Harnessing Intelligent Automation for Business Efficiency

HEY!

Ok, I recorded another episode even though I keep saying i’m taking a break.It’s too exciting!!!!

Today I had Alen, a business partner, on the podcast to talk about how we're actually using AI tools in our businesses. This was only the second time I've had a guest on the show, but I figured after my AI wake-up call episode, it made sense to dig deeper with someone who's been using this stuff way longer than me.

Alen's been trying to get me interested in AI for months, and I kept ignoring him. I mean, I just wasn't that excited about it. But now that I'm in full obsessive mode (you know how I get), I wanted to learn from someone who's like three chapters ahead of me, but not so far ahead that it's not relevant.

Super Whisper: Just say stuff and it happens!

One of the tools I'm most excited about right now is called Super Whisper. When I mentioned this at an event with 60-70 people last Friday, literally nobody knew about it. Not one person.

Here's how it works: instead of typing, you just talk to it like you're explaining something to a person. But it's not just transcription, it actually understands the vibe you're trying to get across and formats it properly.

I had a flood in my apartment this week (my bathtub burst), and normally dealing with that kind of admin s**t in German would be a nightmare. But with Super Whisper, I just rambled into it like: "Okay, so my bathtub burst. I need them to understand this is serious and timely. Here's what happened, put it in German, make sure it doesn't sound passive aggressive."

Then I paste that into Superhuman (my email app), which takes the context of previous emails in that thread and polishes it even more. The whole thing took maybe 2 minutes instead of the 20 minutes it would normally take me to craft that email.

It just feels light. No mental overhead. Just ramble your thoughts and let the AI figure out how to make it digestible.

Lindy: Automation for Non-Tech People

Alen's been using this tool called Lindy AI, which is basically automation but with intelligence built in. It's different from Zapier because it can actually understand context.

Here's a real example from his business: he used to spend a full day every month categorizing expenses for his accounting. Now he has an automation that looks at invoices in his email, extracts the amount, date, and vendor, and puts it in the right category in his Google Sheet.

The cool part is the intelligence, it knows that "OpenAI LLC" should go under "Software/AI" and "HubSpot" should go under "CRM." Old automation tools couldn't do that.

For DMBA, they built a flow that takes meeting transcripts from their application calls and automatically drafts personalized invite emails. Not generic templates, actually personalized based on what was discussed in the call. Their admissions person just has to check if it's correct instead of writing it from scratch.

The Bigger Picture: More Output, Not Fewer People

What I'm realizing is this isn't about firing people. It's about abundance. If my 14-person team at AJ&Smart gets fluent with these tools, we effectively become a 50-person company.

Like our head of finance Kyle, if he automates the boring invoicing stuff, he can help me with more creative forecasting work. Figure out how to increase profit margins. Look at interesting tax strategies. The fun stuff that actually moves the business forward.

My brother Adam (who's amazing at sales but terrible at admin) is learning n8n right now to build automations for his follow-up process. If he can automate the copying and pasting, he can take three extra calls per day.

Why This is Different from Previous Tools

Here's what's wild about these AI tools compared to old automation: they don't need to be compatible with each other. ChatGPT can just look at your Google Doc visually, even if there's no API integration.

You can literally say "I want a dashboard that shows this, this, and this" and it'll either build it for you or explain exactly how to build it using other tools. The compatibility problem is basically solved.

The Learning Curve

I'm in full ADHD hyperfocus mode right now, watching every video and reading everything I can find. But what I'm learning is that I need to be the role model at AJ&Smart. I can't just tell my team to use these tools. I need to learn them first and show them how.

The level of inefficiency we still have compared to what's possible makes me realize how long it's going to take most small businesses to even understand what's happening here. Which is kind of an opportunity for those of us who jump in now.

What You Should Try

If you want to dip your toes in:

* Super Whisper, start talking instead of typing for emails and messages

* Superhuman, if you use email a lot, the AI features are genuinely useful

* Lindy or n8n, for building custom automations that actually understand context

* ChatGPT voice mode, just dump your thoughts for 5 to 10 minutes instead of staring at a blank page

The key is finding tools that work with how you actually work, not forcing yourself to adapt to some generic solution.

I'm still early in this journey, but having conversations like this with Alen is helping me figure out what's actually useful versus what's just hype.

Alright BYE,Jonathan

P.S. HERE’S THE LINK TO THE FORM I MENTION NEAR THE END. https://forms.gle/ByUHDuP4c3ETfT5T8

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