May 31 · $10k/mo building AI CRMs for local clinics
Good morning.Non-technical founders are quietly capturing local business AI budgets.
A non-technical founder recently secured a $50,000 contract with an investment firm by combining GoHighLevel with Claude. By targeting local service businesses like chiropractors with custom AI automations, operators are turning 12-hour setup sprints into $3,500 upfront fees and $1,500 monthly retainers without writing a single line of code.
Build it tonight
A non-technical founder built a custom CRM wrapper in 12 hours, landing a $3,500 setup fee and $1,500 monthly retainer.
B2B SaaS
AI-Automated CRM For Local Clinics
A non-technical founder hit $10k+/month building custom GoHighLevel and Claude automations for local businesses, including a $50k contract with an investment firm.
Why now: AI tools like Claude make it possible for non-technical operators to build custom software and automations in hours rather than months.
Sanity check: What would have to be true: local businesses will pay high retainers for custom AI wrappers rather than adopting cheaper, off-the-shelf vertical SaaS.
Build it without code
Strips real estate from SMB acquisitions via simultaneous sale-leaseback. One operator wholesaled a $3.3M property to reduce their business purchase price to $2M.
B2B marketplace
SMB Real Estate Wholesaling Network
Build a marketplace connecting SMB searchers with commercial real estate investors to execute simultaneous sale-leasebacks, stripping real estate costs from business acquisitions.
Why now: High interest rates make seller-demanded real estate inclusions prohibitive for SBA buyers without a wholesale partner.
Sanity check: What would have to be true: commercial real estate investors will underwrite sale-leasebacks on lower-middle-market businesses with newly transitioned, unproven ownership.
Today's Startup Ideas
Specific plays distilled from this week's founder/operator podcasts.
B2B SaaS
AI-Automated CRM For Local Clinics
A non-technical founder hit $10k+/month building custom GoHighLevel and Claude automations for local businesses, including a $50k contract with an investment firm.
Why now: AI tools like Claude make it possible for non-technical operators to build custom software and automations in hours rather than months.
B2B marketplace
SMB Real Estate Wholesaling Network
Build a marketplace connecting SMB searchers with commercial real estate investors to execute simultaneous sale-leasebacks, stripping real estate costs from business acquisitions.
Why now: High interest rates make seller-demanded real estate inclusions prohibitive for SBA buyers without a wholesale partner.
B2B SaaS
Distressed SaaS cash flow rollup
Acquire bankrupt SaaS companies from private credit firms for $1 and split the remaining cash flows instead of injecting capital to reboot them.
Why now: SaaS market caps crashed, and PE firms are handing portfolios to credit firms who refuse to write $100M checks to fund AI reboots.
B2B SaaS
Bespoke ERPs for vertically integrated hardware
Build custom ERP systems for hardware manufacturers whose bespoke production and maintenance data models break when forced into off-the-shelf solutions.
Why now: Hardware companies are scaling complex manufacturing and maintenance operations that require seamless data integration across custom-built physical components.
B2B SaaS
Proprietary Data-Backed Discovery Tools
Build discovery tools like penetration testing or analytics that rely on a proprietary data flywheel rather than scraping third-party sources.
Why now: AI agents can now fetch and present third-party data faster than legacy discovery tools, killing aggregators that lack proprietary data.
B2B SaaS
Live-data pitch decks for founders
Connect live data sources to presentation artifacts so startup pitch decks automatically update their metrics before every VC meeting.
Why now: AI platforms now support live data connectors that can dynamically render updated presentations.
ETA strategy
CEO-to-Acquire SMB Transition Model
De-risk an SMB acquisition by operating as the CEO for a salary before executing the buyout to build trust with the seller.
Why now: Aging baby boomer owners need succession plans but are hesitant to hand over control to outside buyers without a transition period.
service productization
AI-driven private equity accounting roll-ups
Acquire traditional accounting firms and deploy top-tier engineering talent to implement AI productivity tools, drastically improving margins.
Why now: Legacy services firms lack the technical DNA to build their own AI tools, creating an arbitrage opportunity for tech-native holding companies.
digital media
Owned-audience daily business newsletter
Bypass algorithmic feed dependency by building a daily business newsletter, owning the distribution channel directly to reach eight-figure revenue.
Why now: Social platforms are actively pulling back reach and throttling outbound links, making owned email lists the only reliable digital distribution.
physical-world infra
Auto-discrepancy software for autonomous fleets
Develop fleet management software that automatically reads hardware alarms, takes vehicles out of service, and generates maintenance tickets without human monitoring.
