Gaining the Technology Leadership Edge, Episode #82

Why AI Tools Can Cut Your Work Time by 50%

Show Notes

About the Guest(s):

Christopher Troka transitioned from running a wedding DJ business to founding Focused-Biz, an award-winning marketing firm based in southeastern Wisconsin. With over ten years of experience in the wedding industry, Chris developed a keen interest in marketing, leading him to pursue a degree in the field. Today, he leverages AI technologies to streamline operations and achieve superior business outcomes. Passionate about helping small businesses, Mike specializes in website branding, SEO, and incorporating AI-driven strategies to enhance lead generation and customer service.

Mike is an entrepreneur and the driving force behind an award-winning marketing firm. With a deep understanding of AI-powered strategies, Mike helps businesses elevate their digital presence and achieve breakthrough growth. Known as “Mister Process,” Mike is a proponent of automating processes to improve efficiency and reduce stress.

Episode Summary:

In this episode of “Gaining the Technology Leadership Edge,” host Mike welcomes Chris, the innovative founder of Focused-Biz. Chris shares his entrepreneurial journey from DJing weddings to pioneering AI-driven marketing solutions. The discussion starts with Chris explaining how AI has been a game-changer for his business, dramatically reducing the time spent on tasks like editing podcasts and creating social media content. He emphasizes the significance of automating processes before expanding teams, advocating for the strategic use of AI tools to enhance business operations.

The conversation delves into how AI can solve common business challenges such as lead generation and sales. Chris explains the benefits of conversational AI in chatbots, noting its ability to increase speed-to-lead response times by 400%, thereby improving customer service and lead conversion rates. Chris and Mike also explore the ethical considerations of using AI and the importance of maintaining a moral compass in business practices. They discuss the rapid advancements in AI technology and offer advice to businesses wary of integrating AI into their marketing strategies.

Key Takeaways:

  • AI as a Time Saver: Leveraging AI can significantly reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks, allowing more focus on high-value activities.
  • Automate Before Hiring: Businesses should prioritize automation over hiring to maximize efficiency and reduce operational costs.
  • Enhanced Customer Experience: Conversational AI in chatbots can improve customer service and lead conversion by providing instant, relevant responses.
  • Ethical Use of AI: Maintaining a moral compass is crucial when integrating AI, ensuring it enhances rather than detracts from the customer experience.
  • Education and Networking: Staying updated with AI advancements requires continuous learning and networking with industry peers.

Notable Quotes:

  1. “AI is kind of the guiding source, it’s a tool just like many other tools that we might use within any business.”
  2. “Some businesses will try to hire out before they automate, and we think it should be the opposite.”
  3. “You’re increasing your speed to lead by almost 400% by having an automated conversational AI reply and provide answers to your leads.”
  4. “We want to give them [small businesses] the same resources and tools that these big box companies have access to.”
  5. “For businesses looking to incorporate AI, just take a step back, look at everything you’re doing, decide your end goal, and then start laying out the foundation.”

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Episode Details

Expert Insights: Leveraging AI for Breakthrough Business Growth

Key Takeaways

  • AI as a Time-Saving Game Changer: Chris emphasizes the transformative impact of AI in reducing the time required for complex tasks, like podcast editing, by half.
  • Automation Before Delegation: The strategic recommendation to prioritize automation over hiring can optimize efficiency and resource utilization.
  • AI in Lead Generation and Customer Service: Conversational AI in chatbots significantly boosts lead generation and enhances customer interaction by providing instantaneous and insightful responses.

The Transformative Impact of AI in Modern Business

Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a transformative tool reshaping how businesses operate. Chris, a tech-savvy entrepreneur and marketing expert, illustrates this point vividly. In the modern business landscape, AI can streamline numerous operations, significantly boosting productivity.

Reflecting on its influence, he shares, “Typically I would spend three to four hours editing a podcast, and now I can do it in one to two hours.” This efficiency is not exclusive to podcasting but extends to numerous business functions, highlighting AI’s ability to optimize workflows and save valuable time.

Christopher’s experience provides a credible testimony to AI’s burgeoning role in business. By taking on repetitive and time-consuming tasks, AI allows human capital to focus on more strategic endeavors. For entrepreneurs and small businesses, this could mean the difference between stagnation and breakthrough growth.

Strategic Insights: Automation Before Delegation

Chris champions a strategic principle that could redefine resource allocation in businesses: “Automate before you delegate.” This notion underscores the importance of leveraging technology tools to manage routine tasks, thus freeing up human resources for more critical functions.

His argument is both logical and practical. “Some businesses will try to hire out before they automate, and we think it should be the opposite,” Chris explains. By integrating systems tools and software first, businesses can handle mundane tasks more efficiently, subsequently enabling the team to focus on higher-value activities.

Mike mirrors this sentiment by highlighting the success of his own show’s automation: “90% of the contact before the show is automated… If I had to count on a human being to do all that, for one thing, I’d be constantly stressed.” Automation not only streamlines operations but also significantly reduces the margin for human error. This strategic shift is a game-changer in optimizing resource utilization, markedly enhancing overall productivity.

Enhancing Customer Interaction with AI-Powered Chatbots

In the realm of customer interaction, AI-powered chatbots are proving to be a revolutionary tool. By addressing customer queries instantly, these AI systems drastically enhance user experience and lead conversion rates.

Chris elaborates on this, stating, “The conversational AI that’s being used in chatbots can now provide a better customer service experience.” This immediacy not only boosts customer satisfaction but also significantly shortens response times—key in today’s fast-paced digital world.

Mike adds an intriguing dimension by discussing AI’s learning capabilities: “It’s more like a human. So when you talk to it, you’re not getting the ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand you’… And it seems like…unless there’s the ability to learn, then it’s not going to be very helpful.” This intelligent adaptation makes AI chatbots a superior tool for lead qualification and nurturing, ensuring potential customers receive the right information at the right time.

Broader Implications and Ethical Considerations of AI in Marketing

The rapid advancement in AI technology brings both opportunities and challenges, especially regarding ethical considerations. Businesses are increasingly reliant on AI, which means understanding and managing its ethical implications is paramount.

Chris touches on this by expressing concerns over data privacy and ethical use of AI: “Businesses incorporating AI have an educational opportunity to lead the front…It’s about ensuring data privacy and appropriately using AI’s capabilities without intruding on privacy.” AI’s potential misuse, especially around data gathering and privacy issues, calls for a balanced approach where innovation does not undermine ethical standards.

Mike aptly illustrates the tension between functionality and privacy by recounting personal experiences with devices like Amazon Alexa: “It’s listening to me 24/7…Why do I want that?” This sentiment resonates with many, and it emphasizes the need for AI solutions to tread carefully concerning user privacy and data security.


AI’s transformative potential in modern business is undeniable. From drastically reducing task completion times to enhancing customer interactions and optimizing resource allocation, the benefits are substantial. However, integrating AI into your business operations is a spectrum of considerations—efficiency and productivity gains must balance with ethical considerations and data privacy.

As Chris compellingly concludes, businesses looking to harness AI should take a step back, evaluate their existing processes, and intelligently curate their automation strategies. This balanced approach, combining technological savvy with ethical foresight, paves the way for sustainable and scalable growth in the AI-powered business landscape.

Contact Information for Christopher Troka

Timestamp Summary
0:00 Leveraging AI and Automation for Business Efficiency and Growth
8:42 Integrating AI in Business: Challenges, Misconceptions, and Future Trends
17:11 AI, Data Privacy, and Ethical Dilemmas in Marketing
21:50 Leveraging AI in Marketing: Strategies and Ethical Considerations
29:33 Connecting with Technology Leaders on Social Media and Websites