บทถอดความฉบับเต็มของ Chris Troka - Elevating Business Through AI and Collaborative Innovation

I will try to keep this message a little more concise than what the long story could be. 00:02:07.004 --> 00:02:10.454 However, the past 15 years working nine to five jobs. 00:02:10.783 --> 00:02:17.674 I've worked in different capacities from healthcare, customer service, sales, and I found with any. 00:02:18.525 --> 00:02:22.245 Position that I took, I always wanted to leave it better than I found it. 00:02:22.245 --> 00:02:27.584 So I found myself, you know, if the business owner needed help with marketing, getting more leads, that's where I helped. 00:02:27.674 --> 00:02:29.114 They need help with graphic design. 00:02:29.114 --> 00:02:30.074 I'm down for that. 00:02:30.405 --> 00:02:35.954 They need help with process improvement, improving the customer's experience, and just saving time and admin work. 00:02:36.044 --> 00:02:37.125 That's what I was there for. 00:02:37.334 --> 00:02:45.555 So throughout that journey, although I loved the work, I realized that a lot of what I had to offer wouldn't benefit me directly. 00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:47.144 It was benefiting another business. 00:02:47.414 --> 00:02:48.014 So that was. 00:02:48.824 --> 00:02:54.224 My first, you know, introduction into entrepreneurship, started the DJ business. 00:02:54.615 --> 00:02:58.514 Started to grow that decided, okay, what if I treat this like a real business? 00:02:58.514 --> 00:03:03.344 Started improving things and eventually loved marketing so much, I went back to school for it. 00:03:03.644 --> 00:03:18.304 So today I started a marketing agency as well, beyond the DJs beyond the DJ business, and it's just been an incredible journey chatting with other business owners, helping bring value to other business owners as well, so that they don't have to make the same mistakes that I've made too. 00:03:19.294 --> 00:03:23.704 Okay, but you've kind of bypassed and blown through a really important part of this story. 00:03:24.033 --> 00:03:26.104 You didn't just start up a marketing agency. 00:03:26.104 --> 00:03:28.834 I mean, you've gone full on into ai. 00:03:29.778 --> 00:03:31.759 Absolutely AI and automation. 00:03:32.299 --> 00:03:42.199 I think the technology and tools that are out there to help us create and build a better business, I think we need to utilize those because otherwise we're gonna be left behind. 00:03:42.498 --> 00:03:44.959 And who wants to be doing all this? 00:03:44.959 --> 00:03:45.019 I. 00:03:45.264 --> 00:03:46.373 Crazy admin work. 00:03:46.378 --> 00:03:47.693 Who doesn't want more time? 00:03:47.693 --> 00:03:49.104 Who doesn't want to be saving money? 00:03:49.373 --> 00:03:53.394 Who doesn't wanna create a better experience for the customer along their journey? 00:03:53.724 --> 00:04:00.403 So that's when we got together with a team of developers who were also looking for feedback from business owners and entrepreneurs. 00:04:00.463 --> 00:04:04.935 They said, how can we work together to create a better business, c r m, better business app? 00:04:05.264 --> 00:04:07.185 So that's when Focus Biz was born. 00:04:07.514 --> 00:04:13.185 We started to leverage AI and automation within A C R M within one dashboard. 00:04:13.569 --> 00:04:17.048 To again, improve that customer experience and save time in admin work. 00:04:17.408 --> 00:04:30.889 And based on your past experience, from what I've seen, it seems you delve heavy into the technology, the process improvement, the strategy behind it, which is something that I was so excited to meet with you specifically and chat about that stuff. 00:04:31.228 --> 00:04:32.699 Oh, you're after my heart. 00:04:34.139 --> 00:04:35.639 Talk nerdy to me, please. 00:04:35.788 --> 00:04:43.978 Yes, talk nerd to me, I think the IT space for almost 30 years, so I, I could definitely relate. 00:04:44.369 --> 00:04:47.838 So I mean that's a, that's a gutsy move to take right to, to. 00:04:49.204 --> 00:04:54.764 F to try a spin on marketing that is maybe non-standard. 00:04:55.033 --> 00:04:57.463 So tell me a little bit more about that part of the journey. 00:04:57.853 --> 00:04:58.603 Yeah, absolutely. 00:04:58.603 --> 00:05:03.283 And I think for myself and many other business owners, we're always taking calculated risks. 00:05:03.288 --> 00:05:03.314 I. 00:05:03.658 --> 00:05:16.259 So I think for us, we are taking risk, we are seeing opportunity, and it's up to us to either take advantage of that opportunity and make something from it, or do we calculate that risk and say, it's not worth trying. 00:05:16.559 --> 00:05:21.509 And I say don't tell yourself no before someone else has a chance to say that to you instead. 00:05:21.869 --> 00:05:23.908 So with that, it's about. 00:05:24.634 --> 00:05:29.613 You know, after you analyze anything that you could do and should be doing, take action on it. 00:05:29.613 --> 00:05:38.074 I think a lot of entrepreneurs are stuck in that analysis paralysis, where they're just thinking there's one, one more secret, one more tip that I need to learn. 00:05:38.074 --> 00:05:38.913 One more process. 00:05:38.913 --> 00:05:43.894 That, and, and again, they just get stuck in the learning phase as opposed to the doing phase. 00:05:45.033 --> 00:05:46.894 Oh yeah, yeah, absolutely. 00:05:47.163 --> 00:05:58.658 So that was something that we wanted to bring together was the, the AI and automation piece of improving a business improving the customer experience, the customer journey, and saving admin time for a lot of entrepreneurs. 00:05:58.658 --> 00:05:58.689 I. 00:05:59.620 --> 00:06:00.759 So dig in a little bit. 00:06:00.764 --> 00:06:03.009 Tell me, tell me what the software does. 00:06:03.339 --> 00:06:03.670 Sure. 00:06:03.670 --> 00:06:05.170 So it's a 14-in-one business tool. 00:06:05.170 --> 00:06:08.319 It starts with the foundation of a robust c r M system. 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:11.350 We all need to manage our customer relationships. 00:06:11.620 --> 00:06:17.410 We need our email inboxes to be