Why now: As autonomous fleets grow from a few prototype units to hundreds or thousands of vehicles, human monitoring of individual telemetry becomes impossible.
physical-world infra
Integration infrastructure for military autonomous systems
Build the hardware and software connective tissue to integrate disparate sensors, drones, and weapon systems for the Pentagon and allied militaries.
Why now: The military is aggressively adopting autonomous systems, but lacks the open infrastructure to make disparate hardware platforms communicate effectively.
physical-world infra
Agentic Robotics For Dynamic Warehouses
Deploy generalist, agentic robots in warehouses that adapt to SKU changes and new consumer demand patterns instead of relying on hard-coded, task-specific machines.
Why now: Advances in AI vision and dynamic movement allow robots to adapt to changing physical environments without requiring hard-coded reprogramming.
service productization
AI Website Generation Plus Direct Mail
Scrape local business profiles, use AI to build custom websites for pennies, and mail physical postcards with QR codes to pitch marketing retainers.
Why now: AI models can now generate functional websites for cents, allowing agencies to build the product before ever pitching the client.
B2B SaaS
Trust-based challenger brands in extractive markets
Enter markets dominated by venture-backed incumbents and use alternative corporate structures to legally lock in customer-friendly margins, using their extractive pricing as your wedge.
Why now: The shift toward shareholder primacy and private equity roll-ups has created a vacuum for trustworthy, customer-aligned vendors in mature categories.
financial structuring
Convertible Notes for SMB Acquisitions
Finance cash-flow SMB acquisitions using 12 percent convertible notes from equity investors when SBA loans or traditional bank debt are unavailable.
Why now: Recent rule changes prohibit green card holders from accessing SBA loans, forcing international buyers to find alternative debt.
service productization
AI Outbound Agency for Manufacturing
Run an AI-enabled outbound sales agency specifically for legacy manufacturing companies that have never had a systematic outbound sales process.
Why now: AI tools have commoditized outbound sequence generation, allowing operators to easily modernize sales in industries that still rely on trade shows.
service productization
AI-powered accounting firm rollups
Private equity firms are buying traditional accounting practices and injecting top-tier engineering talent and OpenAI partnerships to drive massive internal productivity gains.
Why now: AI models can now automate significant portions of knowledge work, making tech-enabled service rollups highly profitable.
service productization
Multi-Trade Home Services Consolidation
Acquire and merge complementary home service trades like HVAC and plumbing under one brand to eliminate duplicate customer acquisition costs.
Why now: Customer acquisition costs in local service markets are rising, making cross-selling highly profitable.
B2B SaaS
API-First Video Editing Automation
A developer-first platform that automates bulk video editing tasks like captioning and B-roll overlays via API, driving 5,000 signups with a $1 free credit.
Why now: AI models make automated captioning and B-roll overlays cheap enough to offer as a low-cost API service.
Movements to Watch
Patterns surfacing across multiple shows. Track these before consensus.
B2B SaaS
Verticalizing the System of Record
Off-the-shelf software is failing complex physical operations and data-heavy workflows, driving a shift toward highly bespoke, industry-specific ERPs and discovery tools that own their proprietary data flywheels.
Physical-World Infra
Autonomous Fleet Management
As hardware deployments scale from prototypes to massive fleets, the bottleneck is shifting from the physical robots themselves to the connective software tissue required to monitor, integrate, and maintain them without human intervention.
Service Productization
Tech-Enabled Traditional Rollups
Private equity and searchers are acquiring legacy service businesses not just for their cash flow, but to aggressively expand margins by injecting top-tier engineering talent and automated outbound sales processes.
Founder Signal
How operators are thinking — frameworks, anti-patterns, sharp moves.
The Embedded Buyout
Skip the traditional search fund model by operating as a salaried CEO for a retiring owner first. This builds trust and secures a proprietary acquisition opportunity without competitive bidding.
Weaponizing Competitor Cap Tables
Venture-backed incumbents are structurally forced to extract high margins to satisfy investors. Founders can use alternative corporate structures to legally lock in customer-friendly pricing, using the incumbent's extractive model as a wedge.
Capital Flow
Where money's moving today — funding rounds, M&A, valuation signals.
Thrive Holdings Acquires Accounting Firms
Private equity is bypassing software sales entirely, choosing instead to buy legacy accounting practices outright and capture the margin expansion from AI productivity gains internally.
