ignore it.
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Yeah, so let's actually let's jump on that because I really like that strategy and that mindset.
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So you talk about the guy that is the business owner in a potentially AI displaced, or you know, maybe not now, but in the next, and it's it's moving fast anyway.
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So it could be like six months to 24 months.
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He's probably gonna potentially be, not probably, he will be in a potentially displaced scenario.
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But what you're telling me is by the mindset that leaders should have is be jump on top of it as soon as possible.
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Correct, stay as deep in it as as soon as you can, and then lead with be an industry leader because you're gonna be the last one to be displaced, and you probably won't even be displaced at all because all that stuff needs to get worked.
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Well, and again, I'm gonna point out a little bit here, he's a younger man.
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He's going to be displaced, he's doesn't realize it.
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He's still got 20 years to work.
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Yeah, he's still got 20 years to run a business or to be an employee.
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But not looking at it from a on the business side of it, how can he be a business owner instead of being just totally doing his practice?
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How can he grow his practice?
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But also, what tools can he have that he can enhance and give out to a product to his patients?
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Can he develop a product around his services that the patients could be evolved into?
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Because his core function is eyeglasses, and that can be replaced.
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So is this an optometrist or an eye surgeon or what does it look like?
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Optometrist.
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Optometrist, okay.
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So yeah, I mean, a lot of what they do, if they just avoid it, is potentially so I think so.
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Really a good lesson there, and I I think this is a great Eddie Key sound bite, is you know, stay ahead of the game and don't allow yourself to just be displaced, you know, as as opposed to avoiding it.
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Right?
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You want to give me a little overall thought on that?
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No, should he should totally embrace it.
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And I look at his business and I look at other businesses, whether they're a product-based business, manufacturer, they're all core down.
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You have a product, you have a material list, you have a service.
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They can all be bundled and use AI to make it more efficient.
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Can he and you know, so like some of some of our customers, we have them set up with an AI advisory board.
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Some people are calling board of directors, I just call it an advisory board.
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That helps them put the experts in the room with them virtually, or they can out and talk to it and get a response back.
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Yep.
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And they would the ideas that they get that come back to them, totally unique to them, totally unique to their business, totally unique to their product, and that can tell them how to grow their business.
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If they got more employees, they can roll the same advisory board out to their employees and bring them on board.
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And the ideas and the markets that they're that they could actually tap into, yeah, they're not even looking at it.
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And it's just makes people think about it.
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If you're going to ignore it and go away, I hate to tell you, you're going to be out of business.
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Yeah, it's you're not gonna be able to.
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And what's what's funny about that is I I want you to challenge me if you think I'm wrong on this.
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I think the ones that avoid AI the most are gonna be the most likely to be replaced or displaced because they're they're making that moat between them and success larger and larger and larger.
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Correct.
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Right?
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Well, and that's a let's go to the skilled trades.
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They're saying AI is not going to impact us.
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It most certainly is going to impact us.
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Take it back to the one step, kind of like I was indicating before.
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Look at the automotive manufacturers.
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The skilled trades on the shop floor are being assisted by robots.
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Now those robots are getting AI and they're getting more and more.
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So they're getting fishing.
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They're actually getting some intelligence around it, right?
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Correct.
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Yeah.
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So these be people that work with them have to become the intelligence troubleshooters, smarts, and all, and have the have the brains to be able to put things together.
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But if you look at the skilled trades out there, your plumbers, your HVAC, your electricians, 80% of what they do, I can replace with a little bot on Wills and send in there.
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Yeah.
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And that's being developed by some of the local universities.
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Yeah.
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It's funny.
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I was watching, uh, you ever see that show Landman?
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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So I was watching Landman this weekend.
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Uh kind, I actually took a little chill time, which is crazy.
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But I think it was Saturday night.
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I was watching Landman, and they were at this convention, and they had, and this is like all drill rigging, uh drilling rigs kind of scenario.
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And these guys were at this convention and they're like, oh, there's our there's the future, boys.
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And it was literally a uh a roughneck, like an oil rougneck, but it was a robot roughneck, and then it was like so.
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It was definitely put in that show specifically to hit some type of topic around that.
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So it's pretty pretty interesting.
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As I were driving down, we drove down here from Ohio, and as I'm driving down here, I think a lot when I drive.
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And I was saying that, well, I could just take a pivotal robot arm, get it mounted on a set of caterpillar treads, and send it out onto a construction site to do whatever I needed to.
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For the most part, I would 100% agree with that.
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Maybe I should patent that and it's son of a gun.
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Somebody's already beat me to it.
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There's patents out there for that.
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Yeah, and I think it's interesting because there's not there's not a whole lot of original ideas.
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And I think you know, you've been around me for long enough now that you know that I talk about execution and and and speed, and you know, you've done really well in the last when did you open your agency, your AI agency side?
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Six months.
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We start no about it probably about it about six months before you came out and started with Nazo.
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So we started doing AI stuff a little bit earlier before the Seven Figure Program started talking about it.
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Sure.
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But I just started talking, there's something here.
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I don't know what's here, but there's here.
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You just feel it, right?
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Right.
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Same thing.
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I'm still saying there's something here.
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I don't necessarily know what it is.
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Selling tools is fine because I can monetize it on a monthly basis, but that's maybe not even where we're gonna go in the long term.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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So let's let's kind of talk about what your agency does and what makes you guys unique.
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We start with an assessment, very similar to your assessment.
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We had started something a little bit before, and then I took what you have and tweaked it, tweaked it out.
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Yeah.
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So we'll do a business assessment.
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And what I want to do is I want to get the business owner thinking about their business.
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Just think about your business.
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Think about how you're marketing, think about how your sales, think about how you're manufacturing, think how you're servicing your customer.
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Are you doing it efficiently?
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Could this be cleaned up?
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Could you give a better experience to the customer?
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Let's put let's figure out how to bring AI into your business to be a supportive role, not a replacement role, a supportive role.
