#167 - Why Most Businesses Collapse Under Their Own Systems with Val Coin (VIA Technology)

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I like creating order out of chaos.

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And as much as I don't like the chaos of startup, the journey between startup and
established business is where we get to play.

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We get to be creative.

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We get to build systems.

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We're to you out of the picture We're trying to get you out picture We're trying to get
you out of the picture We're trying to get you out picture We're trying to get you out of

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Welcome back to another fantastic episode of Necessary Entrepreneur.

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And the reason why I can say fantastic is you're gonna know that there's a lot of
brilliance coming from the world of business, from technology, and all the things

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happening today.

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But it's someone who was born in Italy, who's now in Australia, who's been a world
traveler, and we're gonna get more perspective than just someone in the good old US of A.

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So ah this is gonna be really good.

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So I'm joined today by Valentina Coyne.

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It's Coyne.

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to us English folks, right?

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COIN.

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She's the co-founder of Via Technology.

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Valentina helps service-based businesses get out of the chaos and into systems that
actually work, aligning people, processes, and technology to scale predictably.

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She's led over 150 digital transformation projects, giving entrepreneurs the tools and
clarity to grow their business without burning out.

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Valentina, great to have you on the show.

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Thanks so much for having me, Mark.

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Yes.

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So if that intro is proper, um tell us all this scaling, these 150 digital
transformations.

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Anytime someone's done 150 of something, they have some expertise and some knowledge
within it.

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So what have you done with these more than over 150 digital transformation projects?

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What have I done with them?

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Ooh.

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You would think, you would think, well, they're all unique, but they're all the same.

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We all love thinking we're unique, right?

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Our business is unique.

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We're different than everybody else.

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When we're down in the weeds into the details, yes, we are.

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But as soon as we elevate that and we take a look at the world of business at 37,000 feet,
suddenly most problem become the same.

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And most solution become very, very similar.

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So that's why we have that very solid framework of people, process and technology.

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Because in our opinion, you can reconduct every problem to one of those things.

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Did you have that designed when starting the business?

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Did you understand that or is that framework that you built as you learned and grew?

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More the second one, and I'd probably posit that's the most likely scenario for most
business owners who started their own consulting practice.

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uh Before Viya Technology as a consultancy, my husband and I were running a traditional
development company, a software development company, and we were squarely in the

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technology field.

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We were building software for the disability industry, and we built a really good
solution.

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that really good businesses purchased with really good teams who were implementing it.

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And yet something was missing.

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Some projects just didn't quite click.

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And over time, I've come to realize that everybody was treating technology as the silver
bullet because we all want efficiency.

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We all want tech to solve our problem and it can.

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But when we look at tech as 100 % of the solution, it's going to fall short.

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I think about it as a three legged stool.

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If you try to sit it on one leg, it'll topple, right?

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So you need all three legs.

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You need technology, you need people, and you need process.

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So you need uh clarity on how the business operates, where the complexities are, where we
can simplify and streamline.

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And that should happen well away from the technology.

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Then you need your people aligned towards the change that's about to happen.

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If you go through digital transformation, which is really just a fancy word for um
implementing

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systems, technology, platform, and digitizing your business, you need your people to be
aligned with the journey that you're about to go through.

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Otherwise, they're going to actively resist it, or they're going to ignore it, or there's
going to be a lot of people trouble if there is no alignment.

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And if we don't gather their perspective before we go and implement the software, because
it could be the wrong software.

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Maybe the CEO up here sees something, but the team on the ground sees something completely
different.

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And the solution we put in place is only half of the solution that we need.

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And then finally, once we have those two pieces, then tech can come in.

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Then we can find the right software or the right dashboard or the right automation.

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We can implement it.

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We can optimize it.

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All of that can happen if we first have process and people.

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I'd say I developed it fairly 80 % of it was developed in the software development
company.

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And when I started the consultancy, I started refining.

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my model.

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And I think as entrepreneurs often do, I tried to overcomplicate it.

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I added all these steps and all these fancy names.

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And then I said, you know what, let's keep it simple.

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People, prices, tech, all in service of scaling and growing and delivering an experience.

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That's all what it is.

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When are you brought in?

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When is it realized that you're needed?

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Your business is needed?

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What happens in an organization that causes this?

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Yeah.

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So if you're familiar with um Vern Harnish or any of the business growth and scale models,
um we know that business happens in stages.

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You've got your startup, your grow up, your scale up, and then there's a split.

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We either um slow down and the curve goes towards the bottom or we reinvent ourselves and
keep growing.

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Those are roughly the stages, no matter who the business book that you listen to is.

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um

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Typically we come in between the grow up and the scale up phase because a business needs
to go through a phase of, well, first of all, establishing themselves as a business.

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So a startup, in our opinion, the system, people, process and tech that a startup should
have should be really agile, nimble.

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You shouldn't have very well set and well defined processes because that's your strength
as a startup.

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You shouldn't have a super, super solid, you shouldn't buy a Salesforce.

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as a startup, typically, typically, because you want to be agile and nimble.

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And as you start growing and growing and growing, typically leaders do this via um hiring
more bodies.

