Podcasts about operators

You're using AI to write emails. What if it could handle the work that's eating your entire day?In Episode 343 of The Kash and Dash Show, we kick off Build with Operators, an eight-part AI series featuring Neil Galas and Collin Schwartz. They share how they're putting AI to work inside their businesses—and why getting better results starts with giving it better context.Neil breaks down how he turned a full day of bank statement processing into roughly 15 minutes and built a system that pulls loan updates from company emails into one searchable dashboard. Collin shares how his team tackled projects in 24 hours that would normally fill a 90-day planning cycle. Ted also shares how digging into his Airbnb data with AI uncovered opportunities to rethink his pricing.Inside this episode:• Why generic prompts produce generic results.• How to give AI the background it needs to understand your business.• Which repetitive tasks are good candidates for automation.• The 10/80/10 approach: set the vision, let AI do the heavy lifting, then review the result.• How the guests choose between ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI tools.• Why permissions, boundaries, and human review matter when connecting business systems.The goal: get your time back, remove bottlenecks, and put your team's energy where it matters most.Want help putting this into practice? Neil and Collin are hosting a two-day Build with Operators AI workshop November 5–6 for business operators. Learn the foundations, identify what's slowing your business down, and work on building a tool for your company.Follow Neil Galas and Collin Schwartz on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to The Kash and Dash Show for a new installment every Friday throughout the eight-part series.What's one task you'd gladly hand over to AI? Tell us in the comments.You can Join the Omaha REIA - https://omahareia.com/join-todayOmaha REIA on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/OmahaREIACheck out the National REIA - https://nationalreia.org/ Find Ted Kaasch at https://linktr.ee/tedkaasch Owen Dashner on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/owenmoneyrealestate Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/owenmoneyrealestate/ Red Ladder Property Solutions - www.sellmyhouseinomahafast.com Liquid Lending Solutions - www.liquidlendingsolutions.com Owen's Blogs - www.otowninvestor.com www.reiquicktips.com Propstream - https://trial.propstreampro.com/reianebraska/Timber Creek Virtual - https://timbercreekvirtual.com/services/MagicDoor - ...

Søren Kellenberger, CEO at CNC Onsite, joins to discuss the company’s new US office, uptower yaw ring repairs, and blade root insert replacement. Email info@cnconsite.dk to learn more. The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast is brought to you by Weather Guard Lightning Tech, creators of the StrikeTape Ultra LPS retrofit. Subscribe to Uptime's Substack newsletter. And check out Rosemary's “Engineering with Rosie” Youtube channel. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us!

The core structural shift analyzed is the consolidation of service provider-only peer communities into trade associations representing the entire technology channel, including vendors, distributors, and service providers. This shift is illustrated by the acquisition of the ASCII Group, a 42-year-old peer network for independent IT businesses, by the Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA), which counts vendors such as Sophos and Pax8 among its leadership.The transaction led to about 1,000 ASCII members joining GTIA's 3,000 member companies, with ASCII member dues dropping by approximately 25%, continued use of the ASCII brand, and preservation of regional events, according to GTIA and details reported by CRN. The deal followed the death of ASCII founder Alan Weinberger and the association's sale by his family. Official communications framed the result as a benefit for members, with GTIA's leadership emphasizing reduced costs and expansion of benefits.The episode highlights that these two organizations were fundamentally built on opposite membership models: ASCII as a service-provider-only peer room, and GTIA as a trade body encompassing vendors, service providers, resellers, and other channel actors. The merger means the vendor-inclusive model supersedes the exclusive peer-room structure. While operational changes are framed as positive, the consolidation eliminates the guarantee of vendor-free conversations—now, what was previously a closed peer group is just one optional add-on in a vendor-inclusive association.For MSPs and IT leaders, this shift increases dependency on cross-channel associations and removes an environment for fully candid, vendor-free discussions that can inform pricing, contract negotiations, and peer benchmarking. Price reductions are the only change reflected on invoices, while the loss of a controlled guest list is a less visible but material product change. Operators are advised to audit where they obtain operational intelligence and reconsider the role and value of peer-only communities for competitive negotiation and unconflicted advice, recognizing that such spaces may become niche or disappear entirely if consolidation continues.00:00 The Deal Everyone Liked https://businessof.tech/2026/09/16/the-room-with-no-vendors-in-it/04:27 Two Ideas Of Membership07:02 Nobody Got A Vote10:22 Why Do We Care? Supported by: OpenText Proofpoint

“We were not going to make payroll next week.” How did three ecommerce CEOs turn rock bottom into their biggest lesson? Matt Bertulli (CEO, Pela Case & Lomi), Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern), and Curtis Matsko (CEO, Portland Leather Goods) each share the darkest moment of their ecommerce careers. What came after built the self-awareness that changed how they lead. Curtis walks through the week Wells Fargo pulled a $20M line of credit after Silicon Valley Bank collapsed. Matt breaks down the hubris that nearly cost him payroll one Christmas. Mike shares the night a two-year venture fell apart. Their comebacks outweighed the crises, driven by a growth mindset none of them had before. Powered By Saras Analytics ⁠https://bit.ly/4a3gzVv⁠ Postscript ⁠https://9ops.co/postscript⁠ Aftersell https://9ops.co/4i3bb5 Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Fulfil ⁠https://9ops.co/fulfil⁠ Northbeam https://www.northbeam.io/ Black Friday Resources https://www.9operators.com/black-friday Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/ 

Google Maps is sending travellers on an unnecessary nine-hour detour from Franz Josef to Wanaka, and it's causing pain for South Westland tourism operators. Franz Josef Wilderness Tours owner Dale Burrows spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

“They have just shown how packaging can be so much of a differentiator.” What does a professional DTC packaging design process look like in practice? Chris Ganz (Senior Creative Director, Trevi) sits down with the Winks team to tackle one of packaging's hardest problems: standing out on a crowded shelf. The group debates naming, mascots, and color palettes before testing real designs on real families. Chris opens with a full competitor audit, sizing up Ollie, Vicks, and Beam. Three distinct concepts turn into five packaging directions, each with its own typography and color story. The team weighs a winking semicolon against a plush sleep monster, and one child's smile carries real weight. Powered By Iris https://www.irisfinance.co/operators Skio https://9ops.co/skio-9operators Omnisend https://www.omnisend.com/9operators Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Runneth https://9ops.co/motion-runneth Aftersell https://9ops.co/4i3bb5 Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/ 

On Monday's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Brandreth Canaley, Michael Goldin, and Jamie Lane get into three stories shaping where the STR industry is heading. Meta's AI is now completing travel bookings and the platforms it chose to integrate with tell a story of their own. Jamie Lane shares what is happening at AirDNA with their new dynamic pricing launch. And the crew looks at how short-term rentals are playing a surprising role in communities that traditional hospitality has largely left behind.

The episode highlights the ongoing consolidation of the MSP sector, driven by acquisition-focused entities like Evergreen Services Group. This structural mechanism centers on long-term acquisition strategies and the operational integration of MSPs, with Evergreen positioning itself as a permanent holder rather than a market aggregator intent on short-term profit. The discussion underscores how private equity-backed firms operate within multi-market IT services, spanning managed services, application support, and specialized government contracts.Evergreen Services Group reports completing 47 acquisitions in the previous year, now owning 135 MSPs and 171 companies overall, with stated revenues of $1.5 billion and $250 million EBITDA. According to Craig Fulton, the company's standard acquisition model typically offers 90% of enterprise value in cash at closing, with a remaining 10% tied to a one-year earnout dependent on 15% EBITDA growth. Quality of earnings assessments and customer renewal health are described as primary factors that can stall or terminate deals, particularly if financial accounts lack clarity or significant customer dissatisfaction emerges.A recurring operational gap identified by Evergreen in acquisition targets is the absence of a dedicated growth leader within firms, which raises post-sale continuity risks. While questions were raised about the possibility of acquisitions inadvertently generating new competition in local markets—through staff departures and new businesses—no substantive evidence was cited that this has impacted consolidation effectiveness or market saturation. The dialogue also explored Evergreen's investor structure and commitment to transparency about backend ownership and fund relationships with sellers, with claims of a high earnout payment rate and seller satisfaction.For MSPs and IT leaders, the practical implications involve heightened scrutiny of operational maturity, especially in finance and client management roles, to realize sustained valuation and minimize deal-related risk. Vendor dependency deepens post-acquisition, as Evergreen leverages consolidated contracts to meet earnout targets. Owners not seeking to sell are advised to reassess account management practices, explore targeted AI integration for client engagement, and maintain competitive EBITDA performance, as independently managed firms continue to demonstrate strong profitability metrics. Supported by: GuardzTimeZest

How are some people so much smarter than the rest of us? Where do visionary creatives and savvy decision-makers like Vincent van Gogh, Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, Maya Angelou, Nikola Tesla, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Wayne Gretzky, Warren Buffett, and William Shakespeare get their extraordinary mental abilities? In 2021, researchers at Ohio State's Project Narrative, renowned for collaborations with NASA, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley, announced they had the answer. They named it Primal Intelligence. And they published scientific proof that Primal Intelligence was impossible for computers—but could be strengthened in humans. The human brain, and not AI, has this superpower, if only we could reach it. And that's how the US Army Special Ops got involved.Imagine being Angus Fletcher, in the Ohio State English Department, and having the military swing by to pick your brain. What resulted, however, was a peculiar alliance. With Fletcher's help, they developed Primal training for its most classified units. The training succeeded. The Operators saw the future faster. They healed quicker from trauma. In life-and-death situations, they chose wiser. Soon it was being tested on civilians—and then school children—with the same results. What was this amazing training all about? Actually, it's about you. Your brain. It's basic operating system was built to run on uncertainty through future-leaping intuition, and we've been breaking it down through education systems trying to ape computer learning. Turns out, AI is NOT the future. The human brain is. So join us live to talk to Angus about your own PRIMAL INTELLIGENCE.Episode was recorded live September 10, 2026.Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://peculiarbookclub.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://peculiarbookclub.kit.com/newsletter⁠VIP Membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://payhip.com/PeculiarBookClub⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@PeculiarBookClub/streams⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@peculiarbookclub.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/groups/peculiarbooksclub⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thepeculiarbookclub⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

