Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to Rise up at work. I'm Dr. Deepak Bhutra and today we are unlocking the work life you were meant to live. You're watching Now Media Television. Hey everyone.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Welcome to Rise up at work.
[00:00:11] Speaker A: I'm Dr. Deepak Bhutra.
[00:00:12] Speaker B: Today and as always, we're going to explore the intersection of identity and discipline. And I'm going to do that with a very extraordinary leader. This is a leader who helps founders build scalable capital ready systems. Joining me today is Justin Starbuck, CEO of the Ably Group. Justin, welcome to the show.
[00:00:29] Speaker C: Thanks for having me. Deepak. This is exciting. I really appreciate it.
[00:00:33] Speaker B: My pleasure. Absolutely. Justin, this first segment, we're going to actually focus on a very simple thing. Reality that I've learned along the way, and I coach my customers as well, is success is rarely a straight line. Right. We always are told that, you know, you work hard, you're going to progress, things go. That's not how it works. There's always ups and downs. I want to talk to you about. What is that spark that you encountered in your career and how did that shape the lessons you learned?
But before I get into that, I really would like to know a bit more about you. So Justin, please introduce yourself. Try to do it in maybe a minute or two. Who are you, what do you do and what problem do you solve? Sir.
[00:01:08] Speaker C: Oh, hey, you know, the opportunity to be on here is exciting and I really appreciate that.
I am, as you mentioned, the CEO and founder of the Ably Group. We're a full service marketing agency that specializes in, you know, working with business to business entities to grow, scale and in a lot of ways also help raise money to improve their business. So sometimes that's working with startups with new ideas and helping them, you know, find the strategy and create content in order to do that. I started the company about 12 years ago and you know, I've been really fortunate to have one, great people to work with and two, even better clients and working with them to help solve their missions and bring that to the masses. And so it's made me look really good that they've all done really well.
[00:02:03] Speaker A: So just full disclosure to everyone, right?
[00:02:06] Speaker B: So I am in fact a customer of Justin's and I'm actually using his services for a fundraising that I'm doing myself. And as I worked with him, I actually realized that this is a specific niche that a lot of us are not aware of. I wanted to create awareness of that first. Right. I mean, how do you create a pitch perfect, get the Joke Pitch perfect Pitch deck. Right. One and two. A lot of us who have ideas don't necessarily know how to market ourselves. And I think that's where people like Justin step in. Right. So, Justin, if I could kind of dig deeper into the work that you do. Right.
You have moved into marketing and business development. Right. What originally drew you to this field, though? I mean, just because there's lots of scope in it, or is it something you wanted to do?
[00:02:46] Speaker C: It was definitely something we kind of fell into years ago in terms of, you know, the business itself. My career started off in selling timeshare, and no one ever wants to, you know, go spend 90 minutes to spend $30,000 on a. On a timeshare. So I learned a long time ago that being able to tell a story and aligning that to, you know, the vision of who's in front of you is. Is really important in sales.
So. And then.
[00:03:18] Speaker B: Go ahead.
[00:03:20] Speaker C: No, no, go ahead.
[00:03:24] Speaker B: No, I. So. So for me, it's really interesting. You know, timeshare is one of those that people always raise their eyebrows when they hear that. But I also always tell people, when you raise your eyebrows, a specific job function, you got to understand the man that has done it has actually gone through fire. Right. And you. And you get something very unique out of it.
Now, very early in your career, when you did the timeshare and other things like that, how did. How were you defining success for yourself? And do you feel that today when you look back, have you achieved that definition of success or was it the wrong one?
[00:03:52] Speaker C: It certainly was the wrong definition I had of success at that point. And I think I was really fortunate, though, to be working with folks that sort of always took me under their wing and showed me what was behind the curtain and how to, you know, see some of the problems or solve some of the problems that others. Others didn't. And so that grounded me, I think, early on, to be able to take things for what they are and then.
And then expand on that. And so I think from the timeshare perspective, 100%, like, you know, that was.
We used to call it a hand to hand.
And so, you know, and that was a really difficult way to do that. So I think my definition of success then was much more materialistic and. And keeping up with the Joneses because of. Of the people I was working with now, the people I was working for also showed me that that wasn't necessarily the case. And it was really important to, you know, have, you know, grounded family and be able to do stuff that you really enjoyed that helped fill your cup. And I wish when I.
