Episode 14: The Future is Here

I want to put a quick disclaimer on this week's episode so I don't waste your time. This episode IS NOT about me explaining Artificial Intelligence (AI), Regenerative AI, or Virtual Reality.

This week's episode IS about the fact that CHANGE is coming and we need to be ready - or at least aware - of it.

The purpose is also to share some ways were using tech and talent to modernize legacy businesses.

Welcome to week 14. My goal is just to share what I'm seeing, learning, and doing inside the trenches... To share the building process. I hope it's helpful for you.

In Today's Newsletter:

• Wins/Lessons/Thoughts from the week
• The Future is Here - Let's Go 🚀
• Weekly Take-Away: 👉 Don't Be Scared to TEST 👈

Weekly Wins/Lessons:

• I officially graduated a 5th grader, 8th grader, and 12th grader. It's that time of year so if you're going through it - or just did - I send my best!
• Never stop testing... The world is moving too fast to be complacent or stuck in old ways. Open-mindedness to change will help us navigate these unchartered waters. Many are going to get behind. Testing is messy - that's ok.
• I am hearing countless stories of baby boomer founders (those in the Silver Tsunami) who aren't able to exit their business because they won't give up the "key man" syndrome. I'm going to talk more about this in the future, but why aren't those founders bringing in younger, more energetic, talent to continue the business? 🧐

The Future is Here - Let's Go 🚀

Inside our company, we focus on helping "legacy" businesses solve problems with innovative tech, creative talent, and diverse thinking.

The divide between the 'old' and 'new' is HUGE and GROWING.

Which means, there is an opportunity to massively upgrade your business with new school tools and tactics.

Here are a few ways we are using tech and talent to modernize legacy businesses:

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems

Most SMBs don't have the money to afford the Salesforce/Hubspot solutions. But, technology exists today where you can run an entire sales, marketing, customer service, community, and call center from one place.

You can Attract - Nurture - Convert from a single platform.

We use this platform for some of our businesses, but there are others.

International Talent and Staffing

The world is now our oyster and there is so much amazing talent out there to help with countless tasks... Take a look at all the "stuff" you do. Write it down. Then look and see who you can delegate all that stuff to so you can

Focus on your SUPERPOWER

The key to being successful is to properly vet each person / team.

Brand Building

We built our first business in 2007 on brand. We exited because of brand. I think your brand and the brand of your business is critical in the long term success.

Now, the tools to help you accelerate the HOW to do it all exist.

The mindset game is to commit to building your businesses brand and/or your personal brand (whichever is more important to you).

Data Analytics

What's trending?

What do the statistics say?

Where should we be putting our attention?

This data is available at our finger tips now-a-days. Tools like Tableau, Power BI, and Google Analytics are powerful. I like Tubebuddy for keyword searches, ha.

Align the Golden Thread

A huge challenge in Legacy businesses is the communication between old school and new school. If this goes bad, we have culture problems. If this goes well, we have effectively Aligned the Golden Thread throughout our entire organization. This simply means we are all marching to the same beat.

Video is a great way to both communicate and show your emotion.

In any event, the key to winning the culture game is:

• empathetic leadership
• meeting people where they are
• celebrating that we all are unique
• open and transparent communication

Weekly Take-Away: 👉 Don't Be Scared to TEST 👈

We call ourselves Venture Builders.

But, the reality is we are TESTERS first... We only build once the test is successful.

We're testing ideas, thoughts, and plans against a strict set of guidelines, experiences, and discernment to ensure only the best ideas get through the sifter.

Testing brings breakthroughs. Testing brings lessons and learnings. Testing sometimes results in new businesses... Testing can bring failure (or lessons if you're optimistic like me).

Testing sometimes means taking risks...

That's often where most will stop.

The fear to take risks limits progress....

Fear is an emotion... created by a perceived threat.

Don't let that limit your growth.

Thank you for being here this week. If you're looking to learn more about anything we're doing in our ecosystem, check out the information below 👇

• Venture Building Firm: I founded BlackSmith Ventures in 2020 with the goal to Build and Scale Legacy Businesses with Innovative Tech, Diverse Talent, and Creative Thinking. We're small, but mighty, and we have some of the best people I know supporting our growth. Big things to come.
• Founder Community: If you're looking to build alongside like-minded founders and learn from some of the most innovative "do-ers" out there, then learn more here and click here to join directly. Included in the community is:

• Media, Branding, & Staffing Agency: If you're looking to take your brand, online presence, or business presence to the next level, then we have a full DONE FOR YOU and DONE WITH YOU offering. We were able to get some of the best in the business together who know exactly what it takes to ⚡️grow⚡️. You can book a time to talk on my calendar by clicking here.
• Partnerships: We take on select clients (3-5 max) and help them launch, build, grow, and/or exit. If your running a legacy business (energy, manufacturing, media, etc) or a Tech Founder and you're looking to accelerate your growth, book a time on my calendar (link above).

If you are just looking for more stories, lessons, tips, and inspiration then I invite you to follow me on all social media at AndySmithLife.

This is going to be a great week so let's get after it friends.

Until next time, - Andy