How AI & Automation Are Transforming Small Business Growth | Ray Hodjat

[00:00:00] Can artificial intelligence and automation help businesses grow without sacrificing the human judgment, communication, and personal connections that drive long-term success? As artificial intelligence continues to transform the American business landscape, organizations of all sizes are discovering new opportunities to improve efficiency, increase revenue, and streamline daily operations.

[00:00:22] According to figures attributed to Zapier, AI and software integration among U.S. organizations reached 47% in the second quarter of 2026, while an estimated 57% of American work hours could technically be automated using existing technologies.

[00:00:39] Meanwhile, research attributed to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce suggests that 90% of small and medium-sized businesses using AI report improved operational efficiency, while 91% experienced revenue benefits. Yet adoption remains uneven. Figures attributed to McKinsey & Company suggest that larger enterprises are integrating AI at significantly higher rates than businesses with four or fewer employees.

[00:01:07] With technological innovation accelerating, an important question emerges. How can business leaders embrace AI and automation while maintaining the accountability, human connection, and strategic decision-making necessary for sustainable growth? This week on Let's Have This Conversation, host Kevin McShan welcomes Ray Hodjat, co-founder of Pronto Solutions,

[00:01:31] for an insightful discussion about the intersection of artificial intelligence, business automation, digital marketing, customer engagement, and organizational growth. Built around the philosophy, build, attract, convert, grow. Pronto Solutions, business solutions, and digital marketing, and digital marketing.

[00:01:49] Pronto Solutions helps businesses simplify their technology infrastructure by bringing AI-powered software, automation, marketing, customer relationship management, and business development tools into one coordinated ecosystem. Rather than forcing entrepreneurs and business leaders to navigate disconnected websites, applications, CRMs, marketing agencies, communication platforms, and automation services,

[00:02:15] Pronto Solutions focuses on creating integrated systems that allow organizations to operate more efficiently and scale with greater confidence. Throughout this conversation, Ray explores the challenges businesses encounter when adopting emerging technologies, the importance of connecting software systems, and how AI can empower organizations to work smarter without diminishing the value of human expertise.

[00:02:39] Together, we examine how entrepreneurs can leverage automation to reduce operational complexity. If a woman is online so presented, she doesn't have to be able to make a dick pics and DMs. She doesn't have to be able to make a dick pics and DMs. She doesn't have to be able to make a dick pics and DMs. She doesn't have to be able to make a dick pics and DMs. Nach nur 17 Minuten erscheint jungen Männern the first female female content on social media. Das is ungefähr so lange, wie du gerade diesen Podcast hörst. Lasst uns digitale Gewalt gegen Frauen bekämpfen. Wenn du einen frauenfeindlichen Post siehst, kritisiere ihn. Melde ihn.

[00:03:05] Wenn du persönlich betroffen bist, vertraue dich jemandem an und hol dir Unterstützung. Sei mit uns gemeinsam gegen Hass im Netz. Strengthen customer relationships, improve productivity and create sustainable opportunities for business growth. Because ultimately, the future of business isn't simply about adopting more technology.

[00:03:28] It's about using technology intentionally to help people, teams and organizations achieve more. Whether you're a small business owner, entrepreneur, executive, marketing professional or organizational leader navigating digital transformation. This conversation offers valuable perspectives on building a more efficient, connected and future ready business.

[00:03:54] Join us as we explore how AI, automation and human centered leadership can work together to transform the future of business. I'm Kevin McShan. Let's Have This Conversation

[00:04:39] Absolutely. So, Ray, if you're ready, I'll take a moment to welcome you to the program. And I'm super excited to learn about Pronto Solutions and how you're making a difference in the world of business, my friend. It's great to see what happened Tuesday to you, my friend. As well. Thank you. Thank you. Absolutely, my friend. So, Ray, tell me about Pronto Solutions because I know it's all about bringing business efficiency and automation together.