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So people become the um foundation of your growing.

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So more people, more houses, more vehicles, more trucks, more, more, more, more.

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And then there reaches a point where more just doesn't cut it anymore because the more
people.

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means the more chaos, the more people means operations start um falling off the tracks,
admin costs skyrocket.

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We start having high stuff turnover.

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We start having client dissatisfaction and the leaders, um because the team isn't small
anymore, they don't have the finger on the pulse over what's happening.

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They can't see what's happening.

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And that all translates in a lack of growth.

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And typically,

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Leaders think, I can't grow because I don't have the right software.

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And to a degree that is true.

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If you don't have a software that allows you to see what's happening in your business, a
dashboard that pulls all your numbers so that you can not only see what's happening, but

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also see what's happening today so that I know in three or six months, I'm going to have a
dip in sale or an increase in orders so I can prepare for that.

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um Definitely tech is a piece of the puzzle, but yes, typically we come in between the
grow up and the scale up phase.

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to unlock with technology and with people and with crystallizing those processes.

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Because at that point, we do want to crystallize or start crystallizing the foundation of
what a business is and how a business does the thing that it does so that they can scale,

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so that they can keep reinventing themselves.

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And that typically is the second time we come around when a business has scaled, when it
has been solid for a period of time.

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And they start thinking to themselves, wow, okay, I don't want to slow it down.

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Maybe I need to reinvent myself.

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Maybe I need to have a new business model.

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Maybe I need to go from in-person to online or from online to in-person or product to
service, whatever that may be.

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Those are the two typical stages of business growth in which uh leaders engage us.

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Have you found moments when it didn't work?

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Have you identified that?

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Like, hey, maybe even advanced, you're starting to see like, hey, I don't really know.

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This doesn't look like this is going be a natural fit.

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It's probably happened from moments when it didn't go well.

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Yes, definitely.

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That always happens.

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We have a pretty strict process for onboarding a client.

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One of those steps that we do is um we always start with a half a day workshop.

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Typically, businesses have engaged with us with all of our content that's out there.

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Webinars, uh free trainings, YouTube podcasts.

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We do lot of speaking at conferences and lot of hands-on workshops.

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Typically a client will already know the way we work and understand the way we think, but
we always start with a half a day workshop.

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And what that gives the client is a 90 day roadmap to execute their digital
transformation.

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And what that gives us is a very good understanding on how coachable they are, how much
manpower they can dedicate, how much brain power and mental capacity and emotional

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capacity they can dedicate as a business.

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to the process we're about to go through.

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Because typically, typically our engagements last anywhere between one and three to five
years uh in an intense uh engagement.

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And then we taper off to a monthly retainer model.

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uh So it's quite a long journey.

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And if a business isn't ready for that, that's where the mismatch happens.

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So typically, we see leaders come to us and say, we need a new software.

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Just tell us what to buy.

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That's not a fit because that's a quick fix.

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We're looking for a silver bullet.

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We're looking for the best software in the world.

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And typically we're looking at it in a really, really short timeframe.

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That's not going to fit.

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um So typically we give them the best advice that we can, and we either refer them to
another professional or, you know, give them a couple of warnings and just say, we're not

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a good fit.

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Very rarely we are engaged and it turns out to be a bad fit later on.

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And whenever that's the case.

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My best policy is simply communication.

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I simply just off the record, give a phone call to the CEO or the director or the GM,
whoever that may be, and just have an honest conversation and say, this isn't working.

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We're either putting in too many hours or your team isn't showing up and they're not
engaged where they really were at the beginning.

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What can we do?

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And if there's nothing that can be done, then that partnership is no longer a good fit.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Ideally, it's like that is not fun to get into.

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If you're a year, year and a half in, it's like, man, this thing's not successful.

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That's not good.

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Everybody has one or two of those.

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What what do you like most about this?

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What do like most?

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um I love the light bulb moments that happen in someone else's brain.

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Because we do a lot of highly technical and highly strategic work.

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But at the end of the day, if I am the only one who's enjoying it, if I'm the only one
who's understanding it, um it'll be just ego, right?

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And I'm not there just to say, I'm so good.

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I'm such a good digital transformation.

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No, this is really about the person that's in front of me, whether it's the CEO or whether
it's um

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team member that's working on the ground all day, driving hard, delivering their service.

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And I'm talking to them and I'm explaining either why we're implementing a software or why
the process needs to change in that way, or why the 27 steps they are doing, because we've

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always done it that way.

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We can actually do it in three and they have this resistance, but I've always done it that
way.

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But if the software is doing my job, then what do I do?

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Then who am I?

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And if AI is taking over, no, no, no, I still need to check it.

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I still need to check it because what if the computer is wrong?

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And then there is that light bulb moment where it clicks and that is absolutely different
for everybody.

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This is where every human is different.

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Sometimes it's done by listening.

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Sometimes it's done by a little bit of psychology.

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Sometimes it's done by pure logic.

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And for the CEOs, it's typically, you know, what am going to get out of this ROI and
just...

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hard numbers, but that light bulb moment, just shifts behind the eye.

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It's just so beautiful to see.

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And then I know I've done my job right.

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What do you think?

