WEBVTT
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Today we have John Britt.
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John Britt is based out of Austin, Texas.
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So he's right here with us local.
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We're so excited to have you here, John.
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Thank you.
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I'm excited to be here.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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And it was a long drive for you.
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Yeah.
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About 45 minutes.
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It wasn't too bad.
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Okay.
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So it is a little bit of a haul then.
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Yeah.
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Okay.
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Well, we're really excited to have John here.
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John, tell us a little bit about your background.
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I I know that you're in the IT and MSP industry.
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I'm kind of moving into AI space.
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Can you tell us about your background and a little bit about that transition for you?
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Sure.
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So I honestly I've grown up doing tech.
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When I was five, had a computer that I started programming a game on that you saved to a cassette tape that probably dates myself a little bit for those.
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It's a cassette tape.
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But and I don't even remember what the game was.
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I I'm being told about that from third parties at this point.
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But it just I've always been involved in technology.
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I've always had it in my life.
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And so it just AI is the next logical step in that.
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You know, it it didn't take much convincing to get me to get excited about it and want to pursue learning everything I possibly can about it.
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What was the first thing that you tried with like AI?
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Oh, I mean, come on.
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Everybody, chat GPT, ask questions, right?
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Or rewrite this text message or email.
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I mean, those were those were definitely the the basics of of AI in the beginning.
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But really trying to, you know, then understand more.
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What more can I do with it?
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What more can it do for me?
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And and really gaining an understanding of the basics of it, how it works, so that I can safely use it, if that makes sense.
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Yeah.
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So I actually want to go back a little bit.
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Okay.
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Let's talk about the beginning of your tech journey, maybe when you started your business.
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When did you start your IT business?
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So this business was started, US Technical Services Group was started back in 2010.
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I had been working for a bank locally, and unfortunately, they were shut down by the FDIC.
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They they became insolvent.
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And I started that was in 2009, and I started looking for a job elsewhere and wasn't really finding anything, but had a lot of connections in the area, and people kept referring me to hey, I know this person or that person, and they need these things done.
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And so that became the business.
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So let's pause right there for a second.
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If someone doesn't know what break fix is, can you tell them in like 10 seconds what that is?
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I mean, okay, break fix.
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Something's broken, they call me, I come fix it.
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That's it.
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I'm a repair man.
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Okay.
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Right?
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And and in that model, it typically I was Superman or the hero the first time I came out, right?
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But the very next time, it could be the complete opposite response.
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It's it's almost like you came out and fixed it last time, so now somehow I'm magically responsible for it.
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Wow.
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And I would feel that in a in a very palpable way with my clients.
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Sometimes they they would be upset that their server broke down, and it's like, this is still your car.
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That's right.
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And in this model of business, I'm the mechanic and I'm fixing your car.
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That doesn't mean that you know, five days down the road, something else might not break, right?
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And it was it it took a while, and it took somebody actually pulling me aside and going, John, think about your business model and think about how you can't have a good day unless your client is having a bad day.
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Wow.
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And I'm like, that I realized how inauthentic that was and how it did not resonate with where I wanted to be or how I wanted to show up in the world.
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And that's why MSP, the managed services idea of things, the the the idea that myself and my clients can have a good day every day if we're doing if we're taking proactive steps along the way, right?
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So that the engine doesn't break down in the middle of the you know, push for whatever it is you're doing, right?
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At the worst pop because that's when it's gonna break down, it's the worst possible time.
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Yeah.
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So when you need things to work, when you need it to work, that's a different lens that you get to operate business through of okay, I am I'm happy when you're happy and when things are secure and when the business is running efficiently, and it's not it's it's almost like the medical system, right?
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The medical system stays rich because people say sick, they say sick, yeah, and you know, so you're in the business of keeping people healthy, essentially.
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Their business is healthy.
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Yes, my job is to keep the business healthy.
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Yeah, I don't want you to be sick, I don't want your server to break down, right?
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So, how does AI tie into that?
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So I I powerfully, actually.
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I the more I learn about AI, the more I understand that it's it it is going to be the thing that can grow the business the fastest, right?
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It's gonna move the needle the fastest, but it can also be the thing that slams it back the other direction if it's not used wisely, properly.
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I mean, it's great, it's creative, it can do a lot of creative things, and it doesn't remove the necessity for your creativity in that.
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You have to direct it, you have to tell it what it is you're looking for, you have to tell it how much honesty you want.
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There are times where in my prompting, I'm telling it, I need you to be a hundred percent honest, and I need you to cite your sources because you know, otherwise I could be dealing with I could be the lawyer that quoted a case that never actually happened, yeah, right in court.
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And and that's not where any of us want to end up.
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So having that understanding and and teaching my clients to have that understanding about how AI creates a lot of momentum in a positive direction, but it can also create gaps that if you don't fill those gaps with security or processes or policies, you know, that's where you can run the risk of getting in trouble.
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Well, I think it's the catalyst.
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You know, it's like, okay, if we go back to the medical, let's just go back to like the medical industry analogy here.
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You know, you stay healthy by eating fruits and vegetables and by, you know, going for a walk and and staying active.
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Okay.
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Well, AI is like the supplement, you know, it's like, oh, this can like supercharge your health.
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This is the red light therapy, or like this is the thing that's gonna like help you just be like, it's it's a catalyst for the health of your business.
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So and it's funny that you say that about like the hallucinating, you know, the hallucinating or like the facts, like the things that are not true.
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So Chris and I were driving yesterday and we're we're testing out Grok inside of the Tesla.
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And you know, it'll talk back and forth to you now.
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And so we're like, oh, let's test it out.
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So he goes to press and he's like, Hey Grok, tell me, you know, what's going on?
