Ideas

Quick thoughts distilled from recent posts.

How Far Do You Let It Run?

The thing that changes as you get good with AI isn't how clever you get. It's how far you let it run without checking every word. That's trust, and it's the whole arc.

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The Five Ds

Building the tools that help you work is trivial now, so the build stops being the moat. Five things still matter, and they all start with D.

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The Future Is Here

The future isn't a date on the horizon. It already arrived, in the overlap of business, marketing and AI. What I see from where I'm standing.

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ExtraHuman

AI that makes you more of what you already are. An extra human on your team. And time to focus on the extra-human stuff.

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Task vs Purpose

The tasks change but the purpose never does. That's been true for a century of advertising.

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Voice is a Huge Unlock

Speaking is 4x faster than typing. But speed isn't even the main benefit.

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You Don't Need to Be a Coder Anymore

AI doesn't guess anymore. It writes code, runs calculations, and computes real answers.

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Drive-By Delegation

Terrible delegation habits? Perfect training for the age of AI.

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Which File Should We Change?

Don't ask AI why it made a mistake. Ask which file to change so it never happens again.

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The Slot Machine Mental Model

Don't treat AI like an oracle. Treat it like a slot machine. Change the input, pull again.

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From Idea to Finished Thing

The hardest thing isn't building anymore. It's stopping.

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Skills: The Best of Both Worlds

Code is deterministic but can't reason. AI reasons but forgets your preferences. Skills give you both.

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Installing Skills: Claude AI vs The 8020brain

Two ways to use skills - in Claude AI directly, or in the 8020brain. Both work. One is dramatically more powerful.

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AI Data Security: The Policy You Need

What data can you safely put into AI tools? The answer isn't complicated. But it needs to be deliberate.

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The PPC Manager's Role in the AI Era

Your expertise is the most valuable thing you have. Stop leaving it locked in your head.

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Soft Skills Are The Hard Skills Now

Soft skills are delegation skills. And delegation is how you leverage a team of fifty waiting to work for you virtually for free.

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The AI Vocabulary Is Smaller Than You Think

You don't need 2,000 AI concepts. You need 30-40 Lego bricks. Put them together and you build systems that draft emails, create content, and run your reporting.

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MCP vs the Google Ads API: What's Actually Different

Both need the same credentials. The difference is where the data goes - and that changes everything about what you can do with it.

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It Just Takes Belief

You don't need to be technical. After 30 minutes of setup, you just talk to your computer. And it does stuff.

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The 10-80-10 Model, Updated for AI

I taught 10-80-10 to hundreds of agencies back in 2016. It works even better with AI, once you stop checking everything and start closing loops.

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If You Played This, You Can Do This

Think AI is too difficult? If you grew up playing Super Mario, you already have every skill you need. 😆

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A series on AI adoption, team transformation, and building for the future.

I Was Wrong About AI and Jobs

Eight years ago, I said AI wouldn't take your job. I was wrong. Here's what I've learned watching the shift.

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Trust → Certainty → Speed

The biggest unlock with AI isn't the technology. It's trust. Here's how the flywheel works.

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Diversity of Thinking

When everyone uses the same models, the advantage comes from how you use them. Engineer diversity into your process.

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Creativity Is Downstream of Inputs

Ideas don't appear from nowhere. They're sparked by inputs colliding with problems. Just-in-time vs just-in-case.

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Management by Exception

Dashboards aren't for staring at. They're for spotting anomalies. How AI changes monitoring.

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Progress, Not Perfection

Perfectionism is a productivity killer wearing a quality costume. Ship at 80%.

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You're Not Behind

If you're reading, learning, and experimenting - you're early, not late. Most businesses haven't really started.

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The Scout Advantage

Certainty is what clients want most. Scouts run ahead, test the terrain, and return with maps.

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Small Automations, Exponential Outcomes

Automating feels slower before it feels faster. That's the trap - and here's the math that matters.

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Storytelling, Play, and Video Storyboards

Creativity and play aren't distractions. They're leverage. Every good presentation is a story.

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Adventure

AI adoption isn't an upgrade. It's an adventure. When you expect failure as learning, everything changes.

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Being Human in an AI World

AI is a left-brain tool. Relationships, taste, judgment, meaning - these remain stubbornly human.

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Accountability (Beyond Productivity)

Accountability isn't about doing more work. It's about doing what matters. AI as mirror and nudge.

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Personal Legacy and Memory

Every person carries decades of experience and wisdom. AI can help capture what would otherwise be lost.

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Privacy, Trade-offs, and Reality

Privacy isn't binary. It's a trade-off. Neither fear-mongering nor naivety is useful.

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Reflections on AI transformation written in December 2024.

Two Types of Business in 2025

The future divides into two paths: those using AI like it's 2022, and those achieving what looks like magic.

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There Is No Manual

Why traditional approaches to business operations are becoming obsolete.

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Should You Spend Less on Ads?

A deep dive into ad spend optimization in the age of AI.

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Let's Go Down the Agent Rabbit Hole

Exploring the transformative potential of AI agents.

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Scaling Expertise Is Hard

The challenges and solutions in scaling business expertise.

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The Evolution from Ads to AI

How advertising is transforming through AI integration.

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The New Management Challenge: Can You Conduct?

Leadership in the age of AI orchestration.

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Three Steps to Using Agents in 2025

A practical guide to implementing AI agents in your business.

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A New Form of Deep Work

How AI is redefining productivity and focus.

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Wrap Up: The Future of Business with AI

Bringing it all together - the future of business with AI.

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