[00:05:08] So, tell me about the business and what makes you so fabulous, my friend. Absolutely, Kevin. Yeah, thanks for the question. So, yeah, for Pronto Solutions, really the idea was as I was learning more about AI and how things work, I was just trying to figure out how can we make things more efficient for our own businesses. And then at the same time, you know, how can we relate that over and affect other businesses as well?

[00:05:33] So, really, the reason we got in the business in business in general as an entrepreneur is to make a difference in the world. So, whether that means helping other entrepreneurs feed their families, you know, get their dream car, whatever it is that they're interested in. Those are the things that we wanted to do as entrepreneurs. And at the same time, when you're doing that, obviously, you fulfill your own dreams as well, which is kind of a double positive for us.

[00:05:58] So, with Pronto Solutions, it really was, you know, all the small businesses that I started since I was, you know, the age of 18, just thinking of all the trouble and all the things that you come across that you got to figure out, right? So, for us, it said, well, with AI now, there's a lot of things that we can help others with where they don't necessarily have to figure certain things out that maybe we did. There's always going to be new things that they got to figure out.

[00:06:25] But really, what we wanted to do is find gaps within their business right now and their marketing and their advertising and fill those gaps with AI. So, it's not necessarily replacing people or replacing jobs, things like that. For us, it was more of, hey, you already don't have this. And maybe normally, you couldn't afford it. But now, with AI, you can. And that's really where the business kind of grew from. Absolutely.

[00:06:51] All right, just because I'm personally curious, I'm curious to get your thoughts on the current state of business efficiency and automation, my friend, and how it's evolved to make business easier and more efficient. What are your thoughts there, my friend? So, I think what AI has done, like I said, is really made things affordable to those that normally wouldn't have them.

[00:07:17] So, a lot of these large businesses that raise a lot of funds or they have funds to begin with, they have access to all these things, whether it's AI or not, right? So, before AI, they could hire different people and multiple people to do different things for them. Now, small businesses or startups that don't have that funding can use AI and basically level the playing field. And that's really what it is right now. So, there's a lot of negativity around AI as well, and we have to be considerate of that.

[00:07:46] We have to think of those things. But for me, it's more about, okay, while keeping those things in mind, can we also use parts of it to level the playing field for these smaller entrepreneurs? So, somebody who may want to start a business but never can make a website, well, now they can prompt a website, right? And it's not about the fact that they're replacing someone. They would have never done that to begin with because they couldn't afford it and they wouldn't start their business.

[00:08:13] So, yes, of course, there are going to be a lot of people who say, well, these are ways I can save money and they're going to find those efficiencies and replace people. But for the majority of us, what we're looking for is how do we level this playing field? How do we play with the big boys and girls? How do we get to that level without having the funding that they do? And that's really what we try to do at Pronto.

[00:08:34] So, I think you'll see a lot of businesses out there that are using AI to help businesses but at the same time, they're basically charging the same thing or maybe just a little bit less because it is difficult to, not difficult but not everybody is familiar with AI at the business level yet.

[00:08:51] What we try to do at Pronto is really say, hey, not only do we benefit from this, but you'll benefit from it as well because it's cheaper for us to create this for you, which means in turn it should be cheaper for you to also get that service. Yeah, absolutely. You brought it up a couple of times. So, I'll pivot by asking you about the human cost of AI and making sure that AI can work in conjunction with human jobs.

[00:09:20] And you've made the point about operating more efficiently with AI, but I'm wondering if you can talk to me about, you know, human capital and making sure that humans can also realize the benefits of AI because I know it's a big part of the Pronto business model as well. So, tell me more, my friend.

[00:09:45] Yeah, it's, you know, it's still pretty early for us to really have the realization of what's going to happen with AI. I know that it can, you know, there are, there is news out there that it can go sour and south pretty quickly. And I think it's the responsibility of all of us involved and then obviously the higher ups, government, things like that, they can regulate things, you know, but at the same time, it's, it's, we don't know where it's going to go. And that's, I think that's the scary part for most people, right?