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We're like world nudes right now.
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And it she says something and he's like, okay, but now tell me about the Packers, you know, and he's like, tell me about the football game.
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When she comes up with the score, it's like, oh, the score was such and such, and this happened with Jordan.
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Like he's like, that did not happen.
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He's like, that's not real.
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That is not what the score was.
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That did not happen.
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And so he responds back and she's like, Oh, you're right.
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Let me get you the updated.
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And it's like, whoa.
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So if you are just taking this stuff at face value and you don't have the context and you don't have somewhat of your own leadership, someone of your own compass, or you don't have the advisor that's there to help you with that, then you don't know what you're putting out there, whether it's factual or it's made up, or if it's going to mislead someone else.
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Right.
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Especially whenever you get into professional services and we're talking about lawyers or medical practices or you know, even marketing agencies and writing and all this stuff, it can be really dangerous.
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Yeah.
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And especially depending on what industry, like if you are in the health industry, even though if you're a marketer for the health industry, you still have to be very careful about what you say.
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Yeah.
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Right.
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And and how the information that you're putting out there needs to be factual.
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Otherwise, you're gonna get called out on it in in a second.
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Yeah, 100%.
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So as you've started to roll this out to your clients, what have been like some of the most, like the most critical pieces of putting this into the hands of your clients?
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Is it the safety?
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Is it the security?
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Is it the speed?
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Like, what's the thing that you're like, no, this is where we have to double down?
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I think it's balance.
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I think that's the thing that I I try to communicate the most because I typically have you know clients one of two ways.
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Either they are absolutely opposed to AI or want to bury their head in the sand, they want to pretend it's not happening, they want to, you know, imagine that business can go on doing what it's been doing for the last 20, 30 years if they just keep doing the same thing, right?
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The whole like steady on course kind of mentality.
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And then you've got other businesses and other business owners or leaders that are so gung-ho, right?
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They're so excited about what it can and and they're throwing money away or throwing money at it.
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And so I like to think that I bring people in somewhere in the middle.
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Like, let's take a little bit of cautious and let's take a little bit of just out there and let's create, you know, a middle of the road, someplace where we're not trying to turn, you know, the analogy here is changing the tire on a car, right?
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We're not trying to turn just one bolt until it's fully seated because you can bend the rim, right?
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Bad things happen if you're just working on that one thing.
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But if you're turning all of them a little bit and tightening up over time, yeah, you are going to end up with a tire that's gonna stay on the car, and the car is gonna stay on the road and it's gonna work well.
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And I think that's the thing, bring in those little changes in multiple different areas of the business, so in marketing, so in human resources, in just in technology, bring those different or the AI changes into each one of those, and and you'll end up with the business going down the road.
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Yeah, no, that's so good.
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I like to think of everything in a business in four quadrants.
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Now, is it always black and white?
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No, but I like to think about marketing, sales, right, operations, okay, and then customer delivery, service delivery.
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Yeah.
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And so whenever we're like even whenever Chris and I are having conversations about this project for this quarter or using this for AI, it's like, okay, wait a minute, or even rolling stuff out to our profit leaders, you know, rolling stuff out to our clients, it's like, wait a minute, which quadrant does this fit into?
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Is it a distraction?
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Is it something that's really cool?
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It's like, oh, there's this new AI tool, you know, you've got Sora and there's all these cool video things.
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And it's like, well, wait a minute.
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Okay, does this actually help them in marketing?
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Or is it like a shiny rabbit, you know, shiny object?
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So I like those guardrails where I can think, okay, which quadrant does it belong in?
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How is this actually gonna help the business move forward?
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Does this add to the bottom line?
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Does this increase their profit margins?
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Does this help them deliver better?
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Does this help them get in front of more people?
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And really just giving it, like you said, the balance.
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It's like, okay, which lug nut is this gonna tighten up in the mix, you know?
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Absolutely, yeah.
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And and and like I said, moving it around and making little changes and seeing the results before you go, you know, making big changes.
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Yeah, right.
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Yeah, exactly.
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Have your clients responded to that well?
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Yeah, I think so.
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I mean, I really do.
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They understand it as business strategy, yeah, right?
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They the speak the language of business, right?
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And so having that conversation with them where I go, okay, I we can get really excited, and I want to get excited.
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I want to know about the new things that it's doing.
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But in actually implementing, I want to be careful about making small changes that we can measure the outcome and see what the results are.
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And then if they're good, great, then we'll we'll ramp that up.
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But we're not gonna focus on that one thing.
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We're gonna then ramp up something else, start small, move forward, and just continually reiterate what we're doing.
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What doesn't work, we get rid of.
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What works, we enhance, we continue to improve upon.
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How do you measure that?
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Typically in profit, right?
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That's right.
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Yeah, bottom line typically in profit leaders.
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Yeah, I mean, surprise, surprise, business uh measures things in profit, and not everything, not every AI change that you make is going to be directly measurable by amount of money coming in, right?
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Some of it might be measurable by amount of money saved.
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I mean, if last year you spent$100,000 doing creating video content and you know doing commercials and that that kind of thing, and this year you only had to spend$10,000 to get the same amount of output, that's massive, right?
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But there are other things that won't be measured in either one of those, either in savings or in profit.
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There they're gonna be those sort of things that are unmeasurable, but but still measurable.
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So, like for instance, maybe over the last five years you were losing two to three employees per year.
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And this year and they're stressed out, right?
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They were stressed out, they were overworked, they're complaining of different things.
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And this year, because of the things that you have brought in through AI, the innovations, now all of a sudden their stress level has come down, and you didn't lose anybody this year.
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And is that measurable?
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Yeah, if you're looking for it.
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That's right.
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But do you know what you're looking for?