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And I think that's a little bit different than what everybody's going out there saying, well, you can replace 10 employees with it.
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I don't necessarily agree with replacing employees because I think you need the intelligence of that employee to be augmented with the AI.
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So you just you just brought up a really, really important point because I had this is my I think my third recording today, and all three guests so far have talked about the buzz is all around AI displacement and AI replacement.
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But in reality, all three of you had very similar sentiments that AI should superpower or augment, like you just said, the talent.
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So I think, you know, kind of the overall mindset, and disagree with me if I'm wrong on this.
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AI first leadership, leader or team, empowering AI down to their team, teaching their team how to be more efficient, how to be better, doing all these different things, giving and then giving them the tools, embracing the tools through guys like you and the strategy to help empower that AI first leadership team to actually be AI first and then supercharging all of the staff top to bottom, right?
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So I I think that should be the the mindset and the goal.
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Uh to me that is, but I don't think everybody's necessarily embracing it that way.
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I wonder how much of that has to do with excess employee bloat.
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Because one of the one of the things that, you know, you and I have known this for a long time.
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We've seen this.
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What has leaders been told to do for years?
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It's master the strategy, delegate the execution, delegate, delegate, delegate, delegate.
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And the challenge with delegation is you can only delegate so much without burning individual people out.
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So what a lot of times they do is they hire people are hire will hire VAs from overseas, offshore, and then they'll give them a single task.
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Well, that becomes a displacement scenario that probably should be done, but you're not superpowering that you know that per you wouldn't superpower that person in real life either.
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Correct.
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I I see a very similarity on a lot of this happening.
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You're you but you were in the IT business back when the desktop computers and everything showed up.
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Oh, yeah.
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Everybody got a word processor on their desk.
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Yep.
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Every cubic every cubicle person got, you know, one.
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So what did they get rid of?
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They got rid of the secretarial staff, typewriter, staff, and all that.
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So then they made the engineer and the technician and the salesperson all do their own memos.
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Yep.
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Yep.
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Did that improve their efficiency?
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I still vote that if they all had one VA for every six of them, they would be more efficient.
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I would agree with that.
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Yeah.
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But they don't give them that.
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But this is where we're at right now is we're giving Eddie to do the same tools and the same changes that happened in the mid-90s to happen now.
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Yeah.
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And with those changes, we're going to be able to, you know, make your staff more efficient.
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When they start you start to think about what you just said there, it empowers that AI first leader to say, okay, I maybe didn't have the revenue to give you a VA per human.
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Right.
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Or maybe even per three or four or five or six, like you mentioned, but I can surely, for the cost to benefit analysis type scenario, I can give every one of you an agent, right?
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An assistant, an assistant agent.
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So now you've actually empowered that person along with training, along with the systems, along with the AI first leadership and the right way to do it, you've actually made that person now ten times more important more efficient.
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Correct.
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But you have to adopt a mindset in the ownership and in management and also to the employee.
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Kind of like the security first mindset we had to get.
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Yep.
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We had to get adopted from the top down, otherwise, it just doesn't take.
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Yeah.
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It's the same exactly.
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It's the same exact thing.
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So as you improve with the customers and the customers start to understand, they will adapt this.
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It's it's an education process with them.
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Now I'm gonna ask you this.
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So you think about that AI first leadership piece, and let's say we got it all in place from top down.
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How important is strategy and have having a game plan?
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Because they could just roll in and and say, okay, I'm gonna be AI first, I'm gonna do all this stuff, but then you got a guy, especially a let's just take Chris, for example.
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Me.
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I like to tinker.
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I definitely like to play with the AI tools.
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What does that look like?
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How important is strategy?
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That's probably your most important asset.
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Top-down strategy.
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So actually, like saying we are going to have a plan.
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You mentioned guardrails earlier.
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Do you have to you have to have I mean the business owner is no more than just a manager of your ball team.
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If he's not directing the outcome, do we you do you get the outcome that you need?
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Yeah, without I mean, without question, no.
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And um and how many, how many don't is really the question.
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I think most businesses they just do what they do, kind of like floating through it because it was just like what was always done.
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Well, you know, it's um I've been doing some counseling and business advising and stuff for the last few years.
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And what became is very important, and they started they started out is we always got to get the businesses to write a business plan.
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Man, it's really come out thing is the businesses don't grow with a business plan.
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Yeah, they grow with all the other plans, the sales plan, the marketing plan, yeah, the manufacturing plan.
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Let's start with those and then build the business plan.
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Then the businesses grow.
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That same thing's gonna happen here.
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You're gonna have to have an AI plan, just like you have a cybersecurity plan, just like you have an IT policy.
00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:23.039
You're going to have to have it that's unique to your business and to address it.
00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:26.879
And, you know, that's where I can come in is guide you, guide you through that.
00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:30.080
I can't create your business plan or your AI plan for you.
00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:30.480
Yeah.
00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:32.159
But I can guide you to do that.
00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:47.039
You know, it's one thing I was I was talking to somebody this week in the MSP IT space, and he basically said to me that I don't really care and I don't want to do all this stuff.
00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:50.320
Like, I just want to kind of sit back and collect checks.
00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:52.879
I'm like, well, your your machine above that is broken, man.
00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:57.919
Like, I as much as you want to sit back and collect checks, you have to put all this effort into doing it.
00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:13.039
And it kind of made me start to think, like, how many people they they want it, but you can't, like, you as a consultant, and this is where I'm going with this whole thing, me as a business coach, you as a consultant, you can't want success for their business more than they do.
00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:13.360
Correct.
00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:13.679
Right?
00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:18.080
Yeah, I can't want I can't want you to succeed with AI more than you want to succeed.
00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:34.559
And I think where we're gonna run into, and this is actually a point I want to, I want to really make that I think you can even use there's no easy button in any of this stuff, and they're not gonna just magically make a like you're not gonna like, oh, that was easy, and they magically like make an all AI work for their business and double their revenue.
