1 00:00:00,505 --> 00:00:03,325 Drowning in daily tasks while driving transformation? 2 00:00:04,075 --> 00:00:07,915 Discover how the right mindset turns AI automation into your practical 3 00:00:07,915 --> 00:00:12,505 ally, so you can escape the operational grind and focus on the high impact 4 00:00:12,505 --> 00:00:14,455 work that truly lights you up. 5 00:00:15,115 --> 00:00:17,965 My name is Alexandre Nevski, and this is Innovation Tales. 6 00:00:18,541 --> 00:00:23,191 Navigating Change, one story at a time, we share insights from leaders tackling 7 00:00:23,191 --> 00:00:25,351 the challenges of today's digital world. 8 00:00:25,621 --> 00:00:29,131 Welcome to Innovation Tales, the podcast exploring the human 9 00:00:29,131 --> 00:00:30,991 side of digital transformation. 10 00:00:31,690 --> 00:00:35,140 Escaping the operational grind isn't just about wanting change. 11 00:00:35,470 --> 00:00:39,545 It demands effective systems, especially when using complex tools like AI. 12 00:00:40,330 --> 00:00:43,630 So how do you build those systems smartly amid the constant technological 13 00:00:43,630 --> 00:00:46,030 buzz and endless vendor promises? 14 00:00:46,270 --> 00:00:49,750 Our guest, Aarti Anand, spent 15 years as a product leader. 15 00:00:50,260 --> 00:00:53,770 She knows what it takes to build solutions that work and scale effectively. 16 00:00:54,340 --> 00:00:57,700 She famously walked away from the security of that senior role choosing 17 00:00:57,700 --> 00:00:59,290 to build a life centered on freedom. 18 00:00:59,920 --> 00:01:03,520 Now she channels that focus and her deep product expertise into 19 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:05,170 her AI automation business. 20 00:01:05,740 --> 00:01:09,130 Expect insights grounded in years of practical implementation 21 00:01:09,130 --> 00:01:13,030 experience, perfect for leaders needing proven approaches. 22 00:01:13,420 --> 00:01:17,010 Without further ado, here's my conversation with Aarti Anand. 23 00:01:17,648 --> 00:01:18,923 Aarti, welcome to the show. 24 00:01:19,678 --> 00:01:20,368 Thank you, Alex. 25 00:01:20,368 --> 00:01:21,178 I'm excited. 26 00:01:21,508 --> 00:01:25,138 Well, you are passionate about using AI to help businesses 27 00:01:25,138 --> 00:01:30,538 scale past the daily grind, and I sense your own story fuels this. 28 00:01:30,688 --> 00:01:33,928 From your perspective, why AI for scaling and why now? 29 00:01:34,073 --> 00:01:35,333 Yeah, that's a great question. 30 00:01:35,793 --> 00:01:38,763 I had been building software products for almost 15 years. 31 00:01:39,103 --> 00:01:45,283 And then I realized almost each one of us tends to get busy in day to 32 00:01:45,283 --> 00:01:49,963 day, which may not necessarily be as productive as we think we are. 33 00:01:50,393 --> 00:01:56,393 And with the rise of AI and automation and the tools that you literally see on the 34 00:01:56,393 --> 00:01:58,643 market every single day getting updated. 35 00:01:58,754 --> 00:02:04,304 I call it a golden era and golden age of technology, where if you know what 36 00:02:04,304 --> 00:02:08,834 you're struggling with, if you know what the bottleneck is, you can easily 37 00:02:08,834 --> 00:02:14,834 find or build yourself a tool or an automation that could literally put 38 00:02:14,924 --> 00:02:24,059 anything that is repetitive, that's boring to you, that can be put in the form of 39 00:02:24,059 --> 00:02:29,459 a workflow or a process which can be delegated to either someone else or we 40 00:02:29,459 --> 00:02:31,619 could use AI to build that automation. 41 00:02:31,709 --> 00:02:37,019 And what business owners don't realize is when you take yourself 42 00:02:37,019 --> 00:02:41,399 off of your business, how much freedom it actually gives you. 43 00:02:41,879 --> 00:02:46,979 Because let's be honest, we all created our businesses or started our businesses 44 00:02:46,979 --> 00:02:49,319 to build the life of freedom that we want. 45 00:02:50,129 --> 00:02:55,304 But somewhere along the way, we totally forget why we're doing this. 46 00:02:55,334 --> 00:02:59,894 And then we get in the daily grind and the follow ups, and the emails. 47 00:03:00,344 --> 00:03:04,604 But there is a better way to do this, and it's with AI and automations 48 00:03:04,904 --> 00:03:10,034 and it's a whole world out there that's just ready for you to explore. 49 00:03:10,184 --> 00:03:12,914 And that's what I help business owners do now. 50 00:03:13,557 --> 00:03:14,607 Super interesting. 51 00:03:15,027 --> 00:03:21,627 Because I guess for a lot of our listeners, when we mention artificial 52 00:03:21,627 --> 00:03:27,747 intelligence, there's so much news every week, like it almost feels like a second 53 00:03:27,747 --> 00:03:30,627 job just to keep up with the technology. 