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Do you have someone there to help guide you through this?
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So I have a question.
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Why not chase software development?
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Why not chase building out a tool?
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Why not chase, you know, um as someone that's a a leader in the AI space and you know, you're out here talking about it to your clients.
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Why, why wouldn't you just go build like your own version of like Chat GPT or your own version of some type of tool that you can pedal out to the mass market?
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Honestly, I try to stay away from the idea of building out a tool because I build a tool today and it may be the most amazing, the greatest of all, right?
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But tomorrow, somebody's gonna build one that's just a little bit better, right?
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And and that is gonna happen day after day, especially in the world that we live in now, with how fast things are changing.
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And so I would much rather help businesses, and specifically the ones that are trying to bury their head in the sand that I talked about earlier, help them understand that you we need to transform, we need to change.
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I understand that business has been done this way for 30 years, 50 years, whatever it's been, you're not gonna be able to stay that course and be successful in the next 30 years, right?
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So we have to, and probably not even in the next five to 10.
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Yeah, right, is is the reality of what we're seeing because things are changing so fast and somebody can get a leg up on you that if you're not if you're not innovating, if you're not transforming, then you're dying.
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Yeah, if you're not growing, you're dying.
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Exactly.
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It's been really interesting, even to speak with other technology business owners and MSPs who are like, I don't want to learn AI.
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Like they're just like, I I just want to do tech.
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Right.
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And that it actually kind of breaks my heart a little bit because I know where the industry is going and I know that it's not, there's not going to be a choice eventually.
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And it's it's hard to see that.
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And I think some of that's fear.
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I think it's the fear of change.
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I think it's the fear of how, oh, it's more work.
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It's like, oh, something else I have to do.
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And it reminds me, truly, it reminds me of the heavy burden that business owners carry.
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It is heavy.
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Like heavy is the head that wears the crown.
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Yeah.
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And it's like, wow, it's a lot.
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And so I think that at the core of this, we have to come to business owners and to C-suites.
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We have to say, you know what, this is not extra stuff for you to learn and do and have to take on to make it's not a burden.
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It's meant to lighten the burden.
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And it could be something as simple as just learning how to prompt Chat GPT the right way.
00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:31.759
Right.
00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:34.720
It could be something as simple as like cleaning up your email inbox.
00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:42.160
It could be something as simple as having a policy for your employees using Chat GPT and plugging in company information and then keeping it secure.
00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:45.359
So it doesn't have to be this huge undertaking.
00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:47.519
It can be just one tiny shift.
00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:48.960
That's exactly right.
00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:54.000
I've had plenty of conversations over the last year with my peers.
00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:59.599
I'm I'm good friends with multiple managed service provider owners in the area.
00:17:59.920 --> 00:18:04.240
And I've asked them, had the conversation around what are you doing around AI?
00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:07.599
What how are you going to bring this in to your clients?
00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:13.359
And a lot of them, like you said, are just opposed to looking at that.
00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:15.359
And I don't understand that mentality.
00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:24.960
And I've I've told them that I don't understand this because to your clients, it's just tech, it's just another iteration of tech.
00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:33.519
And they're going to be looking to you to help them figure out how to take this tech and do something with it, right?
00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:35.440
The new technology and do something with it.
00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:40.799
And if you're not providing for them that, then they're going to go find it from somewhere else.
00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:42.079
And hopefully that's me.
00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:45.519
To be honest, I'm like, great, come, you know.
00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:55.440
And I've told them if you don't want to get involved in AI, but your client is interested in having a conversation around AI enablement for their business, send them my way.
00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:55.680
Yeah.
00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:56.000
Right?
00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:04.640
Because genuinely, so I can have that conversation with them so that they they can still be a business in 10, 15, 20, 30 years.
00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:06.559
Yeah, 100%.
00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:08.160
Wow.
00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:09.680
That's that's so good, John.
00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:19.359
And I want to go back to what you said um in the beginning of the conversation around it wasn't authentic to you to only profit when someone is in pain.
00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:24.799
And I don't think I've ever heard anyone say it in that way in this industry, you know.
00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:32.960
Like I and I've worked with hundreds of managed service providers, and that was just, it's like, yes, like that was my transformation moment.
00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:34.079
Like, absolutely.
00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:36.240
I was stuck on the idea.
00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:43.759
Like, I thought managed services and cybersecurity, I thought all of that was a money grab.
00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:46.000
I mean, literally, I had that conversation with multiple people.
00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:50.960
I just I think this is a money grab, you know, tech people just wanting more money.
00:19:51.279 --> 00:20:00.319
And once I it was presented to me in that way, same thing as you said, it was so I hadn't heard it presented that way.
00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:09.519
I hadn't didn't understand it from that that aspect, but the moment it was said and I understood it, it changed everything.
00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:34.799
I couldn't imagine a world where I wasn't going to move into managed services, and and and mostly because I I want my clients to have good days, I want them to have nothing but good profit building, you know, employee generating, like the the small business owner in the United States is the heartbeat of this country.
00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:44.400
And if they aren't able to stay in business because they have a few too many bad days, right, then and the bad days are getting worse.
00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:50.240
I mean, you fast forward to now, it's been five or six years since I went in that direction.
00:20:50.559 --> 00:21:04.240
And the opportunity for your business to be shut down overnight because of a cyber attack, because of you know, any number of things is much higher than it was even seven years ago.
00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:18.640
And so I I feel like it's definitely more important to help people understand what they need to put the places that they need to fill the gaps within their business to maintain the business, just to keep moving.
00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:21.920
Yeah, and I think that that's what AI is becoming now.
00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:27.839
It's it's going to become, it's like imagine telling your clients, no, we're not gonna install internet, right?
00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:30.079
It's like what you're not gonna what?