00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:38.159
And it takes full investment from the top down with a strategy and a plan.
00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:39.120
Correct, right?
00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:43.759
And what in a lot of ways, this is no other than putting in any other business system, line of business software.
00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:47.279
You know, you put your ERPA system in there to run your business, but but understand.
00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:49.200
You gotta plan it, but you gotta have the guidance.
00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:52.080
I know, but here's the challenge, and I and I 100% agree with that.
00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:54.159
Here's the challenge with this versus that.
00:16:54.399 --> 00:17:00.080
You didn't necessarily have to be an ERP first business leader.
00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:16.400
Now you could have that mindset, but they then other consulting firms would come in and roll the thing out for you, and you kind of was like, okay, we are ERP, but in in all reality, the leader didn't have to be mindset for versus that's really pivoting a little bit now, right?
00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:27.519
And I kind of will dis disagree with you on that because if the business owner didn't have the mindset for an ERP system or an MRP system, the business that those systems never succeeded.
00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:29.599
They never guess ultimately it's the same.
00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:34.640
They they never didn't they never achieve the savings, they never achieved the efficiencies that those systems.
00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:36.640
And the project was a failure, then probably.
00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:38.400
It might, it might just sort of work.
00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:39.039
Yeah, yeah.
00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:41.359
And that's the same thing's gonna happen with AI.
00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:45.119
Is it's gonna be like any other IT system.
00:17:45.279 --> 00:18:00.559
If it's not adopted from the top and really enthusiastically embraced, yeah, it's not going to be well, and I think we're seeing like right now, we're sitting here in 2026, we're seeing like 85% of uh AI projects are failing.
00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:02.079
Why would you see that?
00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:03.359
Do you think it's the same problem?
00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:05.759
Do you think it's different stuff or same problem?
00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:08.319
Just a mindset so they just don't have mindset and strategy.
00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:10.640
You've got you've got to have mindset and strategy.
00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:12.000
You have to have follow-through.
00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:12.480
Yeah.
00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:21.119
So if you sing and put something in there and you know it's gonna take six months to a year to implement, people business owners get bored with that.
00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:21.759
Yeah.
00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:26.160
But you and they want to see ROI like right fast, fast, fast.
00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:41.119
But that but again, if you're doing something like that, and that's why why I write a 12-month contract minimum on this, is if you don't put put expectations and expectations on the business owner, here's how it's going to be.
00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:43.039
Yeah, you're not gonna be success.
00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:45.759
If you want it, you're gonna have to want it.
00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:48.880
Now, what do you do in a in a scenario?
00:18:49.519 --> 00:19:06.240
One of the challenges that exists in the IT MSP space is MSPs don't have a lot of this, don't have a lot of plan, and they don't have things rolling out as they acquire clients and all this stuff, and they often take clients that they shouldn't be taking because the the clients are not bought into security.
00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:07.680
They're they're just doing it because they do it.
00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:10.079
So, how how do we approach that with the AI stuff?
00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:11.839
Because are you saying no to clients?
00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:17.519
Are you saying it has to be this way, or how are you potentially alleviating or eliminating that problem?
00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:25.839
Right now, because I'm doing primarily the mark the sales of it, I do have a sales prep handling it, and Sam knows exactly what I expect out of a customer.
00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:27.200
I say no.
00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:31.440
If I don't think you're gonna adapt it and want to work with me, you're not a good fit.
00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:34.240
Yeah, so you're doing what you should be doing in that scenario.
00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:37.599
But we did that with cyber, we did that with IT consulting.
00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:40.880
So it's look at how much of that has to come from here, meaning you.
00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:41.680
Right, right.
00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:45.200
That has to come from inside, and right, and I mean that generates.
00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:46.880
So we'll talk about a salesman.
00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:48.640
Well, he said, all revenue is good.
00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:52.160
And I said, No, all revenue is not good, right revenue is good.
00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:54.799
Well, profitable revenue with the right mindset.
00:19:54.960 --> 00:20:00.799
You know, we for years you've been around, been around us here, and we talked about the get out of bed number and all these different things.
00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:05.119
Like it's got to be the not only the get out of bed number, but it's got to be the get-out-of-ed mindset now.
00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:06.480
I think is really, really key.
00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:06.880
Yeah.
00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:08.240
Okay.
00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:10.079
Any we only got a few minutes left here.
00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:11.440
Anything else you want to cover today?
00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:12.720
What's your what's your thoughts?
00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:15.519
I just think it's a brave new world that we're embracing in.
00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:20.000
I mean, we're gonna have technology changed dramatically over the next few years.
00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:24.079
Look back in November of what was it, 23 that ChatGPT was released.
00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:24.559
Yep.
00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:28.240
And everybody was all this is the greatest thing in the world and how it evolved.
00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:31.039
And first they said, well, it's giving us bad information.
00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:41.359
People have adopted and learned that yes, you you have to be the filter, you have to be the understanding, you have to be the brains behind the AI, you have to be the brains behind your business.
00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:47.680
You could be the we could be the best business advisors in the world, but if you're not the brain behind your business, it's not gonna matter.
00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:48.400
It doesn't matter.
00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:53.279
Yeah, so gotta be pro like CEO-led, AI first mindset, correct.
00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:56.799
All the way down to that team, all the way down to or the leadership, and then all the way down to the team.
00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:02.799
And this the AI marketplace is definitely CEO driven, more so than anything else that we've done.
00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:03.440
Really?
00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:04.000
Yes.
00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:04.480
Wow.
00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:08.319
So so you actually see the CEOs fully saying, I want to be a part of this, and I'm not sure.
00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:11.839
If it's not the CEO, doesn't want to be a part of it and involved, it's not gonna succeed.
00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:12.079
Yeah.
00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:13.839
CFO thinks oh, it's a good idea.
00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:15.359
CFO would bring you in for cyber.
00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:20.480
And they'd also bring you in for cost savings in in AI, which is I think uh that's a red flag, right?
00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:21.440
Would you agree with that?