GB2RS News Sunday, the 13th of September 2026 The news headlines: Final RSGB Convention speakers announced RSGB experts contribute to IARU Region 1 general conference Could you be the next RSGB Youth Champion for Scouts? Advance ticket sales for the RSGB Convention close in three weeks – have you purchased your ticket yet? The not-to-be-missed Convention takes place between the 9th and 11th of October at Kents Hill Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. This year's speaker programme is crammed full of fascinating lectures including Paul Whiting, G4YQC who will be describing how the 21cm neutral hydrogen emission line can be used to map the Milky Way galaxy. He will explain how this can be done from your back garden using inexpensive equipment. You'll also get to hear from Dave Robinson, G4FRE, who will be talking about GPS disciplined oscillators, both past and present. Several lectures on the programme have changed time slots, so make sure you keep up to date with the latest version by going to rsgb.org/saturday and rsgb.org/sunday  Which presentations are your must-sees? Have you picked a workshop? And have you booked your evening dinner tickets yet? The Convention is open to all radio amateurs, so whether you are newly licensed and looking to broaden your knowledge or have 50 years of experience and are looking to engage in technical debates on the latest technology, the Society looks forward to seeing you there. The International Amateur Radio Union general conference is taking place from the 19th to the 23rd of September in Vienna. Representatives of national societies from across Region 1 will meet to discuss 100 papers on a wide range of amateur radio topics. A significant body of work has been done by RSGB volunteers and specialists to prepare for the conference, and the RSGB has submitted ten papers, making it the largest contributor of any of the member societies. The four key areas where the Society will have input are spectrum protection and HF strategy, protecting 430 to 440MHz, IARU Region 1 Governance, and licensing and examinations. The Society would like to thank Spectrum Forum Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB who led the RSGB expert team who prepared the Society's papers for the conference. Murray will attend the conference in person with RSGB Head of Delegation RSGB President Bob Beebe GU4YOX, RSGB HF Manager Ian Greenshields, G4FSU and RSGB Board Director Nathan Nuttall MM9OCC who has been contributing to the international development of youth amateur radio through the IARU Region 1's Youth Committee. For further information about the RSGB's input go to the RSGB Notices section of the Society's website. You can read all the papers submitted for the conference at tinyurl.com/iaru-r1 Are you a radio amateur who is also active within the Scout Association? Would you like to support the RSGB in encouraging Scouts to take part in amateur radio activities through the Scout programme? If so, you could be the next RSGB Youth Champion for Scouts. This exciting volunteer role will build on the success of the current Scout Champion and will be supported in developing and furthering this over time. The Champion will work with Scout groups, the National Radio Scouting Support Unit, and local radio clubs to encourage participation in radio, technology, and STEM activities, and to support young people on their journey towards an amateur radio licence. To apply for this role, first read the full role profile by going to rsgb.org/volunteers  and then email the current RSGB Youth Champion for Scouts Samuel McCutchion, M0UEL via youthchampion.scouts@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for applications is Wednesday the 14th of October 2026. As we get closer to WRC-27, which is the 2027 ITU World Radio Conference, Ofcom has released a consultation for the provisional UK views and positions on the current, and proposed, agenda items. This WRC is notable for a large number of space-related topics, as well as more common items such as spectrum for 6G mobile broadband. This year there are also a record number of proposals for the next conference agenda in 2031. The RSGB has a special focus section on its website which highlights the topics which are of concern to amateur radio, and where the RSGB spectrum team and its IARU colleagues have been preparing for some time. You will find more information at rsgb.org/wrc-27  including a link at the bottom of the page to the Ofcom consultation. The consultation closes on the 24th of November. Don't forget to listen out for all of the stations that are taking part in the 145 Alive activity today, the 13th. Hundreds of operators will be making contacts using 145MHz FM and 144MHz SSB between 12pm and 3pm. For more information, go to the 145 Alive Facebook page or email 145aliveuk@gmail.com Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 13th, Caister Lifeboat Radio Rally is taking place at Caister Lifeboat station, Caister on Sea, NR30 5DJ. The doors are open from 10am to 3pm and entrance is free of charge. For more information, email Zane, M1BFI via m1bfi@outlook.com The Broadcast Engineering Museum has open days on Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th of September from 11am. The museum is located at 41 Capper Avenue, Hemswell Cliff, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 5XS. The museum is home to one of the largest collections of historic broadcasting equipment in the world. For more information visit becg.org.uk/events Now the Special Event news The Turkish Amateur Radio Society will be active with special callsign TC8KHT from Friday the 18th until Sunday the 20th of September. Operators will be on the air to promote the historical and cultural significance of the Neolithic archaeological site Karahan Tepe. Look out for activity on the 80 to 10m bands using CW, FT8 and SSB. Contacts will also be possible via the QO-100 satellite. For more information, visit QRZ.com Special callsign YR100RC is on the air until Wednesday the 30th of September to celebrate 100 years of amateur radio in Romania. Look for activity on the HF bands using a variety of modes. For details of a certificate that is available for working the station, visit tinyurl.com/romania1786 Now the DX news Harald, DF2WO is active as D44TWO from Santiago Island, AF-005, until mid-September. He operates using CW, FT8 and SSB on various bands and via the QO-100 satellite. For more information, visit QRZ.com. QSL via OQRS. Suvarna, OM0GA is active as 9N/OM0GA from Nepal until Saturday the 19th of September.  He operates mainly using CW on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL via OQRS. Now the contest news The Worked All Europe DX SSB Contest started at 0000UTC yesterday, the 12th, and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 13th of September. Using SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Today, Sunday the 13th, the UK Microwave Group Millimetre Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 24 to 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, today, the 13th, the IRTS 70cm Counties Contest runs from 1300 to 1330UTC. Using SSB and FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also give their county. Also, today, the 13th, the IRTS 2m Counties Contest runs from 1330 to 1500UTC. Using SSB and FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. EI and GI stations also give their county. Also, today, the 13th, the Practical Wireless 70MHz Contest runs from 1200 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 15th, the RSGB 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 16th, the RSGB Autumn Series CW Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Thursday the 17th, the RSGB 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Sunday the 20th, the RSGB 70MHz Affiliated Societies Contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, on Sunday the 20th, the British Amateur Radio Teledata Group PSK63 Sprint runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using PSK63 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 10th of September 2026. As we head into September, autumnal HF conditions are fast approaching. We can expect the maximum useable frequency, or MUF, to climb during the day and DX to become more plentiful. However, we are not there yet and it may take a few more weeks before we see much of a change in HF propagation. Meanwhile, solar activity remains quite low, with a solar flux index around 100 to 110. Geomagnetic disturbances are still occurring, but their effects have been minimal. The Kp index rose to 5 on the 8th of September, due to the effects of a coronal hole stream. Luckily, this was short-lived and the following day the Kp index was back to being in the 2 to 3 range. The last four days have seen only minor C-class flares but, with seven sunspot groups visible leading to the risk of solar flares and associated coronal mass ejections, activity remains quite high. MUFs over a 3,000km path have reached 24.9MHz at times, although the 17 and 15m bands have been more usable. Expect the daytime MUF to climb to perhaps 28 or 29MHz by the end of the month. Two coronal holes appear to be developing on the Sun and will become Earth-facing today, the 13th, so there could be a coronal high-speed stream hitting us between tomorrow, the 14th and Wednesday the 16th of September.  DX to be worked next week includes RI1FJZ from Franz Josef Land; V47YA and V47RCX on St Kitts and Nevis, KH8WW from American Samoa; and S79/DL2SBY from the Seychelles. Also, look for PJ2/K5SL from Curaçao from the 18th of September and 8Q7JH in the Maldives from the 20th of September. Next week the Space Weather Prediction Centre forecasts that the solar flux index may remain in the 105 to 115 range. We can expect unsettled geomagnetic conditions from the 14th to the 16th of September. This is possibly due to the coronal hole activity mentioned earlier, with a predicted Kp of 4. Otherwise, the rest of the week may remain calm with a Kp index of 2 to 3. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current spell of changeable autumnal weather looks likely to remain with us for most of the coming week. However, the UK covers a broad span from south to north and some differences will be apparent. We have seen the arrival of some fronts with rain in the south. These will probably be weaker than in northern Britain and with only occasional patches of rain. For the rest of the time, look out for weak ridges of high pressure and periods of tropo into the near continent and possibly south across Biscay to Spain. For the northern half of the country, the weather systems will be more active and tropo will be less likely, but you could find some occasional rain scatter opportunities on the GHz bands. Meteor scatter options are still only available via random activity with no major showers playing a role. The aurora prospects are probably not zero, but recently alerts have been for minor levels of disturbance with a Kp index up to 5, but nothing dramatic on the radio aurora front. However, with it now being autumn, it is always worth monitoring. As we head towards the autumnal equinox on the 23rd of September, it is a good time of the year for aurora if the triggering solar activity is sufficiently strong. EME now, and Moon declination continues to fall until its lowest point around Friday the 18th of September. Meanwhile, path losses continue to rise until apogee, the Moon's furthest point from Earth, also on the 18th of September. Sky noise remains low and then rises again around Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th of September, when the Moon is in Sagittarius. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

In this episode of Wash Talk: The Carwash Podcast, host Kyle Alexander returns with Nautilus co-founders Ali Sareini and Amayr Babar at The Car Wash Show™ for a deeper look at artificial intelligence for carwash operators. Sareini opens by breaking AI adoption into three distinct tiers: consumer-grade tools like ChatGPT used for general guidance; integrated platforms that connect AI directly to a carwash's point of sale data for business-specific insights; and autonomous agents capable of taking action on behalf of the operator.  The conversation covers how both mom-and-pop operators and enterprise chains can benefit from AI. Smaller operators see the biggest early wins from smarter customer communications, better website conversion and timely credit card decline alerts. Enterprise operators benefit most from automated reporting, data anomaly detection and the ability to make pricing decisions backed by real-time trend data across dozens of locations.  Sareini and Babar also discuss why Nautilus relocated from Virginia to San Francisco, highlighting how proximity to Silicon Valley's engineering talent and frontier AI development has allowed the company to bring capabilities to the carwash industry months ahead of what would otherwise be possible. The episode closes with both founders' outlook on the future of AI for carwash operators.

In this episode of The Other Side of Midnight, Walter dives into TikTok algorithm rabbit holes, ham radio enthusiasts, and Canadian rock band nostalgia. UFO researcher Dave Scott joins to dissect Washington's secret "legacy program"—the alleged multi-decade government UFO cover-up that somehow leaves zero paper trail. Later, Walter and late-night callers reminisce about elementary school lunch trauma, from shattered glass thermoses to trading cafeteria cookies like contraband on the playground. Fast, unfiltered, and deeply funny, it's late-night talk radio at its best.