[00:10:14] Anything that started new, right? When electricity came out before people were using candles, I'm sure, you know, many people were against it, right? For whatever reason it was when, you know, the steam engine factories, all these different things that were kind of new, new things that came out into the world where people felt were dangerous. And I feel the same way about AI in certain extents as well.

[00:10:39] But, you know, it's really up to us as people to be as responsible as we can, you know, just like we are with everything else. You know, whether or not this is going to go positively or negatively is really going to depend on the people as a whole. It's not going to be a one person decision. It's really going to come down to all of us. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:11:01] So let's talk about, you know, better communication and ownership in relation to AI because, you know, a lot of creators or business people may be headed in or unsure about how to effectively communicate with AI and to protect their ownership rights. So tell me about your thoughts in that regard, my friend.

[00:11:30] Yeah, I mean, I think everything, Kevin, if you look at it, everything is going to, people are going to take advantage of it and some people are going to use it responsibly. And all we can hope for is that most people are going to be responsible with AI and they're going to be responsible with the usage of it. And right now, even, you know, it's kind of like, you know, the food that we eat. We don't realize that the effect, you know, or maybe we do, but we don't do anything about it. There's a lot of foods that negatively affect the environment, that negatively affect different industries and things like that, but we still eat them, right?

[00:12:00] The same thing is going to kind of go on with AI as well, but it's really up to us individually to decide how much can we minimize the damage that anything that brings good to that can bring good to the world brings. Right. So there's a lot of advancements that are happening in AI, cancer advancements, medical advancements, you know, things that humans haven't been able to solve. A lot of advancements that are happening, but there's also a lot of negative things that people use it for.

[00:12:27] So it really comes down to the individual making that decision. But as a whole, we have to, we have to decide that we're not going to let AI go a negative route or minimize the negativity, right? Because everything's always going to have a negative side of it as well. So, you know, hopefully shows like yourself that bring these things up. I think these are all going to bring awareness to people to understand that the responsibility lies within all of us. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:12:57] Absolutely. So, right. Let's talk about the intersection of automation, marketing and customer engagement and business growth systems. As we've been discussing, every company wants to run their operation more faster and more efficiently without. But that doesn't always mean better.

[00:13:20] So, I'm curious, how can businesses increase the speed and efficiency in the world of AI without, you know, losing sort of their authentic, you know, brand voice within their business? What are your thoughts there as well, my friend? Yeah, that's a great question. So, I think quality and customer experience always has to be kept in mind no matter what you're automating or not.

[00:13:50] So, if you do decide to automate something, I don't find a problem with that. The problem is when you're automating for the purpose of just automating and making things better for yourself as a business. When you're not taking the customer experience and the quality of your service and product in mind, that's when you're going to run into issues of automation without those things being really thought thoroughly through when you're creating things.

[00:14:16] So, for us at Pronto, what we make sure we do is if we are going to automate something, it has to make sense for not only the business but also the customer as well. It has to make things better, quicker, easier for the customer. The customer experience must improve, not just the business. So, I think as long as you take that approach of customer first with any decision that you make for your company, I think you're always going to win on the back end of that because the customer journey will not be affected.

[00:14:45] Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, Ray, I know that you make a compelling argument that many businesses piece together things like websites, apps, and CRMs. They use marketing agencies as a way of automation for both their video and audio needs.

[00:15:07] So, I'm curious to ask you about your perspective of how to connect those capabilities into one coordinated ecosystem because I know that's what Pronto is all about. So, tell me what you want people to know, my friend. Yeah. So, you know, with AI right now, there's a lot of integrations that can happen. You can integrate different companies together and things like that.

[00:15:33] I think what it comes down to is the ease of doing business at the end of the day, right? So, if I work with 10 different businesses and something goes wrong in either one of those spots, I have to reach out to another business and then connect it through all the other avenues and integrations. So, really what we're trying to do at Pronto is just have, you know, one-stop shop where you can come in and everything can be discussed and fixed all in one place. That's really what it comes down to.