54 00:03:30,627 --> 00:03:36,122 So I think it's super interesting that when you looked at that, instead of being 55 00:03:36,182 --> 00:03:41,369 overwhelmed, I guess by how everything's changing over time, how much that there 56 00:03:41,369 --> 00:03:44,639 is to learn now, you see the opposite. 57 00:03:44,639 --> 00:03:46,499 You're like, oh, I can use this. 58 00:03:46,529 --> 00:03:51,911 I can put a few automations in my business and get time back. 59 00:03:52,061 --> 00:03:55,731 Do you think it's like just how you think of technology generally or was 60 00:03:55,731 --> 00:04:00,531 there something about this specific technology that made you realize this? 61 00:04:01,341 --> 00:04:03,006 I, yeah, I love how you put it. 62 00:04:03,726 --> 00:04:04,576 exactly right. 63 00:04:04,606 --> 00:04:08,916 I think everything that you want to do, it's always 64 00:04:08,916 --> 00:04:11,346 mindset first and action later. 65 00:04:12,236 --> 00:04:14,396 And that's true with technology as well. 66 00:04:14,486 --> 00:04:17,126 Everybody needs to have their North Star. 67 00:04:17,546 --> 00:04:18,626 You wake up. 68 00:04:19,156 --> 00:04:20,716 What is it that excites you? 69 00:04:20,876 --> 00:04:24,056 And that's why I started my business is because when I was working for 70 00:04:24,056 --> 00:04:29,126 someone else, I didn't have the control of the time that I wanted. 71 00:04:29,462 --> 00:04:32,792 If someone wanted me to jump on a call, I had to jump on a call 72 00:04:32,792 --> 00:04:34,262 because it was part of my job. 73 00:04:35,072 --> 00:04:40,272 And when I started looking at my North Star, it was very clear to me that 74 00:04:40,962 --> 00:04:43,127 I'm a mom of three kids, two dogs. 75 00:04:43,127 --> 00:04:44,747 I have parents to look after. 76 00:04:44,747 --> 00:04:48,647 They're getting older as my kids are growing up, my parents 77 00:04:48,647 --> 00:04:49,787 are not getting any younger. 78 00:04:49,787 --> 00:04:52,307 I'm not getting any younger for that matter. 79 00:04:52,967 --> 00:04:55,787 So what is it that I look for in life? 80 00:04:55,847 --> 00:04:59,387 What does my life look like at the age of 70 or 80? 81 00:04:59,437 --> 00:05:01,747 And then, start to work backwards. 82 00:05:01,837 --> 00:05:06,037 And one thing I realized is I just didn't wanna lose all those 83 00:05:06,037 --> 00:05:08,407 years when my kids are growing up. 84 00:05:08,407 --> 00:05:10,297 So what is it that I was missing? 85 00:05:10,297 --> 00:05:15,907 I was missing the freedom to take decisions, how I am spending my time? 86 00:05:15,967 --> 00:05:17,647 Where am I spending my time? 87 00:05:17,647 --> 00:05:19,267 And who am I spending it with? 88 00:05:19,732 --> 00:05:24,817 When I started looking through that lens, starting my own business made sense. 89 00:05:24,817 --> 00:05:28,807 I just had to figure out what I would do as a new business owner. 90 00:05:29,438 --> 00:05:34,477 And right around that time, AI and automations, they started booming 91 00:05:34,477 --> 00:05:41,202 and I was like, wow, if you can just automate your lead gen, then 92 00:05:41,202 --> 00:05:45,012 you are not sitting and wondering where's my next client coming from? 93 00:05:45,372 --> 00:05:48,042 Which is a beautiful thing for a business owner. 94 00:05:48,462 --> 00:05:51,282 Because then they're just sitting and fulfilling. 95 00:05:51,402 --> 00:05:55,795 They're not figuring out where the next client is again coming from. 96 00:05:56,155 --> 00:06:02,625 And similarly, when you automate the lead nurturing part of it, you're 97 00:06:02,625 --> 00:06:07,330 also now converting them on autopilot, you're not sitting and talking 98 00:06:07,330 --> 00:06:08,860 to them and doing the follow ups. 99 00:06:09,110 --> 00:06:11,390 I love that we're living in this technology. 100 00:06:11,390 --> 00:06:13,100 I see this as a blessing. 101 00:06:13,184 --> 00:06:16,754 So it's always what are you trying to achieve? 102 00:06:17,024 --> 00:06:23,114 And then AI or social or anything is just a tool. 103 00:06:23,414 --> 00:06:29,354 If you start looking at, from that perspective, then you look for 104 00:06:29,369 --> 00:06:31,589 problems and then you wanna solve them. 105 00:06:31,589 --> 00:06:35,309 And you have a mindset that I wanna solve this. 106 00:06:35,309 --> 00:06:38,729 And then you go figure out how you are gonna do it. 107 00:06:39,179 --> 00:06:41,579 But what we end up doing is the reverse. 108 00:06:41,579 --> 00:06:45,659 We start to look for how and that in intimidates us because 109 00:06:45,689 --> 00:06:47,369 we haven't figured that part out. 110 00:06:47,729 --> 00:06:53,429 But if you look for what is it that needs solving, and then you start 111 00:06:53,429 --> 00:06:57,749 brainstorming how later, then it just becomes easier than you think. 