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What's your inspiration for?

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You're working with business owners, with directors, with employees, and all those people
have different types of purpose and different reasons.

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Their life, their daily experience, their goals for life.

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What are your goals?

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You and your husband goals.

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You're there in a different country.

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You're building these businesses, not where you were from.

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What's your business goals?

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How do you think that you identify or connect with those?

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How's that connect with the people you're working with?

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Because

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You all share something and it's a goal what you're building.

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might be a different part of the business, but you're both building.

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What are you building this for?

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We partially, I'll be cheeky here, partially we love, we love the building.

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We love the act of building and creating.

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We love solving problem.

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I truly believe businesses exist to solve problems and anyone can start a business if they
can solve a problem.

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The key that sometimes is missing is I see so many talented individuals have an idea.

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have a brilliant solution to a problem, whether that be big or small, separate story.

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uh But what is missing is they sometimes they're so engaged with the problem because maybe
they have a lot of care for a particular uh social cause or they have so much excitement

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for the solution.

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They're so in love with uh the gizmo that they developed or the trinket that they built or
the uh

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Whatever it is, either the problem or the solution, they fall in love with that and lose
sight of uh strategy and systems.

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I really believe the secret sauce of business is systems.

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People process tech and strategy, having that long-term vision.

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And for me, that is why we build businesses.

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Every single one of the businesses we've been involved in, and I have no doubt every
single one of our future ones.

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will have that element of systemization.

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I think listeners might think, systemization, means that you want everything to be done by
automation and AI and machines.

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That's not true.

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Every single business needs to find the right balance between human and machine that suits
their needs and their clients' needs.

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And for me, building that system is what really gets me excited.

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And as soon as a business is systemized, for example, the software dev company, as soon as
we reach 30, 40 employees, we got ISO certified and we started going into the land of

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00:16:22,940 --> 00:16:24,671
compliance and governance.

216
00:16:24,671 --> 00:16:29,105
And it really became that, that big machine.

217
00:16:30,166 --> 00:16:33,669
I could have done it, but it got a bit boring.

218
00:16:33,669 --> 00:16:36,251
I like, I like creating order out of chaos.

219
00:16:36,251 --> 00:16:39,674
And as much as I don't like the chaos of startup.

220
00:16:39,810 --> 00:16:44,926
The journey between startup and established business is where we get to play.

221
00:16:44,926 --> 00:16:45,977
We get to be creative.

222
00:16:45,977 --> 00:16:56,108
We get to build systems and then we get to hand it back to the leader or to the owner or
to the family that owns that business going, yes, this is now yours.

223
00:16:56,108 --> 00:16:57,210
Continue.

224
00:16:57,210 --> 00:16:59,493
The stewardship is yours.

225
00:16:59,493 --> 00:17:01,094
uh

226
00:17:01,410 --> 00:17:05,775
What's your definition if we pulled up um a physical dictionary?

227
00:17:05,775 --> 00:17:09,690
Because we all have the digital ones we go to now, and a lot of them are called AI.

228
00:17:09,690 --> 00:17:10,281
ask AI.

229
00:17:10,281 --> 00:17:14,876
But what would be your definition of systematize or system?

230
00:17:17,832 --> 00:17:18,983
How do you systematize?

231
00:17:18,983 --> 00:17:28,367
um Systemizing is building repeatable, predictable uh outcomes.

232
00:17:29,468 --> 00:17:36,072
And systemizing a business is done in the three steps of our framework.

233
00:17:36,072 --> 00:17:43,086
So you need to build, you need to design and plan how your business will operate.

234
00:17:43,086 --> 00:17:45,057
You need to understand how to structure it.

235
00:17:45,057 --> 00:17:47,692
You need to understand how you're going to measure success.

236
00:17:47,692 --> 00:17:48,883
and you need to map.

237
00:17:48,883 --> 00:17:52,026
So that's the process part of how you systemize your business.

238
00:17:52,026 --> 00:17:57,590
So you can continue to achieve repeatable um outcomes.

239
00:17:57,731 --> 00:18:04,916
You need to have people who are uh in aligned with that and have the right expertise to
continue having repeatable outcomes.

240
00:18:04,937 --> 00:18:13,755
And then technology becomes, the way I often describe it is, um imagine you're taking a
journey and if you go on foot, you're a person, right?

241
00:18:13,755 --> 00:18:15,458
So you're walking, you're walking, you're walking.

242
00:18:15,458 --> 00:18:17,900
You can go only that far on foot.

243
00:18:17,900 --> 00:18:20,382
And that's if you try to grow your business just by people.

244
00:18:20,382 --> 00:18:28,889
um Then if we start mapping and measuring how our business operates, maybe we have a
bicycle, right?

245
00:18:28,889 --> 00:18:34,234
We can go a little bit faster and we now have a map, a GPS attached to the front handle of
the bicycle.

246
00:18:34,234 --> 00:18:36,035
So we know in which direction we're going.

247
00:18:36,035 --> 00:18:44,942
We're going a little bit faster because it's a little bit more systemized, but we're still
not going at the speed that we might desire as entrepreneurs.