00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:31.359
I refuse.
00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:33.599
I refuse to hook up that T1 line.
00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:35.599
Yeah, I mean, that's exactly right.
00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:54.880
I I can't I cannot fathom where, as technology leaders, MSP owners, uh, whatever we are in that space, I cannot imagine saying, no, we're not gonna bring this life changing, world changing technology into your business.
00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:59.759
I think do we need to go to the complete opposite side and go, we're gonna do everything.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.279
Everything all at once?
00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:03.680
No, absolutely not.
00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:22.000
But finding a balance between the two, and and like you said, putting the the guardrails in place so that you know, again, your company, your your employee isn't putting a spreadsheet with their clients' data, your client's data out into the ether, right?
00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:23.759
Like that's not good.
00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:26.319
But they don't know that that's not good.
00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:27.519
Did you tell them?
00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:32.640
Do you have a policy that says how they can and cannot interact with AI?
00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:33.279
Right?
00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:34.880
Those are questions.
00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:47.119
Do you have then if you have a policy, have you actually put anything in place to monitor the use of it or block the use of it in the ways that you don't want somebody using it?
00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:53.759
All of those are questions that you have to answer, and that is the conversation of AI enablement, right?
00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:57.039
That's the conversation that I want to have with businesses.
00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:58.240
Wow.
00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:02.559
And if someone wants to have that conversation with you, where can they continue that conversation?
00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:10.160
I would go to our website, ustsg.com, or find me on Facebook or LinkedIn, follow me there.
00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:13.039
I'm I'm ramping it up.
00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:16.319
It's going to be daily AI thought leadership.
00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:19.039
There are days where I'll miss, but it's authentic.
00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:20.000
It is me.
00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:21.279
It's my voice.
00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:28.240
I'm not just, you know, uh moving that off or putting that off on some AI agent.
00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:30.240
It is something that I am doing.
00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:34.799
And it's typically coming from something I'm recently learning.
00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:43.119
So if I'm, you know, learning something about how AI is is strategy, is business strategy.
00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:47.279
If I'm doing that, then that's what the post is going to be about, right?
00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:51.599
And so it will get there, it'll get to the point where it's it's daily.
00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:56.880
But for right now, it's it's you know, every couple of days you'll see something from me.
00:23:57.039 --> 00:24:14.079
And I already know, I've already gotten feedback from several people that have said, John, I really appreciate you saying something about this, because now we have instituted a we've put a committee together and we're talking about what our AI use policy is for our bank.
00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:14.480
Wow.
00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:18.319
And and it's all because you brought that conversation up.
00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:19.440
And I'm like, good.
00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:23.519
I that it I always wanted to help people.
00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:31.200
And so it's always good to me to hear feedback that some something I said, something I did is helping someone.
00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:32.240
That's what it's about.
00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:32.640
Yeah.
00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:32.960
Yeah.
00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:33.759
Helping people.
00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:38.559
Well, thank you so much for coming on to our AI Profit Leaders podcast.
00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:39.599
This was great.
00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:45.759
Your your connection to just like what's authentic, what's true, what's gonna actually be a genuine service.
00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:51.200
It's so it is truly like you can just see it in how you talk and how you speak and in your message.
00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:53.279
So thank you so much for sharing that with us.
00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:56.720
I think it's a breath of fresh air to the technology space.
00:24:56.960 --> 00:25:02.640
I think that other technology leaders will hear this and they will see themselves in a lot of your story.
00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:08.720
And business leaders will also find some clarity in what they need to start focusing on and where they can have a conversation with you.
00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:09.440
Thank you.
00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:10.319
This has been great.
00:25:10.480 --> 00:25:11.119
Yeah, awesome.
00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:12.240
Thank you so much, John.
00:00:04.959 --> 00:00:07.280
Today we have John Britt.
00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:10.240
John Britt is based out of Austin, Texas.
00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:12.240
So he's right here with us local.
00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:14.000
We're so excited to have you here, John.
00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:14.640
Thank you.
00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:15.599
I'm excited to be here.
00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:15.919
Yeah.
00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:16.160
Yeah.
00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:17.679
And it was a long drive for you.
00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:18.879
Yeah.
00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:20.160
About 45 minutes.
00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:20.800
It wasn't too bad.
00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:21.120
Okay.
00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:22.800
So it is a little bit of a haul then.
00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:23.120
Yeah.
00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:23.519
Okay.
00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:25.519
Well, we're really excited to have John here.
00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:28.559
John, tell us a little bit about your background.
00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:31.920
I I know that you're in the IT and MSP industry.
00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.000
I'm kind of moving into AI space.
00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:37.280
Can you tell us about your background and a little bit about that transition for you?
00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:38.159
Sure.
00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:43.039
So I honestly I've grown up doing tech.
00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:52.560
When I was five, had a computer that I started programming a game on that you saved to a cassette tape that probably dates myself a little bit for those.
00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:54.000
It's a cassette tape.
00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:58.560
But and I don't even remember what the game was.
00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:03.280
I I'm being told about that from third parties at this point.
00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:07.439
But it just I've always been involved in technology.
00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:09.040
I've always had it in my life.
00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:14.719
And so it just AI is the next logical step in that.
00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:26.319
You know, it it didn't take much convincing to get me to get excited about it and want to pursue learning everything I possibly can about it.
00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:29.760
What was the first thing that you tried with like AI?
00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:31.680
Oh, I mean, come on.
00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:34.480
Everybody, chat GPT, ask questions, right?
00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:37.200
Or rewrite this text message or email.
00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:43.280
I mean, those were those were definitely the the basics of of AI in the beginning.
00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:47.519
But really trying to, you know, then understand more.
00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:49.920
What more can I do with it?