00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:24.160
Well, you're going to say you will save money with AI.
00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:25.680
It's common sense, as well.
00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:33.279
My point is if if their exclusive reason to use AI is we're gonna cut workforce and we're gonna cut costs, they're gonna fail, right?
00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:38.240
I think that's that's a that if there if there's anything that came out of this podcast right now, man, that's it.
00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:38.640
Yes.
00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:47.519
It's if if you're leading with a we're gonna save money by cutting costs attitude related to AI, it's not gonna succeed.
00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:48.160
No.
00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:53.039
Long term you'll save money, but again, it's not gonna succeed.
00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:58.400
But you also, I'm just gonna say you may open up markets with AI that you never dreamt of.
00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.759
Yeah, you may come up.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.240
With suppliers that you never dreamt of?
00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:04.319
That's actually that's absolutely gonna happen.
00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:09.440
Just, you know, I alluded during my talk on stage back in Nov in the fall.
00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:18.799
Drapery manufacturer found out he could buy from the man the material manufacturer over in Europe that he couldn't buy from anywhere else and his costs reduced.
00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:22.079
Just with AI questions and coming back with it.
00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:28.240
We've had, you know, you've there's been many cases like that that you find out about even from other people.
00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:30.960
This is a crazy world.
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:31.599
Yeah.
00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:33.119
Well, I'm I'm excited about it.
00:22:33.200 --> 00:22:34.640
I think it's uh it's a hell of a lot of fun.
00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:36.079
We're doing a lot of great things.
00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:37.359
Love having you here, man.
00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:38.079
It's good to see you.
00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:38.480
Thank you.
00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:43.519
Been on our stages multiple times now, been here, first time on this podcast, but we'll have you again, buddy.
00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:44.960
We got a couple days here in Austin.
00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:46.079
Welcome, have fun.
00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:52.640
And everybody, Eddie Key from Key Innovations, based in Centon, Ohio, the NFL Hall of Fame city.
00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:53.200
I love it, man.
00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:54.319
I've never actually been to Canton.
00:22:54.400 --> 00:22:55.599
I've been all over Ohio and out there.
00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:58.799
So one day you one day you'll have to come over to Canton.
00:22:58.960 --> 00:22:59.920
Yeah, we'll do that for sure.
00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:00.480
All right, guys.
00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:01.680
Appreciate you being here with us today.
00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:03.039
Eddie Key, go kill it, guys.
00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:03.680
We'll see you later.
00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:04.000
Thank you.
00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:05.039
Thank you, Chris, for having me.
00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:06.160
Bye bye.
00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:06.320
Good to see you guys.
00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:09.439
Welcome to another episode of the AI Profit Leaders Podcast.
00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:11.759
My name is Chris Weiser, your host for today.
00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:14.880
I am here with the one, the only Eddie Key.
00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:15.679
What's up, my man?
00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:16.559
How you doing, buddy?
00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:16.879
Good.
00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:17.760
How you doing, Chris?
00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:18.800
I'm doing good, sir.
00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:19.760
Welcome to Austin.
00:00:19.920 --> 00:00:20.719
It's good to see you.
00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:21.839
Enjoyed it.
00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:45.759
So I'm really pumped about today's conversation because this is, you know, you and I have known each other for a while, but as both as entrepreneurs and we've but also like through this whole AI boom, we've kind of watched this thing kind of start from zero and start to take off for me as a as a coach and a leader, but then also you as a business owner and a leader.
00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:49.280
Tell us about like what your business looks like, etc.
00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:52.159
And actually feel free to introduce yourself because I didn't do a very good job of that.
00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:54.560
So I'm Eddie Key, I own Key Innovations.
00:00:54.719 --> 00:01:01.119
We're out of Canton, Ohio, Pro Football Hall of Fame town, and been in business actually since the late 80s.
00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:02.079
Damn, bro.
00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:02.719
Damn.
00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:10.640
Okay, so related to your background, and I'll kind of like set some groundwork here for our viewers.
00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:12.480
IT company owner.
00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:14.879
I've been in business since the 80s.
00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:19.599
Now you know, pivoting into AI.
00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:20.959
What does that look like?
00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:23.680
Like where were you and what is it looking like?
00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:31.200
AI has become very pivotal in my business to the point that our management uh endpoint management and stuff is going to go away.
00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:34.319
We're going to be concentrating 100% on AI as it goes.
00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:36.480
So you're going to actually shut down the IT side?
00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:36.959
Is that your goal?
00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:38.400
We're going to diminish it out.
00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:42.640
Right now I've got somebody contracted to do a lot of the work for me.
00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:49.359
But it's also, I see more value and more profit in AI consulting and AI profit product product.
00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:49.920
Yeah, yeah.
00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:50.239
Okay.
00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:53.599
Um where we're going with it, it's AI.
00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:54.239
We don't know.
00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:54.640
Yeah.
00:01:54.799 --> 00:02:03.359
It's kind of driven on what the demands are for the marketplace, what the demands are for other businesses, and also just on the demand of where the technology is going.
00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:05.840
The technology is evolving day to day.
00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:08.000
We don't know where it's going to go.
00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:09.199
We don't know the safeguards.
00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:10.719
We don't know the guardrails.
00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:12.800
We know very little what we can do.
00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:16.319
And when we put something up, generally you end up having to modify it.
00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:18.000
So what's your overall approach?
00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:22.479
I know, and just so you guys all know, AI Eddie's in our AI profit machine program.
00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:28.560
So are you following our viewpoint, which is leading with strategy?
00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:29.840
Are you following that exclusively?
00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:31.280
Are you adding other things to it?
00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:32.319
What does that what does that look like?
00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:33.520
We're leading with strategy.
00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:37.520
We're leading with you know become to business advisement.
00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:41.599
So I've been a counselor for score, business advisement.
00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:42.080
Yeah, yeah.
00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:44.879
Taking their model, taking your model, and working with it.