connected to those so we know exactly what communication is going on between them. 00:06:17.810 --> 00:06:20.269 For business owners, we also offer custom forms. 00:06:20.329 --> 00:06:23.089 So you create these advanced forms. 00:06:23.464 --> 00:06:34.714 Based on logic and conditional logic that can route the experience and the questions and personalize the marketing for that individual, which is really fantastic. 00:06:35.074 --> 00:06:37.774 And who what other tools do business owners need? 00:06:37.779 --> 00:06:42.514 They need payment processing, they need invoices, they need a calendar meeting schedule. 00:06:43.053 --> 00:06:45.964 And all of that is tied into robust automation. 00:06:46.204 --> 00:06:48.934 So based on what answers they selected. 00:06:49.309 --> 00:07:02.988 What parameters, what defines that can take them along a separate more personalized journey and help you increase your speed to lead through our AI chat bot and just improve the customer experience with more personalized touchpoints. 00:07:03.779 --> 00:07:03.899 I. 00:07:04.235 --> 00:07:05.375 So who are you working with? 00:07:05.375 --> 00:07:11.105 Who are your ideal customers for consuming and getting the most leverage out of the tools? 00:07:11.555 --> 00:07:12.214 Absolutely. 00:07:12.394 --> 00:07:19.144 So for those who are the more d I Y focused entrepreneurs, they're a little bit more tech savvy. 00:07:19.384 --> 00:07:24.694 They like to get into the, the nitty gritty details of software and process improvement. 00:07:24.995 --> 00:07:32.134 Those are the ones that can benefit directly from using the software just on their own, learning it as they go. 00:07:32.718 --> 00:07:39.560 For other business owners, we find that simplicity is king, where they don't wanna think about a lot of those things. 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:45.379 So we actually come in and we will work alongside you and take a look at your process. 00:07:46.038 --> 00:07:49.218 Where does the customer, the lead come in? 00:07:49.579 --> 00:07:50.689 How are they nurtured? 00:07:51.033 --> 00:07:55.084 How are they fulfilled, and then how do we get more reviews from them? 00:07:55.084 --> 00:07:56.913 So the entire customer journey. 00:07:57.184 --> 00:07:59.014 So we try to simplify that for them. 00:07:59.014 --> 00:08:02.173 One process we use is we call them smart forms. 00:08:02.444 --> 00:08:15.673 So we create a form that is basically the, the simplest, easiest way for you to input customer data and let the system do the work in the backend for you through the automations. 00:08:15.944 --> 00:08:16.874 So we find that. 00:08:17.384 --> 00:08:26.264 If you want something set up for you, something a little more personalized where you don't have to think about that, we can create that, that journey for you, create that software for you. 00:08:26.533 --> 00:08:32.683 For those who like D i Y and like to get techie, those are the ones who can get into the software and start using it themselves. 00:08:32.933 --> 00:08:33.224 Yeah. 00:08:34.423 --> 00:08:35.024 Well of course. 00:08:35.024 --> 00:08:35.504 I would love that. 00:08:37.094 --> 00:08:38.625 And did you build from scratch? 00:08:38.625 --> 00:08:39.974 Are you white labeling? 00:08:40.604 --> 00:08:41.594 It's a little bit of both. 00:08:41.774 --> 00:08:53.484 So the the core foundation of the software is from a team of developers that we're offering kind of this early access you know, beta opportunity for business owners and entrepreneurs to help them improve the software. 00:08:53.693 --> 00:08:57.519 So we have a white label access that we received from this. 00:08:57.769 --> 00:09:04.129 But based on our input, we've been improving the software over the last two years and there is a potential opportunity for us. 00:09:04.845 --> 00:09:08.174 As resellers to also offer a white label opportunity. 00:09:08.475 --> 00:09:25.514 So let's say you've, you know, you're in a particular industry or vertical and you feel like you have a really good grasp of the customer journey and the entire processes that you have as a business, you could create that as an entire template and then resell that as your own white label provider. 00:09:26.330 --> 00:09:33.769 I like the idea, like I think a lot of people are kind of like, oh, but I should really build everything from, and you know, I own a software development company. 00:09:33.769 --> 00:09:47.299 I know how much effort and time and risk and work that is, but I think it's a smart strategy to look at what you can leverage and then continue to make it your own and build on the pieces that are most interesting to you and make it. 00:09:47.480 --> 00:09:51.049 Unique to your, to your business and kind of where you wanna go, right? 00:09:51.100 --> 00:09:51.799 I, I agree. 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:52.250 Absolutely. 00:09:52.254 --> 00:09:53.870 There's no need to reinvent the wheel. 00:09:53.870 --> 00:10:03.169 If there's an open source software that's out there that we can either get inspired from or use pieces of that, that just means that we can get to market a little bit faster. 00:10:03.259 --> 00:10:06.919 And if it's done, it's been done before, what can we tweak to improve it? 00:10:07.169 --> 00:10:10.529 So that, that's kind of the, the basis behind a lot of software development, right? 00:10:10.529 --> 00:10:16.769 Is what can we use that's been created in the past, use those resources and then build something better from that. 00:10:17.445 --> 00:10:24.865 I was just in an all day session yesterday talking about how we build patterns and automation inside of a large enterprise IT organization. 00:10:24.870 --> 00:10:32.455 And it is all about automation and reusability and, and if we have to build something new from scratch, we better have a pretty good reason for doing it. 00:10:32.695 --> 00:10:33.865 Yes, absolutely. 00:10:33.865 --> 00:10:36.565 We're, we're always trying to find the path, at least resistance,

right. 00:10:37.825 --> 00:10:39.475 Usually make things easier, right? 00:10:40.254 --> 00:10:46.404 Unless you're in the innovation group, which is the other part of my, my job, and then it's the complete opposite. 00:10:46.404 --> 00:10:49.914 We should be finding the path of most resistance. 00:10:51.144 --> 00:10:51.894 So true. 00:10:51.894 --> 00:10:52.615 Absolutely. 00:10:52.674 --> 00:10:55.044 So are you a marketing company or a technology company? 00:10:56.115 --> 00:10:57.495 I wanna say we're a little bit of both. 00:10:57.825 --> 00:11:00.554 I, I started first with the marketing aspect of it. 00:11:00.674 --> 00:11:04.615 I was using a lot of different technology and tools from other providers. 00:11:04.615 --> 00:11:06.894 HubSpot, constant Contact, MailChimp. 00:11:07.804 --> 00:11:17.585 And I'm realizing, okay, some of these systems have to be built out custom for you, or there's something missing, or it's not specific to this industry or this niche. 00:11:17.835 --> 00:11:19.000 How do we bridge that gap? 00:11:19.269 --> 00:11:28.159 So the, the software itself that we offer is really cool because it gives you that foundation of a lot of advanced automation and a lot of capabilities. 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:30.929 And then you build that out based on your needs. 00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:35.879 So whether you're using one or two, Of our own tools within the system. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:44.480 We know that that will provide an r o i for you and your business, whether that's improving the customer journey or saving time in admin work for others. 00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:49.669 Once you kind of build out this system and it's created, that is where the money maker is. 00:11:49.940 --> 00:11:55.250 Once you have that process, that just continues to bring dividends down the road. 00:11:57.039 --> 00:11:57.335 Yeah. 00:11:57.335 --> 00:12:11.014 And I think if you have the flexibility to be able to make those changes inside the system, I know I've done a lot of work with trying to find those all-inclusive, end-to-end solutions that are supposedly out there. 00:12:11.014 --> 00:12:14.914 And I think I only found one or two that really truly do the job, but mm-hmm. 00:12:15.154 --> 00:12:16.945 It's you know, it's the constant. 00:12:17.934 --> 00:12:27.024 It's the constant endeavor of any small business owner in the online space is to find that that system that's gonna be able to automate all the different pieces rather than piece them together. 00:12:27.414 --> 00:12:27.565 Mm-hmm. 00:12:27.894 --> 00:12:28.495 Absolutely. 00:12:28.495 --> 00:12:35.384 I think it just, it's a lot easier for you know, software developers, people who are kind of in that, that front end user experience. 00:12:35.384 --> 00:12:36.375 What does that look like? 00:12:36.705 --> 00:12:39.524 How many, how many different tools do we need to piece this together? 00:12:39.524 --> 00:12:46.154 And each tool that you introduce, there's an opportunity that it can

either break. 00:12:46.590 --> 00:12:48.059 Or it's going to really help them. 00:12:48.059 --> 00:12:55.830 So we try to find that that balance between how many tools do we need to integrate here or what can we simplify to make that a little bit easier. 00:12:57.090 --> 00:13:01.019 So you made the transition into being a business owner, right? 00:13:01.409 --> 00:13:01.500 Mm-hmm. 00:13:01.740 --> 00:13:02.279 Was that tricky? 00:13:04.830 --> 00:13:05.429 Yes. 00:13:05.580 --> 00:13:06.210 Yes, it was. 00:13:06.210 --> 00:13:06.990 Absolutely. 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:11.000 It was it was challenging and when I first started, I didn't know. 00:13:11.825 --> 00:13:12.605 A lot of things. 00:13:12.634 --> 00:13:18.634 Now I know more had I known certain things, I may have saved myself some friction and some obstacles. 00:13:19.004 --> 00:13:29.684 But again, each failure and each obstacle is a learning opportunity, and that's our opportunity in order to learn more and then improve that and help other people do that a little bit better. 00:13:29.690 --> 00:13:37.154 So, My business journey, it was working a lot of either full-time or part-time jobs while I'm doing the other job. 00:13:37.514 --> 00:13:41.504 So I'm putting in 12 to 15 hour days as many entrepreneurs can relate to. 00:13:41.865 --> 00:13:49.845 And it was how do I create financial stability, time freedom as well with this business opportunity? 00:13:50.024 --> 00:13:51.375 How do I take this seriously? 00:13:51.434 --> 00:13:52.514 How do I advance that? 00:13:52.514 --> 00:13:53.475 How do I scale it? 00:13:53.754 --> 00:13:55.945 So that, that journey was, it was a struggle. 00:13:55.945 --> 00:13:56.845 It was a challenge. 00:13:57.384 --> 00:14:03.534 But something that really resonated with me, I heard someone say choose your hard. 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:05.379 So choose your hard. 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:06.450 Business can be hard. 00:14:06.450 --> 00:14:08.399 There's a lot of challenges, a lot of obstacles. 00:14:08.789 --> 00:14:18.269 But you know what's also hard is not having enough money to fill up your gas tank or wondering what bill can I pay today that won't put me in default. 00:14:18.269 --> 00:14:19.950 That, you know, it's just that challenge. 00:14:19.955 --> 00:14:21.120 You have to choose your hard. 00:14:21.370 --> 00:14:28.139 And that's something that a lot of people that I work with, a lot of business owners and entrepreneurs, they, they can struggle with either technology. 00:14:28.679 --> 00:14:32.100 Adaptation or just, you know, running a business as a whole. 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:34.830 So it's again, hey, I know this is hard. 00:14:34.830 --> 00:14:38.309 It's a challenge for all of us, but we're in this together, number one. 00:14:38.669 --> 00:14:41.279 And number two, what is the alternative? 00:14:41.370 --> 00:14:43.529 Do you wanna go back working to a nine to five? 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:45.299 Do you want to be in debt? 00:14:45.419 --> 00:14:48.000 I mean, let's, let's consider our options here. 00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:52.710 So I like to tell people, choose your hard, and they typically wanna stick with owning a business. 00:14:53.504 --> 00:14:56.325 You know, I gosh, that, that's a great way of putting it. 00:14:56.325 --> 00:15:00.375 I, I, it made me just think now and I thought, well, why have I chosen? 00:15:00.375 --> 00:15:01.615 Because this is hard. 00:15:02.125 --> 00:15:03.014 It's hard every day. 00:15:03.014 --> 00:15:04.605 Yes, it's, but it's fun hard. 00:15:04.904 --> 00:15:10.544 Whereas to me, going and getting a job and working in an organization again, would be, I. 00:15:11.090 --> 00:15:12.409 Like soul destroying hard. 00:15:12.409 --> 00:15:12.860 Like hard? 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:13.580 Yes. 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:17.539 Hard because I'd hate myself and I'd hate my life every day. 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:23.120 And I would feel like I didn't have the ownership and the freedom and that obviously is what I value. 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:25.639 So that's a great, that's a great question. 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:26.379 Choose your hard. 00:15:26.379 --> 00:15:26.860 I appreciate that. 00:15:27.159 --> 00:15:27.779 Hey, thanks so much. 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:32.480 And I think someone for Like yourself with actual diagnosed A D H D. 00:15:32.759 --> 00:15:39.879 If, if I'm not mistaken, I don't wanna speak for you, but I feel like your creativity and your productivity comes in spurts, right? 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:44.350 Like, if you're not feeling motivated to do something, that task isn't gonna get done. 00:15:45.009 --> 00:15:46.059 So that can be a challenge. 00:15:46.309 --> 00:15:52.740 But again, some of the, the most creative and beneficial work that you can do it just has to be on your own time. 00:15:52.740 --> 00:15:54.539 So the typical nine to five schedule. 