248
00:18:45,098 --> 00:18:51,182
And what we then need to do at that stage of business, which is really hard to do, is we
need to slow down the bike.

249
00:18:51,182 --> 00:18:57,197
We need to stop, get off the bike, start building a Ferrari, which will take a little
while.

250
00:18:57,197 --> 00:18:59,058
So we'll stay stationary for a little while.

251
00:18:59,058 --> 00:19:03,141
And then as the Ferrari is almost built, you don't have to have it all built.

252
00:19:03,141 --> 00:19:05,222
can still build it as you're going as entrepreneurs.

253
00:19:05,222 --> 00:19:06,373
do do that.

254
00:19:06,593 --> 00:19:08,535
And then you can start driving with the Ferrari.

255
00:19:08,535 --> 00:19:13,272
So now you have a GPS, a human, and a very fast machine.

256
00:19:13,272 --> 00:19:15,990
That's going to take you really, really far, really, really fast.

257
00:19:15,990 --> 00:19:18,154
That's systemizing a business for me.

258
00:19:18,872 --> 00:19:19,472
Well, that's it.

259
00:19:19,472 --> 00:19:21,064
So she's hired everyone.

260
00:19:21,064 --> 00:19:24,662
Their business is going to grow exponentially in 2026.

261
00:19:24,662 --> 00:19:34,452
Um, so, so many people, you know, everybody says, I want to scale, I want to grow and you
know, them X amount of multiples and EBITDA and all this, but they're scaling and they're

262
00:19:34,452 --> 00:19:39,176
building all these streams and all these systems, but then the chaos shows up, right?

263
00:19:39,176 --> 00:19:43,138
Cause they're preparing for growth and spending all the revenue and they just think it's
going to come together.

264
00:19:43,138 --> 00:19:47,471
Um, what's a decision that you would encourage all these folks?

265
00:19:47,471 --> 00:19:48,878
They're not your client yet.

266
00:19:48,878 --> 00:19:53,818
to make around all the systems that they're engaging with over a 12 to 24 month period.

267
00:19:53,818 --> 00:19:55,638
What would you encourage them to do?

268
00:19:55,638 --> 00:20:05,670
Like if, just say they're listening, but they didn't hire you, but they hired another
consultant or what do you encourage them to do over a 12 or 24 month period?

269
00:20:06,412 --> 00:20:07,562
Great question.

270
00:20:07,743 --> 00:20:12,866
First thing to do, take a step back and review what you already have.

271
00:20:12,866 --> 00:20:23,391
One of my biggest um pet peeves is leaders, as leaders often, and I put myself in that
category, we like shiny new objects.

272
00:20:23,551 --> 00:20:30,215
We always believe the new software or the new hire or the new process will solve the
problem.

273
00:20:30,215 --> 00:20:31,796
And I'm very, very firm on this.

274
00:20:31,796 --> 00:20:36,128
The very first thing every business should do is review what you already have.

275
00:20:36,128 --> 00:20:38,699
and get more out of what you already have.

276
00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:50,487
Because chances are most business owners listening already have really good systems,
already have really good people, really good process and really good technology.

277
00:20:50,768 --> 00:20:54,891
If you only stop and actually leverage everything that you have.

278
00:20:54,891 --> 00:21:05,890
Typically, I see if we talk in technology, the amount of times I go into a business and
the team is only using 10 to 20 % of a software or the amount of time

279
00:21:05,890 --> 00:21:11,473
We have a really brilliant human in a management or in a leadership position.

280
00:21:11,493 --> 00:21:20,478
And maybe they were brought up from a worker on the ground as a team member, and then they
were brought up team leader, and then they were brought up to manager.

281
00:21:20,478 --> 00:21:25,160
We are not leveraging the capacity of that person, chances are.

282
00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:34,365
um Maybe we didn't spend enough time training and educating them in the new role, because
if you can do the job, surely you can manage people who can do the job.

283
00:21:34,525 --> 00:21:35,842
Two different skill sets.

284
00:21:35,842 --> 00:21:46,669
So my biggest recommendation over a 12 month period, once a year, review your systems,
review your tech stack, review your processes and review your people if you're not already

285
00:21:46,669 --> 00:21:47,409
doing that.

286
00:21:47,409 --> 00:21:51,692
And what I mean by that is in the technology, make a list of all the software that you
have.

287
00:21:51,692 --> 00:21:54,453
That is also really good from a financial perspective.

288
00:21:54,453 --> 00:21:56,134
Make a list of all the software that you have.

289
00:21:56,134 --> 00:22:00,076
um You should already have it, but if you don't have it, do that straight away.

290
00:22:00,437 --> 00:22:02,218
How much are you paying for licenses?

291
00:22:02,218 --> 00:22:06,001
What part of the business is that software supporting you in?

292
00:22:06,001 --> 00:22:08,702
What outcome is it delivering to you?

293
00:22:08,702 --> 00:22:13,766
um And I guarantee that business owners will find overlap.

294
00:22:13,766 --> 00:22:26,715
So you might have two subscription for editing video because two different arms of
marketing uses one subscription for editing video content and um your account managers to

295
00:22:26,715 --> 00:22:31,682
deliver training to your clients, for example, if you have a uh consultative business.