“I've always hated it. This year I made the decision to shut it down.”Can three nine-figure CEOs open up about their priorities, passions, and doubts?Sean Frank (CEO, Ridge), Matt Bertulli (CEO, Pela Case & Lomi), and Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern) sit down for an honest conversation about the pressure of scaling ecommerce brands. They cover decision making, staying passionate, and the whiplash of growing fast. Mike explains why organizations drift toward safe tasks instead of high impact work. Sean recalls shutting down a profitable business line while questioning his passion. Matt contrasts the rhythm of running a bigger company with the grind of building Winks from zero. Same stage of success, but three completely different struggles. Powered By Northbeam https://www.northbeam.io/Saras Analytics https://bit.ly/4a3gzVv  Postscript https://9ops.co/postscript Aftersell https://9ops.co/4i3bb5 Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Fulfil ⁠https://9ops.co/fulfil⁠ Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/ 

Kevin Durkee owns Culinary Adventure Co., which runs six food tours in Toronto. Eighty percent of his guests are local, 99.9 percent book direct, and in fifteen years he has never run an ad, fought for SEO, or opened a Google Analytics account. The industry mantra is that locals do not take tours and that the OTAs own the demand, so Mitch spends much of the hour asking how the business actually works. The short answer is that Kevin sells celebration rather than sightseeing: gift cards, Christmas presents, and a birthday program that gives a guest a free seat when three friends book alongside them.Kevin also refuses to discount in either direction. He pays full price at every one of his forty vendor stops and quotes corporate groups higher when they ask for a break, with a setup fee and built-in gratuity, since the food costs the same in front of four people or forty. Private corporate work now runs thirty to thirty-five percent of annual revenue. He explains the retreat in Madrid that finally pushed his best tour from $119 to $199 with less food on it, and it has since sold better than in any prior year. Operators leave with a way to build a local repeat audience, a position to hold when a buyer pushes on price, and the three years and five cities Kevin spent learning what to cut.Resources:culinaryadventureco.comthiscityisdelicious.comInstagram: @culinaryadvco

AI could be bigger than electricity.Anastasios Angelopoulos is seeing that shift firsthand, with Arena ranking 500+ models and tracking roughly 10 new releases every week.On Grit, he explains why there may never be one dominant AI model and why the API layer may be less sticky than people think.Guest: Anastasios Angelopoulos, Co-Founder and CEO of ArenaConnect with Anastasios AngelopoulosXLinkedIn Connect with MamoonXLinkedInConnect with Joubin:XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow Grit: LinkedInX​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

The episode details a structural shift toward increased automation and integration of AI layers within managed services platforms, raising questions of risk management, transparency, and economic models. Syncro's integration with Anthropic's AI, positioned as a native connector in the Anthropic ecosystem, exemplifies how platform providers are embedding AI to automate routine technical work and streamline technician workflows.Syncro's leadership claims their platform is targeting up to 30% autonomous handling of Level 1 and Level 2 technical tasks by the end of the year and 50% by 2027, according to internal projections. Current reported outcomes show between 15% and 25% of tickets resolved autonomously via guided ticket resolution, with ticket summarization reportedly improving time to action and resolution speeds by up to 50% for some ticket types. The company indicates that economic models are in flux, as large language models are being run at a loss and cost recovery is being managed via credit-based usage tied to task volume.Supporting developments include the persistent gap in adoption: only 5-10% of Syncro partners—primarily larger, more mature MSPs—are actively leveraging these AI-driven features, according to company estimates. There is also ongoing debate about the continued necessity of tickets as a unit of work, with Syncro's product team emphasizing the importance of visibility, measurement, and audit traceability amidst increasing automation.For MSPs and IT leaders, these shifts signal increased vendor dependency and exposure to evolving cost structures related to AI model consumption. There are governance considerations regarding transparency and audit trails for AI-driven operational decisions, and practical questions around adoption readiness, as the efficiency gains are not automatic and depend on proactive enablement. Operators should monitor changing license and consumption models, scrutinize audit and accountability processes, and reassess how automation may alter labor and cost dynamics.Supported by:GoTo(LogMeIn)Proofpoint

At HHN this year, the premium tiers sold out first. Premium Scream Night, a capacity-capped evening at $399 a head, sold out on both of its dates. The R.I.P. guided tour, at $469, has sold out outright, and the only way left to buy that experience is a private booking for $5,000. Six Flags is making the same premium bet with The Conjuring: Beyond Fear while playing the value side at the same time: a low gate for the passholder, scarcity on top for the guest who wants more. Thirteenth Floor is running the haunt-scale version with its Jason walkthrough in nine cities. Operators on both ends have learnings here.In this issue:Halloween Horror Nights 35 Houses, RankedPremium Scream Night: What It's Like and Whether It's Worth ItHHN 35 Food Menu: Every Item, Ranked, With PricesUnmasking the Horror Tour: A Lights-On Look Inside Three HousesJohn Murdy Breaks Down HHN Hollywood's Sinners HouseTim Curry, the Original Pennywise, Has Died at 80Movie Park Germany Adds the First Jason Universe Haunt Outside the U.S.Mickey's Not-So-Scary Adds a Barbossa Show and Haunted Mansion Meet-and-GreetsThe Curse of Camelback Turns a Poconos Waterpark Into a HauntGreen Tagged: Six Flags Moves HQ, Disney Patents Ride AversionsParty City Is Back for Halloween, Inside StaplesTarget Pulls Clown Costume After BacklashPBR's Jason 12-Pack Folds Into a Wearable MaskRead more

What separates a real supplement company from just a good idea? Dr. Todd A. Born (Chief Science Officer, 4POTENTIA) pulls back the curtain on how to enter the supplement industry, showing the Winks team what product development, private label, contract manufacturers, and regulatory compliance (FDA) look like in practice. More than a deep dive into custom formulation, hosts Sean Frank, Matt Bertulli, Mike Beckham, and Curtis Christopherson show you how to apply good manufacturing practices to everything from marketing strategies in health and wellness to minimum order quantities (MOQs) to protect profit margin. Powered By Aftersell https://9ops.co/4i3bb5 Iris https://www.irisfinance.co/operators Skio https://9ops.co/skio-9operators Omnisend https://www.omnisend.com/9operators Richpanel https://www.richpanel.com/demo?utm_source=operators&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=rp2-2026q3 Motion https://9ops.co/motion-runneth Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/ 

College roommates Eric Ongaro and Matt Salts joined forces at RCO Limited, the first Raising Cane's franchise partner. Together, they helped grow the company to nearly 50 Ohio locations and $200 million in annual sales before Raising Cane's bought back the enterprise in late 2021. While scaling RCO, however, the two kept running into development challenges, leading to the creation of an inside operation that ultimately became OLIO Development Group.Today, OLIO works with brands like Cane's, Panda Express, 7 Brew, CAVA, Shake Shack, and more. Ongaro and Salts joined QSR Uncut to discuss their journey and what the state of development looks like for restaurants today.The QSR Evolution Conference is just weeks away. Register here today to secure your spot to network and learn from the top restaurant brands in the country, from Chick-fil-A to White Castle to Shake Shack, Burger King, Texas Roadhouse, and many, many more.

Australia to deploy specialist drone operators to Nepal, The Coalition announces plans to cut the tobacco excise by 80 per cent, Aussie hopeful Alex de Minaur advances to round two of the US Open.

Operators can think of gardens or outdoor spaces as something for Residents to enjoy in warm summer months, but our guest this month has been turning this concept on its head. BALI accredited garden designer and author, Debbie Carroll, of Step-Change Design joins Lori for an in-depth discussion on how care culture can either inhibit or help to engage Residents in the biophilic ‘wins' of the natural environment all year long.

Most operators never learn to fight autopilot, the quiet enemy of excellence.In this episode, Lindsay Smith sits down with Mike Fedorov, COO of Applied AI Labs. With 26 years in operations and supply chain, as a former Accenture Director and Mars operations leader, Mike built his reputation staying on-site, in the detail, close to where the work breaks.He shares his philosophy that a COO's first job is to keep the lights on, and the second is to keep them on better, explaining why flat structures are replacing layers of management, how AI works best as a coordination layer, and the defining power of mentorship in his career.Sponsored by:STS Capital Partners - Your expert guides on the journey to an Extraordinary Exit™. To learn more about STS Capital Partners and how they achieve maximum value by Selling to Strategics™, complete the inquiry form here: https://stscapital.com/coo-alliance/Timestemped Highlights00:00 The Future of Flat Organizational Structures01:44 What Applied AI Labs Does02:38 The COO's Real Job: Keep the Lights On, and Better05:11 A COO Who Watches Two Operations at Once08:08 Scaling After Excelling: The Contractor Approach09:18 Why Flat Structures Are Replacing Layers of Management11:01 What Big Companies Get Right About Operations12:45 Nimbleness vs. Routine: Autopilot as the Enemy of Excellence16:06 How AI Actually Helps Operations: The Coordination Layer18:44 AI as a Copilot, Not a Replacement20:06 AI in Recruiting: What Works and What Fails27:34 Defining Moments: The Power of Mentorship30:52 How to Find and Structure Mentorship38:55 What's Next for Applied AI Labs43:55 Personal Growth: Knowing What You Don't KnowAbout the guestMike has 26 years of experience in operations and supply chain, as a former Accenture Director and, before that, leading operations planning and execution for Mars. He has run and turned around operations for some of the most complex and demanding companies in the world, and has saved major clients that were ready to walk. He leads engagements the way he has always worked: on-site, in the detail, close to the people who know where the work breaks. Operators trust Mike because he has done their job.Mentioned ResourcesMarsAccentureAbout the Co-HostLindsay Smith is an experience-driven growth strategist and former Chief Strategy Officer. She previously scaled a new region without a traditional sales team or bloated marketing budget by turning relationships, culture, and execution into revenue. She is the author of No One Needs Another Company Mug, Stop Branding, Start Experiencing, and helps leadership teams use experience as a competitive growth lever.Important LinksConnect with Cameron: Website | LinkedInExplore the COO Alliance – The World's Leading Community for Seconds in CommandGet Cameron's book: Second in Command, Unleash the Power of Your COO BookClaim your FREE copy: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO BookTake his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off)Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi

On this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Daniel Ceniceros, Founder & CEO of Connect Media, to unpack how commercial real estate is reshaping the restaurant industry. Daniel breaks down why "treasure hunting" retailers like Ross and TJ Maxx are becoming smart anchor tenants, how secondary markets are opening new opportunities for fast casual growth, why shrinking restaurant footprints are the new normal, and why operators no longer need to sign themselves into decade-long leases. The conversation also dives into what's really happening with distressed office and retail properties, the future of vacant malls and big-box space, and what it takes to win a coveted location against bigger national brands.#FastCasualNation #CommercialRealEstate #RestaurantIndustryBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/fast-casual-nation--3598490/support.Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