00:15:55.235 --> 00:15:59.075 You can't turn your brain on and off and say, all right, now I can be creative. 00:15:59.404 --> 00:16:03.995 You have to let that creativity kind of come to you and get to work when you can. 00:16:04.595 --> 00:16:06.065 I think that's true for everybody, though. 00:16:06.070 --> 00:16:09.514 I don't think it's just us neurodivergent folks. 00:16:09.544 --> 00:16:09.634 Mm-hmm. 00:16:09.875 --> 00:16:21.565 Though I was, I will say like, exercise for me is like a pressure release and it's like a, it, it like releases all of the, the mess up inside your head and then, you know, after that is, Clear thinking. 00:16:21.865 --> 00:16:25.975 So there's, you know, some element of needing to be able to do that in the course of a day. 00:16:26.274 --> 00:16:34.909 And I think we're well past the time in our lives, in our culture where we accepted the, the slave to a job type of mentality. 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:35.210 Mm-hmm. 00:16:35.450 --> 00:16:38.539 And people are demanding a lot more and a lot more balance. 00:16:38.539 --> 00:16:46.980 It's one of the benefits

that we got out of the, if there could be any benefit to the whole covid situation that people are starting to rethink work. 00:16:47.529 --> 00:16:48.250 Absolutely. 00:16:48.309 --> 00:16:58.110 And I think that's changing a lot of strategy for a lot of business owners where they're wondering what are the motivating factors for a lot of their personnel, their employees. 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:04.829 And some of 'em are still stuck in the 2019 and before thinking, or they say, alright, it is just the culture. 00:17:04.829 --> 00:17:06.119 We need another pizza party. 00:17:06.450 --> 00:17:13.109 And in reality, the, the motivations behind people and what they value. 00:17:13.755 --> 00:17:14.444 Has changed. 00:17:14.714 --> 00:17:29.835 So as business owners, if we want to create a, you know, a sustainable business model with employees with VAs, we need to think creatively in terms of what, what value do we bring to the employees and to keep them motivated. 00:17:29.865 --> 00:17:31.184 We can't keep thinking. 00:17:31.634 --> 00:17:33.194 The 2019 and prior. 00:17:33.194 --> 00:17:43.785 This is, this is a new era of, you know labor unions, people collective bargaining, working together, and they just have different motivations behind what they're doing. 00:17:43.785 --> 00:17:45.555 They want their work to serve a purpose. 00:17:45.825 --> 00:17:48.765 They don't want to feel like a slave and the cog of the machine. 00:17:49.275 --> 00:17:56.595 They want their work to be purposeful and they wanna earn an honest living that they can actually save some money and get ahead. 00:17:57.599 --> 00:17:58.410 It is true. 00:17:58.410 --> 00:18:03.750 I think one of the, the biggest demands that is new-ish from. 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:19.980 People in jobs is, and I hear this all the time with the, the group that I'm working with in a big public sector organization, that more and more it matters to them that they can connect the work that they're doing to some type of benefit to the organization or to the people that the organization serves. 00:18:20.279 --> 00:18:23.099 And it's becoming more and more and more important to. 00:18:23.690 --> 00:18:32.390 Employees that they can, that what they're doing is meaningful, that what they're doing has some, and it doesn't even have to be like social purpose. 00:18:32.509 --> 00:18:32.599 Mm-hmm. 00:18:32.690 --> 00:18:39.650 But they, you know, even if it's an entirely for product profit organization, they also wanna be able to connect the work that they're doing to the. 00:18:39.684 --> 00:18:43.615 The profit in the organization or to whatever the, the organization is sort of aligned around. 00:18:44.035 --> 00:18:50.994 So it's not about a, a values judgment, but it's more about this, this kind of this, this seeking meaning and seeking. 00:18:51.335 --> 00:18:54.744 And, and so this comes kind of back full circle to ai, right? 00:18:54.750 --> 00:18:54.875 Mm-hmm. 00:18:55.015 --> 00:18:55.234 And. 00:18:56.279 --> 00:19:09.210 You know, a lot of people have, we've talked about this before we got on the show, but a lot of people, a lot of creative individuals got very uncomfortable with the idea of, you know, cognitive technologies and AI and oh my gosh, it's gonna replace all my work. 00:19:09.210 --> 00:19:12.420 And we have to, you know, stand up against this. 00:19:12.670 --> 00:19:12.890 Yes. 00:19:13.769 --> 00:19:14.730 First of all, you're not going to. 00:19:14.730 --> 00:19:22.759 Secondly, secondly, I think that what a, what a lot of these technologies is gonna do, are gonna do is. 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:33.559 Make your work more meaningful because all of the stuff, all of the fluff work that is, you know, not necessarily a good use of your time. 00:19:34.579 --> 00:19:38.660 Or the thinking work or the, you know, like the processing work mm-hmm. 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:42.440 Can be accelerated so that you can focus on the real high value work. 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:51.319 And I, I know I use it in my own consulting work because there's parts of the stuff that I need to deliver that isn't really like unique or. 00:19:52.214 --> 00:19:55.934 Meaningful in terms of the work that I really need to be doing. 00:19:55.934 --> 00:19:57.255 But it needs to be there, right? 00:19:57.255 --> 00:19:58.214 It's like structure. 00:19:58.214 --> 00:19:58.215 Mm-hmm. 00:19:58.265 --> 00:20:00.884 And it's, or sometimes it's just like a thinking tool. 00:20:00.884 --> 00:20:02.174 It's a way to get me started. 00:20:02.174 --> 00:20:07.305 It's a thought tool so that I can really focus my time on the meaningful work that I have to do. 00:20:07.894 --> 00:20:09.755 Absolutely, you hit the nail on the head. 00:20:09.904 --> 00:20:15.035 As soon as chat g p t and Mid Journey came out, this was a, a shock factor to me. 00:20:15.035 --> 00:20:23.434 I, as a creative professional, also thought, okay, great, now I'm, I'm really finally gaining some traction with my business here and now it's gonna be gone. 00:20:23.525 --> 00:20:25.505 And that's a fear that a lot of us have. 00:20:25.865 --> 00:20:42.105 But I think just as you mentioned, It's gonna take a lot of that busy work, that fluff work something that really didn't need to involve, you know, human creativity before we can use that to accelerate what we're doing and what value we're we're bringing to other businesses. 00:20:42.375 --> 00:20:47.775 So I feel like most businesses can benefit from some sort of ai, some sort of automation. 00:20:48.105 --> 00:20:53.474 And I think for us it's just the ways that we, that we implement it. 00:20:54.105 --> 00:20:56.654 Of course, we don't wanna be losing our jobs, but. 00:20:56.954 --> 00:21:05.355 Is there a way that we could find work a little bit more meaningful and impactful if we had a tool that could take away some of that work for us? 00:21:05.355 --> 00:21:07.005 So I think you described it perfectly. 00:21:07.005 --> 00:21:13.244 It's that

