I’d love to learn how to use AI more for my agency. We basically outsource the revenue function for b2b tech companies.

“AI” is overused, but here’s how we use technology to be efficient, some “AI”, some just common sense and automation.

Research & content: GPT4 premium helps with lists, company research, industry research, meeting prep, blogs, editing work, etc

Financial: I’ll copy/paste excel data in and ask GPT4 to crunch #s

CRMs & automations: organize and track while avoiding data entry

Insights & targeting: I cook up crafty ways to garner intent and interest so reply rates are really high and so discoveries take less effort to get.

Data: we harvest our own data bottom up to be > efficient and to create insights we can sell.

Tbh automation and data are more lucrative for me than AI right now. AI creates a lot of noise too, like mass applicants for work and for projects (noise). The fat created is almost a gift because we cut through that by going more hardcore on quality and premium solutions.

Revenue has never been more achievable than today, I’m finding.

Finding amazing people. But when we do, wow.

Go for higher end clients and deliver hardcore results.

Can you drive real leads that convert? If so, take some of the risk for some upside. 10% of sales isn’t unreasonable on top of base fees if you’re killing it. Negotiate recurring income from sales…

I charge a king’s ransom for our service. We obliterate any agency by comparison and we know it. Retainers start at $400K annualized and we reject anyone without excellent product market fit and sales metrics we can trust.

Normalized for digital adoption, no.

Partly terrible economy.

Partly no one believes the fake sales.

By envisioning yourself on your death bed thinking, “what was I worried about? I should have gone got it.”

“Give him some more morphine he doesn’t know where he is.”

Just go for it, who gives AF.

Step 1 watch the movie the Founder

Step 2 plow ahead and keep going, she’ll ride along or fall of the truck

Can you consistently work hard?

At your age I was minus $30K from school debt. You got this.

I wouldn’t be against blue collar hustle work to make $ and have no risk on being able to generate. Hit houses and bag leaves + offer power washing and eaves cleaning, you can make $500-$1,200+ / day.

More sophisticated work - get companies qualified meetings for $200 plus 10% of sales as they happen, take 3/4 clients on and double down on the good ones, getting them on retainers once they trust you. Startups may pay this.

Need a unique outbound message with a follow up call. This is super doable. I have a lot not experience and am old now, but we sell 7-figure contracts now and it’s an absolute blast. We help companies and their greatly benefited.

I kid you not we went $0-$1.3MM in cash retainers on 3-4 months, now are at about $5MM month 7-8, heading to much more rn. All just pre selling projects and fulfilling them.

We make a 30% spread on labour then we make $ via royalties as companies we help flourish. $0 startup capital.

You actually can, I have $, but started one with $0 that’s making more than my other companies now.

Consider agency models. For example, marketing or sales services, there’s a whole ecosystem of variations across these two areas. Or even anything you’re good at, “operations as a service” is another one popping up.

We sell projects, collect $, pay out 45 days after on the recurring retainer piece that goes to pay base wages of people on our team doing the work. Then bonuses come to us with a 75-90 day lag on when we pay out teams. So as we grow it produces cash, “float”, and we use that cash to grow faster.

Maybe you need to learn to sell b2b style.

DM me some example work? I need a designer.

Consider selling 75% of it and doing an earn out with upside. This way if it becomes significant you’re still in for a bit. And you get to pull cash out now.

I know some people who would look at this thing.

I do daily exercise and it’s a life hack and an output hack. I would say 8-figure delta minimum.

Go for it!

I left a large corporate comp to buy small companies and then started others. Absolute rush!

Once you realize you can be dropped anywhere and just make $, it’s a liberation and it’s a weapon.

Started 5, bought 2. 2 failures so far, now playing with house $ and am self made wealthy with happy family and kids.

It’s 100% doable and even if you fail who cares just get up and do it again. One will work.

Just don’t take tiny swings, take bigger swings so you have a real shot at size and scale. Biggest regret I’ve had is wasting time on something too small.

You can solve new problems and find a mark.

Many businesses and their entrenchments are what are actually killing them. For example, legacy autos. They hang on to their old platforms as they fail to make EVs. Same can be said about many legacy-style businesses.

Tech has made it so you can start a company with basically nothing. Look into agency models. They’re lean!

Being addicted to winning.

We outsource a % of lead generation for my b2b technology sales agency.

We have a flat structure and out senior people on work, allowing us to charge a lot. Then for the grinding work we hire internal juniors but also agency partners to help scale our funnel.

Agency models can make a lot and without the overhead of traditional companies.

Can you sell? Manage clients? Hire? If so, agency will crush the companies you’re helping. Not even close.

Don’t let the $15K sway you.

What business is perfect for you to start irrespective of capital, based on skills, interests, abilities?

Money is not hard to get. First, what is the idea?

If I was younger and wanted to hustle I’d totally do lawn mowing, waves, power wash, and use an inexpensive and thankless lost leader like $8 leaf bag fills on Facebook to get in front of people, who then buy all the other services from you.

When I was 15 I used to make $1000 on a Saturday and that is 26 years ago.

I would get out of the house, and have a little business that makes money to teach yourself how to run a business.

How old are you? Any $ saved? Not needed.

You could literally make a flyer for eavesdrop, cleaning, and power washing. Make some prices and put up a website and then go door-to-door, leave flyers, and talk to people. On Facebook, say that you’ll rake peoples leaves for seven or eight dollars a bag and you’ll get lots of interest. Be personable and your other services when you get to talk to people.

When I was 15 I made it over $1000 on a Saturday doing this, then turned it into a business and hired high school friends. It was really fun and we made a lot of money. Then I realized I could do any business… now I’m 41 and own various cash flowing businesses. It’s fun.

Don’t focus on being rich, just focus on having fun and working hard towards something, and be perceptive as to what you can change to make things better along the way.

What sort of consulting?

In the next year we want to maybe buy an ecommerce consultancy and apply our performance model to it. Curious about what some decent shops are in ideally Canada but we’ll start researching the USA next year for companies. So easy now with AI to make lists and pull data.