What does a real product development process look like when 9-figure operators are betting their own money? Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern), Sean Frank (CEO, Ridge), and Curtis Christopherson (Chief Growth Officer, Ammortal) sit down mid-build on Winks, a family sleep supplement, to make product decisions. Go behind the scenes on flavor count, purchase order size, pricing, sourcing, and the supply chain mistake from Trevi that cost hundreds of thousands to fix. This is an actual founder meeting. Recorded, unedited, and real money at stake. Mike breaks down the MOQ math behind every multi-SKU decision. Sean argues for the smallest possible capital bet. Curtis brings the manufacturer's-eye view. It ends with one flavor, $75K inventory budget, and a purchase order due in two weeks. If you're figuring out how to launch a new product from scratch, this episode was made for you. Powered By SARAL https://www.getsaral.com/special-guided-walkthrough-for-operators Shoplift https://shoplift.ai/operators Omnisend https://www.omnisend.com/9operators Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Motion https://9ops.co/motion-runneth Skio https://9ops.co/skio-9operators Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/ 

In this episode, Kyle sits down with Will Stewart of Rightwork on the floor of the National Restaurant Show to talk about an AI operations assistant that finds shift coverage and messages your team for you, and the store-sizing playbook . Will breaks down why he built an AI that takes action instead of just answering questions, and Kyle digs into what actually separates a profitable drive-thru site from one that isn't.Connect with Will on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-stewart-23339b66/Restaurant Real Estate Profitability Calculator:⁠https://calculator-app-softmind-solutions-projects.vercel.app/⁠Email: ⁠kyle@10rep.co⁠ | Instagram: @kyleinserra | LinkedIn: Kyle Inserra |

The central structural shift discussed is the repricing and erosion of the MSP business model as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation impact service delivery, pricing models, and margin structures. Analysis referenced recent polling and reporting, including the Omnia poll of 22,000 MSP partners and Service Leadership's financial benchmarking. The integration of AI is reducing direct labor requirements and shifting traditional cost structures—posing both short-term increases in service margins for top-tier MSPs and complex, longer-term risks to the per-user pricing paradigm. Vendors, such as ConnectWise and RapidScale, are central to these developments, as their platforms, pricing models, and reporting mechanisms increasingly determine downstream MSP economics. Supporting evidence from Service Leadership's recent profitability report shows top quartile MSPs achieved a service multiple of wages (SMW) of 3.01—a level reached previously only during periods of wage collapse. The report also highlights that this margin growth is isolated: while the best-in-class are realizing sharply higher service margins, the median and bottom quartile remain flat. Reporting and analysis attributed this phenomenon to the earliest and most effective adopters of automation, particularly service desk automation aligned with AI, according to theories discussed with Service Leadership and ConnectWise representatives. However, there is a notable lack of definitive causation, as Service Leadership states the link between AI adoption and observed margin increases remains a working theory pending further data. Additional developments reinforce the risk environment. Nearly 43% of surveyed MSPs are actively considering alternatives to per-user pricing, with another 17% acknowledging a need to change their pricing but lacking a defined direction. Industry analysis notes that consumption-based models—such as token-based or outcome-based pricing—present challenges, including unpredictable vendor cost structures and difficulties in measuring actual results achieved. Meanwhile, the risk of vendor-driven reenactment of break-fix economics and cost volatility increases, with some vendors already raising prices significantly to offset their own AI-related costs, pointing toward future margin compression downstream. For MSPs and IT service providers, the operational implications are immediate and material. Providers face growing exposure to pricing and margin risk, especially as clients begin to recognize and challenge efficiency gains achieved by automation. Structurally, there is rising accountability for justifying service costs and delivering new forms of value outside commoditized support. Continued reliance on legacy pricing models without adaptation to AI-driven changes increases the risk of eroded margins or adverse contract negotiations. The most resilient operators will need to stabilize internal cost structures, reconsider client contracts, monitor vendor behavior closely, and prepare for increased customer scrutiny on both cost and deliverables. Supported by: GuardzScalePad

The short-term rental industry is entering a new phase—and the old playbook of growth at all costs may no longer be the answer. In this episode of The STR Data Lab, Jamie Lane sits down with Annie Holcombe and Alex Husner, to unpack how the industry has evolved, what operators have learned from the post-COVID growth boom, and why professionalism isn't necessarily about managing hundreds of properties. From individual hosts to large property managers, success increasingly comes down to building sustainable operations, delivering great guest experiences, and understanding what actually drives profitability.The conversation also dives into some of the biggest forces reshaping the industry: AI, property management technology, local vs. national brands, and the changing relationship between operators and OTAs. Alex and Annie share their perspectives on where AI is already making an impact, why smaller operators may actually be better positioned to adopt new technology, and how property managers can balance direct bookings with the reach of OTAs and emerging AI-driven search. They also explore what professionalization really means—and why the industry needs to do a better job of bringing newer and smaller operators into the broader conversation.The future of STR is changing quickly—and you don't want to miss this episode!Key TakeawaysGrowth isn't the only measure of success: Sustainable operations, stronger margins, and better owner and guest experiences can be more valuable than simply adding units.Professionalization is about fundamentals: Strong accounting, guest safety, consistent service, profitability, and intentional operations matter more than hitting a specific property count.AI adoption will depend on the operator: Smaller businesses may have an advantage because they can implement new tools without having to overhaul a massive existing tech stack.Local expertise still matters: The future may be less about choosing between local and national models and more about combining local market knowledge with the efficiencies of scale.Marketing is becoming more complex: Operators need to think beyond individual OTAs and direct bookings, with SEO, reviews, social content, repeat guests, and AI-driven discovery all becoming part of the demand-generation strategy.Sign up for AirDNA for FREE

What if one of your greatest opportunities to improve restaurant profit has nothing to do with raising prices or cutting costs? Greg Vojnovic of The Melt joins Roger to reveal the restaurant profit strategy many operators overlook: building a culture and operation their people can execute successfully. In this episode, discover: • Why financial metrics are often lagging indicators • How operational complexity hurts execution • Why The Melt avoids constantly adding limited-time offers • How cross-training improves labor efficiency • Why strong restaurant cultures retain better employees • How The Melt develops leaders from within • How one location grew from $1.5 million to $6.1 million in annual sales Profitability is not created only in a spreadsheet. It begins with your people, leadership, culture and consistent daily execution. Learn more and join the Restaurant Academy: https://www.restaurantrockstars.com/joinacademy CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMelt/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themelt/ Website: https://www.themelt.com

This episode contains adult content that is inappropriate for younger audiences and may be difficult for even adults to hear. Please proceed with caution. In today's episode, I cover my reflections on the Lindsay Clancy trial. Why has this tragic case captured the attention of women (and mothers) everywhere? What does this case have to show us about how we treat women / mothers in our culture? What do mothers and artists have in common? How can artists (and mothers) get the support they need and deserve so they can continue bringing life and beauty to this world? I explore all of this and more. ***If you or anyone you know is struggling with your mental health, you need to know that help is available. You can call the national suicide and crisis hotline by dialing 988 on your phone. Operators are available to take your call around the clock. If you’re interested in learning more about the workshop Ruthie and I are teaching together, you can check it out HERE. (ruthielindsey.com/the-river) If you’re still not sure if this is for you, shoot a quick note to ruthielassistant@gmail.com for a free 20 minute explore call w/ Ruthie. Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most passive investors focus on finding the next deal. Chad Ackerman says the better place to start is understanding yourself as an investor. Description The passive investing world has changed dramatically over the past few years. Operators have been tested, markets have shifted, and investors have become more cautious. In this episode of The Property Profits Podcast, Dave Dubeau sits down with Chad Ackerman to discuss what limited partners should be learning before investing in another syndication. Chad shares how he transitioned from a corporate career into full time passive investing and now coaches investors on building an investment strategy that fits their goals instead of chasing every opportunity. One of the biggest lessons from the conversation is the importance of defining your investor identity. Chad explains how understanding your goals, risk tolerance, and preferred investment timeline helps investors quickly recognize opportunities that fit and avoid those that do not. Key Topics Why passive investing matched Chad's lifestyle better than active investing Lessons learned from investing in the wrong first deal What investor identity means and why it matters How to evaluate syndication opportunities more effectively Why bonus depreciation is worth understanding How today's market has made operator selection easier Guest Information Chad Ackerman Website: chadackermanrealestate.com/start Starter Kit for Passive Investors Call to Action Connect with Chad and download his Passive Investor Starter Kit at: chadackermanrealestate.com/start Subscribe to The Property Profits Podcast for more conversations with experienced real estate professionals. Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/property-profits-real-estate-podcast/id1445202