00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:52.079
What more can it do for me?
00:01:52.480 --> 00:02:00.799
And and really gaining an understanding of the basics of it, how it works, so that I can safely use it, if that makes sense.
00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:01.439
Yeah.
00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:03.200
So I actually want to go back a little bit.
00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:03.519
Okay.
00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:09.120
Let's talk about the beginning of your tech journey, maybe when you started your business.
00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:10.960
When did you start your IT business?
00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:16.319
So this business was started, US Technical Services Group was started back in 2010.
00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:22.479
I had been working for a bank locally, and unfortunately, they were shut down by the FDIC.
00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:24.400
They they became insolvent.
00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:43.280
And I started that was in 2009, and I started looking for a job elsewhere and wasn't really finding anything, but had a lot of connections in the area, and people kept referring me to hey, I know this person or that person, and they need these things done.
00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:46.319
And so that became the business.
00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:05.439
So let's pause right there for a second.
00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:09.680
If someone doesn't know what break fix is, can you tell them in like 10 seconds what that is?
00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:12.080
I mean, okay, break fix.
00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:14.719
Something's broken, they call me, I come fix it.
00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:15.199
That's it.
00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:16.240
I'm a repair man.
00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:16.719
Okay.
00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:17.439
Right?
00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:24.639
And and in that model, it typically I was Superman or the hero the first time I came out, right?
00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:29.439
But the very next time, it could be the complete opposite response.
00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:36.639
It's it's almost like you came out and fixed it last time, so now somehow I'm magically responsible for it.
00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:37.199
Wow.
00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:42.719
And I would feel that in a in a very palpable way with my clients.
00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:49.280
Sometimes they they would be upset that their server broke down, and it's like, this is still your car.
00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:50.240
That's right.
00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:55.439
And in this model of business, I'm the mechanic and I'm fixing your car.
00:03:55.599 --> 00:04:01.520
That doesn't mean that you know, five days down the road, something else might not break, right?
00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:18.879
And it was it it took a while, and it took somebody actually pulling me aside and going, John, think about your business model and think about how you can't have a good day unless your client is having a bad day.
00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:19.920
Wow.
00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:30.240
And I'm like, that I realized how inauthentic that was and how it did not resonate with where I wanted to be or how I wanted to show up in the world.
00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:47.759
And that's why MSP, the managed services idea of things, the the the idea that myself and my clients can have a good day every day if we're doing if we're taking proactive steps along the way, right?
00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:55.040
So that the engine doesn't break down in the middle of the you know, push for whatever it is you're doing, right?
00:04:55.279 --> 00:04:58.800
At the worst pop because that's when it's gonna break down, it's the worst possible time.
00:04:58.959 --> 00:04:59.279
Yeah.
00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:17.680
So when you need things to work, when you need it to work, that's a different lens that you get to operate business through of okay, I am I'm happy when you're happy and when things are secure and when the business is running efficiently, and it's not it's it's almost like the medical system, right?
00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:24.319
The medical system stays rich because people say sick, they say sick, yeah, and you know, so you're in the business of keeping people healthy, essentially.
00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:25.279
Their business is healthy.
00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:27.680
Yes, my job is to keep the business healthy.
00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:31.600
Yeah, I don't want you to be sick, I don't want your server to break down, right?
00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:33.680
So, how does AI tie into that?
00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:36.560
So I I powerfully, actually.
00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:49.920
I the more I learn about AI, the more I understand that it's it it is going to be the thing that can grow the business the fastest, right?
00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:59.360
It's gonna move the needle the fastest, but it can also be the thing that slams it back the other direction if it's not used wisely, properly.
00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:08.000
I mean, it's great, it's creative, it can do a lot of creative things, and it doesn't remove the necessity for your creativity in that.
00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:13.759
You have to direct it, you have to tell it what it is you're looking for, you have to tell it how much honesty you want.
00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:31.839
There are times where in my prompting, I'm telling it, I need you to be a hundred percent honest, and I need you to cite your sources because you know, otherwise I could be dealing with I could be the lawyer that quoted a case that never actually happened, yeah, right in court.
00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:34.560
And and that's not where any of us want to end up.
00:06:35.279 --> 00:07:00.399
So having that understanding and and teaching my clients to have that understanding about how AI creates a lot of momentum in a positive direction, but it can also create gaps that if you don't fill those gaps with security or processes or policies, you know, that's where you can run the risk of getting in trouble.
00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:02.560
Well, I think it's the catalyst.
00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:07.040
You know, it's like, okay, if we go back to the medical, let's just go back to like the medical industry analogy here.
00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:12.240
You know, you stay healthy by eating fruits and vegetables and by, you know, going for a walk and and staying active.
00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:12.720
Okay.
00:07:13.040 --> 00:07:18.720
Well, AI is like the supplement, you know, it's like, oh, this can like supercharge your health.
00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:25.120
This is the red light therapy, or like this is the thing that's gonna like help you just be like, it's it's a catalyst for the health of your business.
00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:32.560
So and it's funny that you say that about like the hallucinating, you know, the hallucinating or like the facts, like the things that are not true.
00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:38.319
So Chris and I were driving yesterday and we're we're testing out Grok inside of the Tesla.
00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:41.199
And you know, it'll talk back and forth to you now.
00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:42.720
And so we're like, oh, let's test it out.
00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:45.920
So he goes to press and he's like, Hey Grok, tell me, you know, what's going on?
00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:47.439
We're like world nudes right now.
00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:53.680
And it she says something and he's like, okay, but now tell me about the Packers, you know, and he's like, tell me about the football game.
00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:57.680
When she comes up with the score, it's like, oh, the score was such and such, and this happened with Jordan.