00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:57.599
Their models leaves a lot on not a lot to be desired, but at least you can, once you get in a business and you start evaluating it and introducing them and talking to them, they start getting excited.
00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:06.800
You know, like I told you before, we've had a doctor that doesn't want to mess with AI because he thinks his practice could be replaced by AI.
00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:12.879
So instead of embracing it and growing from it, he's gonna just ignore it.
00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:16.960
Yeah, so let's actually let's jump on that because I really like that strategy and that mindset.
00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:27.039
So you talk about the guy that is the business owner in a potentially AI displaced, or you know, maybe not now, but in the next, and it's it's moving fast anyway.
00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:29.759
So it could be like six months to 24 months.
00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:37.199
He's probably gonna potentially be, not probably, he will be in a potentially displaced scenario.
00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:45.599
But what you're telling me is by the mindset that leaders should have is be jump on top of it as soon as possible.
00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:56.080
Correct, stay as deep in it as as soon as you can, and then lead with be an industry leader because you're gonna be the last one to be displaced, and you probably won't even be displaced at all because all that stuff needs to get worked.
00:03:56.240 --> 00:03:59.439
Well, and again, I'm gonna point out a little bit here, he's a younger man.
00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:02.800
He's going to be displaced, he's doesn't realize it.
00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:04.319
He's still got 20 years to work.
00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:07.680
Yeah, he's still got 20 years to run a business or to be an employee.
00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:14.560
But not looking at it from a on the business side of it, how can he be a business owner instead of being just totally doing his practice?
00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:15.919
How can he grow his practice?
00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:22.000
But also, what tools can he have that he can enhance and give out to a product to his patients?
00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:26.879
Can he develop a product around his services that the patients could be evolved into?
00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:30.879
Because his core function is eyeglasses, and that can be replaced.
00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:34.000
So is this an optometrist or an eye surgeon or what does it look like?
00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:34.639
Optometrist.
00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:35.680
Optometrist, okay.
00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:42.879
So yeah, I mean, a lot of what they do, if they just avoid it, is potentially so I think so.
00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:56.079
Really a good lesson there, and I I think this is a great Eddie Key sound bite, is you know, stay ahead of the game and don't allow yourself to just be displaced, you know, as as opposed to avoiding it.
00:04:56.959 --> 00:04:57.199
Right?
00:04:57.360 --> 00:04:59.680
You want to give me a little overall thought on that?
00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:02.399
No, should he should totally embrace it.
00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:10.079
And I look at his business and I look at other businesses, whether they're a product-based business, manufacturer, they're all core down.
00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:14.079
You have a product, you have a material list, you have a service.
00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:18.720
They can all be bundled and use AI to make it more efficient.
00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:25.199
Can he and you know, so like some of some of our customers, we have them set up with an AI advisory board.
00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:28.720
Some people are calling board of directors, I just call it an advisory board.
00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:35.600
That helps them put the experts in the room with them virtually, or they can out and talk to it and get a response back.
00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:36.160
Yep.
00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:47.279
And they would the ideas that they get that come back to them, totally unique to them, totally unique to their business, totally unique to their product, and that can tell them how to grow their business.
00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:53.279
If they got more employees, they can roll the same advisory board out to their employees and bring them on board.
00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:58.800
And the ideas and the markets that they're that they could actually tap into, yeah, they're not even looking at it.
00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:01.040
And it's just makes people think about it.
00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:05.439
If you're going to ignore it and go away, I hate to tell you, you're going to be out of business.
00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:06.639
Yeah, it's you're not gonna be able to.
00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:11.120
And what's what's funny about that is I I want you to challenge me if you think I'm wrong on this.
00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:23.279
I think the ones that avoid AI the most are gonna be the most likely to be replaced or displaced because they're they're making that moat between them and success larger and larger and larger.
00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:24.000
Correct.
00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:24.720
Right?
00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:27.920
Well, and that's a let's go to the skilled trades.
00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:30.240
They're saying AI is not going to impact us.
00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:32.639
It most certainly is going to impact us.
00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:35.920
Take it back to the one step, kind of like I was indicating before.
00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:38.480
Look at the automotive manufacturers.
00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:42.879
The skilled trades on the shop floor are being assisted by robots.
00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:46.399
Now those robots are getting AI and they're getting more and more.
00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:47.759
So they're getting fishing.
00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:50.160
They're actually getting some intelligence around it, right?
00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:50.639
Correct.
00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:50.879
Yeah.
00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:59.680
So these be people that work with them have to become the intelligence troubleshooters, smarts, and all, and have the have the brains to be able to put things together.
00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:08.879
But if you look at the skilled trades out there, your plumbers, your HVAC, your electricians, 80% of what they do, I can replace with a little bot on Wills and send in there.
00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:09.120
Yeah.
00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:11.279
And that's being developed by some of the local universities.
00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:11.680
Yeah.
00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:12.319
It's funny.
00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:14.639
I was watching, uh, you ever see that show Landman?
00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:14.879
Yeah.
00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:15.279
Yeah.
00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:17.839
So I was watching Landman this weekend.
00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:21.360
Uh kind, I actually took a little chill time, which is crazy.
00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:22.959
But I think it was Saturday night.
00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:30.399
I was watching Landman, and they were at this convention, and they had, and this is like all drill rigging, uh drilling rigs kind of scenario.
00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:33.839
And these guys were at this convention and they're like, oh, there's our there's the future, boys.
00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:40.399
And it was literally a uh a roughneck, like an oil rougneck, but it was a robot roughneck, and then it was like so.
00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:46.639
It was definitely put in that show specifically to hit some type of topic around that.
00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:48.000
So it's pretty pretty interesting.
00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:53.519
As I were driving down, we drove down here from Ohio, and as I'm driving down here, I think a lot when I drive.
00:07:53.839 --> 00:08:03.519
And I was saying that, well, I could just take a pivotal robot arm, get it mounted on a set of caterpillar treads, and send it out onto a construction site to do whatever I needed to.