Two days of operator meetings in Melbourne shape the WOMA 2027 agenda, from performance upgrades and cable faults to foundations and bolts. The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast is brought to you by Weather Guard Lightning Tech, creators of the StrikeTape Ultra LPS retrofit. Subscribe to Uptime’s Substack newsletter. And check out Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” Youtube channel. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! Allen Hall: Welcome to the Uptime Wind Energy podcast. I’m your host, Allen Hall. I’m here with Matthew Stead and Rosemary Barnes. And Rosemary, where are we?  Rosemary Barnes: We’re in Melbourne, and we have been visiting future attendees and sponsors and people interested in, in the event to see what topics that we should be talking about. What are the hot topics of the moment?  Allen Hall: Which is a very interesting two days, Matthew, in that, uh, we h- did meet with a number of operators based in Australia, but, uh, they’re also very worldly. They have talked to companies all over about operations and, and maintenance, and there are some really eye-opening topics- Mm that will be- Mm … at WOMA 2027 this year.  Matthew Stead: Yeah. The thing that was interesting for me was [00:01:00]that actually the topics have changed each year. So, um, they’re evolving and the industry’s continuing to, to do better, and so that, that was really interesting. Performance upgrades was probably one of the big areas of, of new interest, I think. I think we heard with the pressure on pricing, uh, the market and so forth, you know, that, that 1% or 2% now is becoming more important. Um, so I think, uh, upgrades will definitely feature quite a lot. Um, balance of plant was also a big topic. Um, you just can’t ig- ignore the, um, transmission, you can’t ignore the transformers, you can’t ignore, uh, condensers and all these sorts of things, so yeah. Rosemary Barnes: Cables.  Matthew Stead: Cables.  Rosemary Barnes: Terminations. Terminations of cables. Specifically raised several times.  Allen Hall: Yep. Yeah. It’s all about being more efficient, uh, getting more production, and then with the PPA prices, uh, that are changing-  Matthew Stead: Mm …  Allen Hall: rapidly, uh, everybody is paying more attention to the bottom line.  Matthew Stead: Mm, mm.  Allen Hall: Absolutely. There, there’s less cash running around, uh, chasing new development. It’s [00:02:00] more of a focus on making sure your, at least your existing assets are performing as, as well as they can be- Mm … which then opens up the, uh, Pandora’s box of opportunity. Mm. Because there are 1%’s all around a wind turbine. More specifically, uh, all the drive train issues, the blade issues, the generator issues, and even going into the substation. Mm. I, I was really shocked on BOP e- the, the one topic that came up, uh, yesterday and today was buried cables. Mm. Like-  Matthew Stead: Faults …  Allen Hall: faults.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. Junctions. Finding- Yeah … finding faults and what to do about them. Yeah. Yeah. But I think in addition to just wanting more revenue, I think people have, are getting more sophisticated about what actually matters and then the finances. You know, everyone’s focused so much on availability, and now people- Mm … are like, okay, yeah, like once you’re at a certain level of availability, gets harder and harder to get more. And actually, you know, not all availability is equal. Is good. It, it [00:03:00] depends. Yeah. Yeah, like you wanna, um, you wanna focus on how much you’re generating at the times when electricity prices are high specifically, which usually means during lower wind speed periods. Yeah. Which is actually good because that matches really well with what is actually possible. It’s, it’s hard to get more power out of the turbine if it’s at, you know, its rated power, then you’re not g- More efficiency is not gonna get you any more, um, power output, whereas lower in the power curve- Mm … um, when wind speeds are lower, there’s less electricity in the grid and so prices are higher. And so- Mm … yeah, I mean, that’s, that’s why people are really asking to know more about what efficiency upgrades are possible, better ways to operate, scheduled maintenance, um, all those sorts of things. Mm. So that will be really interesting.  Matthew Stead: Raising the bar on sophistication. Um, but also life extension  Allen Hall: Yes, a lot of discussion about life extension  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah, end of life and life extension End of life Yeah, um-  Matthew Stead: Foundations, structures Which is  Allen Hall: tied to PPA. Mm. A lot of that [00:04:00] discussion I, at least I looked at it as, uh, if I had a PPA and I can continue with that PPA with an existing turbine, I want to do that. Mm,  Matthew Stead: mm,  Allen Hall: mm. But how do I do that and how do I know that that existing turbine can last another five years? It seemed to go in five-year blocks, like can we get to another five years and then another and then, then another. Wow.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. Once you get to 20, 20, 25 years, I think people like, uh, they, you know- It’s getting a little- Their original agreement might have been for 20, then they kind of just assume that there will be another five, and then after that they’re- Yeah … kind of reassessing cyclically and yeah, I know that people make plans for, you know, what components are replaceable, what would they have to get in, and I think that sometimes, uh, people doing those plans aren’t as familiar with the, you know, actual technical issues that are being faced. Like, is a blade a replaceable component? It may be early on in the life it sort of is, not easily, but you know, like a 25-year-old wind turbine, you know, good luck trying to order 10 new blades because you’ve got a, you know, an issue that’s-  Allen Hall: Oh, well you, you need to read the news. Did you [00:05:00] see the news today about, uh, the, the wooden wind turbine blades as a replacement for aged blades? That, that’s happening- … in real time, Rosa.  Rosemary Barnes: Okay. I know they- Yeah. Yep, yep. Okay. Okay. So that, that’s, that’s good. Making carbon new blade. E- even so, I don’t think that they’re- Okay. … gonna be, like, super-duper cheap, so you’re still gonna wanna be, um, doing a trade-off between y- you know, like, what kind of repairs. You might be able to change the way you’re operating to reduce loads. Um, you might be able to monitor to make sure that your blades are safe. You know, if you know that there’s an issue, um, you just wanna get some advanced warning before blades start falling off your, your tower. Mm. You know, and then you can push it further. Yeah. Whereas if you’ve got no information, then you have to be conservative and shut it down. Yeah. So yeah, I think there’s a whole lot that can be g- can be done there in that area.  Matthew Stead: There was a point that came up today, which I think was close to your heart, on, you know, if you’re going to be going for 1% or 2% or 0.5% AEP improvement, how do you actually measure that and how do you set up a proper experiment? So-  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah …  Matthew Stead: I, I, I love that topic. [00:06:00] Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. No, it’s one that I, um, yeah, I deal with m- my clients I, I’m often… It’s one of the things that Pablo really loves to do, is to organize trials of that nature of new technologies and see if they work. But, um, yeah, asset managers are usually very, uh, focused on fast results. You know, they’ve got a, a big problem and they want a solution now, so they wanna just roll out the new technology over an entire wind farm. But if you do that, then it’s almost impossible. Unless you get, like, a huge benefit, like, uh, 10% gains or, you know, like reduce your failures by 50% or more, it’s really hard to actually- Mm pick that out if you just replace everything. Mm. Whereas if you do a really, really good, um, trial plan- Systematic. Yeah … and you match pairs very well so that you have, you know, a control for each turbine and there’s- so many variables in a wind farm. It’s not, it’s not as easy as just, like, randomly choosing 50% to do and not do. Mm. Mm. Mm. Like, you have to, you know, put some work into the trial design, and then, you know, like, do your statistical calculations ahead of time to know how long it’s gonna take you to get s- statistical [00:07:00]significance. So then you don’t just have a gut feeling about- Yep … how something went. You’ve actually got numbers, and then you can take those numbers to, you know, other wind farms that you’ve got- Yeah and, and know what’s going on much better.  Matthew Stead: Worst study is an inconclusive study.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. Yeah, that’s true. Definitely.  Allen Hall: Well, that comes back to the data analysis- Mm … which a lot of operators mentioned, and how much data there is and what to do with it, and it did seem like a couple of operators have chosen some AI tools, varying degrees, all the way down from Microsoft Copilot to something much more complicated. Uh, but I think there’s, uh, getting that d- to the last 1, 2, 3%, you’re going to need those tools- Absolutely … because what do you choose? Do you choose a blade? Do you choose a gearbox? Do you choose a generator? Do you go to the substation to get that percentage point or two Without having some really powerful tools- Mm. you may be wasting your time [00:08:00] and money.  Matthew Stead: Mm.  Allen Hall: Which is a, a, a very interesting, uh, aspect to wind energy because it’s such an industrial business that, uh, we haven’t used heavy computational tools, uh, un- until really now.  Matthew Stead: Mm.  Allen Hall: And maybe Australia’s at the forefront because of the PPA and negative pricing is that that will, uh, actually lead an industry. Because I haven’t seen a lot of that being used globally. Mm. So this is the first time an operator- Mm … that I’ve talked to has said, “We’re using it.”  Matthew Stead: Yeah. It’s quite a different discussion, um, I think, you know, this year compared to previous years in that I think in the past it was getting to know what’s possible, but now it’s like real case studies are coming through. And a few of the people had some really good examples that we can talk about at the conference as to how they’ve actually been helped and how they did this and what the outcome was. I think, yeah, that would be really great content on that.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. I think it’s gonna be a good mix of people who have used third party tools and have experience with it, people that are doing it in-house and can share- Mm some of the kinds of results- Mm … that, that you can get just from analyzing your own- Mm … [00:09:00] SCADA data. Um, people talking about how they get the data that they want. Mm. ‘Cause it’s not always so easy. You would think that, you know, you own a wind turbine, you have a right to have all of the data that comes through it, but it’s not. Um, even if you do technically have a right, it’s, uh, it, it’s harder to actually get it than you might think. Mm. So yeah, sharing all, all those kinds of things. But I think also, like just as important as talking about the successes is talking about the, the gaps that– people still feel lots of gaps. Like, okay, we’ve got all the data, we’re collecting it. We know that there’s so much potential here- Mm … but we don’t really- Mm … know what we can do, or it’s hard for us to, you know- Mm … make headway in this particular pain point. And that is really useful for companies that are developing tools to know what are the, the problems. Mm. Because then they can e- you know, they’re well placed to fix them. Allen Hall: Mm. Which leads to the discussion we had with the operators and, uh, some of the suppliers for WOMA 2027. There’s a lot of interest. And as we’re sitting in the conference rooms, I’m thinking, we may not have enough room to [00:10:00] seat everybody. Uh, the WOMA 2027 website is up and running, and you can register now. So just go to woma2027.com and get started there. At the same point, we’ve had a lot of contact with, uh, pretty much everybody that wants to sponsor the event, and there’s only a limited number of ways to sponsor. So if you’re interested in doing that, you, you need to go to woma2027.com and look at those, uh, part- particular packages and see what- Mm fits your, your business. Uh- Going back to some of the, the comments we were just discussing downstairs about what we heard at 2026, like, which is only a couple of months ago, right? It’s back in February this year. Uh, there’s, they’re still discussing what happened at WOMA 2026- Mm. Which was very fascinating- Mm because I think Rosemary, you and I have been to conferences that I have not thought an iota … about what happened at those conferences. Just nothing interesting does occur. There’s no new, new information, there’s [00:11:00] no new science, there’s no new operator approaches.  Rosemary Barnes: Mm.  Allen Hall: But we’re gonna see a number of those- Yeah. Mm … come next March.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. Well, I think it’s partly because I don’t know what other conference organizers do, but, you know, we’ve had a exhausting few days here. You’ve come all the way from America, obviously, and, and Claire as well, also come over, our producer. Um, so, y- you know, like, we’re working really hard to make sure that the topics… Like, it’s not an accident that the topics are ones that people are talking about later, because we come here to make sure that we get the right topics. And it’s not just these meetings as well. People get in touch, and- Mm … anybody watching, listening, who has, you know, something that they wanna talk about, then definitely, you know, send us a message, and yeah, we’re working on the agenda. We’ll, we’ll have a draft agenda in the next couple of weeks based on what we’ve learned here, but then we’ve got the hard job of it’s not just that you have a really interesting topic, you need to have a really great speaker- Yeah … or several really great speakers, usually covering several different aspects of the problem. You know, maybe it’s, uh, yeah, an asset [00:12:00] owner, an OEM, and some, some technology provider, you know, all together giving different, um, yeah, perspectives. That’s, I think, what makes a really great session. Mm. So yeah, we need the ideas for the sessions, and we also need the ideas for great speakers.  