112 00:06:58,549 --> 00:07:00,589 I love the the reference to the North Star. 113 00:07:01,369 --> 00:07:08,609 And I'm also thinking that your clients, when you start working with them and 114 00:07:08,969 --> 00:07:16,224 I guess bringing that enthusiasm, that optimism for the technology to free a 115 00:07:16,224 --> 00:07:21,454 lot of their time, I'm guessing they, they must also feel like, well, you're 116 00:07:21,454 --> 00:07:26,394 technical, you have a background in software engineering, so you can do it. 117 00:07:26,544 --> 00:07:28,194 But can they, really? 118 00:07:28,594 --> 00:07:32,494 Is that a conversation that you're having when you're starting working with clients? 119 00:07:32,794 --> 00:07:33,199 Yes. 120 00:07:33,229 --> 00:07:36,559 And and that's the number one concern I hear. 121 00:07:36,949 --> 00:07:44,809 Because if I pitch them how I'm doing it, what technology I'm doing it, then of 122 00:07:44,809 --> 00:07:51,079 course we're gonna derail the conversation from: they have a problem that they need 123 00:07:51,079 --> 00:07:55,849 to solve, and I'm getting into how I'm gonna solve it, which of course is gonna 124 00:07:55,909 --> 00:07:58,339 be an information overload for them. 125 00:07:58,429 --> 00:08:02,149 It probably won't make a lot of sense because when I set up a 126 00:08:02,149 --> 00:08:06,259 15 minute discovery call, what is it that they wanna hear? 127 00:08:06,559 --> 00:08:09,649 They wanna hear, do I have a solution to their problem? 128 00:08:09,949 --> 00:08:10,849 Yes or no? 129 00:08:11,209 --> 00:08:14,869 How I've helped someone in the past who had the same problem. 130 00:08:14,869 --> 00:08:15,979 That's all they care about. 131 00:08:16,099 --> 00:08:22,084 And it's good because they don't talk to AI strategists on a daily basis, 132 00:08:22,234 --> 00:08:26,944 but I talk to B2B owners who have those kind of problems on a daily basis. 133 00:08:27,244 --> 00:08:33,284 So I need to have a process and a roadmap in place with how I'm gonna take them 134 00:08:33,284 --> 00:08:37,994 from this painful situation to the sunny day scenario where they want to go. 135 00:08:38,204 --> 00:08:40,964 So I never talk about how I'm gonna do it. 136 00:08:41,024 --> 00:08:44,624 I always talk about what is their problem? 137 00:08:44,834 --> 00:08:49,294 What is the cost of inaction that they are not automating today? 138 00:08:49,744 --> 00:08:57,064 And if we were to put a black box where they input the problem and the output 139 00:08:57,064 --> 00:09:00,964 is a sunny day scenario, what that sunny day scenario would look like for them? 140 00:09:01,054 --> 00:09:05,674 And when I put that conversation in that perspective, they end up loving 141 00:09:05,674 --> 00:09:09,659 the idea because they, in the end, they don't wanna know how we're gonna 142 00:09:09,659 --> 00:09:13,259 do it, they just wanna know if we have a solution for their problem or not? 143 00:09:13,709 --> 00:09:18,329 And to anybody who's listening, I always encourage them to also 144 00:09:19,229 --> 00:09:22,949 route your conversations and lead your conversations in that way. 145 00:09:23,279 --> 00:09:29,009 Because in the end, someone who hires you, they don't really care how you 146 00:09:29,009 --> 00:09:33,359 solve it, they just wanna know what is the probability that you'll be able 147 00:09:33,359 --> 00:09:35,669 to help them solve their pain point. 148 00:09:36,469 --> 00:09:37,669 That makes total sense. 149 00:09:38,149 --> 00:09:43,399 And so do you always start with them from lead generation and 150 00:09:43,399 --> 00:09:48,049 nurturing or, like sometimes, they need something else entirely? 151 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:54,669 Yeah, it's really different and based on what is the pain point that 152 00:09:54,669 --> 00:09:56,319 they have in their business today? 153 00:09:56,529 --> 00:09:58,029 What is the bottleneck? 154 00:09:58,329 --> 00:10:03,309 So I start with: what are the goals for the next six months or 12 months? 155 00:10:03,309 --> 00:10:06,819 Where do you wanna go and what, how is the business doing today? 156 00:10:07,249 --> 00:10:11,449 If they tell me we're three millions top line revenue, my next question 157 00:10:11,449 --> 00:10:15,979 typically is, well, why isn't it six or two X of that already? 158 00:10:16,069 --> 00:10:20,584 And then they know or they start to brainstorm why they 159 00:10:20,584 --> 00:10:22,054 think they're struggling. 160 00:10:22,144 --> 00:10:26,584 And that's typically our starting point for peeling the onion 161 00:10:26,584 --> 00:10:28,714 on what's actually underneath. 