00:07:57.920 --> 00:07:59.759
Like he's like, that did not happen.
00:07:59.920 --> 00:08:01.279
He's like, that's not real.
00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:02.959
That is not what the score was.
00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:03.759
That did not happen.
00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:06.560
And so he responds back and she's like, Oh, you're right.
00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:08.240
Let me get you the updated.
00:08:08.399 --> 00:08:09.519
And it's like, whoa.
00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:26.879
So if you are just taking this stuff at face value and you don't have the context and you don't have somewhat of your own leadership, someone of your own compass, or you don't have the advisor that's there to help you with that, then you don't know what you're putting out there, whether it's factual or it's made up, or if it's going to mislead someone else.
00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:27.199
Right.
00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:37.919
Especially whenever you get into professional services and we're talking about lawyers or medical practices or you know, even marketing agencies and writing and all this stuff, it can be really dangerous.
00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:39.360
Yeah.
00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:50.399
And especially depending on what industry, like if you are in the health industry, even though if you're a marketer for the health industry, you still have to be very careful about what you say.
00:08:50.559 --> 00:08:50.799
Yeah.
00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:51.279
Right.
00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:55.919
And and how the information that you're putting out there needs to be factual.
00:08:56.159 --> 00:08:59.440
Otherwise, you're gonna get called out on it in in a second.
00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:00.559
Yeah, 100%.
00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:10.639
So as you've started to roll this out to your clients, what have been like some of the most, like the most critical pieces of putting this into the hands of your clients?
00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:11.519
Is it the safety?
00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:12.399
Is it the security?
00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:13.279
Is it the speed?
00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:16.559
Like, what's the thing that you're like, no, this is where we have to double down?
00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:18.559
I think it's balance.
00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:25.840
I think that's the thing that I I try to communicate the most because I typically have you know clients one of two ways.
00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:44.080
Either they are absolutely opposed to AI or want to bury their head in the sand, they want to pretend it's not happening, they want to, you know, imagine that business can go on doing what it's been doing for the last 20, 30 years if they just keep doing the same thing, right?
00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:48.000
The whole like steady on course kind of mentality.
00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:56.159
And then you've got other businesses and other business owners or leaders that are so gung-ho, right?
00:09:56.240 --> 00:10:03.200
They're so excited about what it can and and they're throwing money away or throwing money at it.
00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:08.159
And so I like to think that I bring people in somewhere in the middle.
00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:25.039
Like, let's take a little bit of cautious and let's take a little bit of just out there and let's create, you know, a middle of the road, someplace where we're not trying to turn, you know, the analogy here is changing the tire on a car, right?
00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:31.360
We're not trying to turn just one bolt until it's fully seated because you can bend the rim, right?
00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:34.480
Bad things happen if you're just working on that one thing.
00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:46.720
But if you're turning all of them a little bit and tightening up over time, yeah, you are going to end up with a tire that's gonna stay on the car, and the car is gonna stay on the road and it's gonna work well.
00:10:47.120 --> 00:11:08.159
And I think that's the thing, bring in those little changes in multiple different areas of the business, so in marketing, so in human resources, in just in technology, bring those different or the AI changes into each one of those, and and you'll end up with the business going down the road.
00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:10.240
Yeah, no, that's so good.
00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:13.679
I like to think of everything in a business in four quadrants.
00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:15.200
Now, is it always black and white?
00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:24.960
No, but I like to think about marketing, sales, right, operations, okay, and then customer delivery, service delivery.
00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:25.279
Yeah.
00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:40.159
And so whenever we're like even whenever Chris and I are having conversations about this project for this quarter or using this for AI, it's like, okay, wait a minute, or even rolling stuff out to our profit leaders, you know, rolling stuff out to our clients, it's like, wait a minute, which quadrant does this fit into?
00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:41.519
Is it a distraction?
00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:43.039
Is it something that's really cool?
00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:47.840
It's like, oh, there's this new AI tool, you know, you've got Sora and there's all these cool video things.
00:11:47.919 --> 00:11:49.039
And it's like, well, wait a minute.
00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:51.919
Okay, does this actually help them in marketing?
00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:55.440
Or is it like a shiny rabbit, you know, shiny object?
00:11:55.600 --> 00:12:00.480
So I like those guardrails where I can think, okay, which quadrant does it belong in?
00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:02.639
How is this actually gonna help the business move forward?
00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:03.840
Does this add to the bottom line?
00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:05.600
Does this increase their profit margins?
00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:07.200
Does this help them deliver better?
00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:08.960
Does this help them get in front of more people?
00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:11.519
And really just giving it, like you said, the balance.
00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:15.679
It's like, okay, which lug nut is this gonna tighten up in the mix, you know?
00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:16.720
Absolutely, yeah.
00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:25.519
And and and like I said, moving it around and making little changes and seeing the results before you go, you know, making big changes.
00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:26.159
Yeah, right.
00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:27.039
Yeah, exactly.
00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:29.039
Have your clients responded to that well?
00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:30.159
Yeah, I think so.
00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:31.279
I mean, I really do.
00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:35.039
They understand it as business strategy, yeah, right?
00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:37.840
They the speak the language of business, right?
00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:44.159
And so having that conversation with them where I go, okay, I we can get really excited, and I want to get excited.
00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.120
I want to know about the new things that it's doing.
00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:56.559
But in actually implementing, I want to be careful about making small changes that we can measure the outcome and see what the results are.
00:12:56.639 --> 00:13:00.240
And then if they're good, great, then we'll we'll ramp that up.
00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:02.399
But we're not gonna focus on that one thing.
00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:10.639
We're gonna then ramp up something else, start small, move forward, and just continually reiterate what we're doing.
00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:12.320
What doesn't work, we get rid of.