From the Conversations
Convertible Notes for SMB Acquisitions
Buying $1.5m of Earnings Without an SBA Loan
May 28, 2026 · 1h 23m · 3quotes pulled
▶ Listen“we plugged the remaining piece of debt with a convertible note from existing investors... if that debt is not repaid within a certain period of time, the outstanding balance of that converts into equity”
Auto-discrepancy software for autonomous fleets
Autonomous Drone Delivery at Scale
May 28, 2026 · 52m · 2quotes pulled
▶ Listen“We built out what we call an auto discrepancy system... A discrepancy is something that will then take the zip out of service... now instead of humans having to go and monitor it, it turned it around to say, well, now the fleet is basically monitoring itself”
Integration infrastructure for military autonomous systems
Blue Origin Explosion, Enterprise AI Hits Spending Limits, Dinosaur Market Booms | John Gruber, Ronak Malde, Zane Mountcastle, Jamie Cuffe, Kyle Kuzma, Brad Gerstner
May 29, 2026 · 2h 37m · 2quotes pulled
▶ Listen“we build technology to help integrate different mission critical systems, so think our sensors, our drones, our robots, our weapon systems, mainly for military applications.”
Sources
▶ ListenThe Koerner Office - Business Ideas and Deep Dives with Chris Koerner
He Built a $10K/Month AI Business With Zero Tech Skills - Ep. #304<p>Check out my newsletter at <a href="https://TKOPOD.com">https://TKOPOD.com</a> and join my community at <a href="https://TKOwners.com">https://TKOwners.com</a></p><p>━</p><p><br></p><p>I sat down with <strong>Phil</strong> and we talked about how he started an <strong>AI automation agency</strong> with no coding background and landed a <strong>$50,000 consulting contract</strong> by simply starting with people he already knew. He shares how he first built <strong>voice agents</strong> in <strong>GoHighLevel</strong>, then used <strong>Claude</strong> to help create proposals, pricing, contracts, and client solutions. We also talked about his work with a chiropractor, where he built automations and content systems for a new laser treatment offer, plus a grant writing tool for a nonprofit. The big takeaway from this one is that you do not need to know everything before you start. You just need to talk to business owners, listen for pain points, and use AI to help solve real problems.</p><p><br></p><p>Enjoy!</p><p>---</p><p>Watch this on <strong>YouTube</strong> instead here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thekoerneroffice?sub_confirmation=1">tkopod.co/p-yt</a><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Ask me a question</strong> on or off the show here: <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-ask">http://tkopod.co/p-ask</a></p><p>Learn more about <strong>me:</strong> <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-cjk">http://tkopod.co/p-cjk</a></p><p>Learn about <strong>my company: </strong><a href="http://tkopod.co/p-cof">http://tkopod.co/p-cof</a></p><p>Follow me on <strong>Twitter</strong> here: <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-x">http://tkopod.co/p-x</a></p><p><a href="http://tkopod.co/p-x"></a>Free weekly <strong>business ideas newsletter:</strong> <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-nl">http://tkopod.co/p-nl</a><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Share this podcast:</strong> <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-all">http://tkopod.co/p-all</a><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Scrape</strong> small <strong>business data:</strong> <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-os">http://tkopod.co/p-os</a></p><p><a href="http://tkopod.co/p-os"></a>---</p>
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Acquiring Minds
The Magic of Low Multiple + Growth<p>David Graf went after a business that had sat on the market, acquiring $750k of EBITDA for 2.7x. It's going well.</p><p>Register for the webinars: </p><ul><li><a href="https://bit.ly/4a2ozGe">Negotiating Working Capital in SMB Acquisitions</a> - TOMORROW!! - https://bit.ly/4a2ozGe</li><li><a href="https://bit.ly/49j3V4t">New $10m Limit for SBA Loans: What You Need to Know</a> - Thu, May 28 - https://bit.ly/49j3V4t</li></ul><p>Topics in David’s interview: </p><ul><li>Drive to earn money as a kid</li><li>Choosing to skip business school</li><li>Advantages of acquiring in Texas</li><li>Preparing his case to convince his wife</li><li>Working full time while searching</li><li>Growth is often underpriced</li><li>Wholesaling real estate he didn’t want</li><li>How to decide whether to keep an employee</li><li>Joining a group for manufacturing owners</li><li>Near-crisis days before closing</li></ul><p>References and how to contact David:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbgraf/">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.danhard.com/">Danhard</a></li><li><a href="https://randlarsen.com/">Rand Larsen</a></li><li><a href="https://www.joinscalepath.com/">Scalepath</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Get-Grip-Mike-Paton-Gino-Wickman-audiobook/dp/B00BC1VJUQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2A9C7YVZXIIW2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.g7L0MRquHwrNxmr8vzTeH_sIOmLVsd2j-4HpvMa7252JKpgAKkAM7O0jYD_J-6GJiopAR8y4D8bbtohgcHc_K17RWswx0j_nQ1HMw0OZGb3igIdP785vvRSstnI2JyOyuK5I7iEIJO90pBzo3ag-gDStQ-SfFQAid3SSj4GGQvDS8HmJyCqMXVeRUAsV5DAWVMpQhDvSTff1nb6Vw4CTlqu6elAloCedShEYhL5Ijes.Cqv9rHsQCMPhVhMirI0a8k8BOtdo8qyfrxrMl4sEAfw&dib_tag=se&keywords=get+a+grip+book&qid=1777427116&sprefix=get+a+grip%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-1">Get a Grip by Mike Paton</a></li></ul><p>Work with an SBA loan team focused exclusively on helping entrepreneurs buy businesses:</p><ul><li><a href="https://bit.ly/43gVGBX">Pioneer Capital Advisory</a></li></ul><p>Get a complimentary IT audit for acquisition diligence or post-close transition.