[00:16:03] So, you know, think about if you've got to fix your car, most people would rather go to the dealership because the dealership has access to all the parts, has access to the knowledge behind fixing these things. Instead of going, you know, you can go to a tire shop, you can go to a transmission shop, you can go to all these different places, and they're experts in different parts of your car. But you're just dealing with multiple people, dealing with multiple types of customer service. Some may be good, some may not be.

[00:16:30] If you work with one place and you like how they're serving you in one area, then they're probably going to serve you the same in that other area as well, as long as they have that expertise.

[00:16:39] Yeah, to that point, considering your background in marketing and entrepreneurship, I'm curious to get your perspective on how we can redefine the concept of brand identity with, you know, AI as a helpful tool to increase brand identity and also helping to run businesses more efficiently.

[00:17:09] So what are your thoughts on the whole concept of brand identity, my friend? You know, I think brand identity is very important in many aspects. So, you know, Kevin as the person has a brand identity. Kevin as the podcaster has an identity, right? Ray as the person has an identity. Ray as the face of Pronto Solutions has a brand identity. And it really comes down to how do you express that brand identity?

[00:17:38] That part is very important because there's so much noise out there right now. There's so many different brands. If you're not standing out in one way or another, that may just be by, you know, maybe Kevin's just kinder than other podcast hosts. Maybe he wears a blue shirt every time. Whatever that branding is, there's got to be a way you got to stand out so that people, the target that you're looking for will appreciate and gravitate towards you. So I think brand identity is very important.

[00:18:06] I think brand identity is important in the beginning as much as it is in the end. But what happens in between is very important as well. And that determines your brand, right? So a lot of people are focused on my colors, on my logo, my website. Well, what about the service that you provide? That's a big part of your brand identity.

[00:18:25] You know, one of the best things and the best praises you can get is not how nice this person's logo is and how beautiful the website looks, but how wonderfully they serve us, how trustworthy they are, how friendly they are when we talk. You know, and how they deliver results that they promise they're going to deliver. So I think, you know, and not to bring politics up, but politics is a big part of marketing and advertising. You know, in politics, you see a lot of strong brand identity in the beginning, but then the follow through is not really there.

[00:18:54] And that's where brand identity kind of dies. So I think the brand identity is not only in the beginning and the end, but also in the follow through. Yeah, you brought up an interesting point. So I'll follow up with brand identity, the political side of brand identity as an entrepreneur.

[00:19:13] And I'm not asking you to divulge your political views unless you want to, but I'm curious to get your general thoughts on how, you know, the political climate, your brand identity and politics collide to sort of influence your decisions as an entrepreneur. What are your thoughts there, my friend? Sure. So I think it's an important question.

[00:19:42] So brand identity in politics is short term, right? You know, a president's there for four years, maximum eight years. He's not worried about the lifetime brand identity necessarily, right? Nike's been around for, you know, decades. You know, other companies have been around for decades, centuries. Those companies are worried about their reputation and the brand identity. In politics, I don't feel like that's the case. And that's why they can get away with having a strong frontal brand identity, right?

[00:20:11] That's the beginning of what you see from them. But they don't necessarily have to follow through unless they're looking to get reelected. And so that's where the difference in business and politics come in is politics is short term. Business ends up being short term for a lot of people because they're only focused on that beginning part of getting the customer. Or what about taking care of that customer and then having that customer go get you more customers, right? So politics just happens to be the opposite of that, unfortunately.

[00:20:39] And I think the world would be a better place if, you know, there was a lot more truthfulness in the brand identity of politics. I guess I'll kind of leave it there on my politics, you know, my political views. But it really comes down to can you follow through with what you say you're going to do as a business or a politician? Now, as a business, we have a little more control, probably a lot more control than in politics because there's a lot more people involved.