162 00:10:29,524 --> 00:10:31,804 Do you think you need to hire more? 163 00:10:31,834 --> 00:10:34,354 Do you think you have inefficient processes? 164 00:10:34,654 --> 00:10:37,840 Do you think you have processes that nobody can replicate them. 165 00:10:37,900 --> 00:10:44,560 They're not reproducible because most likely it's not a hiring problem. 166 00:10:44,620 --> 00:10:46,120 It's a systems problem. 167 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,390 They don't have the systems that can help them support to 168 00:10:49,390 --> 00:10:51,190 go from 3 million to 6 million. 169 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:55,690 So first we need to sit down and we need to put those systems in place. 170 00:10:56,050 --> 00:10:56,980 Because guess what? 171 00:10:57,010 --> 00:11:01,670 If you don't have a repeatable process, we can't automate it. 172 00:11:02,110 --> 00:11:03,340 Then we're just guessing. 173 00:11:03,910 --> 00:11:08,520 So, it's systems first and AI / automations later. 174 00:11:09,140 --> 00:11:15,950 Because you can't automate anything that's not proven to work even manually. 175 00:11:16,570 --> 00:11:22,470 So it, it almost sounds like using AI for automation is an excuse or a catalyst 176 00:11:22,770 --> 00:11:26,790 for establishing systems that scale? 177 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:28,200 Is that what you're saying? 178 00:11:28,355 --> 00:11:30,125 That's where it should always start. 179 00:11:30,485 --> 00:11:35,225 Do I have the systems in place that can help us scale? 180 00:11:35,255 --> 00:11:41,105 If yes, let's just have them run faster by using AI and automating 181 00:11:41,105 --> 00:11:42,455 and doing that at the scale. 182 00:11:43,255 --> 00:11:44,545 Okay, that makes sense. 183 00:11:44,815 --> 00:11:50,705 So what are the other common issues that people face when you 184 00:11:50,705 --> 00:11:53,555 start working and they're like, oh, AI, we can do this and that? 185 00:11:53,665 --> 00:11:55,345 What are the common misconceptions? 186 00:11:55,609 --> 00:12:00,079 Because there's so much noise around AI, it could be 187 00:12:00,079 --> 00:12:02,689 overwhelming for anybody, right? 188 00:12:02,899 --> 00:12:06,379 So when they come, the first thing they're struggling with: 189 00:12:06,739 --> 00:12:08,929 where does it fit in my business? 190 00:12:08,929 --> 00:12:10,789 I don't even know where to start. 191 00:12:11,239 --> 00:12:15,019 So I give them clarity by having them take a quiz. 192 00:12:15,229 --> 00:12:20,909 So I've put together now a roadmap where after helping dozens of business 193 00:12:20,909 --> 00:12:25,909 owners, and after taking 200 and some change discovery calls over 194 00:12:25,909 --> 00:12:31,189 the last few months, I finally come up with a roadmap where I take them 195 00:12:31,459 --> 00:12:36,574 from AI-curious to AI-first operator. 196 00:12:36,964 --> 00:12:40,444 So when they're AI curious, they know AI exists. 197 00:12:40,504 --> 00:12:43,234 They just, they are overwhelmed by all the noise. 198 00:12:43,234 --> 00:12:45,394 They just don't know what is the next step? 199 00:12:45,394 --> 00:12:46,294 Where do I go? 200 00:12:46,774 --> 00:12:50,284 So I take them through this journey of awareness. 201 00:12:50,374 --> 00:12:56,974 The second stage is assessment, where they really sit down and look for: oh, I know 202 00:12:56,974 --> 00:13:00,564 what AI can now, so what can AI do for me? 203 00:13:00,730 --> 00:13:03,760 Then they enter the stage three, which is alignment. 204 00:13:04,150 --> 00:13:07,750 And in alignment, they really sit down and see, this is what 205 00:13:07,750 --> 00:13:09,520 AI can do for your business. 206 00:13:09,820 --> 00:13:11,840 Now they need a blueprint. 207 00:13:11,900 --> 00:13:16,310 So that's when they enter stage four, which is AI implementation. 208 00:13:16,310 --> 00:13:21,320 So we take them through an AI audit, and in that AI audit we give them a 209 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:24,080 blueprint, which is a 40-50 report. 210 00:13:25,135 --> 00:13:30,455 And it lays down everything that they're stuck in their business today: the 211 00:13:30,455 --> 00:13:35,605 first automation they can put in, which will have the highest ROI, and then 212 00:13:35,605 --> 00:13:37,885 all the other automations they can put. 213 00:13:38,185 --> 00:13:42,145 So they can either hire us to implement it or they can just take 214 00:13:42,145 --> 00:13:44,155 that report and go with another vendor. 215 00:13:44,875 --> 00:13:48,925 And after that, they enter a very cool stage, which is AI liftoff. 