initial shock reaction and then we get a little more acclimated and realize, okay, where are the capabilities? 00:21:13.244 --> 00:21:14.115 How do we use it? 00:21:14.234 --> 00:21:15.285 How can it benefit us? 00:21:15.285 --> 00:21:16.724 How can it benefit our clients? 00:21:17.305 --> 00:21:20.994 My best friend is a, is a graphic designer and she got it right away. 00:21:20.994 --> 00:21:23.515 She, and so now she's actually built a hole. 00:21:24.369 --> 00:21:27.430 Like a whole brand around AI art. 00:21:27.910 --> 00:21:28.000 Wow. 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:32.920 And let me tell you, it's not, it's, it's, it's actually a whole other skill in itself. 00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:41.259 Now she makes beautiful art on her own, and she's very skilled and she'll continue to be skilled and she'll continue to sell her services as a designer. 00:21:41.265 --> 00:21:50.305 But her, what she's doing with Mid Journey and with her AI art is just like, Stunning. 00:21:50.394 --> 00:21:50.785 Yes, right? 00:21:50.785 --> 00:21:51.704 Mind blowing. 00:21:51.704 --> 00:21:58.734 And some of these artists who have really embraced it are creating art that is just unique. 00:21:58.734 --> 00:22:01.184 And instead of them using their hands to create it. 00:22:02.154 --> 00:22:06.565 They're using their brains and they're figuring out how to build that skillset. 00:22:06.565 --> 00:22:08.605 And it is a skillset, it's a unique skillset. 00:22:08.605 --> 00:22:11.125 And some of the stuff they're producing is just phenomenal. 00:22:11.575 --> 00:22:12.355 It's truly art. 00:22:12.494 --> 00:22:15.954 It's, and it's not, you know, it's not a regurgitation of someone else's art. 00:22:15.954 --> 00:22:16.644 It's their own. 00:22:17.365 --> 00:22:17.634 Right. 00:22:17.634 --> 00:22:18.204 Absolutely. 00:22:18.204 --> 00:22:43.055 And I think just in the same way that you know there are people who like use Google search, like the very specific prompting within a Google search to do you know, Tech resolution or find solutions to problems, I feel like that's gonna be a similar job, is gonna be a chat, g p t, prompt, prompt, scripter a mid journey prompt scripter. 00:22:43.144 --> 00:22:51.424 And there is a skill within creating that prompt in order to tell the software Mid journey chat, G P T. 00:22:51.815 --> 00:22:55.355 What parameters, what to do in order to create that end result. 00:22:55.444 --> 00:22:56.505 You can't just Do you what? 00:22:56.674 --> 00:22:57.095 Go ahead. 00:22:57.434 --> 00:23:00.075 , I was gonna say, do you know what else I think it requires is empathy? 00:23:00.555 --> 00:23:00.914 Yes. 00:23:01.394 --> 00:23:03.345 Because in order for us to. 00:23:04.424 --> 00:23:06.944 You know, produce a, a human result. 00:23:06.944 --> 00:23:10.575 We need to understand how, how humans would think or go about us. 00:23:10.575 --> 00:23:28.424 And that's like, this also relates to me to like really good s e o too, is being able to understand how people think and work and feel, because then you can most, most productively emulate the kind of behavior that they're taking online. 00:23:28.424 --> 00:23:28.724 Right? 00:23:29.144 --> 00:23:29.865 Absolutely. 00:23:30.015 --> 00:23:30.944 And that was one of. 00:23:31.335 --> 00:23:37.815 The most interesting aspects while attaining my marketing degree was the psychology behind marketing. 00:23:38.414 --> 00:23:49.065 And with, with any sort of industry, anything that you do, there's always like, you know, kinda like the white hat, black hat, sort of, there's, you know, power to be had. 00:23:49.065 --> 00:23:51.345 Do you use it for good and do you use it for evil? 00:23:51.644 --> 00:23:55.904 Of course, with marketing and communication, there are ways that you could. 00:23:56.339 --> 00:24:02.369 Obviously influence someone to think of something in a certain way or perceive value in a certain way. 00:24:02.369 --> 00:24:17.109 And it's up to us to, you know, kind of take the reins on that and make sure that we're doing it eth doing it ethically and that we are not deceiving people through our marketing strategy, through communication and the tools that we use. 00:24:17.109 --> 00:24:18.170 I think that's important as well. 00:24:18.954 --> 00:24:21.265 Well, that's interesting 'cause how do you govern that then? 00:24:21.355 --> 00:24:21.805 Right? 00:24:21.805 --> 00:24:25.585 Because the, the big fear is, oh, the robots are taking over, right? 00:24:25.615 --> 00:24:25.704 Mm-hmm. 00:24:26.125 --> 00:24:31.674 So how do you keep, how do you retain some governance over what's being produced? 00:24:32.890 --> 00:24:36.099 That's a great question and I think we're all still kind of figuring that out. 00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:41.710 However, I feel like with any tech software, anything that's new, we try to put safeguards in place. 00:24:41.710 --> 00:24:48.799 We try to create limitations, but the power but the power is only had within the human element that's behind the robot. 00:24:49.160 --> 00:24:50.630 What training do you provide it? 00:24:50.990 --> 00:24:51.980 What do you tell it to do? 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:55.940 And it can do a lot of things, but what are you going to use it for? 00:24:56.210 --> 00:25:03.710 I feel like the, the self, you know, there's that difference between do we let our governments kind of dictate what we should or shouldn't do with that? 00:25:03.714 --> 00:25:12.829 Or do we self govern and how can we vote with our, our pocketbooks, with our dollars and support more ethically sound companies? 00:25:13.190 --> 00:25:15.619 And I think there's been a big transition. 00:25:16.414 --> 00:25:22.865 Between, you know, businesses that are just providing the service, and that's our only option. 00:25:22.865 --> 00:25:33.575 This is that monopoly versus how do we vote with our dollars and support the businesses, the smaller businesses that are being a little bit more ethical, that have a higher purpose. 00:25:35.299