[00:21:09] There's a lot more why they call it politics, a lot more politics involved. Whereas an entrepreneur, I can kind of pivot and make decisions as I go and I can stick true to my brand identity. Yeah, absolutely. And I know that Pronto Solutions started with something that you call a growth blueprint, which is a tailored plan designed to help businesses turn customers into repeat business or customers.

[00:21:38] So I'm wondering, what do you examine first, my friend, when it comes to the resources that Pronto can offer the business world and entrepreneurs as it comes to repeat business? And how is the concept of a growth blueprint evolved, my friend? So, yeah. So just like any blueprint, right? The blueprint of a house.

[00:22:07] So you want to have a blueprint before you build the house, because when you have a blueprint, you have something to follow, right? You have a map. Same thing goes with businesses, right? And what we do is a business is established when they come to us, at least to some certain level. Some are very established, some are newer, but they have some kind of processes in place. What the blueprint does is analyze what their processes are, finds gaps and leaks, and then gives suggestions on how to fill those gaps and leaks. Sometimes those suggestions are things that we provide.

[00:22:36] Sometimes they're suggestions of things other people provide. Now, we've been doing this long enough where we do cover most of the gaps and leaks, but if there's something that we don't cover, we'll find somebody for you that does. But really, that's what the growth blueprint is. This is the blueprint for growth. Right now, this is what the blueprint of your house looks, let's say. And we want to make it a two-story house. Well, the way to get there is by adding new framing, by getting permits, by adding new drywall.

[00:23:04] We've got to reinforce the foundation, different things like that. So the same thing goes with the business. It all applies the same way. The growth blueprint shows us and shows the business owner what they need to do. Now, the cool thing is we create this growth blueprint for you, and you can use it with us or anybody else. That doesn't matter to us. Our mission is to help as many businesses, especially small businesses, and we work with large ones as well.

[00:23:29] But if I can help a father or a mother who is supporting their family, and this is how they do it through their small business, and I can help them with a growth blueprint that I give them, they use somebody else, that would be great. That fulfills our mission. If they use us, even better, because we know that we're going to do the best possible job we can. But really, that's all. It's very simple. It's what gaps do you have? Where are the leaks in your processes? And we fill them for you or teach you how to fill them. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:23:56] And as an entrepreneur, Ray, I'm sure you know that there's a difference between, you know, a creative idea and actually building a business or building something people are actually willing to pay for, right?

[00:24:11] So how do you learn to transform creativity into a viable and, you know, transformable business idea that people are really willing to put their commercial dollars behind when you have a creative idea, my friend? What are your thoughts then? Well, you know, I went to school for art. So I got a bachelor's in fine art and visual communication. So I did painting.

[00:24:39] I did all the traditional media as well. And what happens when you're a creative person is you create for others, but you're also not really considering their solutions in mind. Your creativity is going to come out the way that you want it to come out. So you're creating for yourself and others. When you're creating something as a business, whatever creativity it is, you have to think of the solution that you're attacking, right?

[00:25:05] So if I come up with an idea of pronto solutions like we did, and we said, you know, we want to, we think it'd be really cool to use AI to fill certain gaps in. Well, those gaps are solving, are making solutions for the business owner. So I think the way to do it is if you have a creative idea, think how that creativity can solve a problem for the masses out there. And that's, it's really as simple as that. How can I solve your problem with my creativity? And that's it. Yeah.

[00:25:35] And Ray, I know that you have interesting thoughts on customer acquisition, you know, the customer acquisition process.

[00:25:44] And I'm curious, what do you think most entrepreneurs and business owners misunderstand about the customer journey from initially capturing someone's attention to earning their trust, winning their business, and ultimately retaining them as a long-term customer? What are your thoughts there, my friend?