00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:06.480
For the most part, I would 100% agree with that.
00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:08.800
Maybe I should patent that and it's son of a gun.
00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:09.920
Somebody's already beat me to it.
00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:11.519
There's patents out there for that.
00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:15.600
Yeah, and I think it's interesting because there's not there's not a whole lot of original ideas.
00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:28.879
And I think you know, you've been around me for long enough now that you know that I talk about execution and and and speed, and you know, you've done really well in the last when did you open your agency, your AI agency side?
00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:29.600
Six months.
00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:33.919
We start no about it probably about it about six months before you came out and started with Nazo.
00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:39.919
So we started doing AI stuff a little bit earlier before the Seven Figure Program started talking about it.
00:08:40.159 --> 00:08:40.399
Sure.
00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:42.879
But I just started talking, there's something here.
00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:44.399
I don't know what's here, but there's here.
00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:45.440
You just feel it, right?
00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:45.759
Right.
00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:46.559
Same thing.
00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:47.919
I'm still saying there's something here.
00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:49.519
I don't necessarily know what it is.
00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:56.799
Selling tools is fine because I can monetize it on a monthly basis, but that's maybe not even where we're gonna go in the long term.
00:08:56.960 --> 00:08:57.360
Yeah.
00:08:57.679 --> 00:08:58.000
Yeah.
00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:04.720
So let's let's kind of talk about what your agency does and what makes you guys unique.
00:09:05.279 --> 00:09:08.879
We start with an assessment, very similar to your assessment.
00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:14.240
We had started something a little bit before, and then I took what you have and tweaked it, tweaked it out.
00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:14.639
Yeah.
00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:16.720
So we'll do a business assessment.
00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:21.840
And what I want to do is I want to get the business owner thinking about their business.
00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:23.840
Just think about your business.
00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:30.080
Think about how you're marketing, think about how your sales, think about how you're manufacturing, think how you're servicing your customer.
00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:31.919
Are you doing it efficiently?
00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:33.039
Could this be cleaned up?
00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:35.440
Could you give a better experience to the customer?
00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:43.919
Let's put let's figure out how to bring AI into your business to be a supportive role, not a replacement role, a supportive role.
00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:50.000
And I think that's a little bit different than what everybody's going out there saying, well, you can replace 10 employees with it.
00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:57.919
I don't necessarily agree with replacing employees because I think you need the intelligence of that employee to be augmented with the AI.
00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:13.759
So you just you just brought up a really, really important point because I had this is my I think my third recording today, and all three guests so far have talked about the buzz is all around AI displacement and AI replacement.
00:10:14.159 --> 00:10:23.600
But in reality, all three of you had very similar sentiments that AI should superpower or augment, like you just said, the talent.
00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:30.320
So I think, you know, kind of the overall mindset, and disagree with me if I'm wrong on this.
00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:58.559
AI first leadership, leader or team, empowering AI down to their team, teaching their team how to be more efficient, how to be better, doing all these different things, giving and then giving them the tools, embracing the tools through guys like you and the strategy to help empower that AI first leadership team to actually be AI first and then supercharging all of the staff top to bottom, right?
00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:01.679
So I I think that should be the the mindset and the goal.
00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:06.559
Uh to me that is, but I don't think everybody's necessarily embracing it that way.
00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:11.200
I wonder how much of that has to do with excess employee bloat.
00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:15.200
Because one of the one of the things that, you know, you and I have known this for a long time.
00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:16.159
We've seen this.
00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:20.080
What has leaders been told to do for years?
00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:25.360
It's master the strategy, delegate the execution, delegate, delegate, delegate, delegate.
00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:32.159
And the challenge with delegation is you can only delegate so much without burning individual people out.
00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:39.759
So what a lot of times they do is they hire people are hire will hire VAs from overseas, offshore, and then they'll give them a single task.
00:11:40.559 --> 00:11:50.639
Well, that becomes a displacement scenario that probably should be done, but you're not superpowering that you know that per you wouldn't superpower that person in real life either.
00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:52.000
Correct.
00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:55.279
I I see a very similarity on a lot of this happening.
00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:59.840
You're you but you were in the IT business back when the desktop computers and everything showed up.
00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:00.320
Oh, yeah.
00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:02.399
Everybody got a word processor on their desk.
00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:02.799
Yep.
00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:07.120
Every cubic every cubicle person got, you know, one.
00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:08.720
So what did they get rid of?
00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:12.159
They got rid of the secretarial staff, typewriter, staff, and all that.
00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:17.600
So then they made the engineer and the technician and the salesperson all do their own memos.
00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:18.320
Yep.
00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:18.799
Yep.
00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:20.639
Did that improve their efficiency?
00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:25.200
I still vote that if they all had one VA for every six of them, they would be more efficient.
00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:26.159
I would agree with that.
00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:26.559
Yeah.
00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:27.679
But they don't give them that.
00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:35.919
But this is where we're at right now is we're giving Eddie to do the same tools and the same changes that happened in the mid-90s to happen now.
00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:36.320
Yeah.
00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:42.320
And with those changes, we're going to be able to, you know, make your staff more efficient.
00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:54.240
When they start you start to think about what you just said there, it empowers that AI first leader to say, okay, I maybe didn't have the revenue to give you a VA per human.
00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:54.720
Right.
00:12:54.960 --> 00:13:04.559
Or maybe even per three or four or five or six, like you mentioned, but I can surely, for the cost to benefit analysis type scenario, I can give every one of you an agent, right?
00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:06.240
An assistant, an assistant agent.
00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:17.759
So now you've actually empowered that person along with training, along with the systems, along with the AI first leadership and the right way to do it, you've actually made that person now ten times more important more efficient.
00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:18.799
Correct.
00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:25.120
But you have to adopt a mindset in the ownership and in management and also to the employee.
00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:28.240
Kind of like the security first mindset we had to get.
00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:28.720
Yep.
00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:32.399
We had to get adopted from the top down, otherwise, it just doesn't take.