--> 00:25:36.440 Welcome to Web three. 00:25:36.650 --> 00:25:36.920 Yeah. 00:25:40.460 --> 00:25:45.680 So where do you think the biggest opportunity is right now within AI and marketing? 00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:47.690 Within AI and marketing? 00:25:47.690 --> 00:25:50.210 I think a lot of business owners can benefit a. 00:25:51.170 --> 00:25:55.470 From improving the customer journey, the buying experience. 00:25:55.710 --> 00:26:04.349 So when we take a look at when a visitor comes to your website, are you communicating properly about what your offer is for them to take the next step? 00:26:04.630 --> 00:26:09.319 A lot of that is done through chat, G p t powered AI chat bots. 00:26:09.619 --> 00:26:17.849 So for us, in our system, we have this really cool chat bot that is powered by Chat G P T but it only answers in the data that you train it with. 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:20.720 So it can train within your data within seconds. 00:26:20.720 --> 00:26:22.039 It scans your website. 00:26:22.529 --> 00:26:26.460 So now you have this one location where a lead or a visitor can go to. 00:26:28.015 --> 00:26:32.184 Get answers to all of their questions and then take the next steps in the sale. 00:26:32.394 --> 00:26:42.694 So I feel like it improves the customer experience, the customer's buyer's journey, but then it also removes a lot of the admin and labor costs from, from the human element. 00:26:43.025 --> 00:26:54.724 And I'm hoping that a lot of businesses see that as an opportunity not to get rid of their staff completely or to minimize it, but to then utilize the human resources in different aspects, in different ways. 00:26:55.849 --> 00:26:59.569 And where do you see the human side of the equation evolving? 00:27:00.319 --> 00:27:00.650 Sure. 00:27:00.650 --> 00:27:04.099 So basically I'm seeing more customer sup. 00:27:04.309 --> 00:27:10.490 Like it's that balance between, it, it, it is tough because we have this chat bot that can answer a lot of questions. 00:27:10.490 --> 00:27:22.250 It takes, you know, for a typical, like a SaaS software company, we can eliminate probably about 60% of the generic questions that come in through a support channel. 00:27:22.835 --> 00:27:31.684 If we can minimize that, can we now train our humans to be a more advanced tiered support? 00:27:31.684 --> 00:27:40.204 So let's say they were tier one before, now they can get removed from those elements and become a more, you know, expert in other areas. 00:27:40.515 --> 00:27:50.904 So I feel like there's never going to be a complete takeover of robots and AI because there's always that human element that's required and businesses and. 00:27:51.325 --> 00:27:55.164 Business in general is about relationship building and that human element. 00:27:55.464 --> 00:28:03.625 So we need to find that balance between what AI can do for us and when can a human jump in and kind of take over and, and nurture from there. 00:28:04.734 --> 00:28:05.005 Yeah. 00:28:05.335 --> 00:28:08.424 Well, and, and I, I think what we still have that I. 00:28:08.815 --> 00:28:11.315 AI doesn't, is empathy and, and the mm-hmm. 00:28:11.400 --> 00:28:15.355 So I see like customer support coming up to a higher level, right? 00:28:15.375 --> 00:28:15.795 Mm-hmm. 00:28:15.880 --> 00:28:18.805 And customer service being almost a sales team. 00:28:19.285 --> 00:28:26.365 And that is what we can't necessarily do without understanding the context of the conversation that we're having, right? 00:28:26.694 --> 00:28:27.144 Yes. 00:28:27.505 --> 00:28:27.894 Yeah. 00:28:28.375 --> 00:28:32.755 And so where are you, what's been working for you in terms of finding customers? 00:28:33.789 --> 00:28:34.059 Sure. 00:28:34.109 --> 00:28:41.890 So it's gonna depend on the industry because both my strategy for myself and then the strategy for other industries will vary. 00:28:42.200 --> 00:28:50.150 So for one example, I think something that benefits almost all industries is going to be, I hate to say it, but a Google business profile. 00:28:51.335 --> 00:28:55.384 With the changes with SS e o, I'm sure that you're familiar with and aware of. 00:28:55.694 --> 00:29:01.934 The original top organic rankings used to be our own websites and now they are the Google business profiles. 00:29:02.295 --> 00:29:09.494 So I find that having an optimized business profile through Google is really helpful for gaining organic traffic. 00:29:09.644 --> 00:29:17.464 And again, with your branding, your messaging, You wanna upload that into your Google profile, you wanna have the right keywords in there. 00:29:17.644 --> 00:29:19.775 You wanna encourage them to take the next steps. 00:29:20.045 --> 00:29:25.265 So I'm finding that that as an organic lead gen has been very helpful for a lot of businesses. 00:29:25.984 --> 00:29:29.174 And then beyond that, I think it's relationship management. 00:29:29.174 --> 00:29:35.115 It's building relationships, connecting with people, developing that like no and trust around someone. 00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:44.369 I know for myself, I've even supported business owners, not because I thought their unique value proposition was just so irresistible. 00:29:44.369 --> 00:29:56.190 I just liked the person and I thought this is gonna be a great relationship, a great business opportunity, and for me to be in that position where I could help support someone else, I was, you know, excited to do so. 00:29:56.430 --> 00:30:01.555 So I feel like, you know, depending on your industry, Your lead gen tactics are gonna be a little bit different. 00:30:01.615 --> 00:30:05.214 But again, it comes down to that human element building relationships. 00:30:06.144 --> 00:30:07.734 So have you been self-funded? 00:30:08.605 --> 00:30:09.085 Yes. 00:30:10.075 --> 00:30:10.914 That's a hard go. 00:30:11.484 --> 00:30:11.634 Mm-hmm. 00:30:11.964 --> 00:30:12.595 Absolutely. 00:30:12.924 --> 00:30:18.339 Something for our our community, which has been really

fantastic is the software. 00:30:18.890 --> 00:30:27.750 Funding itself was created from this development team where a group of entrepreneurs came together as early adopters to help them improve the software. 00:30:28.019 --> 00:30:37.710 So we in a sense were the early adopter beta testers that were crowdfunding the development team, but then the development team kept bringing new features and requests. 00:30:37.710 --> 00:30:41.795 They were listening to us, they were implementing the features we were asking for. 00:30:42.065 --> 00:30:49.369 So it was a really cool opportunity where, We could work alongside each other to help the development team help us, and we help them. 00:30:50.779 --> 00:30:51.380 That's amazing. 00:30:51.589 --> 00:30:52.160 That's amazing. 00:30:52.164 --> 00:31:05.480 And I think that, that the, the, you know, the presence of crowds and the, the membership and community is gonna become a much more viable business model going forward because mm-hmm. 00:31:05.720 --> 00:31:09.259 There's, there's so much more power in those collaborative relationships. 