</p><ul><li>Visit <a href="http://www.inzotechnologies.com/eta?utm_source=acquiringminds&utm_medium=referral">inzotechnologies.com/eta</a>.</li></ul><p>Get a free review of your books & financial ops from System Six (a $500 value):</p><ul><li><a href="https://landing.systemsix.com/acquire">Book a call with Tim</a> or <a href="mailto:hello@systemsix.com">hello@systemsix.com</a> and mention Acquiring Minds</li></ul><p>Connect with Acquiring Minds:</p><ul><li>See past + future interviews on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/AcquiringMinds">YouTube channel</a></li><li>Connect with host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/willsmithsf/">Will Smith on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/whentheresawill">Will on Twitter</a></li></ul><p>Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron</p>
▶ ListenMy First Million
The 50 richest families in America are betting on this trendGet our Wealth Guide (35+ insights from top investors): https://clickhubspot.com/fvif Episode 828: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) and Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talk to billionaire Joe Liemandt ( https://x.com/jliemandt ) about the experiment he’s put $1,000,000,000 of his own money into. — Show Notes: (0:00) Joe, the total man? (08:09) fighting bill gates for talent (13:14) intensity (16:18) choosing hard over easy (19:00) how to be a magnet (21:34) high standards (23:29) being persuasive (29:23) simplicity: 3 ines, 3 words (34:41) is 2x faster really better? (36:23) making kids run a 5k (38:45) why be public now (41:01) why put $1b into the lowest roi thing? (50:03) buying SaaS companies (51:06) cloning Warren Buffett's brain (53:00) changing your brain lift (57:19) is AI going to make everyone dumb? — Links: • Alpha School - https://alpha.school/ • 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People - https://a.co/d/048Cfexh — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Need a bank for your company? Go check out Mercury (mercury.com). Shaan uses it for all of his companies! Mercury is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /
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Software Engineering Daily
Autonomous Drone Delivery at ScaleAutonomous drone delivery has long been the stuff of science fiction, but ongoing advances have moved the space from experimental to operational. Zipline is one of the leading companies in this space, with drones that charge between missions and fly autonomously to deliver packages directly to customers. Kyle Madonia is the VP of Application Software
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Software Engineering Daily
The European Startup SceneEurope’s startup ecosystem is maturing rapidly, with companies like Revolut, Lovable, and Legora demonstrating that world-class technology businesses can be built and scaled on the continent. While the US remains the dominant force in venture-backed software as home to the largest markets, the deepest capital pools, and the most ambitious exit culture, a growing number
▶ ListenHow I AI
How the engineer behind Claude Cowork actually uses Claude | Felix Rieseberg (Anthropic)<p><strong>Felix Rieseberg</strong> is the engineering lead for Claude Cowork and Claude Code Desktop at Anthropic. He previously spent five years at Slack building developer tools. In this episode, Felix demonstrates how he uses Claude to solve real-life problems: analyzing floor plans to build interactive 3D house walkthroughs, automatically tracking promises he makes on Twitter, and building a $20 hardware device that physically approves Claude actions with a button press.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What you’ll learn:</strong></p><ol><li>How to use Claude Cowork to turn a 2D floor plan into an interactive 3D walkthrough where you can move furniture around</li><li>The “go one abstraction layer up” philosophy: why you should never manually enter data Claude can find itself</li><li>How to use your email as an inventory database for furniture, clothing, and personal purchases</li><li>When to use Opus vs. Sonnet 4.6 (hint: it’s about how well you can scope the problem, not technical complexity)</li><li>How live artifacts work and why they’re powerful for dashboards that refresh with real-time data from your connectors</li><li>The product philosophy behind making latency delightful</li><li>How to build your own $20 hardware device using Claude Code (no hardware experience required)</li><li>Why Felix never reads the code Claude writes and judges it purely on output</li></ol><p>—</p><p><strong>Brought to you by:</strong></p><p><a href="https://magicpatterns.com/howiai" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong>Magic Patterns</strong></a>—Prototypes that look like your product</p><p><a