296
00:22:31,682 --> 00:22:33,543
They might use a different software to edit video.

297
00:22:33,543 --> 00:22:35,103
Now you're paying two licenses.

298
00:22:35,103 --> 00:22:36,683
That's so inefficient.

299
00:22:36,683 --> 00:22:39,834
But then ask yourself, why are you paying two licenses?

300
00:22:39,834 --> 00:22:42,025
Why are the two teams using different software?

301
00:22:42,025 --> 00:22:47,786
Do they actually have different needs and maybe one software doesn't support the other
team?

302
00:22:48,127 --> 00:22:50,277
Or is it just they didn't talk to each other?

303
00:22:50,277 --> 00:22:51,747
What's the reason?

304
00:22:51,808 --> 00:22:53,508
So that's the first thing I would do.

305
00:22:53,508 --> 00:23:01,030
Take stock of everything you already have, what you're using it for, and really be
strategic and analytical about um

306
00:23:01,206 --> 00:23:05,887
Is this serving me and is it going to take me to the next level of business?

307
00:23:05,887 --> 00:23:08,588
If your next year is going to be stability, no problem.

308
00:23:08,588 --> 00:23:15,990
If your next year of business or your next three years of business are going to have
growth, maybe you're going to grow by acquisition.

309
00:23:15,990 --> 00:23:20,931
Maybe you have new venues, new location opening up a new line of service.

310
00:23:20,931 --> 00:23:26,753
Is the software you already have, ask yourself proactively this question, going to take
you there?

311
00:23:26,793 --> 00:23:31,082
And then as callow as that may sound, ask yourself the same about your people.

312
00:23:31,082 --> 00:23:34,214
Ask yourself the same about your processes and processes.

313
00:23:34,214 --> 00:23:37,017
It's not just about having SOPs documented.

314
00:23:37,017 --> 00:23:39,869
It's really about keeping it simple.

315
00:23:39,869 --> 00:23:42,861
Where is the next bottleneck that I'm going to find?

316
00:23:42,861 --> 00:23:43,712
Is it in sale?

317
00:23:43,712 --> 00:23:44,913
Is it in marketing?

318
00:23:44,913 --> 00:23:46,043
Is it in delivery?

319
00:23:46,043 --> 00:23:47,134
Is it in finance?

320
00:23:47,134 --> 00:23:57,632
uh And how can I open up that bottleneck before all of the work ends up clogging up that
particular piece of my business so that everything flows better?

321
00:23:57,934 --> 00:23:59,994
And then I know I'm giving you a lot very fast.

322
00:23:59,994 --> 00:24:01,574
I'm going to give you one more.

323
00:24:01,574 --> 00:24:02,734
That's annually.

324
00:24:02,894 --> 00:24:08,954
Quarterly, if you have software, go and consult with your software vendor.

325
00:24:08,954 --> 00:24:16,494
Or if you have a tech expert, go and consult with them and ask them what's new in your
software, what's been released that I don't know about.

326
00:24:16,494 --> 00:24:18,294
And that's helpful to me.

327
00:24:18,414 --> 00:24:26,994
And if you don't have an account manager, just go on their frequently asked question, go
on their new release page, go on the online material and get that information for

328
00:24:26,994 --> 00:24:28,034
yourself.

329
00:24:28,098 --> 00:24:35,126
That is how businesses buy a software and only use 10 % of its capacity while paying for
100 % of the software fee.

330
00:24:35,126 --> 00:24:37,788
You don't stay up to date with new features.

331
00:24:37,969 --> 00:24:39,391
So I would do that quarterly.

332
00:24:39,391 --> 00:24:45,817
And then there's a whole bunch of things you can do with people and process quarterly, but
I think I'm overwhelming you now.

333
00:24:46,382 --> 00:24:47,062
they hire you.

334
00:24:47,062 --> 00:24:48,822
No, that's where they hire you.

335
00:24:48,822 --> 00:24:57,022
Um what um what's your expected outcome as as we wrap up the initial conversation here as
we start to get this Australian brilliance.

336
00:24:57,022 --> 00:25:00,682
What type of outcome um are you really working towards?

337
00:25:00,682 --> 00:25:09,782
Is it based upon an outcome that you look at the business and say, hey, here's really how
we can make a difference or a lot of times it's the business owner or director or they

338
00:25:09,782 --> 00:25:11,842
bring it to you and say, we want this outcome.

339
00:25:11,842 --> 00:25:15,554
So, do you look at the business and derive what you can get out of it or they come to you

340
00:25:15,554 --> 00:25:18,300
with expectations of outcomes that are desired and wanted.

341
00:25:19,054 --> 00:25:21,615
Both as, would be often the case.

342
00:25:21,615 --> 00:25:26,536
So typically a leader will come to us with very clear desires and outcomes.

343
00:25:26,796 --> 00:25:45,321
And, we always take that into account, we also, um but we also have a really honest
conversation with them and say, well, this is what you want, but we feel like that surface

344
00:25:45,321 --> 00:25:48,972
level, can we go three or four steps deeper?