00:31:10.470 --> 00:31:10.710 Absolutely. 00:31:10.940 --> 00:31:21.869 And I'm finding that with a lot of business owners, Someone I just spoke to said something very inspiring is that it's, it's the amateur business owners who are a little more cutthroat. 00:31:22.140 --> 00:31:27.269 The ones who are a little more polished and professional, they're more willing to help other entrepreneurs as well. 00:31:27.269 --> 00:31:29.369 And it's, it's not seen as a competition. 00:31:29.400 --> 00:31:33.660 It's more seen as a, how do we come together as a collective to help each other out. 00:31:33.660 --> 00:31:38.369 We can still target our own industries, our own, our own, you know, sub niches. 00:31:39.285 --> 00:31:41.775 We can be experts in that, but how do we help each other? 00:31:41.775 --> 00:31:44.865 And it's really about providing value to the next person. 00:31:45.164 --> 00:31:49.724 So anything that I've learned, I'm happy to educate others on sharing what I've learned. 00:31:49.964 --> 00:31:57.644 There's a bunch of cool technology and tools that I've been introduced to that have just been, again, like a game changer for what I do. 00:31:57.644 --> 00:31:59.174 Saving time, saving money. 00:31:59.505 --> 00:32:08.565 So any opportunity that we have to be a collective, a group, share resources and ideas, I think it just benefits the community as a whole. 00:32:09.555 --> 00:32:16.755 Absolutely agree and I, you know, I used to have this conversation with a lot of my clients and they would be so worried about com competition and competitors. 00:32:16.875 --> 00:32:16.964 Mm-hmm. 00:32:17.565 --> 00:32:24.555 Like there's no such thing, honestly, like, you know, in the sense that a customer can choose another option. 00:32:24.585 --> 00:32:25.484 Absolutely. 00:32:25.484 --> 00:32:25.575 Mm-hmm. 00:32:26.069 --> 00:32:31.710 But you're only competing with yourself and you know, your, your unique brand is you. 00:32:31.740 --> 00:32:32.880 Nobody else can be that. 00:32:33.269 --> 00:32:36.420 And so people are gonna resonate with who it's gonna res. 00:32:36.599 --> 00:32:41.519 You're gonna resonate with people in terms of who you are and your unique capabilities. 00:32:41.519 --> 00:32:44.309 So don't worry about what, what else is going on out there? 00:32:44.309 --> 00:32:44.940 Be friends. 00:32:44.940 --> 00:32:45.329 Right. 00:32:45.539 --> 00:32:45.660 Absolutely. 00:32:45.660 --> 00:32:48.769 Just be friends and, and there are no frenemies. 00:32:49.579 --> 00:32:50.150 Absolutely. 00:32:50.150 --> 00:32:51.230 I completely agree. 00:32:51.984 --> 00:33:07.244 There have been so many instances where within competitive industries, having that, that relationship where it's, it's less cutthroat, there is a bigger benefit for you to be frenemies, like you said, where you're actually helping each other out. 00:33:07.454 --> 00:33:15.015 And I see a lot of business owners who unfortunately they, they see the competition in what they're doing and they either want to be exactly like them. 00:33:15.595 --> 00:33:33.585 And that can be either detrimental to your business or that kind of creates that analysis paralysis where they spend so much time trying to think, thinking about what they're doing, that they, they lose sight of their own business, what makes them unique and how they build their own, their own customer journey. 00:33:33.855 --> 00:33:39.494 You can't, you can't, you know, secure every single lead that comes to your website. 00:33:39.795 --> 00:33:43.095 There is just something unique about you and your, what you're offering. 00:33:43.964 --> 00:33:50.595 It's all about, you know, trying, trying to better your own business, but don't let other businesses bring you down. 00:33:50.625 --> 00:33:52.154 Don't let that competition fool you. 00:33:52.394 --> 00:33:55.575 If you're gonna look around, look around to be inspired, right? 00:33:55.579 --> 00:33:55.994 Yes. 00:33:56.055 --> 00:34:03.015 Look around for new ideas, look around for inspiration on how to solve current problems, whatever it might be. 00:34:03.019 --> 00:34:08.804 But just keep your eyes on your paper and the minute you try to emulate, that's where you start to destroy your brand. 00:34:09.164 --> 00:34:10.335 Yes, absolutely. 00:34:10.664 --> 00:34:11.594 I couldn't agree more. 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:15.150 So what's in the future for you in the future? 00:34:15.150 --> 00:34:20.389 For us what we are looking to do is work with business owners that believe that they're. 00:34:21.034 --> 00:34:22.085 Handling their industry. 00:34:22.085 --> 00:34:36.369 They have a really great grasp on their industry and they want to bring their industry experience into our software because our software can the foundation is very robust and what you can do with it, and then you kind of build your own software within the software.

00:34:36.369 --> 00:34:41.650 So you create your own, you know, your own custom forms, your own custom email automation sequences. 00:34:41.920 --> 00:34:46.869 So we're looking to work with businesses who are in a particular industry where they feel like they're doing it really well. 00:34:47.605 --> 00:34:55.074 And from their insight and feedback, we can build a brand new software targeted towards that industry. 00:34:55.375 --> 00:35:04.315 So then it's, it's about, you know, solving a specific problem and now we've removed the heavy lifting that friction within that. 00:35:04.534 --> 00:35:09.210 So those are the people that we love working with, and we feel like that's gonna be an opportunity for. 00:35:10.215 --> 00:35:15.644 Those business owners to white label for their own industry or if they wanna work with us and create templates. 00:35:15.994 --> 00:35:20.204 But again, it's just about helping each other out and improving the the customer journey. 00:35:20.204 --> 00:35:21.375 The buying experience. 00:35:21.824 --> 00:35:23.985 Which industries are you looking to break into? 00:35:23.985 --> 00:35:24.045 I. 00:35:24.835 --> 00:35:25.135 Sure. 00:35:25.135 --> 00:35:27.175 So we're, we're open to any and all of 'em. 00:35:27.425 --> 00:35:39.065 Something that I've been personally working on, because I've started a DJ business and went into the wedding industry, I'm creating a software built specifically for other wedding DJs because I know I. 00:35:40.025 --> 00:35:48.005 How, how often people come to the website, how many touchpoints they need to make a purchase decision, how long does it take for them to decide on that? 00:35:48.275 --> 00:35:51.304 I have a really good grasp of that industry and that process. 00:35:51.635 --> 00:35:59.574 So for us, a, a lead comes in, it takes three to four weeks for them to make a decision and they usually like five to six touch points. 