[00:26:08] I think the number one thing just entrepreneurs in general misunderstand is, yes, you do have something that could help somebody. They don't necessarily know how, and they don't necessarily trust you yet. So I think the word that you brought up that's the most important thing here is trust. You have to earn the trust. How do you earn the trust of someone? You earn their trust by, over time, following through with what you said you're going to follow through with, right? Like showing that you know things and actually following through with those.

[00:26:38] So that's where nurturing comes in play right now, and it's a big deal, right? People use Go High Level and different CRMs to really nurture these customers. When you're setting up those nurture journeys, the idea is can you give enough information away for free so that they understand, number one, you're knowledgeable and you can follow through with what you're saying? And then number two, do they trust you as a business? Do they trust you as a person they're going to work with?

[00:27:05] At the end of the day, this is hard-earned dollars that small businesses are giving out, and they have to pick and choose where they give it. It's not unlimited money. So if I have a $5,000 budget for the month for my marketing and advertising, I'm hoping that I give it to you and you turn that into something additional where I can do more marketing and advertising and eventually grow my business.

[00:27:26] So I think the number one thing that we need to understand as entrepreneurs is, yes, we do have something that they can use, but they have to trust you before they actually let you prove that point. Yeah. You know, one of the things that I was excited to talk to you about today, Ray, was the whole idea of business integration and how business integration has evolved.

[00:27:52] And, you know, one of the biggest decisions any entrepreneur has to make is, you know, delegating tasks in their businesses. So how do you think integration and delegation are interconnected? What do you think your message would be to entrepreneurs who are going through the delegation process, my friend? What are your thoughts then?

[00:28:19] I think it goes back to the same word we used a second ago with the customers, trust, right? Delegate means I trust you to get it done. And I think a lot of times as entrepreneurs, we don't trust anyone but ourselves. We even have trouble trusting our partners. But really it comes down to, you know, can somebody do something as efficient as me? Maybe not. Or maybe I don't think they can.

[00:28:45] Because when it's your own business, you're going to give it everything you can because it's your livelihood at the end of the day. But it really comes down to trust. So delegation is a big trust. It comes down to trust. One thing that, you know, I encourage entrepreneurs to do is now with AI out there, there's, you know, some of us that can't afford assistance, you can get an artificial assistant now, right? And is it going to do the same thing a human assistant would do? No, but it can get pretty close.

[00:29:15] And those that couldn't afford it before can now use that for delegation tasks. It can take control of your computer. You know, you just got to trust it and say, you know, you're okay with that. But, you know, I use an AI assistant now. Actually, we got on your show by using an AI, my AI assistant to reach out and, you know, try to find the best fit for ourselves so that we can provide as much information, knowledge as we can.

[00:29:44] And value to a target market of your own. So I think it just comes down to trusting. If you, you know, to delegate, you have to trust. And if you want to have time, which entrepreneurs are always low on, you're going to have to trust people and you're going to have to delegate. So I think it's a very important thing to learn as an entrepreneur. Yeah, Ray, I also wanted to ask you about the concept of failing to succeed.

[00:30:06] And what I mean by that is I'm curious throughout the different chapters or phases of your career, I'm curious, what has failure or setbacks taught you about making business decisions that a conventional classroom at J.T. Kim could never teach you, my friend? How have you grown through failure as a business owner, my friend? Sure.

[00:30:34] So I think the number one thing for learning is being open-minded to learn, right? So, you know, I work with a lot of young men and women, athletes and things like that. And one of the things I noticed from the younger crowd is if they're willing to learn, they're going to learn faster, they're going to learn more, they're going to learn better. If they're not willing to learn, it's not even going to go. So, you know, when we have that saying goes in one ear out the other, it's not even going in that one ear. They're not even hearing it, right?

[00:31:03] So same thing goes with entrepreneurship. If you're looking to learn, then you will learn from every single experience that you have as an entrepreneur, the good, the bad, the ugly. If you're not looking to learn, you're just going to make excuses. You're going to blame everybody else. And you're never going to grow from any of your experiences. But I don't think you need to fail necessarily to grow. I think part of it is, you know, growth comes from failure as well and hardship.

[00:31:31] But you can learn from every single experience as long as you've set your mind that you are going to be a learning entrepreneur as opposed to a know-it-all entrepreneur. Yeah, absolutely. So let me rephrase the question this way. How do you think growth and self-reflection are interconnected? What do you think there's a connection between those two concepts, my friend?

[00:31:57] Well, you know, if you don't self-reflect, you can't find flaws and you can't find what worked. So without self-reflection, it's really hard to have growth. And if you do get growth without self-reflection, it's probably going to be by force. So it really comes down to, you know, everybody learns something. How much you learn is going to determine on how open you are to that and how much you self-reflect, like you're saying. But without self-reflection, it's really hard to make changes.

[00:32:26] And we all know that growth happens from changes. Yeah, absolutely. You know, Ray, I'm curious to ask you about your concept of effective leadership and how do you think it has evolved over the course of time? Because, you know, leadership isn't always about having all of the answers. It's also having the wherewithal to listen and grow through other people taking the autonomy to lead.

[00:32:56] So how do you think effective leadership has evolved in terms of a definition or concept in your mind, my friend? Yeah, that's a great question. So the word leadership itself is talking about multiple people, right? So when we say leader, we're talking about one person, but that one person is leading multiple people, at least another person, right? So I think we misunderstand and misinterpret what leadership really is.

[00:33:24] Leadership is about multiple, not one. So, you know, the way that you can evolve as a leader, number one, is you want to find the right people to lead. And if you're not in a position to find the right people to lead and you have different personalities, which you're going to have every time you're leading and have different, you know, maybe unqualified people, it's really up to you to make those decisions on how to get the most you can out of each person.

[00:33:50] And what I mean by that is not to, you know, suck them dry and make them work as hard as you can. It means how can I get the most potential out of somebody as opposed to, you know, degrading them and leading in a negative way and leading and, you know, always yelling and things like that. So as a parent, same thing happens, right? So, you know, I'm the leader of my household. I'm the leader of my kids. It comes down to being a servant leader. I have to lead by example.

[00:34:19] I have to lead not only by my words, but what I do. I can't say one thing and do the other because they're watching you. Same thing happens in entrepreneurship as well. So you just want to make sure you're leading by example and you're leading as a servant leader. Yeah, absolutely. And Ray, I've got two questions left for you. This one is just because I'm personally curious.

[00:34:39] So, Ray, as you know, listening to my podcast, I have cerebral palsy and I work with businesses to get them to hire more people with disabilities. And I'm curious to get your thoughts on how you think entrepreneurship can provide people with disabilities a chance to enter the workforce.

[00:35:02] And what would be your message to organizational leaders about the competitive advantage that hiring people with disabilities can offer their operation? What are your thoughts there, my friend? Yeah, I mean, I think it's very important to be inclusive of all people, right? Whether it has to do with a disability, it has to do with race, it has to do with economics, politics. I think inclusivity is very important. Now, you know, the capability and things like that are obviously also important.

[00:35:32] So people who are starting businesses, they want to, you know, they're trying to provide a service. They're trying to provide a product, things like that. And I think there's always opportunities for all walks of life, all types of abilities to have some type of position. And I think it really comes down to the responsibility of the leaders to say, hey, we're going to make this part of our mission that we are going to hire some people with disabilities. And we're going to give them jobs that we feel that they can thrive at and they can grow at.

[00:36:02] Same thing with race, economics, things like that. It really comes down to the responsibility we have as entrepreneurs. So I think it's a great idea. I think it's a, you know, and I love that you're leading that charge. You know, we work with, you know, as I'm wearing my hat and my shirt, this is a, you know, a mentorship basketball program, another business that I have as well. We work with young athletes that have different type of disabilities.

[00:36:27] And I mean, number one, that's some of the hardest working people because they actually really, really appreciate and care every situation that they're in from what I've seen. You know, I don't want to generalize it, but at least the ones I've worked with. So I think giving anybody an opportunity that normally doesn't get one, number one, you're going to see a lot more effort from them because they don't take it for granted as much. And then number two, I think it's just the right thing to do.

[00:36:54] I mean, everybody can contribute somehow, somewhere. And I think it's our responsibility as entrepreneurs to really help that thrive. Yeah, and just because you brought up another interesting concept, I'm going to follow up with one more question before I ask you my last one. And I'm curious because, you know, one of the things that I have evolved with as I've gotten older, Ray, is I tell myself I can't say yes to everything.

[00:37:23] And if it's not on my schedule, I don't agree to do it. So I'm curious to ask you about the importance of prioritizing what's important both in business and in life. Because you can't be everything that you want, and you also can't be everywhere, everywhere at once, right? So tell me about the importance of prioritizing, my friend, and how do you view that? My friend, what are your thoughts?

[00:37:53] Yeah, I think prioritizing, unfortunately, I learned that a lot later in life than I would have liked to. But I learned it, right? And I'm still learning it. So nobody's perfect at it. At least I'm not. But I think prioritizing is important. But we have to understand as entrepreneurs, it is an ever-changing environment, ever-changing by the second, right? So priorities do change. Well, let me put it this way. You have your main standards and your priorities, right? That's a little different than I think what we're talking about.

[00:38:22] Those don't change. Your standards don't change. And you have to prioritize your standards always. But there are things, tasks that you've prioritized through the day. Something else may come up that's more important. Something may come up that's a better opportunity that doesn't necessarily knock that last opportunity down. And I think those are decisions you have to make at that point. But it's very important to have a map and to have a timeline and to have a blueprint of anything that you're doing in life. That includes your day.

[00:38:52] You know, if you and I don't put this on our calendars, one of us may miss it. You know, and then what happens is now you're disappointing an audience. You're disappointing somebody who has trust in you. So not only for yourself is it important, but the people you work with, it's very important to have priorities, be on time, you know, and take care of those very, very simple concepts. But, you know, kind of hard to do until you really decide that's what you want to do. But I think priorities are very important, but they can be adjusted. Just not your standards.

[00:39:22] Standards got to stay. Yeah, absolutely. And Ray, my final question for you has to do with your own personal and professional legacy, my friend, and how you want that to be defined. You know, professional legacy for me, you know, I think a lot of people say, well, I want to be known as a great businessman. I want this, I want that. You know, I just want to be known as a trustworthy person.

[00:39:48] Someone that when you work with, you know this person's not going to do anything negative. He's not going to do anything deviant towards you. He's just going to work hard with you. He's going to stick to his promises. You can trust him. And that's really the only legacy I need in life is a trustworthy person, a man of his word, is how I would kind of sum it up. Yeah, absolutely. And Ray, finally, tell me if people want to get connected with Bronto Solutions or yourself personally, my friend.

[00:40:16] What's the best way they can do that? Yeah, I mean, the best thing is go to our website. I would encourage everybody to fill out for a growth blueprint. Play around on our website. We've got some cool AI stuff on there that lets you kind of learn more about your own business and how we can help you. But it's pronto-solutions.com or prontoappbuilder.com. So either one of those will take you to the site. You can check it out, play around. You can contact us through the website as well.

[00:40:46] And you're welcome to put my email and contact on the video as well and everybody to reach out who would just like to talk about AI and business. And we'll give as much advice as we can. And we'll go from there. Well, absolutely. Well, Ray, I want to thank you for the obvious passion and dedication that you have to this field of entrepreneurship and for joining me to engage in conversation.

[00:41:16] It's most appreciated, my friend. You as well, Kevin. Keep doing what you're doing, man. I think you're doing awesome. And, I mean, this has been a pleasure to be a part of. And, you know, I love what you're doing. Keep it up, man. Awesome work.