345
00:25:49,030 --> 00:25:55,255
And we actually believe what you're asking for, you're using this word, but what you
actually mean is that.

346
00:25:55,636 --> 00:26:08,966
And typically they'll say, yes, that's, that's exactly cause, often we look at the, the,
the solution, the medication, the pill, the, the surface level.

347
00:26:08,987 --> 00:26:18,006
Whereas if we go a few layers deeper that often it, again, it's like the light bulb moment
that I mentioned before, it just hits something.

348
00:26:18,006 --> 00:26:19,286
inside of us.

349
00:26:20,307 --> 00:26:25,390
I just, I see that the CEO's body on the camera just go, ah, relax, sit back.

350
00:26:25,390 --> 00:26:27,791
Yes, that is exactly what I want.

351
00:26:27,931 --> 00:26:30,643
So they come to us with efficiency, automation.

352
00:26:30,643 --> 00:26:33,594
want automation or I have too many admin.

353
00:26:33,594 --> 00:26:39,578
I need to, again, as callow as that sounds, I need to reduce my admin team from seven to
three.

354
00:26:39,578 --> 00:26:43,980
And I need, I know software can do the work of them, of four of them.

355
00:26:44,380 --> 00:26:48,262
And we try to go deeper in the of

356
00:26:49,762 --> 00:26:56,308
Yes, that could be the ultimate outcome, but the intention and the reason why we're going
there is different.

357
00:26:56,308 --> 00:26:58,249
It isn't just to save money.

358
00:26:58,249 --> 00:27:00,411
Save money is the consequence.

359
00:27:00,671 --> 00:27:05,656
It's a consequence of this shift that you need in your business.

360
00:27:05,656 --> 00:27:16,775
the example, again, another example that I often give is um when someone approaches us and
they want efficiency, say someone approaches us and they want um to purchase an online

361
00:27:16,775 --> 00:27:18,456
booking system for their business.

362
00:27:18,456 --> 00:27:20,267
I'll give you two business cases.

363
00:27:20,267 --> 00:27:27,889
One is a, a gym who wants to put in place a booking system for their PT trainers.

364
00:27:27,909 --> 00:27:31,070
And so in that case, yeah, they want to save on admin.

365
00:27:31,070 --> 00:27:32,760
So we look at who are your clients.

366
00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:33,180
Okay.

367
00:27:33,180 --> 00:27:37,692
So they're typically, you know, 22, 28 year old, typically male.

368
00:27:37,692 --> 00:27:40,753
Typically they like to work out early in the morning or late at night.

369
00:27:40,753 --> 00:27:42,703
So we definitely need something digital.

370
00:27:42,703 --> 00:27:43,994
We need something async.

371
00:27:43,994 --> 00:27:45,990
We know that they want to talk to people.

372
00:27:45,990 --> 00:27:48,591
They just want to go on, tick, tick, is my person available?

373
00:27:48,591 --> 00:27:49,992
Book, I'm going to rock up.

374
00:27:49,992 --> 00:27:50,721
They're to be there.

375
00:27:50,721 --> 00:27:51,953
We're going to exercise.

376
00:27:51,953 --> 00:28:02,237
Now in that case, technology can take maybe 80 % of that and people in process are going
to be really streamlined and linear because yes, tech is going to be the star of the show

377
00:28:02,237 --> 00:28:04,818
because that's what the client desires.

378
00:28:04,818 --> 00:28:07,078
That's what the business model demands.

379
00:28:07,279 --> 00:28:10,860
And as a result, we get operational efficiency, which is what they asked for.

380
00:28:10,860 --> 00:28:13,961
Now, if a different business comes to us and this business is a...

381
00:28:13,961 --> 00:28:15,622
um

382
00:28:15,894 --> 00:28:20,378
a doctor's practice that's based in a aged care retirement village.

383
00:28:20,378 --> 00:28:24,560
And they also want a booking system for their doctors and their nurses.

384
00:28:25,042 --> 00:28:27,203
Then we start looking at who is your client base?

385
00:28:27,203 --> 00:28:29,305
What experience do they crave from you?

386
00:28:29,305 --> 00:28:31,627
And the CEO still wants efficiency, right?

387
00:28:31,627 --> 00:28:37,672
He still goes, I've got four admin ladies, they're manning the phones, too much, too
expensive.

388
00:28:37,692 --> 00:28:39,033
And we don't see the return.

389
00:28:39,033 --> 00:28:39,794
All right.

390
00:28:39,794 --> 00:28:45,066
So we look at the model, we look at the client, we look at the experience that is going to
engage

391
00:28:45,066 --> 00:28:49,167
more individuals to come and take those services.

392
00:28:49,167 --> 00:29:01,951
And we may make a proposal to say, all right, so we may give you a calendar booking
system, but really what your clients are telling us is that they crave being able to walk

393
00:29:01,951 --> 00:29:09,993
into the clinic and have a chat with the receptionist and tell the receptionist about
their four-year-old nephew who just won an award at school.

394
00:29:09,993 --> 00:29:13,664
And maybe they want to have that 15 minute engagement.

395
00:29:13,676 --> 00:29:23,070
And they'll actually come, even if they don't have an appointment to access this other
service that we can put in place, because that's the experience they crave.