00:35:59.905 --> 00:36:04.675 So we built that within our own automation platform that now we can hand. 00:36:05.230 --> 00:36:09.500 Basic, you know, basically this key key to the car, the key to success. 00:36:09.500 --> 00:36:17.780 We can hand that to them and allow them to now have similar conversion results and save time on their own. 00:36:18.139 --> 00:36:25.429 So that's just one example of kind of a industry that we could work with to provide value to them because we understand it now. 00:36:25.760 --> 00:36:26.000 Yep. 00:36:26.300 --> 00:36:26.539 Yep. 00:36:28.309 --> 00:36:33.650 Did they say the the riches are in the, well, I can't say it because the riches in the, in the niches. 00:36:33.710 --> 00:36:33.860 Right. 00:36:33.860 --> 00:36:34.820 I can't say it because it's niche. 00:36:34.920 --> 00:36:35.489 It's not niche. 00:36:35.690 --> 00:36:36.489 I know, I know. 00:36:37.219 --> 00:36:38.300 I've heard that so long. 00:36:38.300 --> 00:36:39.679 The riches are in the niches. 00:36:41.539 --> 00:36:42.769 Yeah, absolutely agree. 00:36:43.070 --> 00:36:43.400 Yeah. 00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:47.260 There, there's a lot more money to be made with more expertise, I feel like. 00:36:47.619 --> 00:36:47.739 Yeah. 00:36:47.739 --> 00:36:53.469 More, more specificity is required and business owners really want. 00:36:54.550 --> 00:36:57.159 Feel comfortable that you have a grasp on their industry? 00:36:57.309 --> 00:36:57.429 Yes. 00:36:57.429 --> 00:37:00.070 'cause O otherwise there's too much of a learning curve. 00:37:00.429 --> 00:37:08.230 Of course, we have a lot of great foundational knowledge, like again, marketing best practices, ss e o that can apply to many different industries. 00:37:08.469 --> 00:37:19.480 But it's not until you're in that industry that you gain a much better understanding that you may realize, wow, there is a channel that is just a much higher r o i compared to others. 00:37:19.480 --> 00:37:21.289 And we also surprise ourselves. 00:37:21.815 --> 00:37:29.224 Things that we realize were a best practice for many industries may not apply to this one specific one. 00:37:29.494 --> 00:37:29.614 Right? 00:37:29.614 --> 00:37:35.885 That's something that we kinda learn as we go throughout the journey and you know that that process improvement evaluation. 00:37:36.364 --> 00:37:36.635 Right. 00:37:36.934 --> 00:37:37.144 Right. 00:37:37.175 --> 00:37:37.625 Awesome. 00:37:38.135 --> 00:37:40.445 I have a question that I ask all of my guests. 00:37:40.534 --> 00:37:40.625 Mm-hmm. 00:37:41.235 --> 00:37:44.235 As we're kind of wrapping up, and I'd love to hear your take on it. 00:37:44.695 --> 00:37:49.885 We're talking about being real and, and the real stories about building business in this show. 00:37:50.275 --> 00:37:58.585 What is the difference in your mind between what we hear there out there in the business world you know, all the things that we're told? 00:37:59.034 --> 00:38:02.275 What's the difference between that and what's real about being a business owner? 00:38:03.505 --> 00:38:04.014 Hmm. 00:38:05.110 --> 00:38:19.150 Is a great question and I feel like a lot of us as business owners, To the outside world, we want to create this perception of success and I'm having a great time and it's easy. 00:38:19.150 --> 00:38:22.090 And that's kind of the perception we need to put out there. 00:38:22.119 --> 00:38:26.860 'cause I don't think a lot of other people would understand what we go through as business owners. 00:38:26.980 --> 00:38:34.659 But when a business owner connects with another business owner, I feel like we let our guard down a little bit more and we can be a little bit more vulnerable and real. 00:38:35.019 --> 00:38:37.480 And that's when the truth really comes out. 00:38:37.480 --> 00:38:47.019 And we start to share more of our failures, some of the things that aren't working for us, all the stress that we're going through, the obstacles that we're trying to overcome. 00:38:47.409 --> 00:38:56.829 Because when we're speaking with friends and family who aren't in business, we don't wanna bore them or let them down with our, you know, stressful stories and obstacles. 00:38:57.639 --> 00:39:01.360 But when it comes business owner to business owner, I think we're a lot more real. 00:39:01.599 --> 00:39:10.719 So I think something that, that we, that we kind of need to put out there is be a little, be a little bit more honest, be more truthful in what you're experiencing and going through. 00:39:11.079 --> 00:39:15.820 And I think business owners connecting and sharing those experiences have been fantastic. 00:39:15.824 --> 00:39:19.630 I've, I've been inspired, I've learned a lot from other business owners as well. 00:39:19.940 --> 00:39:20.630 So I hope. 00:39:20.929 --> 00:39:26.900 Anyone listening could be a little bit inspired here in my journey as well, and just help each other improve. 00:39:27.639 --> 00:39:28.079 I love it. 00:39:28.280 --> 00:39:28.679 I love it. 00:39:29.510 --> 00:39:31.429 Okay, we're coming up on time. 00:39:31.429 --> 00:39:33.980 Can you let our listeners know how they can find you? 00:39:34.789 --> 00:39:35.210 Sure. 00:39:35.420 --> 00:39:40.601 Everyone can find me either on LinkedIn or through our website, which is focus-biz.com. 00:39:41.079 --> 00:39:42.820 LinkedIn or Facebook is great to find me. 00:39:42.820 --> 00:39:44.050 I'm Chris Roka. 00:39:44.079 --> 00:39:45.969 T like in Tom, R o K A. 00:39:46.585 --> 00:39:57.054 And we'll put all your links in the show notes so that people can hunt you down and connect with you and become part of that super valuable business network that we are always talking about in that community. 00:39:57.534 --> 00:39:58.764 I appreciate it and love it. 00:39:58.764 --> 00:39:59.275 Thank you. 00:39:59.514 --> 00:39:59.875 Awesome. 00:39:59.880 --> 00:40:01.164 Well, I loved hearing your story. 00:40:01.494 --> 00:40:02.815 We're gonna wrap up. 00:40:02.885 --> 00:40:08.014 So happy that we had the opportunity to chat with Chris today to hear more about how his business came to be. 00:40:08.324 --> 00:40:11.505 His experiences along the way and what the future of his business entails. 00:40:11.775 --> 00:40:18.224 And thank you so much for tuning into this episode of Real People Real Business Show, where we get the real entrepreneurial stories and journeys that you can relate to. 00:40:18.525 --> 00:40:23.114 The show notes, resources, and links from this episode are available on my website and social media platforms. 00:40:23.324 --> 00:40:29.925 If you've enjoyed today's content, I'd love for you to give us a review on whatever platform you're on to help us share these genuine stories with an even bigger audience. 00:40:30.295 --> 00:40:33.465 Until next time, keep building, keep dreaming and keep being real.