216 00:13:49,315 --> 00:13:52,045 Now they have implemented something from that report. 217 00:13:52,495 --> 00:13:56,125 And they see the ROI and now their mind is blown. 218 00:13:56,515 --> 00:14:00,835 Now they wanna go replicate this in other parts of their business. 219 00:14:01,105 --> 00:14:05,395 So they can just take that blueprint and have it replicated in other 220 00:14:05,395 --> 00:14:10,855 teams or orgs or departments or processes or functions inside their 221 00:14:10,855 --> 00:14:12,795 whole business as an umbrella. 222 00:14:13,425 --> 00:14:17,725 And after they've implemented all of that, then after that, I say they graduated. 223 00:14:17,815 --> 00:14:19,435 They are an AI-first operator. 224 00:14:20,125 --> 00:14:23,810 They are running a business where AI is part of their DNA. 225 00:14:24,300 --> 00:14:27,900 Yeah, of course, once you have experience, you probably also 226 00:14:27,900 --> 00:14:30,010 have a bit of skills internally. 227 00:14:30,170 --> 00:14:31,940 Things start to accelerate. 228 00:14:32,870 --> 00:14:37,470 Do you see any patterns in these custom roadmaps that you 229 00:14:37,470 --> 00:14:39,850 are producing for each one? 230 00:14:40,450 --> 00:14:45,220 Do you see patterns repeating, for example, in terms of what 231 00:14:45,490 --> 00:14:47,110 you know is automated first? 232 00:14:47,110 --> 00:14:52,270 So things like marketing or more like integration between 233 00:14:52,300 --> 00:14:53,590 their CRM and something else? 234 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:55,445 Are there any patterns that you see emerging? 235 00:14:55,745 --> 00:14:59,555 Yeah, so I think the internal operations should always be 236 00:14:59,555 --> 00:15:00,995 the first to be automated. 237 00:15:01,385 --> 00:15:03,065 Because that's level one. 238 00:15:03,115 --> 00:15:06,805 If you're sitting and looking at your email box, you are basically a 239 00:15:06,805 --> 00:15:11,965 CEO who probably has an hourly rate of 500 where you're spending it on 240 00:15:11,995 --> 00:15:14,935 a task, which is worth $10 an hour. 241 00:15:15,075 --> 00:15:20,085 When you do that internal operations, everything is automated, that's 242 00:15:20,085 --> 00:15:24,675 when you go on higher leverage tasks, which is lead gen and your 243 00:15:24,675 --> 00:15:27,595 content, and all those things. 244 00:15:27,835 --> 00:15:32,625 So you need to make sure you as a business owner, as the CEO of the 245 00:15:32,625 --> 00:15:38,505 business, you take yourself off of the lower leverage tasks as soon as 246 00:15:38,505 --> 00:15:40,665 possible, and that's your baseline. 247 00:15:40,905 --> 00:15:47,205 And once you go up there, then you are either automating your lead 248 00:15:47,205 --> 00:15:52,195 gen and at that point you are still hopping on sales calls, which is good 249 00:15:52,195 --> 00:15:56,485 because that's where you print money as soon as you close a client, right? 250 00:15:56,575 --> 00:16:00,745 And at some point you also wanna get to where you either 251 00:16:00,745 --> 00:16:02,435 hire someone else to do it. 252 00:16:03,035 --> 00:16:07,915 Or you make sure that before someone jumps on a sales call with you, 253 00:16:08,365 --> 00:16:10,375 you have qualified them enough. 254 00:16:10,765 --> 00:16:14,485 So you're not the taking those sales calls where you're also qualifying 255 00:16:14,485 --> 00:16:19,285 them on the fly and then you figure out 20 minutes later you've completely 256 00:16:19,285 --> 00:16:21,275 wasted your time and their time too. 257 00:16:21,915 --> 00:16:25,135 So lead qualification is one of the things that I help them 258 00:16:25,135 --> 00:16:27,385 automate via AI voice agents. 259 00:16:27,875 --> 00:16:30,275 And it's a very popular solution that we have. 260 00:16:30,305 --> 00:16:35,615 Because, if you can have AI call the person who just showed interest 261 00:16:35,615 --> 00:16:40,175 and they entered your ecosystem as a completely cold lead, if you can send 262 00:16:40,175 --> 00:16:42,215 them a text or have AI call them. 263 00:16:43,205 --> 00:16:48,965 And I'm gonna use a real estate example here, they showed interest, they left 264 00:16:48,965 --> 00:16:51,245 their information on some of the forms. 265 00:16:51,245 --> 00:16:53,555 Maybe you were running a targeted ad or something. 266 00:16:54,155 --> 00:16:57,675 And they left their information so clearly they interested. 267 00:16:58,295 --> 00:17:02,555 If you can reach out to them within the next three minutes, you have a 268 00:17:02,555 --> 00:17:08,885 90% higher probability of converting them compared to if you reach out 269 00:17:08,885 --> 00:17:11,900 to them five days later when you have the time to reach out to them. 270 00:17:12,413 --> 00:17:13,943 That's an amazing example. 