396
00:29:23,070 --> 00:29:24,620
And yes, I'm going to give you a piece of software.

397
00:29:24,620 --> 00:29:31,353
And yes, I'm going to be a process to keep engaging with them, maybe send letters in the
mail as a marketing tool.

398
00:29:31,353 --> 00:29:34,334
And your people are going to be the start of the show.

399
00:29:34,635 --> 00:29:36,776
Now I gave you efficiency.

400
00:29:36,776 --> 00:29:43,224
I gave you higher, um higher income, higher billing, higher engagement.

401
00:29:43,224 --> 00:29:48,686
better working conditions for your team, but I didn't do that just by saving money on
admin.

402
00:29:48,868 --> 00:29:50,222
Does that make sense?

403
00:29:50,222 --> 00:29:50,962
Makes sense.

404
00:29:50,962 --> 00:29:51,762
A hundred percent.

405
00:29:51,762 --> 00:29:52,202
Yep.

406
00:29:52,202 --> 00:30:02,802
What do you think as, we wrap up here for the, I like the conversation, but for the final
question is we all know, I mean, listen, AI it's the hot thing.

407
00:30:02,902 --> 00:30:12,522
We're just, but the average human is interacting with it on an app and just talking to a
chat GPT or perplexity or one of these others.

408
00:30:12,702 --> 00:30:20,522
But the true AI behind the scenes, helping build companies and build systems and running
these things.

409
00:30:20,654 --> 00:30:28,534
it a significant change over the past 12 to 24 months that it's helping us improve
business or is it it was already here?

410
00:30:28,534 --> 00:30:35,982
It's just another tool that we're using or is is it the drastic significant enormous
change that it is made to be?

411
00:30:35,982 --> 00:30:39,883
going to be cheeky again and choose a little bit of column A and a little bit of column B.

412
00:30:39,883 --> 00:30:41,103
And I'll explain what I mean.

413
00:30:41,103 --> 00:30:43,504
um Yes, it was already here.

414
00:30:43,504 --> 00:30:52,266
Yes, um the public is now accessing those tools, which is what sounds fresh and new, but
they've been existing for many, many years.

415
00:30:52,266 --> 00:30:59,308
um We see, and that's what I encourage my team to always say to our clients, AI is just
another tool.

416
00:30:59,308 --> 00:31:00,669
I love that you just said that.

417
00:31:00,669 --> 00:31:02,909
AI is just another tool.

418
00:31:03,029 --> 00:31:04,380
It is a very powerful tool.

419
00:31:04,380 --> 00:31:05,442
And I think...

420
00:31:05,442 --> 00:31:07,724
to get to the little bit of Columbia of my answer.

421
00:31:07,724 --> 00:31:12,629
um We haven't quite seen yet the shift.

422
00:31:12,629 --> 00:31:24,019
um The AI tools that are currently available to the market in my opinion, haven't quite
hit that tremendous element of acceleration that I am watching out for.

423
00:31:24,019 --> 00:31:30,285
um Think about it when the internet came um or computers came.

424
00:31:30,285 --> 00:31:31,618
I remember my mother.

425
00:31:31,618 --> 00:31:39,962
going through invoices and client files all by hand, pen and paper, writing it down with
these massive filing cabinets.

426
00:31:39,962 --> 00:31:44,163
And then the computer came and it did revolutionize the way she was working.

427
00:31:44,904 --> 00:31:49,566
But it didn't happen all at once.

428
00:31:49,566 --> 00:31:51,647
It took a little while to load.

429
00:31:51,647 --> 00:31:59,426
And so what I'm seeing now is all the hype around AI, the tools that are available right
now, I don't think are quite.

430
00:31:59,426 --> 00:32:00,987
What's going to give us that acceleration?

431
00:32:00,987 --> 00:32:03,128
So I'm still watching on the sideline.

432
00:32:03,128 --> 00:32:08,031
We're implementing it in businesses very sparingly and very intentionally.

433
00:32:08,031 --> 00:32:10,312
There needs to be a really, really good reason.

434
00:32:10,312 --> 00:32:12,673
Sometimes AI is used as a marketing tool.

435
00:32:12,673 --> 00:32:16,235
And if you sell hammers, everything is a nail.

436
00:32:16,555 --> 00:32:17,526
And we don't like that.

437
00:32:17,526 --> 00:32:19,477
We like to use the right tool for the right job.

438
00:32:19,477 --> 00:32:24,860
So AI can be really good for some um operational needs, but not for others.

439
00:32:24,860 --> 00:32:27,221
It's actually very wrong for other needs.

440
00:32:27,221 --> 00:32:28,091
So that's my answer.

441
00:32:28,091 --> 00:32:29,486
Yes, it's been always here.

442
00:32:29,486 --> 00:32:31,608
uh Yes, it's just another tool.

443
00:32:31,608 --> 00:32:32,909
We need to understand it.

444
00:32:32,909 --> 00:32:36,592
We need to not overestimate it and not underestimate it either.