href="https://www.getguru.com/?utm_source=howi_ai_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=q1" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong>Guru</strong></a>—The AI layer of truth</p><p>—</p><p><strong>In this episode, we cover:</strong></p><p>(00:00) Introduction to Felix Rieseberg</p><p>(02:40) Felix’s role at Anthropic</p><p>(03:25) The multiple tabs in Claude and why they exist</p><p>(05:55) Using Claude Cowork to design a new house using floor plans</p><p>(09:52) When to use Opus versus Sonnet 4.6</p><p>(12:37) Building an interactive 3D furniture planner</p><p>(14:30) Using your email as a source of truth for personal inventory</p><p>(15:58) The anti-to-do list: going one abstraction layer up</p><p>(23:14) Introduction to live artifacts</p><p>(26:02) Building a personal dashboard with live data</p><p>(28:37) Being polite to Claude (and why it matters for your humanity)</p><p>(30:28) Claude interaction tips</p><p>(32:33) Looking at the daily dashboard</p><p>(33:55) How live artifacts work with connectors</p><p>(35:02) Redesigning the dashboard</p><p>(37:55) The biggest gap: people don’t know what problems AI can solve</p><p>(41:52) The reverse interview</p><p>(42:30) Making latency delightful through asynchronous design</p><p>(44:05) The redesigned dashboard</p><p>(45:28) AI should free up your creative energy</p><p>(46:44) Building a $20 hardware Claude buddy</p><p>(52:33) Why kids are magical AI users</p><p>(54:30) Recap and final thoughts</p><p>—</p><p><strong>Tools referenced:</strong></p><p>• Claude Cowork: <a href="https://www.anthropic.com/product/claude-cowork" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.anthropic.com/product/claude-cowork</a></p><p>• Claude Code: <a href="https://claude.ai/code" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://claude.ai/code</a></p><p>• Claude for Chrome: <a href="https://code.claude.com/docs/en/chrome" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://code.claude.com/docs/en/chrome</a></p><p>• Claude Desktop: <a href="https://claude.ai/download" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://claude.ai/download</a></p><p>• Live Artifacts: <a href="https://support.claude.com/en/articles/14729249-use-live-artifacts-in-claude-cowork" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://support.claude.com/en/articles/14729249-use-live-artifacts-in-claude-cowork</a></p><p>• Connectors (Spotify, Gmail, Calendar, Notion): <a href="https://claude.ai/settings/connectors" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://claude.ai/settings/connectors</a></p><p>• Slack: <a href="https://slack.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://slack.com/</a></p><p>—</p><p><strong>Where to find Felix Rieseberg:</strong></p><p>Website: <a href="https://felixrieseberg.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://felixrieseberg.com/</a></p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/felixrieseberg/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/felixrieseberg/</a></p><p>X: <a href="https://x.com/felixrieseberg" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://x.com/felixrieseberg</a></p><p>GitHub: <a href="https://github.com/felixrieseberg" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/felixrieseberg</a></p><p>—</p><p><strong>Where to find Claire Vo:</strong></p><p>ChatPRD: <a href="https://www.chatprd.ai/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.chatprd.ai/</a></p><p>Website: <a href="https://clairevo.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://clairevo.com/</a></p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevo/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevo/</a></p><p>X: <a href="https://x.com/clairevo" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://x.com/clairevo</a></p><p>—</p><p>Production and marketing by <a href="https://penname.co/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://penname.co/</a>. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email jordan@penname.co.</p>
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Acquiring Minds
Buying $1.5m of Earnings Without an SBA Loan<p>As a South African in the US, Justus Luttig had to get creative to search then buy 2 trades businesses at the same time.</p><p>Register for the webinar: </p><ul><li><a href="https://bit.ly/4v3zKXh">New $10m Limit for SBA Loans: What You Need to Know </a>- TODAY!! - https://bit.ly/4v3zKXh</li></ul><p>Topics in Justus’s interview: </p><ul><li>Growing up on a cattle ranch in South Africa</li><li>Disillusioned with the venture capital bubble</li><li>Perception of white collar work as “the dream”</li><li>Meeting successful owners of blue-collar businesses</li><li>Big deal failure on his birthday</li><li>Structuring a deal without the SBA</li><li>Challenges of searching on an H1B visa</li><li>Merging an HVAC with a plumbing business</li><li>The magic happens when you leave your desk</li><li>Acquiring during the slow season</li></ul><p>References and how to contact Justus:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/justusluttig/">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://copelandairtexas.com">Copeland Home Services</a></li></ul><p>The ecosystem for serious acquisition entrepreneurs—education, capital, community, and post-close support to buy and grow a business:</p><ul><li><a href="https://bit.ly/3JPAYQI">The Acquisition Lab</a></li></ul><p>Get complimentary due