Matthew Stead: Yeah.  Rosemary Barnes: Right. Matthew Stead: Yeah. I think we’ve, we’ve already matched a few of those dots, so- Yeah … I, we’ve heard people asking for certain topics they wanna hear about, and then we’ve heard other operators saying, “Well, this is what we could talk about.” So I think we’ve already-  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah, yeah … got some great  Matthew Stead: progress.  Rosemary Barnes: It was, it was interesting ’cause we, we built up a list of, you know-  Matthew Stead: Yeah Rosemary Barnes: frequently raised topics, and then you’d say it to the next person that you went to- Mm … and they’re like, “Oh, that’s not a problem for us because we’ve done X, Y, Z.” And you’re like, “Okay. Well, excellent. You can, you can present the solutions that we know that other people- Yeah. Yes … are, are looking for.” Yeah. So it has been… Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it’s definitely worthwhile coming, as, as tiring as it is. Yeah. Um, definitely worthwhile, and we’ll get a much better agenda for the- Yeah … for the effort.  Matthew Stead: And I think, I mean, it has been tiring. Um, but what, what made it for me was one of the operators said that [00:13:00] this is the only conference they will go to So I think, I think we’re doing the right thing. Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. Yeah. I, I think so. I understand too, like, you know, all of us, we kind of are forced to go to events because that’s where our, our clients and customers are, and so you need to see them. And yeah, like I’ve even gone to the extent of some events where I don’t particularly like the event, but I know everyone’s going. Mm. I just go and sit near the event for a couple of days and meet people at a cafe. So yeah, like we can’t get away from it. But if you’re an asset manager or, um, yeah, somebody in that kind of type of work, like you’ve got better things to do than listen to sales pitches aggressively thrown at you that aren’t relevant- Yeah to what you’re doing. So, um, yeah. Like I, I definitely love to hear that kind of feedback- Yeah … and wanna make sure that we get it every, every year. Like that’s- It’s, it’s  Matthew Stead: encouraging.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah … yeah, that’s, that’s the point of the conference, so.  Matthew Stead: Yeah.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah.  Matthew Stead: The other big topic was we would really love more OEM involvement. Um-  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. Everybody wants more- … a lot of the operators- … OEM involvement- Yeah … all of the asset owners.  Matthew Stead: Yeah.  Rosemary Barnes: Like we want to [00:14:00] hear from OEMs more, have them there. Um, so yeah, we’re, we’ll be trying to To get those sorted  Allen Hall: Well, WOMA is a global conference, although it’s Australia-based and there’s a, a number of Australian operators. There are Danish, Americans, uh, plenty of Europeans. Uh, we’re gonna see some from Southeast Asia, I think, this year. Mm-hmm. And, and Japan hopefully will come. Uh, because it’s a, it’s a global conference, there’s global knowledge- Mm … and wind is such a big industry. You may not have the solution in the United States, it may be sitting in Australia, and we need to exchange those ideas. Mm. And that, that’s the point. So w- we are continuing to look for those world experts as we have received all the inputs of these are all the topics we wanna go hear about. Great. Now it’s on us three to go find some of those world experts and, and try to get them to Melbourne. Yeah. And I, I think that’s a great opportunity. So if we do call you and ask you to participate in WOMA [00:15:00] 2027, please take it seriously because- Mm … you will be bombarded with great questions- Mm … and contacts and information. Uh, it’s an event you won’t wanna miss. Yeah. And- But I would- … there’s opportunity there.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. I’d say we’re, we’re prioritizing OEMs, um, to, to get more participation, ideally to speak, but at least to be there. And we have heard from multiple asset owners in Australia that they want, they, they want to know what are some of the upgrades that they can do- Yeah … that you’re offering. They wanna know what’s coming next in terms of technology. They wanna know what are some of the non-Western options. So, you know, like it would be great to get some Chinese wind turbine, um, manufacturers as well. Like, they want all this information. They don’t want a slick sales brochure pitch that doesn’t give them any technical information. So we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to get, you know, some technical people to speak on, yeah, what are the upgrades you offer and how does it work- Mm-hmm … and show us a case study that demonstrates the improvements. Um, ’cause that [00:16:00] sometimes is really hard to get out of- Mm … out of OEMs. You know, that, “We’ve got this thing, it’s so amazing, you should get it.” Okay, well, what’s the business case for it? “Oh, well, we don’t have any numbers. Just trust us.”  Matthew Stead: Yeah.  Rosemary Barnes: Um, it’s so common to get a pitch like that. So yeah, any, any OEM that has any- anything like that, either for the next generation of wind turbines or for upgrading the current fleet, yeah, if you’re willing to bring the data, then people, they are desperate to hear this information. Allen Hall: Mm.  Matthew Stead: Yeah. That came up so many times.  Rosemary Barnes: Mm.  Allen Hall: So what were the other, uh, topics that we’re… I’m just not thinking off the top of my head. I know foundations came up quite a bit- Foundations, yeah … which was an odd one, I think, because we haven’t seen that a lot in Australia. Yeah. But this year, foundations, foundations, foundations. Basically, the health of foundations. Yeah.  Matthew Stead: Yeah. I think really there was a lifting of the maturity. Um, I think the topics were sort of showing that, you know, Maslow’s hierarchy and moving into the more of optimization rather than making do, and I think life extension around the foundations was a, a really good example of that. Allen Hall: And bolts.  Matthew Stead: Bolts? Yeah, bolts.  Allen Hall: [00:17:00] Everybody said bolts. Bolts.  Matthew Stead: Bolts.  Allen Hall: You think the world’s simplest device, we’ve been making bolts for nearly 1,000 years or at least a couple hundred. But it does- And, you know- … come up quite often … cable, cable  Matthew Stead: terminations, again, some really  Rosemary Barnes: basic- Yeah, that, really specific ones that were raised multiple times. Yeah. Um, yeah, which, which is great- Yeah … ’cause it gives us a good direction to go. But I do love how it changes so much every year- Yeah … ’cause it makes me feel like, okay, yeah, like we’re actually, you know, it’s worthwhile, um, putting on another event. Mm. Um, not just recording one event and then just, you know, like replaying that every year or something. Re-educating.  Allen Hall: Yeah. Well, I, I think there’s a learning exercise that has happened over the past two years where people now are knowledgeable about those things we talked about- Mm … two years ago. Uh, was it, was it even two years ago? It was a year and a half ago when we first started this, so we’re, we’re not that deep into it. Although our third conference will be next March, uh, you just see more energy, more industry knowledge in some of the references that I heard, uh, in terms of other companies and the approaches they’re taking clearly came from WOMA.  Matthew Stead: Yeah.  Rosemary Barnes: Mm.  Matthew Stead: Yeah,  Allen Hall: yeah. Which is, which is [00:18:00] fascinating. Yeah. That’s  Rosemary Barnes: good. I mean, we want- It, it is  Allen Hall: sticking Rosemary Barnes: we want tech conferences to get better, right? That was the- No … the reason why we, uh, we started this conference was ’cause we didn’t think that it was sufficient, what we had available. So, you know, it’s not a bad thing if other conferences, um, get better. Yeah. Yeah. We should also mention that blades were, were raised a fair bit. We talked so much about blades in the previous years, and we will be talking about blades a lot again, including we’ve got a master class on the Friday. Uh, it’s… Yeah, we’ll go back to some of the basics about how the composite materials work and how a blade is designed and certified and manufactured, and, um- Lightning. Y- yeah, yeah, a little, a little bit about lightning. Um, I don’t wanna cover it too much because we did the master class on lightning- Right … last year. Mm. Um, yeah. And yeah, some of the common damage methods anyway. And of course- Mm … yeah, lightning is probably the most- … common, or I guess leading edge erosion is the most, and then lightning would be the most expensive. Um, yeah, so we’ll be, we’ll be covering all that and just try and raise the knowledge level a little bit, um, for [00:19:00] everybody to… It’s a very complicated kind of, uh, yeah, component.  Matthew Stead: Yeah.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah.  Matthew Stead: And workshops. So each year we’ve run sort of workshops or roundtables or whatever, so we’re still thinking about the format for them, but, um, thinking about how we’ll reintroduce them again this year. You know, specific topics, specific questions, specific answers.  Rosemary Barnes: Mm.  Allen Hall: And the three of us will be in Hamburg in a couple of weeks at Wind Energy Hamburg, so if you see us and you’re interested in coming to Australia, that’s the place to grab us and- Yep … and shake us and say, “I wanna go to Australia. How do I do it?” Rosemary Barnes: Mm.  Allen Hall: Uh, yeah. Yeah.  Rosemary Barnes: Especially if you’ve got a, a t- technology that addresses some of those specific issues that we’ve mentioned- Mm … then, um, yeah, just know ahead of time that Australia needs, needs more information and more, um, solutions available to them. So, yeah. And  Matthew Stead: that reminds me, we had a really discussion a- around safety and, you know, reasonable and [00:20:00] practicable, and discussion around all the lessons learned about how… or what is best practice on a site, what is best practice about how to manage risks and-  Rosemary Barnes: Mm.  Matthew Stead: Yeah. Yeah. I know you, you, you enjoyed that one.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah, yeah, definitely. And we’re not talking about, like, safety the- Ear muffs or hats. The, um, rou- Yeah, the routine safety that if you- The goggles, yeah … yeah, trip over and graze your knee, then you need to let the site supervisor know. You, you know, it’s not that stuff, ’cause sites have that under control. That’s a given, yeah. Or at least the ability to get that under control. We’re talking about the bigger- Yeah … bigger things, you know. Like, uh, is there a issue that is causing blades to fall off turbines every now and then? Is there an issue that, uh, can lead to, you know, a fire? I, I think everyone, like- Yeah … a big fear of everybody’s. There’s never been, um, in Australia at least, there’s never been a wind turbine fire that has caused a bush fire, but it is a possibility, and it would be so bad for the industry. So, you know, it’s those things- Mm … that could be just terrible, preventing those before they happen. Mm. So that’s the kind of safety that we’re gonna mainly focus on. Mm. Although, you know, we’re not gonna [00:21:00] turn down questions on, um, some of the smaller stuff as well.  Matthew Stead: Yeah.  Rosemary Barnes: Mm.  Matthew Stead: And we even thought about getting some lawyers-  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah …  Matthew Stead: you missed out on this discussion, Rosie. Okay.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah.  Matthew Stead: So  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. Lawyers, this is news to me. Well, I mean, are we talking contracts or, um-  Matthew Stead: No, no … no … it’s really operations. I mean- Right … the environmental, um, issues- Oh yeah … the operational issues. Mm. You know, there’s, there’s a few things in there that the lawyers can add.  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah. I mean- … I’ve, I constantly find myself having to interpret, you know, legal, um, legal text and also anticipate, you know, it’s one thing about what’s the right engineering, but then there is also the legal interpretation of it- Yeah uh, as well, you know, in terms of contract law, but then also in, in terms of safety. Yeah. Um, yeah. Was this certification done correctly? You know- Yeah … that’s got some legal aspect to it. So yeah, that- Yeah … makes sense to me. Insurance is another one where I would say- Yeah, actually that came up … you know, like some, some people might think that that doesn’t sound interesting, but yeah, in- insurance is the other-  Matthew Stead: Mm Rosemary Barnes: aspect that you [00:22:00] just can’t, um, you can’t get away from it. Like, you can’t just think that you’re, you’re doing your engineering without bothering about Mm … yeah, like finance and law and, um, and insurance. Those are things that- Mm … you spend a lot of time thinking about.  Matthew Stead: Yeah. Mm. And I guess we would also love to hear, you know, about potential speakers, but we’d also love to hear any other topics that people are attending and want to know about as well. Rosemary Barnes: Mm-hmm.  Allen Hall: Absolutely. And if you haven’t registered for WOMA 2027, which will be March 3rd through 5th at the Pullman in East Melbourne, right? East Melbourne, yeah. They just redefined it. It’s Pullman in East Melbourne. Uh, go ahead and go to woma2027.com and register now. Uh, Matthew and Rosemary, it’s great to see you in person again, and we’ll see you in a couple of weeks, uh, hopefully in, in Germany. Rosemary Barnes: Mm.  Allen Hall: Very [00:23:00] exciting.