445
00:32:36,592 --> 00:32:49,513
So we're not left behind, but it is just another tool and we need to watch out carefully
and strategically for that moment where it will become that accelerating factor to help

446
00:32:49,513 --> 00:32:50,924
grow our business.

447
00:32:50,924 --> 00:32:53,566
And I don't think we're quite there yet, frankly.

448
00:32:53,686 --> 00:32:56,590
When that happens, what will we do?

449
00:32:56,590 --> 00:32:57,691
What's the best advice?

450
00:32:57,691 --> 00:32:58,332
What will you do?

451
00:32:58,332 --> 00:32:59,253
What will I do?

452
00:32:59,253 --> 00:33:01,635
What will all of us do, whether we're working together or not?

453
00:33:01,635 --> 00:33:03,978
When that happens, what should we do?

454
00:33:06,648 --> 00:33:10,999
First of all, be on the lookout for it so you're prepared and it doesn't catch you
unawares.

455
00:33:10,999 --> 00:33:16,401
So play with those tools, play with the AI tools, but don't let it consume you.

456
00:33:16,701 --> 00:33:21,562
Don't believe that you're being left behind if you don't have your entire business run by
AI.

457
00:33:21,562 --> 00:33:24,043
It's the right thing to do not to have that.

458
00:33:24,043 --> 00:33:35,660
uh When that happens, the biggest thing I think any of us can do is be prepared not only
on a practical level, but on an emotional and on a mental level.

459
00:33:35,660 --> 00:33:46,018
Change is really disruptive for humans and we live and breathe change all the time, but
there is a curve, an emotional curve that humans go through when things change, especially

460
00:33:46,018 --> 00:33:47,479
when they change really quickly.

461
00:33:47,479 --> 00:33:50,641
So my biggest advice would be be prepared for it.

462
00:33:50,641 --> 00:33:52,042
Understand it's going to happen.

463
00:33:52,042 --> 00:34:03,414
uh Prepare yourself for the possibility of letting go of some of the things you're doing
manually or some of the control that you might have over your business and embrace that.

464
00:34:03,414 --> 00:34:06,616
Yes, there might be AI tools that can take that over for you.

465
00:34:06,616 --> 00:34:09,077
Let go of your ego and be prepared for that change.

466
00:34:09,077 --> 00:34:12,870
And when that happens, embrace it, ride the wave.

467
00:34:12,870 --> 00:34:25,347
Be, if you're not comfortable being one of the first one, because not everybody is, watch
out for the first ones around you and then jump on because the sooner you do, the sooner

468
00:34:25,347 --> 00:34:31,030
you're to go through the wave of grief over what you've lost and what you've acquired.

469
00:34:31,190 --> 00:34:35,298
And the sooner you're to come out the other side as a competent, confident user.

470
00:34:35,740 --> 00:34:36,901
would be my advice.

471
00:34:37,262 --> 00:34:37,702
Thank you.

472
00:34:37,702 --> 00:34:38,804
Great advice today.

473
00:34:38,804 --> 00:34:42,688
um Valentina coin from Via Technology.

474
00:34:43,109 --> 00:34:43,850
Thank you.

475
00:34:43,850 --> 00:34:44,891
Thank you.

476
00:34:45,032 --> 00:34:45,492
Yeah.

477
00:34:45,492 --> 00:34:53,351
For spending time with us and stuff and um look forward to follow you and get to know you
a little bit more and figure out what you guys do and follow your path and um whether it's

478
00:34:53,351 --> 00:34:57,446
closer or from afar to to learn a little bit about what you guys are doing and how you're
doing it.

479
00:34:58,102 --> 00:34:59,707
Yeah, come visit us in Australia.

480
00:34:59,707 --> 00:35:00,701
It's sunny.

481
00:35:01,294 --> 00:35:02,419
It's a long way.

482
00:35:02,958 --> 00:35:04,202
It is a long way.

483
00:35:05,072 --> 00:35:06,228
Thank you so much for having me.

484
00:35:06,228 --> 00:35:06,794
It was pleasure.

485
00:35:06,794 --> 00:35:08,496
I mean, look what we can do, right?

486
00:35:08,496 --> 00:35:19,006
mean, the things that can be accomplished now, there's nothing like being in person with
some of what can be accomplished now, virtually and technologically is pretty incredible.

487
00:35:19,586 --> 00:35:21,629
Yeah, we all got used to Zoom meetings.

488
00:35:21,629 --> 00:35:25,396
ah know, a few years ago we had a little thing that forced us to get used to it.

489
00:35:25,396 --> 00:35:27,679
And there was so much resistance to it before.

490
00:35:27,679 --> 00:35:29,101
I remember that.

491
00:35:29,142 --> 00:35:31,746
And then suddenly everyone's now comfortable with it.

492
00:35:31,746 --> 00:35:32,087
I know.

493
00:35:32,087 --> 00:35:34,994
I'm a go-to meeting in all those companies and stuff and people are like, what?

494
00:35:34,994 --> 00:35:35,776
No, I want to see you.

495
00:35:35,776 --> 00:35:36,880
So here we are.

496
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:38,422
Thank you for joining us.

497
00:35:38,882 --> 00:35:40,403
Thank you for having us.