diligence on your acquisition's insurance & benefits program:</p><ul><li><a href="https://bit.ly/3W6QqNx">Oberle Risk Strategies - Search Fund Team</a></li></ul><p>Download the New CEO’s Guide to Human Resources from Aspen HR:</p><ul><li><a href="https://aspenhr.com/new-ceos-guide-to-hr-download/">From this page</a> or contact <a href="mailto:jenny@aspenhr.com">jenny@aspenhr.com</a></li></ul><p>Connect with Acquiring Minds:</p><ul><li>See past + future interviews on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/AcquiringMinds">YouTube channel</a></li><li>Connect with host <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/willsmithsf/">Will Smith on LinkedIn</a></li><li>Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/whentheresawill">Will on Twitter</a></li></ul><p>Edited by Anton Rohozov and produced by Pam Cameron</p>
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TBPN
Blue Origin Explosion, Enterprise AI Hits Spending Limits, Dinosaur Market Booms | John Gruber, Ronak Malde, Zane Mountcastle, Jamie Cuffe, Kyle Kuzma, Brad Gerstner<p></p><ul><li>(00:43) - Blue Origin Explosion </li> <li>(07:38) - Enterprise AI Hits Spending Limits </li> <li>(21:48) - Dinosaur Market Booms </li> <li>(29:13) - John Gruber, a prominent technology writer and podcaster, discusses the Ferrari Luce's design, expressing that its appearance deviates from traditional Ferrari aesthetics, making it hard to identify as a Ferrari without its nameplate. He also reflects on Apple's design philosophy, emphasizing their commitment to creating products that prioritize functionality and user experience over following market trends. Additionally, Gruber highlights the challenges Apple faces in integrating AI technologies, noting the importance of balancing innovation with maintaining the company's core values and user trust. </li> <li>(01:11:16) - Ronak Malde, formerly an AI researcher at Windsurf and Google DeepMind, co-founded Trajectory, a startup focused on building a platform for continual learning in AI systems. In the conversation, he discusses raising $15 million from Conviction and partnering with companies like Harvey, Decagon, Clay, Rogo, and Mercor to develop agents that learn from real-world user interactions, enabling AI products to improve daily. Malde emphasizes the importance of creating AI agents with practical experience that understand business-specific rewards, allowing for efficient post-training and continual enhancement of AI capabilities. </li> <li>(01:19:18) - Zane Mountcastle, co-founder and CEO of Picogrid, discusses the company's recent $45 million Series A funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners, aimed at expanding their team and scaling production to meet increasing demand. He explains that Picogrid develops technology to integrate mission-critical systems like sensors, drones, and weapon systems, primarily for military applications, by building open infrastructure that enables these systems to work together. Mountcastle also highlights the company's active contracts with the Pentagon, NATO, and allied partners, emphasizing their focus on serving military needs while acknowledging potential future commercial applications. </li> <li>(01:25:10) - Jamie Cuffe, CEO of Pace, announced the company's $46 million Series B funding co-led by Thrive Capital and Sequoia, with participation from Emergence and Pruven. He discussed how Pace's AI agents are automating back-office operations for major insurers like Prudential and Convex, achieving over 99.9% accuracy and enabling clients to autonomously complete hundreds of thousands of tasks daily. Cuffe emphasized that this automation is helping insurers close the $9 trillion protection gap by making insurance more accessible and efficient. </li> <li>(01:32:57) - Kyle Kuzma, an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks, discusses his journey into investing, inspired by mentors like Kobe Bryant, and emphasizes the importance of focusing on basketball while exploring ventures in the tech and private investment sectors. He highlights the significance of leveraging his unique position as an athlete to access investment opportunities and stresses the value of surrounding himself with knowledgeable individuals to navigate the complexities of the investment landscape. Kuzma also touches on the evolving role of AI in basketball, expressing a cautious perspective on its influence on the game. </li> <li>(01:50:08) - Brad Gerstner is the founder and CEO of Altimeter Capital, a technology-focused investment firm that invests across public and private markets. Known for his high-conviction bets on companies such as Snowflake, Meta, and Uber, he is a frequent commentator on technology, AI, capital markets, and long-term investing.</li> </ul><p><br></p><p>Follow TBPN: </p><p>https://TBPN.com</p><p>https://x.com/tbpn</p><p>https://open.spotify.com/show/2L6WMqY3GUPCGBD0dX6p00?si=674252d53acf4231</p><p>https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/technology-brothers/id1772360235</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/@TBPNLive</p>
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My First Million
