AI Is "the Guy" Now: What That Means for Acadiana Business Owners
Over the course of my life, I’ve come to realize I’m a generalist. Jack of all trades, master of none. I’m thankful to God for how He’s designed me. It’s allowed me to make a good living by being hired as the guy that’s brought in to just figure it out. I was offered a job to be the technology expert at a company, after explaining to the company that I did not possess all the technical expertise required in the contract.
At that point in my career, I wanted that Acadiana CEO to know that if he was looking for someone that knows everything, I’m not the guy. He hired me anyway. Thank you Jesus.
But why was that? It’s this simple - business owners are drowning and don’t have anyone they can trust.
Every Owner Wants “the Guy”
“The guy.” All business owners want one of these on their team. “Oooooh, I want one!” Someone they can trust. Someone they can throw any problem at.
“The guy” becomes special forces to them. You just send them in. Someone that may not know everything but can go figure out or find the person that does know.
Once “the guy” knows the business, it’s game over. “The guy” becomes the brain, the pulse of the company. He leads. He’s proactively on things, not just assigned things. “The guy” may end up running a large aspect of the business.
It’s not that he can do everything, but if he’s led? If he’s steered? If he’s informed? Well, then, he can do a lot!
Most founders I talk to around Lafayette can’t find their “guy” or afford one.
Alright Tyler. Cool. But what does this have to do with AI and my business? Right. Let me connect the dots.
AI Is “the Guy” Now
AI is not the end-all, be-all. It’s simply a tool. A powerful tool. And powerful tools bring transformation.
Remember how I said I was a generalist? Jack of all trades, master of none? AI has closed a lot of the gap between generalist and expert. Me + my “guy” can go a lot further than I ever could alone.
Let me be very specific. For years now I’ve been on this AI journey. I used to have a list of ideas that were “maybe someday” because I didn’t have the expertise, time, or resources. That “maybe someday” list has now become a prayer list - “What should I focus on now Lord?”.
Over a year ago, a close friend asked me, “You know anything about PWAs?” No. I didn’t. But I knew my guy did. I’m now the co-founder of that product-based business.
Websites, automation, AI agents that literally act as a part of my staff. Lead generators, apps, receptionists, assistants, graphic designers, and bookkeeping. All AI-driven for me. Things I couldn’t do before. Things I didn’t even know about before.
And my favorite part about AI - the advisor. All things high level that a business owner needs. Go-to-market strategies, marketing plans, research and development, general brainstorming, dreaming, prioritizing, accountability, math, pricing, finance, forecasting, etc.
AI is always available and it never gets tired of my questions. But just like the guy, it works best when someone is leading it.
Dream Again
The hardest thing I do as a technology consultant is convince business owners that it’s not silly, futile, or a waste of time to dream again. To imagine. If anything were possible and this business could run or do exactly what you wanted it to do, what would it be?
The leaders I’ve gotten to actually do that exercise have been mind-blown and well-satisfied. We’ve built things together that have served them well, created new possibilities, made them and their companies more effective and efficient, and honestly - it’s helped them start having fun again!
The future is bright for Acadiana. While you still need someone in the fire with you to help you figure out how to implement all of this, the sky is the limit now.
I run Good Business Group out of Youngsville and if you want to figure out what an AI “guy” could do for your business, book a free 30-minute call here.
If you want the longer version of where AI fits and what it costs, I wrote that up here: AI consulting for businesses in Lafayette and Acadiana