00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:32.639
Yeah.
00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:33.759
It's the same exactly.
00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:35.039
It's the same exact thing.
00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:41.360
So as you improve with the customers and the customers start to understand, they will adapt this.
00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:43.600
It's it's an education process with them.
00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:44.879
Now I'm gonna ask you this.
00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:52.879
So you think about that AI first leadership piece, and let's say we got it all in place from top down.
00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:57.200
How important is strategy and have having a game plan?
00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:07.279
Because they could just roll in and and say, okay, I'm gonna be AI first, I'm gonna do all this stuff, but then you got a guy, especially a let's just take Chris, for example.
00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:07.840
Me.
00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:09.200
I like to tinker.
00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:11.279
I definitely like to play with the AI tools.
00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:12.799
What does that look like?
00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:14.559
How important is strategy?
00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:16.960
That's probably your most important asset.
00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:18.080
Top-down strategy.
00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:21.039
So actually, like saying we are going to have a plan.
00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:22.960
You mentioned guardrails earlier.
00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:29.279
Do you have to you have to have I mean the business owner is no more than just a manager of your ball team.
00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:34.879
If he's not directing the outcome, do we you do you get the outcome that you need?
00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:37.279
Yeah, without I mean, without question, no.
00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:40.159
And um and how many, how many don't is really the question.
00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:45.039
I think most businesses they just do what they do, kind of like floating through it because it was just like what was always done.
00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:52.399
Well, you know, it's um I've been doing some counseling and business advising and stuff for the last few years.
00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:59.279
And what became is very important, and they started they started out is we always got to get the businesses to write a business plan.
00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:04.320
Man, it's really come out thing is the businesses don't grow with a business plan.
00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:09.360
Yeah, they grow with all the other plans, the sales plan, the marketing plan, yeah, the manufacturing plan.
00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:11.360
Let's start with those and then build the business plan.
00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:12.320
Then the businesses grow.
00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:13.600
That same thing's gonna happen here.
00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:19.039
You're gonna have to have an AI plan, just like you have a cybersecurity plan, just like you have an IT policy.
00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:23.039
You're going to have to have it that's unique to your business and to address it.
00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:26.879
And, you know, that's where I can come in is guide you, guide you through that.
00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:30.080
I can't create your business plan or your AI plan for you.
00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:30.480
Yeah.
00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:32.159
But I can guide you to do that.
00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:47.039
You know, it's one thing I was I was talking to somebody this week in the MSP IT space, and he basically said to me that I don't really care and I don't want to do all this stuff.
00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:50.320
Like, I just want to kind of sit back and collect checks.
00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:52.879
I'm like, well, your your machine above that is broken, man.
00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:57.919
Like, I as much as you want to sit back and collect checks, you have to put all this effort into doing it.
00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:13.039
And it kind of made me start to think, like, how many people they they want it, but you can't, like, you as a consultant, and this is where I'm going with this whole thing, me as a business coach, you as a consultant, you can't want success for their business more than they do.
00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:13.360
Correct.
00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:13.679
Right?
00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:18.080
Yeah, I can't want I can't want you to succeed with AI more than you want to succeed.
00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:34.559
And I think where we're gonna run into, and this is actually a point I want to, I want to really make that I think you can even use there's no easy button in any of this stuff, and they're not gonna just magically make a like you're not gonna like, oh, that was easy, and they magically like make an all AI work for their business and double their revenue.
00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:38.159
And it takes full investment from the top down with a strategy and a plan.
00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:39.120
Correct, right?
00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:43.759
And what in a lot of ways, this is no other than putting in any other business system, line of business software.
00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:47.279
You know, you put your ERPA system in there to run your business, but but understand.
00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:49.200
You gotta plan it, but you gotta have the guidance.
00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:52.080
I know, but here's the challenge, and I and I 100% agree with that.
00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:54.159
Here's the challenge with this versus that.
00:16:54.399 --> 00:17:00.080
You didn't necessarily have to be an ERP first business leader.
00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:16.400
Now you could have that mindset, but they then other consulting firms would come in and roll the thing out for you, and you kind of was like, okay, we are ERP, but in in all reality, the leader didn't have to be mindset for versus that's really pivoting a little bit now, right?
00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:27.519
And I kind of will dis disagree with you on that because if the business owner didn't have the mindset for an ERP system or an MRP system, the business that those systems never succeeded.
00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:29.599
They never guess ultimately it's the same.
00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:34.640
They they never didn't they never achieve the savings, they never achieved the efficiencies that those systems.
00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:36.640
And the project was a failure, then probably.
00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:38.400
It might, it might just sort of work.
00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:39.039
Yeah, yeah.
00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:41.359
And that's the same thing's gonna happen with AI.
00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:45.119
Is it's gonna be like any other IT system.
00:17:45.279 --> 00:18:00.559
If it's not adopted from the top and really enthusiastically embraced, yeah, it's not going to be well, and I think we're seeing like right now, we're sitting here in 2026, we're seeing like 85% of uh AI projects are failing.
00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:02.079
Why would you see that?
00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:03.359
Do you think it's the same problem?
00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:05.759
Do you think it's different stuff or same problem?
00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:08.319
Just a mindset so they just don't have mindset and strategy.
00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:10.640
You've got you've got to have mindset and strategy.
00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:12.000
You have to have follow-through.
00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:12.480
Yeah.
00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:21.119
So if you sing and put something in there and you know it's gonna take six months to a year to implement, people business owners get bored with that.
00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:21.759
Yeah.
00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:26.160
But you and they want to see ROI like right fast, fast, fast.
00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:41.119
But that but again, if you're doing something like that, and that's why why I write a 12-month contract minimum on this, is if you don't put put expectations and expectations on the business owner, here's how it's going to be.
00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:43.039
Yeah, you're not gonna be success.
00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:45.759
If you want it, you're gonna have to want it.
00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:48.880
Now, what do you do in a in a scenario?