What kind of founder walks away from a multi-billion-dollar fintech company to start building rockets?Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of Robinhood, joins Joubin Mirzadegan to talk about life after one of the most consequential companies in modern finance, and why he's now betting on Cowboy Space Corporation, an orbital infrastructure company building AI data centers that ride to space inside its own rockets."I still have that dog in me," he says.Baiju opens up about building alone for the first time in 15 years and what he learned about product-market fit while scaling Robinhood through its most chaotic years.Connect with Baiju:XLinkedInConnect with Joubin:XLinkedIn​Email: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow Grit on LinkedInX​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

“We've done it before. Can we do it again?” Five executives put half a million dollars on the line to start a new ecommerce brand. Operators Build follows every step, in public. You get the math, the disagreements, and the cost of launching an online business in 2026. This is not dropshipping. We bought inventory, formed an LLC, and registered our domain name: https://getwinks.com The plan? Shopify and paid social (Meta) with online marketplaces like Amazon and new channels like TikTok added as the numbers earn it. Powered By Skio https://9ops.co/skio-9operators Aftersell https://9ops.co/4i3bb5 Omnisend https://www.omnisend.com/9operators SARAL https://calendly.com/maxx-getsaral/operators Motion https://9ops.co/motion-runneth Shoplift https://shoplift.ai/operators Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/ Curtis covers the category and the year they spent on the product + inventory management (sourcing, co-manufacturer, 3PL). Sean frames subscriptions and the CAC goal. Cody runs email and social-media marketing with AI to keep OpEx low. Mike pushes for constraints while Matt argues for high conviction, one big bet.

Before Brian Alfaro helped raise more than $20 million for real estate, his first partnership attempt raised exactly $0. In this episode, Brian breaks down what went wrong on that failed raise — no positioning, no systems, no way for investors to trust him — and how spending the next 11 months building the right infrastructure led to a $1.2 million raise on the very next deal. Through his company, KeelBridge, Brian now helps real estate sponsors and syndicators build the positioning, systems, and strategy they need to raise capital consistently instead of just once. He shares how new capital raisers can "borrow somebody else's credibility" by aligning with experienced mentors and operators, why he believes capital tends to follow confident people, and how discovering an investor's true motivation — cash flow, tax savings, or community impact — is the difference between a pitch that lands and one that falls flat. Brian also opens up about the mistakes he made chasing quick flips with floating-rate debt, what he'd do differently if he could restart his journey, and why he believes real estate has always been, and should remain, a long-term wealth-building tool. If you're trying to raise your first dollar or your next ten million, this conversation is a blueprint for doing it the right way. Five key takeaways:Systems beat hustle. Brian's partner raised $0 with no positioning or systems in place; after 11 months of building real capital-raising infrastructure, they raised over $1.2 million on the very next deal — proof that consistency requires a repeatable process, not luck.Borrow credibility until you build your own. New capital raisers without a track record can lean on mentors and experienced partners, telling investors "I'm surrounded by people who've raised over $100 million" rather than pretending to be the expert themselves.Confidence attracts capital. Brian believes capital tends to follow confident people first — being convicted about what you're doing matters even before you've closed your first deal.Match the pitch to the investor's real motivation. Whether someone wants cash flow, tax savings, or community impact, discovering that motivation on a discovery call and speaking directly to it beats reciting IRR and cash-on-cash numbers nobody asked about.Communication is what protects trust after the check clears. Consistent updates, full transparency even with bad news, and staying in touch the same way you did before the investment are what separate sponsors investors reinvest with from the ones they never hear from again.About Tim MaiTim Mai is a real estate investor, fund manager, mentor, and founder of HERO Mastermind for REI coaches.He has helped many real estate investors and coaches become millionaires. Tim continues to help busy professionals earn income and build wealth through passive investing.He is also a creative marketer and promoter with incredible knowledge and experience, which he freely shares. He has lifted himself from the aftermath of war, achieving technical expertise in computers, followed by investment success in real estate, management skills, and a lofty position among real estate educators and internet marketers.Tim is an industry leader who has acquired and exited well over $50 million worth of real estate and is currently an investor in over 2700 units of multifamily apartments.Connect with TimWebsite: Capital Raising PartyFacebook: Tim Mai | Capital Raising Nation Instagram: @timmaicomTwitter: @timmaiLinkedIn: Tim MaiYouTube: Tim Mai

Jacob Kosior has over ten years of experience in the multifamily housing industry, spanning operations, marketing, and centralization efforts across conventional, student housing, affordable housing, and build-to-rent communities. He previously served as Vice President of Centralized Services at Cardinal Group Management and has held leadership positions with BH Management, The Dinerstein Companies, and CA Ventures. In 2022, while founding a centralized services team at Cardinal Group, Jacob began testing AI tools across the housing space and co-developed a delinquency AI product for rent collection with the EliseAI team. Today he is at EliseAI, where he works with operators of all sizes to implement AI tools, manage the change required for the technology to stick, and rethink how work gets structured across a portfolio. In this episode, Jacob Kosior breaks down how multifamily operators are actually deploying AI, where to start, and what agentic AI changes about the way workflows get built. Drawing on a decade in operations before moving to the technology side, Jacob explains why leasing is the natural entry point, why speed is becoming the metric that matters more than conversion rate alone, and why owners who call their own properties tend to misjudge voice AI. He and John also work through the harder question operators face once automation is in place: what the human team should be doing instead.     Make sure to download our free guide, 7 Questions Every Passive Investor Should Ask, here.     Key Takeaways Start with leasing, where the tasks are repetitive and already documented Build AI workflows on the same follow-up cadence you train your onsite teams on Track speed alongside conversion rates, because faster cycles compound Decide where human touchpoints serve the customer, not just the org chart Redeploy the hours AI frees up into experience or revenue generating work Ask questions early, since lacking internal AI talent is the most common barrier     Topics From Operations to the Technology Side Jacob spent over a decade in multifamily operations before moving into AI Founding a centralized services team at Cardinal Group in 2022 pushed him to demo every tool available He co-developed a delinquency AI tool and a centralized call center product with EliseAI before joining the company What Agentic AI Actually Changes Generative AI answers prompts; agentic AI follows a workflow toward a defined goal Goals map to work teams already do: book the tour, collect the rent, sign the renewal Operators now control the steps the AI follows, mirroring how they train staff onsite Why Leasing Is the Place to Start Leasing represents the repetitive, high-volume work teams handle every day The old five point follow-up has become 8 to 9 touches per prospect to convert AI works the weekend leads so agents start Monday on tours instead of backlog Who EliseAI Serves The platform crossed 6 million units earlier this year, roughly 1 in 6 US apartments Clients range from top 50 operators to regional operators with a few hundred units Over a billion AI conversations give the platform context on industry edge cases Speed as the Metric Owners Miss The industry tracks conversion rates closely and speed almost not at all A 20% lead-to-tour rate achieved in two hours beats the same rate in two days An assistant manager calls one delinquent resident at a time; AI calls the building Faster cycles give owners earlier visibility into collections, renewals, and leasing velocity Rethinking the ROI Question Operators who never calculated the ROI of a leasing agent struggle to value the AI doing that work The 2025 conversation was about ROI; the 2026 conversation is about creating value Freed capacity opens the door to restructuring teams, not just cutting tasks Deciding Where Humans Step In Human Touch Automations let operators choose where staff enter the customer journey One example is a personal call two hours before a scheduled tour The test is whether the customer wants that touchpoint, not whether the team is used to it Automating administrative work finally gives teams room to deliver the service they advertise The Voice AI Misconception Owners calling their own properties judge voice AI against old press-one phone trees Consumers using AI daily are increasingly comfortable talking to it on the phone Voice AI routes callers to the right person instead of forcing them through a menu Regional dialects lifted both engagement and tour bookings in beta testing What Voice AI Replaces After-hours answering services and overflow call centers become optional Call scoring rates every leasing agent call against a rubric, replacing quarterly mystery shops Self-learning feeds those conversations back into the AI to improve automation rates    

In this episode, the guys sit down with John Hemken, CEO and owner of A&M Manufacturing, and Angela Owen, COO, for an inside look at the business of building commercial boats for watersport and tourism operators. John shares the incredible story of taking over A&M during a period of financial and operational turmoil and turning it into a respected manufacturer of COI vessels, while Angela explains how the company has built systems and a team designed to scale without relying on a single person. The conversation covers everything from rising material costs and Coast Guard approval delays to choosing the right boat size, designing for multiple revenue streams, and why flexible, timeless boat layouts can be more valuable than highly customized designs. Most importantly, John and Angela share lessons on customer relationships, profitability, delegation, and building boats around the businesses operators are trying to create.[SPONSORS] - This show is sponsored by Take My Boat Test and WaveRez.Show Links:Website: https://www.watersportpodcast.comFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/awgpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1155418904790489Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awg_podcast/