271 00:17:14,070 --> 00:17:19,260 It sounds like, whether it's on this lead generation side, where it's not 272 00:17:19,260 --> 00:17:23,490 that you're no longer going to do a sales call ever, it's just that you are 273 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:30,090 ensuring there is a callback within three minutes and also that you qualify before 274 00:17:30,090 --> 00:17:33,125 you engage in a longer conversation. 275 00:17:33,425 --> 00:17:38,275 Or coming back to your initial example with the CEO spending time on emails, 276 00:17:38,305 --> 00:17:42,865 I'm guessing it's not that the CEO stops talking to everyone in the company. 277 00:17:42,865 --> 00:17:45,030 And now it's a chat bot that does that, I guess. 278 00:17:45,030 --> 00:17:51,410 It's separating those requests that can be handled by AI versus those that, the 279 00:17:51,410 --> 00:17:54,150 CEO actually needs to spend their time on. 280 00:17:54,330 --> 00:18:00,580 Do you see that pattern where it's more about sorting the work between those 281 00:18:00,580 --> 00:18:06,730 that do require human intervention and those that are repetitive, mundane, 282 00:18:06,730 --> 00:18:11,110 or need to be happening three minutes after the lead has been submitted. 283 00:18:11,485 --> 00:18:17,389 The way I help them figure this part out, like what exactly do I automate and where 284 00:18:17,389 --> 00:18:19,639 do I sit down and actually do the work? 285 00:18:20,399 --> 00:18:27,569 So I have them do this exercise where they list out all the tasks and they 286 00:18:27,599 --> 00:18:35,009 only pick the tasks that light them up and they're also printing money. 287 00:18:35,819 --> 00:18:41,829 So that could be, for a CEO, it could be sales, for another CEO, it could 288 00:18:41,829 --> 00:18:46,742 be that they just want to be build a world-class team and they love to 289 00:18:46,742 --> 00:18:48,922 train their employees on something. 290 00:18:49,822 --> 00:18:55,502 For another CEO it could be that they like to produce content. 291 00:18:55,502 --> 00:18:59,632 So they like to spend time on podcasting and guesting and hosting. 292 00:19:00,152 --> 00:19:01,702 It's different for everybody. 293 00:19:02,272 --> 00:19:05,422 I have them sit down and list all the tasks. 294 00:19:05,692 --> 00:19:10,432 So the only tasks that they should be doing on a daily basis are 295 00:19:10,432 --> 00:19:14,884 either the tasks that light them up. 296 00:19:14,974 --> 00:19:18,814 They may not print them money, but they help them become the better version of 297 00:19:18,814 --> 00:19:23,374 themselves, which is working out, playing with your kids, spending time with your 298 00:19:23,374 --> 00:19:27,634 family, whatever that is that helps you do your own personal development. 299 00:19:27,874 --> 00:19:30,064 Those are the tasks you cannot delegate. 300 00:19:30,394 --> 00:19:31,714 Running a half marathon. 301 00:19:31,714 --> 00:19:35,754 You wanna do it because it's gonna give you better heart health. 302 00:19:36,344 --> 00:19:37,904 Going and strength training. 303 00:19:37,954 --> 00:19:40,924 It's gonna build you muscle and you'll have an optimized body. 304 00:19:41,364 --> 00:19:45,174 Which will be able to make harder decisions on a daily basis. 305 00:19:45,504 --> 00:19:47,194 Those are the things you wanna do. 306 00:19:47,334 --> 00:19:48,534 You cannot delegate. 307 00:19:48,804 --> 00:19:54,404 And then the second quadrant is where you are doing the task as a CEO for your 308 00:19:54,404 --> 00:19:56,684 business and they also light you up. 309 00:19:57,304 --> 00:20:02,159 And anything else you either wanna delegate to another person or you 310 00:20:02,159 --> 00:20:06,239 wanna build an automation or hire someone to build an automation for you. 311 00:20:06,569 --> 00:20:10,949 You never have to do it again, but you wanna make sure that you have 312 00:20:10,949 --> 00:20:13,439 a training or an SOP in place. 313 00:20:13,829 --> 00:20:18,409 Where if someone to sit down, go through that SOP, it's a repeatable 314 00:20:18,409 --> 00:20:20,279 process they can do manually. 315 00:20:20,519 --> 00:20:25,679 And then once you've proven that, then you go and put automation on top of 316 00:20:25,679 --> 00:20:27,449 it, and then it runs on autopilot. 317 00:20:27,814 --> 00:20:29,634 I love the the selection process. 318 00:20:29,634 --> 00:20:35,422 It's part, let's call it McKinsey or KPMG when you're printing money, and 319 00:20:35,422 --> 00:20:38,842 part, the selection of the task that lights you up, you keep, and everything 320 00:20:38,842 --> 00:20:40,942 else you delegate or you automate. 