00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:16.320
What works, we enhance, we continue to improve upon.
00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:18.000
How do you measure that?
00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:21.600
Typically in profit, right?
00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:22.320
That's right.
00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:25.440
Yeah, bottom line typically in profit leaders.
00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:37.519
Yeah, I mean, surprise, surprise, business uh measures things in profit, and not everything, not every AI change that you make is going to be directly measurable by amount of money coming in, right?
00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:40.960
Some of it might be measurable by amount of money saved.
00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:59.679
I mean, if last year you spent$100,000 doing creating video content and you know doing commercials and that that kind of thing, and this year you only had to spend$10,000 to get the same amount of output, that's massive, right?
00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:05.519
But there are other things that won't be measured in either one of those, either in savings or in profit.
00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:15.120
There they're gonna be those sort of things that are unmeasurable, but but still measurable.
00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:23.759
So, like for instance, maybe over the last five years you were losing two to three employees per year.
00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:28.240
And this year and they're stressed out, right?
00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:32.159
They were stressed out, they were overworked, they're complaining of different things.
00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:44.399
And this year, because of the things that you have brought in through AI, the innovations, now all of a sudden their stress level has come down, and you didn't lose anybody this year.
00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:46.480
And is that measurable?
00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:48.159
Yeah, if you're looking for it.
00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:49.200
That's right.
00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:50.960
But do you know what you're looking for?
00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:51.600
Yeah.
00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:52.080
Yeah.
00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:56.080
Do you have someone there to help guide you through this?
00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:57.600
So I have a question.
00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:01.200
Why not chase software development?
00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:03.200
Why not chase building out a tool?
00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:10.240
Why not chase, you know, um as someone that's a a leader in the AI space and you know, you're out here talking about it to your clients.
00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:19.039
Why, why wouldn't you just go build like your own version of like Chat GPT or your own version of some type of tool that you can pedal out to the mass market?
00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:29.120
Honestly, I try to stay away from the idea of building out a tool because I build a tool today and it may be the most amazing, the greatest of all, right?
00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:33.759
But tomorrow, somebody's gonna build one that's just a little bit better, right?
00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:40.720
And and that is gonna happen day after day, especially in the world that we live in now, with how fast things are changing.
00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:56.000
And so I would much rather help businesses, and specifically the ones that are trying to bury their head in the sand that I talked about earlier, help them understand that you we need to transform, we need to change.
00:15:56.159 --> 00:16:08.879
I understand that business has been done this way for 30 years, 50 years, whatever it's been, you're not gonna be able to stay that course and be successful in the next 30 years, right?
00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:12.399
So we have to, and probably not even in the next five to 10.
00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:26.000
Yeah, right, is is the reality of what we're seeing because things are changing so fast and somebody can get a leg up on you that if you're not if you're not innovating, if you're not transforming, then you're dying.
00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.639
Yeah, if you're not growing, you're dying.
00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:29.440
Exactly.
00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:39.519
It's been really interesting, even to speak with other technology business owners and MSPs who are like, I don't want to learn AI.
00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:42.399
Like they're just like, I I just want to do tech.
00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:42.960
Right.
00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:52.320
And that it actually kind of breaks my heart a little bit because I know where the industry is going and I know that it's not, there's not going to be a choice eventually.
00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:54.960
And it's it's hard to see that.
00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:56.720
And I think some of that's fear.
00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:58.399
I think it's the fear of change.
00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:01.039
I think it's the fear of how, oh, it's more work.
00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:03.120
It's like, oh, something else I have to do.
00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:09.119
And it reminds me, truly, it reminds me of the heavy burden that business owners carry.
00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:10.240
It is heavy.
00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:12.880
Like heavy is the head that wears the crown.
00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:13.200
Yeah.
00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:14.640
And it's like, wow, it's a lot.
00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:19.039
And so I think that at the core of this, we have to come to business owners and to C-suites.
00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:25.440
We have to say, you know what, this is not extra stuff for you to learn and do and have to take on to make it's not a burden.
00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:27.119
It's meant to lighten the burden.
00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:31.359
And it could be something as simple as just learning how to prompt Chat GPT the right way.
00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:31.759
Right.
00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:34.720
It could be something as simple as like cleaning up your email inbox.
00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:42.160
It could be something as simple as having a policy for your employees using Chat GPT and plugging in company information and then keeping it secure.
00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:45.359
So it doesn't have to be this huge undertaking.
00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:47.519
It can be just one tiny shift.
00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:48.960
That's exactly right.
00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:54.000
I've had plenty of conversations over the last year with my peers.
00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:59.599
I'm I'm good friends with multiple managed service provider owners in the area.
00:17:59.920 --> 00:18:04.240
And I've asked them, had the conversation around what are you doing around AI?
00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:07.599
What how are you going to bring this in to your clients?
00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:13.359
And a lot of them, like you said, are just opposed to looking at that.
00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:15.359
And I don't understand that mentality.
00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:24.960
And I've I've told them that I don't understand this because to your clients, it's just tech, it's just another iteration of tech.
00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:33.519
And they're going to be looking to you to help them figure out how to take this tech and do something with it, right?
00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:35.440
The new technology and do something with it.
00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:40.799
And if you're not providing for them that, then they're going to go find it from somewhere else.
00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:42.079
And hopefully that's me.
00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:45.519
To be honest, I'm like, great, come, you know.
00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:55.440
And I've told them if you don't want to get involved in AI, but your client is interested in having a conversation around AI enablement for their business, send them my way.
00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:55.680
Yeah.
00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:56.000
Right?
00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:04.640
Because genuinely, so I can have that conversation with them so that they they can still be a business in 10, 15, 20, 30 years.
00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:06.559
Yeah, 100%.