The insane true story behind MTVSam & Shaan's hard-won CEO lessons in one guide: https://clickhubspot.com/eokb Episode 829: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) sits down with Tom Freston to talk about the insane story of starting MTV and shaping America in the 80s and 90s. — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (4:04) Millionaire by 26, broke by 33 (8:49) The first days of MTV (no frontal nudity) (14:14) Music Videos (19:03) How to spot culture-changing talent (27:12) Making your employees party together (31:56) Nickelodeon, SpongeBob, and Building Legacy IP (35:21) Programming for a Specific Audience (37:33) The Facebook Acquisition That Almost Happened (41:25) Founders Who Refuse to Sell (43:29) Rupert Murdoch vs. Sumner Redstone (45:23) MySpace, Big Bets, and Getting Fired (47:55) Inside the writers room (51:33) Oprah Calling (54:00) The End of Monoculture and the Creator Economy — Links: Unplugged - https://a.co/d/0ef6YVu2 — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com • Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents. • Mercury - Need a bank for your company? Go check out Mercury (mercury.com). Shaan uses it for all of his companies! Mercury is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC • I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out: beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /
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TBPN
Ferrari EV, Enhanced Games, Alcohol & Podcasting | Christopher Hale, Sean Henry, Eric Ries, Alex Atallah<p></p><ul><li>(00:27) - Ferrari EV </li> <li>(40:58) - Enhanced Games </li> <li>(47:41) - Christopher Hale, a Catholic writer and former executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, discusses Pope Leo XIV's recent encyclical on artificial intelligence, highlighting the Pope's emphasis on maintaining human dignity and responsibility in technological advancements. He notes the Pope's concern over delegating human decisions to machines, especially in contexts like warfare, and underscores the call for Silicon Valley to consider the ethical implications of AI development. </li> <li>(01:10:48) - Alcohol & Podcasting </li> <li>(01:17:21) - Sean Henry, co-founder and CEO of Stord, announced the company's recent $250 million funding round, elevating its valuation to $3 billion. He discussed Stord's decade-long development of a vertically integrated platform that leverages robotics and AI to enhance commerce, enabling faster deliveries and cost efficiencies. Henry also highlighted the launch of Stord Labs, dedicated to testing next-generation robotics and AI, and the company's international expansion into markets like Canada, Europe, China, and Australia. </li> <li>(01:31:05) - Eric Ries is an entrepreneur and author best known for The Lean Startup, which helped popularize iterative product development and rapid experimentation in startups. He is also the author of The Startup Way and Incorruptible, where he explores institutional trust, governance, and how organizations can remain resilient and accountable at scale. </li> <li>(02:09:45) - Alex Atallah, co-founder and CEO of OpenRouter, discusses the evolution of AI models and the importance of neurodiversity in AI agents selecting cost-effective tools for specific tasks. He highlights OpenRouter's recent $113 million funding round, led by Capital G with participation from existing investors and strategic partners like Nvidia, ServiceNow, and Databricks, emphasizing the company's commitment to fostering a diverse team. Atallah also addresses the trend of companies optimizing AI inference costs by utilizing multiple models tailored to specific tasks, leading to significant cost savings and improved performance. </li> <li>(02:22:45) - 𝕏 Timeline Reactions</li> </ul><p><br></p><p>Follow TBPN: </p><p>https://TBPN.com</p><p>https://x.com/tbpn</p><p>https://open.spotify.com/show/2L6WMqY3GUPCGBD0dX6p00?si=674252d53acf4231</p><p>https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/technology-brothers/id1772360235</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/@TBPNLive</p>
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The Koerner Office - Business Ideas and Deep Dives with Chris Koerner
I Told an AI Agent to Make Me Money. It Did. - Ep. #303<p>Check out my newsletter at <a href="https://TKOPOD.com">https://TKOPOD.com</a> and join my community at <a href="https://TKOwners.com">https://TKOwners.com</a></p><p>━</p><p><br></p><p>I sat down with <strong>Brandon Doyle</strong> again and we tested what happens when an <strong>AI agent</strong> tries to build real businesses from scratch. Brandon showed me how he uses <strong>OpenClaw</strong> through iMessage, then we talked through a few business ideas an agent could launch, including custom bedtime stories, website outreach for local businesses, and Facebook Marketplace arbitrage. A month later, Brandon came back with real results. His bedtime story business got over <strong>$300/month in MRR</strong>, but the big win was using an AI agent to build websites for local businesses, send them postcards with QR codes, and turn that into a little over <strong>$8,000/month in recurring revenue</strong>. You can find Brandon on X at <a href="https://x.com/Brandondoyle" target="_new" rel="noopener">https://x.com/Brandondoyle</a> and learn more about his company at <a href="https://getdavid.ai/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_new" rel="noopener">https://getdavid.ai/</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Enjoy!