00:18:49.519 --> 00:19:06.240
One of the challenges that exists in the IT MSP space is MSPs don't have a lot of this, don't have a lot of plan, and they don't have things rolling out as they acquire clients and all this stuff, and they often take clients that they shouldn't be taking because the the clients are not bought into security.
00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:07.680
They're they're just doing it because they do it.
00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:10.079
So, how how do we approach that with the AI stuff?
00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:11.839
Because are you saying no to clients?
00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:17.519
Are you saying it has to be this way, or how are you potentially alleviating or eliminating that problem?
00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:25.839
Right now, because I'm doing primarily the mark the sales of it, I do have a sales prep handling it, and Sam knows exactly what I expect out of a customer.
00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:27.200
I say no.
00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:31.440
If I don't think you're gonna adapt it and want to work with me, you're not a good fit.
00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:34.240
Yeah, so you're doing what you should be doing in that scenario.
00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:37.599
But we did that with cyber, we did that with IT consulting.
00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:40.880
So it's look at how much of that has to come from here, meaning you.
00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:41.680
Right, right.
00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:45.200
That has to come from inside, and right, and I mean that generates.
00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:46.880
So we'll talk about a salesman.
00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:48.640
Well, he said, all revenue is good.
00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:52.160
And I said, No, all revenue is not good, right revenue is good.
00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:54.799
Well, profitable revenue with the right mindset.
00:19:54.960 --> 00:20:00.799
You know, we for years you've been around, been around us here, and we talked about the get out of bed number and all these different things.
00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:05.119
Like it's got to be the not only the get out of bed number, but it's got to be the get-out-of-ed mindset now.
00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:06.480
I think is really, really key.
00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:06.880
Yeah.
00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:08.240
Okay.
00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:10.079
Any we only got a few minutes left here.
00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:11.440
Anything else you want to cover today?
00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:12.720
What's your what's your thoughts?
00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:15.519
I just think it's a brave new world that we're embracing in.
00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:20.000
I mean, we're gonna have technology changed dramatically over the next few years.
00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:24.079
Look back in November of what was it, 23 that ChatGPT was released.
00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:24.559
Yep.
00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:28.240
And everybody was all this is the greatest thing in the world and how it evolved.
00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:31.039
And first they said, well, it's giving us bad information.
00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:41.359
People have adopted and learned that yes, you you have to be the filter, you have to be the understanding, you have to be the brains behind the AI, you have to be the brains behind your business.
00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:47.680
You could be the we could be the best business advisors in the world, but if you're not the brain behind your business, it's not gonna matter.
00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:48.400
It doesn't matter.
00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:53.279
Yeah, so gotta be pro like CEO-led, AI first mindset, correct.
00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:56.799
All the way down to that team, all the way down to or the leadership, and then all the way down to the team.
00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:02.799
And this the AI marketplace is definitely CEO driven, more so than anything else that we've done.
00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:03.440
Really?
00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:04.000
Yes.
00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:04.480
Wow.
00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:08.319
So so you actually see the CEOs fully saying, I want to be a part of this, and I'm not sure.
00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:11.839
If it's not the CEO, doesn't want to be a part of it and involved, it's not gonna succeed.
00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:12.079
Yeah.
00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:13.839
CFO thinks oh, it's a good idea.
00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:15.359
CFO would bring you in for cyber.
00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:20.480
And they'd also bring you in for cost savings in in AI, which is I think uh that's a red flag, right?
00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:21.440
Would you agree with that?
00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:24.160
Well, you're going to say you will save money with AI.
00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:25.680
It's common sense, as well.
00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:33.279
My point is if if their exclusive reason to use AI is we're gonna cut workforce and we're gonna cut costs, they're gonna fail, right?
00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:38.240
I think that's that's a that if there if there's anything that came out of this podcast right now, man, that's it.
00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:38.640
Yes.
00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:47.519
It's if if you're leading with a we're gonna save money by cutting costs attitude related to AI, it's not gonna succeed.
00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:48.160
No.
00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:53.039
Long term you'll save money, but again, it's not gonna succeed.
00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:58.400
But you also, I'm just gonna say you may open up markets with AI that you never dreamt of.
00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.759
Yeah, you may come up.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.240
With suppliers that you never dreamt of?
00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:04.319
That's actually that's absolutely gonna happen.
00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:09.440
Just, you know, I alluded during my talk on stage back in Nov in the fall.
00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:18.799
Drapery manufacturer found out he could buy from the man the material manufacturer over in Europe that he couldn't buy from anywhere else and his costs reduced.
00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:22.079
Just with AI questions and coming back with it.
00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:28.240
We've had, you know, you've there's been many cases like that that you find out about even from other people.
00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:30.960
This is a crazy world.
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:31.599
Yeah.
00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:33.119
Well, I'm I'm excited about it.
00:22:33.200 --> 00:22:34.640
I think it's uh it's a hell of a lot of fun.
00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:36.079
We're doing a lot of great things.
00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:37.359
Love having you here, man.
00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:38.079
It's good to see you.
00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:38.480
Thank you.
00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:43.519
Been on our stages multiple times now, been here, first time on this podcast, but we'll have you again, buddy.
00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:44.960
We got a couple days here in Austin.
00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:46.079
Welcome, have fun.
00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:52.640
And everybody, Eddie Key from Key Innovations, based in Centon, Ohio, the NFL Hall of Fame city.
00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:53.200
I love it, man.
00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:54.319
I've never actually been to Canton.
00:22:54.400 --> 00:22:55.599
I've been all over Ohio and out there.
00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:58.799
So one day you one day you'll have to come over to Canton.
00:22:58.960 --> 00:22:59.920
Yeah, we'll do that for sure.
00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:00.480
All right, guys.
00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:01.680
Appreciate you being here with us today.
00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:03.039
Eddie Key, go kill it, guys.
00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:03.680
We'll see you later.
00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:04.000
Thank you.
00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:05.039
Thank you, Chris, for having me.
00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:06.160
Bye bye.