00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:08.160
Wow.
00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:09.680
That's that's so good, John.
00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:19.359
And I want to go back to what you said um in the beginning of the conversation around it wasn't authentic to you to only profit when someone is in pain.
00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:24.799
And I don't think I've ever heard anyone say it in that way in this industry, you know.
00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:32.960
Like I and I've worked with hundreds of managed service providers, and that was just, it's like, yes, like that was my transformation moment.
00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:34.079
Like, absolutely.
00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:36.240
I was stuck on the idea.
00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:43.759
Like, I thought managed services and cybersecurity, I thought all of that was a money grab.
00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:46.000
I mean, literally, I had that conversation with multiple people.
00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:50.960
I just I think this is a money grab, you know, tech people just wanting more money.
00:19:51.279 --> 00:20:00.319
And once I it was presented to me in that way, same thing as you said, it was so I hadn't heard it presented that way.
00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:09.519
I hadn't didn't understand it from that that aspect, but the moment it was said and I understood it, it changed everything.
00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:34.799
I couldn't imagine a world where I wasn't going to move into managed services, and and and mostly because I I want my clients to have good days, I want them to have nothing but good profit building, you know, employee generating, like the the small business owner in the United States is the heartbeat of this country.
00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:44.400
And if they aren't able to stay in business because they have a few too many bad days, right, then and the bad days are getting worse.
00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:50.240
I mean, you fast forward to now, it's been five or six years since I went in that direction.
00:20:50.559 --> 00:21:04.240
And the opportunity for your business to be shut down overnight because of a cyber attack, because of you know, any number of things is much higher than it was even seven years ago.
00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:18.640
And so I I feel like it's definitely more important to help people understand what they need to put the places that they need to fill the gaps within their business to maintain the business, just to keep moving.
00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:21.920
Yeah, and I think that that's what AI is becoming now.
00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:27.839
It's it's going to become, it's like imagine telling your clients, no, we're not gonna install internet, right?
00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:30.079
It's like what you're not gonna what?
00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:31.359
I refuse.
00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:33.599
I refuse to hook up that T1 line.
00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:35.599
Yeah, I mean, that's exactly right.
00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:54.880
I I can't I cannot fathom where, as technology leaders, MSP owners, uh, whatever we are in that space, I cannot imagine saying, no, we're not gonna bring this life changing, world changing technology into your business.
00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:59.759
I think do we need to go to the complete opposite side and go, we're gonna do everything.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:01.279
Everything all at once?
00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:03.680
No, absolutely not.
00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:22.000
But finding a balance between the two, and and like you said, putting the the guardrails in place so that you know, again, your company, your your employee isn't putting a spreadsheet with their clients' data, your client's data out into the ether, right?
00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:23.759
Like that's not good.
00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:26.319
But they don't know that that's not good.
00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:27.519
Did you tell them?
00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:32.640
Do you have a policy that says how they can and cannot interact with AI?
00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:33.279
Right?
00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:34.880
Those are questions.
00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:47.119
Do you have then if you have a policy, have you actually put anything in place to monitor the use of it or block the use of it in the ways that you don't want somebody using it?
00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:53.759
All of those are questions that you have to answer, and that is the conversation of AI enablement, right?
00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:57.039
That's the conversation that I want to have with businesses.
00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:58.240
Wow.
00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:02.559
And if someone wants to have that conversation with you, where can they continue that conversation?
00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:10.160
I would go to our website, ustsg.com, or find me on Facebook or LinkedIn, follow me there.
00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:13.039
I'm I'm ramping it up.
00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:16.319
It's going to be daily AI thought leadership.
00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:19.039
There are days where I'll miss, but it's authentic.
00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:20.000
It is me.
00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:21.279
It's my voice.
00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:28.240
I'm not just, you know, uh moving that off or putting that off on some AI agent.
00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:30.240
It is something that I am doing.
00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:34.799
And it's typically coming from something I'm recently learning.
00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:43.119
So if I'm, you know, learning something about how AI is is strategy, is business strategy.
00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:47.279
If I'm doing that, then that's what the post is going to be about, right?
00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:51.599
And so it will get there, it'll get to the point where it's it's daily.
00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:56.880
But for right now, it's it's you know, every couple of days you'll see something from me.
00:23:57.039 --> 00:24:14.079
And I already know, I've already gotten feedback from several people that have said, John, I really appreciate you saying something about this, because now we have instituted a we've put a committee together and we're talking about what our AI use policy is for our bank.
00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:14.480
Wow.
00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:18.319
And and it's all because you brought that conversation up.
00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:19.440
And I'm like, good.
00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:23.519
I that it I always wanted to help people.
00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:31.200
And so it's always good to me to hear feedback that some something I said, something I did is helping someone.
00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:32.240
That's what it's about.
00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:32.640
Yeah.
00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:32.960
Yeah.
00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:33.759
Helping people.
00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:38.559
Well, thank you so much for coming on to our AI Profit Leaders podcast.
00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:39.599
This was great.
00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:45.759
Your your connection to just like what's authentic, what's true, what's gonna actually be a genuine service.
00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:51.200
It's so it is truly like you can just see it in how you talk and how you speak and in your message.
00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:53.279
So thank you so much for sharing that with us.
00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:56.720
I think it's a breath of fresh air to the technology space.
00:24:56.960 --> 00:25:02.640
I think that other technology leaders will hear this and they will see themselves in a lot of your story.
00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:08.720
And business leaders will also find some clarity in what they need to start focusing on and where they can have a conversation with you.
00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:09.440
Thank you.
00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:10.319
This has been great.
00:25:10.480 --> 00:25:11.119
Yeah, awesome.
00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:12.240
Thank you so much, John.