321 00:20:40,996 --> 00:20:44,022 I think That reminds me more of the Tim Ferris Four Work Week. 322 00:20:44,442 --> 00:20:45,072 But I love it. 323 00:20:45,145 --> 00:20:45,645 I love it. 324 00:20:45,892 --> 00:20:51,222 Yeah, this is called a Drip Matrix and it's not something I came up with. 325 00:20:51,252 --> 00:20:52,152 It's from a book. 326 00:20:52,182 --> 00:20:57,492 It's called Buy Back Your Time, and it was written by an author and entrepreneur. 327 00:20:57,542 --> 00:21:00,272 His content is great, and I'm sure you're aware of him. 328 00:21:00,272 --> 00:21:01,592 His name is Dan Martell. 329 00:21:02,192 --> 00:21:06,362 So I've just adopted that to my heart and then I've adopted 330 00:21:06,362 --> 00:21:07,952 in helping business owners. 331 00:21:07,952 --> 00:21:11,372 I have them go through this exercise and it's produced some 332 00:21:11,372 --> 00:21:12,902 really massive results for them. 333 00:21:13,365 --> 00:21:13,755 Great. 334 00:21:13,785 --> 00:21:16,145 We'll make sure to put the link in the description. 335 00:21:16,625 --> 00:21:21,335 And is that where the strategic laziness, let's call it like 336 00:21:21,335 --> 00:21:24,275 this, that you mentioned in some of your other interviews, 337 00:21:24,275 --> 00:21:25,355 is that where it's coming from? 338 00:21:25,355 --> 00:21:26,225 Is that more personal? 339 00:21:26,879 --> 00:21:27,209 Yes. 340 00:21:27,209 --> 00:21:30,999 So that's something I'm sure you know the inspiration's from there. 341 00:21:31,409 --> 00:21:37,709 You wanna be lazy, but then it's because you hate doing hard work which 342 00:21:37,709 --> 00:21:39,569 could have been automated yesterday. 343 00:21:39,634 --> 00:21:39,854 Yes. 344 00:21:39,994 --> 00:21:42,374 So inspiration is definitely from there. 345 00:21:43,097 --> 00:21:45,197 Maybe that's where this is also coming from. 346 00:21:45,197 --> 00:21:49,967 We are both software engineers by training and in software engineering 347 00:21:49,997 --> 00:21:52,307 it pays to write less code. 348 00:21:52,617 --> 00:21:56,057 'Cause there's less to maintain, there's less opportunity for bugs, the code has. 349 00:21:56,287 --> 00:22:00,972 I dunno, remember from way, way back, we had competitions on whose code can 350 00:22:01,102 --> 00:22:02,932 fit in the smallest number of bytes. 351 00:22:02,952 --> 00:22:07,837 So it is something that, as engineers, we got trained on, but I think it has 352 00:22:07,837 --> 00:22:09,367 application in the real world, doesn't it? 353 00:22:09,962 --> 00:22:10,862 Oh, absolutely. 354 00:22:10,862 --> 00:22:13,732 And again, it's always mindset first, isn't it? 355 00:22:14,362 --> 00:22:18,282 When you were to produce something which is world class, nobody 356 00:22:18,282 --> 00:22:20,142 has to sit and maintain it. 357 00:22:20,562 --> 00:22:23,682 That means a lot of thought went ahead of time. 358 00:22:24,352 --> 00:22:30,142 And when you put that much energy and thought and strategy into it, it's 359 00:22:30,232 --> 00:22:36,592 definitely gonna be better than anything that was just blurted or was written. 360 00:22:37,612 --> 00:22:40,072 And that's why I call it high leverage. 361 00:22:40,172 --> 00:22:46,577 It's because you are doing things that take more effort and 362 00:22:46,627 --> 00:22:48,307 you've been trained to do this. 363 00:22:48,967 --> 00:22:53,017 Which is why you earn more trust because you know it has been 364 00:22:53,017 --> 00:22:55,477 battle-tested in your head for so long. 365 00:22:56,467 --> 00:23:01,057 And you've proven the value and that's why the leverage is higher than anything else. 366 00:23:01,768 --> 00:23:02,428 Absolutely. 367 00:23:02,668 --> 00:23:03,328 Totally agree. 368 00:23:04,228 --> 00:23:07,143 Uh, Before we wrap up, I usually ask a couple of questions. 369 00:23:07,203 --> 00:23:12,903 And you've already mentioned a book, but usually I ask for a book, a tool, 370 00:23:12,903 --> 00:23:17,863 or a habit that has made the most impact on you, only in the last 12 months. 371 00:23:17,953 --> 00:23:19,573 So is there something more recent then? 372 00:23:20,173 --> 00:23:22,483 Oh, I, I love that question. 373 00:23:22,558 --> 00:23:23,488 There's another book. 374 00:23:23,599 --> 00:23:29,585 It's from an author, I tend to forget his name, but the book is The Miracle Morning. 375 00:23:29,809 --> 00:23:33,949 He said something in the book where he went from being not a 376 00:23:33,949 --> 00:23:39,229 morning person, but also never had run even a mile in his life. 377 00:23:39,379 --> 00:23:42,499 And then he started running. 378 00:23:43,309 --> 00:23:47,779 And he went from not being a runner to a marathoner. 379 00:23:48,349 --> 00:23:50,569 And I just took that to heart. 