</p><p>---</p><p>Watch this on <strong>YouTube</strong> instead here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thekoerneroffice?sub_confirmation=1">tkopod.co/p-yt</a><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Ask me a question</strong> on or off the show here: <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-ask">http://tkopod.co/p-ask</a></p><p>Learn more about <strong>me:</strong> <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-cjk">http://tkopod.co/p-cjk</a></p><p>Learn about <strong>my company: </strong><a href="http://tkopod.co/p-cof">http://tkopod.co/p-cof</a></p><p>Follow me on <strong>Twitter</strong> here: <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-x">http://tkopod.co/p-x</a></p><p><a href="http://tkopod.co/p-x"></a>Free weekly <strong>business ideas newsletter:</strong> <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-nl">http://tkopod.co/p-nl</a><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Share this podcast:</strong> <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-all">http://tkopod.co/p-all</a><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Scrape</strong> small <strong>business data:</strong> <a href="http://tkopod.co/p-os">http://tkopod.co/p-os</a></p><p><a href="http://tkopod.co/p-os"></a>---</p><p></p>
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TBPN
The Lean Startup Author on What Ruins Good Companies<p>This is our full conversation with Eric Ries, recorded live on TBPN.</p><p>We discuss why successful companies drift away from the principles that made them great, how short-term incentives and quarterly reporting can damage long-term value creation, why companies like Costco and Patagonia have built mission-first cultures that resist outside pressure, and how governance structures like public benefit corporations and long-term trusts could reshape the future of capitalism.</p><p>Sign up for TBPN’s daily newsletter at TBPN.com</p><p>Follow TBPN:<br>https://TBPN.com<br>https://x.com/tbpn<br>https://open.spotify.com/show/2L6WMqY3GUPCGBD0dX6p00?si=674252d53acf4231<br>https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/technology-brothers/id1772360235<br>https://www.youtube.com/@TBPNLive</p>
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TBPN
Where Brad Gerstner Is Investing Billions<p>This is our full conversation with Brad Gerstner, recorded live on TBPN.</p><p>We discuss why he believes the AI boom is still in its early innings, how companies like Anthropic, Nvidia, and Snowflake are benefiting from the AI infrastructure buildout, why America must continue investing in data centers and compute capacity to stay ahead of China, and his vision for Trump Accounts, a new initiative designed to give every child a stake in the American economy through long-term stock ownership.</p><p>Sign up for TBPN’s daily newsletter at TBPN.com</p><p>Follow TBPN:<br>https://TBPN.com<br>https://x.com/tbpn<br>https://open.spotify.com/show/2L6WMqY3GUPCGBD0dX6p00?si=674252d53acf4231<br>https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/technology-brothers/id1772360235<br>https://www.youtube.com/@TBPNLive</p>
▶ ListenFounders Podcast
Unlock 40% More Profit with This One Strategy<p>Most founders overlook a simple yet powerful shift that can boost profit by 40% and it has nothing to do with adding new features. If you're stuck in the cycle of product obsession and struggling to turn customers into loyal advocates, this episode is your game-changer. Bradley Rausch reveals his proven four-step sales system that transforms every client touchpoint into a predictable revenue stream, from onboarding to advocacy and ascension.You'll discover the critical importance of first 72 hours how emotional shifts in safety, clarity, momentum, and identity can turn new clients into raving fans. Bradley shares concrete systems used by eight-figure SaaS companies, including the secret to increasing profitability with minimal extra spend. Get insights into the overlooked "client success sequence" that dramatically shortens sales cycles and maximizes lifetime value, all driven by simple, scalable automation and human touchpoints.We break down the four core sales phases Bradley developed after years of working inside top consulting firms: initial sale, onboarding, advocacy, and ascension. You’ll learn how to embed these stages into your customer journey, use AI-driven automation to enhance client experience, and leverage strategic referral asks at the perfect moment. This isn’t just theory Bradley shares real-world examples, including how a platform using early engagement and personalized follow-ups achieved a 30% reply rate from new signups.Why does this matter? Because the biggest risk losing clients and the biggest opportunity turning those clients into revenue-generating assets are right after the sale. Failing to optimize this phase means leaving money on the table. But by implementing Bradley’s system, you can build emotional equity with your clients, reduce churn, and create a self-sustaining cycle of referrals and repeat sales.If you’re a founder, SaaS CEO, or startup enthusiast eager to grow profit without increasing ad spend or complex funnels, this episode is your roadmap. Perfect for those serious about customer success, scalable automation, and predictable revenue growth. Tune in now and start turning every client interaction into a profitable, loyalty-building moment that changes your business forever.</p>