Monday, August 17, 2026 Midterms are Almost Here Combined Resolve Check out Chuck's Twitter World's Ugliest Dog Contest Moxie Moment: https://bsky.app/profile/snarkysillysad.bsky.social/post/3msin2l3i4c2x   Spanish Ballroom - Klondike Kate and the Pantages Theater - McMenamins: https://www.mcmenamins.com/events/274791-klondike-kate-and-the-pantages-theater Subscribe to the MSW YouTube Channel - MSW Media - YouTube Dr. Allison Gill - The Breakdown | Allison Gill, Mueller, She Wrote (@muellershewrote.com) — Bluesky, MSW & The Daily Beans Podcast (@muellershewrote) - Instagram, MSW Media - YouTube   Dana Goldberg - @dgcomedy.bsky.social on Bluesky, Dana Goldberg (@dgcomedy) - Instagram, Dana Goldberg - Facebook, DanaGoldberg.com   More from MSW Media - Shows - MSW Media, Cleanup On Aisle 45 pod, The Breakdown | Allison Gill Beans Talk is the video companion to The Daily Beans with Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg. Subscribe now to stay informed and entertained!  Reminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:https://apple.co/3XNx7ckWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?https://patreon.com/thedailybeanshttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/https://apple.co/3UKzKt0 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan MailPeaches and Trent sit down with returning guest Marc Esposito and Henry Penix from Soaak for a deep dive into sound frequency compositions, sleep, nervous system regulation, and the future of human performance.Marc explains how retirement led him into the human performance space, working with universities, the military, academia, and industry to help optimize the human weapon system. He also explains why he was initially skeptical of Soaak, why the science started making sense, and why he was willing to put his reputation behind it.Henry breaks down how Soaak uses clinically tested sound frequency compositions instead of generic YouTube frequency tracks. The goal is not magic, not crystals, not woo-woo nonsense — it is using targeted frequencies to help with sleep, anxiety, depression, nervous system reset, low energy, recovery, and performance.The team gets into why sleep is the foundation of human performance, how wearable data from devices like Whoop, Garmin, Oura, Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Samsung Watch can help guide frequency recommendations, and how Soaak is building AI-driven personalized frequency compositions based on what your body is showing in the moment.Marc also talks through his own testing, including using Soaak after brutal threshold work in Texas heat and dropping his heart rate from nearly 190 beats per minute to 80 in about 15 minutes. The conversation also covers stress load, allostatic load, sympathetic and parasympathetic states, PTSD-like symptoms, recovery, family life, and why operators have to learn how to come down after living in fight-or-flight mode for years.This episode is not saying sound frequencies replace hard work. They do not. But if something can help you sleep better, reset faster, recover harder, and show up more functional for your team and your family, that is worth paying attention to.Use code ONESREADY at Soaak.com.Links:- Soaak.com / Promo code: ONESREADY- OnesReady.com- OperatorTrainingSummit.com- ATACLETE / Promo code: ONESREADY- Modern Athlete Strength Systems / Promo code: ONESREADYChapters:00:00 - Intro and Ones Ready01:05 - Soaak Episode Preview02:45 - Marc Esposito and Henry Penix Join03:07 - Marc's Retirement and Human Performance Work05:13 - Why Marc Took Soaak Seriously06:34 - Sound Frequencies Are Not New07:36 - Operators, Sleep, and Coming Down From Fight-or-Flight08:05 - Why White Noise and Apps Matter09:15 - Wearables, Data, and What to Do With It10:17 - Henry's Background and Why Soaak Exists12:46 - From Clinic Modality to Sound Frequency Compositions13:33 - Sympathetic Resonance Explained15:03 - Sleep as Soaak's Most Used Frequency16:02 - Targeting Sleep, Anxiety, Depression, and Reset16:50 - How Frequencies Are Built and Tested20:35 - Why Frequency Effects Make Sense22:06 - Marc's Central Nervous System Reset Testing23:18 - Heart Rate Recovery After Brutal Work24:26 - Performance, Recovery, and Free Chicken25:26 - Hypervigilance, Family Life, and Coming Home Normal27:07 - From 188 Beats Per Minute to 8029:21 - General Minihan and Sleep Efficiency32:33 - Sleep as the Foundation of Performance33:23 - Dual Audio and Listening in the Background35:27 - Getting Frequency Effects Without Extra Equipment37:43 - Military Compliance and Group Use38:23 - Sleep Without More Pills39:43 - Wearable Integration and AI Personalization43:05 - Brain Maps, PTSD, and Long-Term Support43:58 - Neurofeedback-Type Effects46:06 - One Percent Better Adds Up46:49 - Studies, Sleep Records, and Frequency Library49:12 - Stress-Related Doctor Visits49:49 - Epic Fury, Stress, and Mental Health Evacuations51:41 - Readiness, Lethality, and Allostatic Load54:07 - Teaching Young Warfighters to Regulate55:11 - The Rubber Band Stress Analogy57:25 - Frequencies Underwater59:45 - Tinnitus, Earbuds, and Meeting People Where They Are01:01:11 - Soaak Code for Ones Ready Listeners01:02:04 - Use Code ONESREADY01:02:54 - Tinnitus and Frequency Use01:03:38 - Final Links and Wrap-UpSupport the showJoin this channel to get access to perks: HEREBuzzsprout Subscription page:  HERERegister for our Operator Training Summit:  OperatorTrainingSummit.comFind an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.comCollabs:Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code:  ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code):  ATACLeteDanger Close Apparel - Promo Code:  ONESREADYDFND Apparel...

Airbnb spent ten years swearing it would never be another OTA. It just started buying its experiences from Viator.For twenty years the industry has argued about whether anybody can build a real marketplace for experiences. Mitch Bach and Pete Syme think the Airbnb deal settles it. The companies with the deepest pockets have looked at the category, done the arithmetic, and decided to rent someone else's supply rather than build their own. The ones still committed to building are running on economics that get worse every year, even while the market underneath them grows. None of that stays inside the marketplaces. A business under margin pressure has only so many places to find money, and the commission operators pay is the one that moves the dial.Pete's answer for operators is not a new tactic, and he says so plainly. What has changed is the price of ignoring the old ones. Discovery sits underneath every other question an operator has, and more money flowing into the platforms meant to solve it has made it harder, not easier. His argument is that operators keep chasing discovery where it costs the most to win while walking past the customers already sitting in their own city, the corporates and schools and universities that book fifteen times instead of once. Mitch pushes on what that leaves for anyone running a general tour for a general audience. They land in the same place: the only bagel tour in New York gets found, and the two hundredth walking tour in Madrid does not.Resources:Peter Syme on LinkedIn, where he posts his breakdowns of the Viator and GetYourGuide numbersTourpreneur business retreats in PortoTourpreneur CONNECT

We start things off talking about a man who created a chicken theme park where the chickens are fully cooked and seasoned while on the ride. You'll never guess everyone's top complaint. Also AI is being utilized around the country to "sort" 911 calls by importance...so rest easy you're in good, quality, factory designed and machined hands....I guess. Then we round out the episode with a teenager who was nearly killed for diving for lobster in someone else's spot! Lobster mafia don't play. Check out Patreon and our other shows!: Patreon.com/truecrimeguys Cryptic Soup w/ Thena & Kylee Strange & Unexplained True Crime Guys YouTube EVERYTHING TRUE CRIME GUYS:   https://linktr.ee/Truecrimeguysproductions True Crime Guys Music: True Crime Guys Music on Spotify OhMyGaia.com Code: Crimepine Patreon.com/truecrimeguys Patreon.com/sandupodcast Merch: truecrimeguys.threadless.com   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What does it take to go from astrophysics to running operations at one of the fastest-growing AI companies in the world?In this Fan Favorite episode, Cameron Herold sits down with Victoria Weller, former Chief of Staff and now Lead of Operations at ElevenLabs, to revisit one of the show's most fascinating conversations. Victoria's path is rare: astrophysics, space medicine, quantum encryption, and Palantir, before landing at the AI voice company reshaping how the world listens.She breaks down what a Chief of Staff really does at an early-stage startup, how she cleared SOC 2 compliance in seven weeks, and why ElevenLabs grew so fast. They also get into voice cloning, deepfake safeguards, and surprising use cases across hospitals, transit, and accessibility.Whether you want a COO seat or you are building functions from nothing, Victoria's story is a masterclass in figuring it out fast. Listen now.Sponsored by:Redirect Health - Affordable healthcare benefits designed to make traditional insurance optional, with 24/7 access to primary care and Rx support that helps businesses reduce costs while keeping employees covered.Learn more: http://www.redirectcoo.com/Timestamped Highlights[00:00:44] – The ElevenLabs mission, and why an EPUB can become an instant audiobook[00:02:55] – Munich to Edinburgh to Berlin to New York: a career across four countries[00:04:06] – What actually happens to an astronaut's blood in zero gravity[00:07:54] – Lasers, quantum encryption, and the pivot toward tech[00:13:06] – Cameron asks the big ones: aliens, and are we living in a simulation?[00:19:12] – What ElevenLabs is really building, explained simply[00:20:50] – How context lets an AI voice sound genuinely sad or genuinely happy[00:28:12] – The accessibility use cases the team never saw coming[00:31:03] – Cloning a late loved one's voice, and the compliance behind it[00:33:16] – Stopping deepfake voice scams: watermarks and the AI Speech Classifier[00:38:31] – What a Chief of Staff actually does, and why it feels like a SWAT team[00:40:32] – Does a great Chief of Staff work themselves out of a job?[00:47:07] – The advice Victoria would give her 21-year-old selfAbout the GuestVictoria Weller is the former Chief of Staff and now the Lead of Operations at ElevenLabs, the AI voice company behind lifelike text-to-speech and voice cloning, where she owns internal operations, compliance, and hiring. She cleared the company's SOC 2 process in seven weeks. Before ElevenLabs she was a reliability engineer at Palantir Technologies in New York and London. Her background spans astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh, space-medicine research in Berlin, and a master's in applied physics from Columbia University.

"Our mission is to make it easier for everybody to experience the world."From the dot-com crash to AI, Glenn Fogel has spent nearly three decades helping Booking Holdings evolve through every major technology shift while staying true to that mission.He also shares with Joubin Mirzadegan why "you're always selling," and how Booking is using AI to amplify what every employee can accomplish.Guest: Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking HoldingsConnect with GlennLinkedInConnect with Joubin:XLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow GritLinkedInX​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins