The AI stack every founder should steal
These tools don’t replace you—they scale you. Plus: my weekly reset habit, and how to reclaim your time.
There are two kinds of AI tools: ones that add noise, and ones that create space.
This week, I’m sharing the tools I trust to take notes, write drafts, surface insights, and give me breathing room to lead. It’s the same stack I recommend in every founder playbook we build—and I use it every day.
Today’s agenda:
🤖 The AI stack I recommend to every founder
🎙️ Podcast: What still works in sales (and what doesn’t)
🧩 Your 30-day plan to turn LinkedIn into a lead engine
💼 Briefly: Delegating to AI, webinar tips, & SEO in 2025
⏱️ Up & coming: Leading AI in your industry
✍️ AI tools that actually deliver
You don’t need more apps—you need leverage.
If you're still juggling Zooms, Slack pings, and board updates without AI at your back—you’re leaving serious execution power on the table.
In my latest video, I walk through the 2025 AI productivity stack I recommend to every founder we work with—broken down by real-world use case, not shiny-object hype.
👇 Whether you're deep in sales, hiring, product, or pitching, these are the tools I personally use and trust:
I cover:
What makes a tool “founder-ready”—and what to ignore
Top AI meeting assistants for auto-notes and summaries
Best writing & brainstorming copilots to think faster and pitch clearer
Calendar & task automation tools that give your day structure (without micromanaging yourself)
Sales & prospecting tools that punch above your headcount
Mental clarity tools that help you slow down, zoom out, and lead better
My go-to weekly habit to review, reflect, and reset with AI in 15 minutes
This stack is all about doing less manually, thinking more strategically, and scaling your time without burning out.
🎙️ Talking shop on The Sales Podcast
Old dogs, new tricks—and some timeless truths.
I recently joined Wes Schaeffer (aka The Sales Whisperer) on his podcast, and it was part reunion, part real talk. Two Class of ’92 United States Air Force Academy grads swapping stories, but also diving deep into what actually works in B2B sales today.
We covered a lot—but here’s the key insight:
Systems should work leads. People should work people.
In an era drowning in automation, predictive tools, and AI outreach, the teams that win still get one thing right—they connect human-to-human.
👇 Inside the episode:
Why cold outreach alone won’t cut it—and what to pair it with
My favorite LinkedIn-first system that warms up every lead before a single call
How a survey approach outperforms traditional forms (and converts more high-quality leads)
What’s actually working with B2B ads, and how LLMs like ChatGPT are changing search behavior
📬 Plus, we talk email deliverability, CRM filters, gated vs. ungated content—and why being a little choosy with your leads is actually a revenue move.
🔗 30 days to a lead-generating LinkedIn presence
If you’re a founder and you’re not consistently posting on LinkedIn, you’re leaving visibility—and pipeline—on the table.
📒 I just dropped a tactical playbook: Your First 30 Days on LinkedIn as a Founder.
No fluff, just a clear roadmap to build trust, drive inbound, and show up like a leader in your space.
🧭 Here's a quick preview of the plan:
Week 1: Optimize your profile, define your content pillars, and publish your founder story
Week 2: Mix insights, trends, and team moments to build momentum
Week 3: Get personal—share behind-the-scenes, wins, and free value
Week 4: Expand your reach with collabs, lives, and your long-term vision
💡 Tip: Most founders post too little or too sporadically. This playbook builds the habit and structure you need to be seen consistently—without burning out.
Briefly
🤖 Why wait for AI to automate your job when you can delegate to it today? HubSpot’s playbook shows how to spin up your own project and exec assistants using ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude—boosting strategy, streamlining ops, and freeing your brain for actual thinking.
🗣️ Struggling with prompt paralysis? This infographic from The Next Tool AI breaks down nine high-impact ChatGPT prompts—from PR crisis control to B2B outreach—that can supercharge your marketing workflows.
📹 Registrations are steady, but live attendance has tanked. Why? Most webinars are too long, too scripted, and too salesy. Trim the runtime, lead with value, and stop treating replays like gated gold. Video isn’t dead—your format is.
#️⃣ A new study of 25,000 searches shows AI search engines still lean heavily on Google’s top 10. Ranking #1? You’ve got a 25% shot at being the AI-sourced answer. The catch: AI doesn’t want your blog post—it wants your best answer.
🧑💼 That Cinderella candidate will probably a pumpkin by Q3. Executive hiring fails when we chase resumes over real-world readiness. Shift your lens from perfection to potential—adaptability, cultural fit, and cross-functional savvy matter more than a sparkling LinkedIn profile.
Up & Coming
2025 is no longer the year to “dabble” in AI. It’s the year you claim expert status—without needing a PhD or a dev background.
👉 This guide walks you through building real credibility fast: start with small wins, master a few tools, teach your team, then scale your influence beyond the org. The gap between AI-fluent operators and everyone else is getting wider. Time to move.