380 00:23:50,959 --> 00:23:56,159 I had recently started my business, and then I literally went from 381 00:23:56,189 --> 00:24:02,509 couch to half marathon in 10 weeks, last year, this time of the year. 382 00:24:03,974 --> 00:24:05,214 Ah, congratulations. 383 00:24:05,214 --> 00:24:05,689 Thank you. 384 00:24:05,719 --> 00:24:09,289 And running has become a part of my life now. 385 00:24:09,539 --> 00:24:14,549 and I run because I wanna have good heart health, but I also do strength 386 00:24:14,549 --> 00:24:19,289 training because it, if you have more muscles, of course your body's optimized. 387 00:24:19,379 --> 00:24:24,149 And it also gives you the quality of the life that you need when you wanna 388 00:24:24,149 --> 00:24:28,769 live longer for your kids and your family to enjoy all the grandkids that 389 00:24:28,769 --> 00:24:31,559 I'm planning to have in the future. 390 00:24:32,579 --> 00:24:33,209 That's great. 391 00:24:33,419 --> 00:24:34,709 That's an excellent answer. 392 00:24:35,399 --> 00:24:38,649 And finally, I know we've been talking about everything that's 393 00:24:38,679 --> 00:24:43,209 changing, but is there maybe one thing that will not change, as far as 394 00:24:43,209 --> 00:24:44,499 you're concerned, 10 years from now? 395 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:49,210 It would be human to human connection. 396 00:24:49,390 --> 00:24:53,780 I know people are worried about AI taking over everything, but the conversation 397 00:24:53,780 --> 00:24:58,940 that you and I are having, I would never delegate it to AI or anybody else. 398 00:24:58,940 --> 00:25:02,420 I would not put my AI agent in front of a podcast. 399 00:25:02,420 --> 00:25:02,660 I. 400 00:25:03,551 --> 00:25:08,141 It's something that will never change and I, I think people overcomplicate, 401 00:25:08,201 --> 00:25:09,701 tend to overcomplicate things. 402 00:25:10,051 --> 00:25:11,851 It's just, it's a technology. 403 00:25:11,911 --> 00:25:16,921 Use it where it's needed and then free up your time, so you can go have more 404 00:25:17,311 --> 00:25:21,511 coffee chats and happy hours with the people that you wanna hang out with. 405 00:25:22,311 --> 00:25:22,911 Awesome. 406 00:25:23,421 --> 00:25:24,771 Totally on board with that vision. 407 00:25:25,381 --> 00:25:26,766 Aarti, thank you very much. 408 00:25:27,736 --> 00:25:31,236 Likewise, it was a pleasure and I loved the conversation and hoping 409 00:25:31,236 --> 00:25:32,466 to have many more in the future. 410 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:38,150 That was Aarti Anand, providing such an actionable roadmap, moving from feeling 411 00:25:38,180 --> 00:25:42,620 overwhelmed by AI possibilities to implementing practical high ROI solutions. 412 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:47,870 Key takeaways for me included her emphasis on starting with internal operations, 413 00:25:48,050 --> 00:25:51,980 the discipline of building systems first, and using clear frameworks to 414 00:25:51,980 --> 00:25:56,030 decide what truly requires leadership attention versus what can be automated. 415 00:25:56,540 --> 00:25:59,360 It's a grounded approach, focused on process and clear thinking, 416 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:01,280 not just the technology itself. 417 00:26:02,180 --> 00:26:05,570 Reflecting on Aarti structured method from initial assessment to full liftoff, 418 00:26:05,940 --> 00:26:10,370 maybe the critical question for us is: what is the single biggest bottleneck 419 00:26:10,370 --> 00:26:14,360 in your specific area right now that could be addressed first with smarter 420 00:26:14,360 --> 00:26:16,790 systems, paving the way for automation? 421 00:26:17,540 --> 00:26:21,200 For business owners inspired by this vision, but unsure how to take the 422 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,950 first practical steps in automating workflows, Aarti is offering a 423 00:26:24,950 --> 00:26:26,870 complimentary 15 minute audit call. 424 00:26:27,470 --> 00:26:29,630 Check the description for her calendar link. 425 00:26:30,590 --> 00:26:34,820 As always, we have more exciting topics and guest appearances lined up, so 426 00:26:34,820 --> 00:26:39,530 stay tuned for more tales of innovation that inspire, challenge and transform. 427 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:42,050 Until next time, peace. 428 00:26:42,700 --> 00:26:45,040 Thanks for tuning in to Innovation Tales. 429 00:26:49,780 --> 00:26:53,470 Get inspired, connect with other practitioners and approach the 430 00:26:53,470 --> 00:26:55,510 digital revolution with confidence. 431 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:59,830 Visit innovation-tales.com for more episodes. 432 00:27:01,170 --> 00:27:02,190 See you next time.