I had taken that advice earlier.
[00:05:10] Speaker A: So this is this.
[00:05:11] Speaker B: Actually one of the reasons why I do this show is because I actually want to make sure that I send a message out to the hustle crowd. You know, the crowd that's 21, 29, 30, and they live on Diet Coke and cigarettes. And that crowd is the one that I wanted to attract to this show. One, because I think that some of us who are seasoned and with gray in their beards have earned the right to actually explain what they see and how they see life differently. And a lot of people, when they listen to you and me just in talking like that, right, they assume that, what do these old timers know? And I think the reality is that the old timers were young as well. We had certain stars in our eyes, and now we realize that they were actually something else. And I like your positioning there. Very materialistic. When you started off living up with the Joneses, right, You're spending not for. How do you say this? To fulfill a need, but to actually give a message off to the neighbors. And I think that changes along the way. I'm going to dig into that a bit more later on, but I'd like to just kind of dig into something very different here. Right.
There's always these learnings that we get along the way. Now, you were an entrepreneur for what, If I recall, 12 years? Yes, sir.
[00:06:11] Speaker C: Oh, even longer.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: Yeah, even longer. So now there are many people on this call, and I'm one of those guys, Justin, who did 30 years in the corporate world and then got tired of it and said, I'm going to become an entrepreneur. And let me tell you my biggest surprise. Everything that I was taught about entrepreneurship, I suddenly realized was far more difficult than what I'd imagined because I thought I'd gone through a crucible, fire. And to be honest with you, the corporate world prepares you to do things very differently. You also have what I call an army behind you that you can call upon to come and help you. Right. Now, as you look back at the early experiences, do you feel that the effort you put in was actually delivering results to you, or have you figured out better ways to do things to get better results?
And I said, it's a loaded question, but it's more about how have you conserved your energy? How do you use your energy now? Any differences?
[00:06:58] Speaker C: Yeah, I think when I was younger, it was.
There is that mantra of the fake it till you make it. And so you would, you know, Put yourself in a position that maybe wasn't advantageous for actual success. And, and you did everything yourself. And part of that is my upbringing. New England. You know, you tie your boots tighter, you, you know, an extra loop on your, on your belt, you wake up earlier, you. You do it all yourself. But the truth of the matter is, is that you need to have people around you, that one you trust and that can execute on what you're sharing. But you also have to be really clear in what your expectations are and how to get there. And so I think that's something where I'd like to think I got better at age and be able to articulate what's in my head first and then translate that to getting things done later.
[00:07:58] Speaker B: You know, Justin, I'm so tempted. I need to, I need to dig in here a bit. Right.
I'm a coach, and when I talk to people, we usually talk about upbringing. You just spoke about certain work ethic that you had. Right. And I'm not going to label that work ethic as New England or whatever, whatever. But if you look back, was there a work ethic that you would consider as something that was absolutely holding you back and then you realize that this is just head trash or something that you shouldn't have done, but it's just that it was pounded into you. So as an example, never ask a woman her age, never ask someone how much they earn, stuff like that. Is there any work ethic that you cherished initially but now realize was a waste of time?
[00:08:34] Speaker C: Yeah, that fake it till you make it mantra. You mentioned the hustle crowd well before, it was like, you know, pretend you're something that you're not until you're that thing. And I have found that, you know, being more vulnerable and authentic in, you know, where I have areas of expertise versus where I need help and asking for that help, you know, there is no shame in that. And I think that is something that is not nearly as clear when I was younger as it is today.
[00:09:05] Speaker B: That is a very powerful message. You know, what I would say to people listening in. And as I listen to you, Justin, I realize one very thing message that you're giving over there is that be willing to give away also what worked in the past. Because if you keep doing it and you don't see the results, then you need to move away. So it's not that you're born or you're stuck with a specific stereotype that you need to live up to. You can reinvent yourself. And I kind of picked that up as you were talking to me now, we spoke about values, right? You spoke about work ethics. There's one value that you had which you've given away, which is fake it till you make it correct. That's what I think I heard clearly saying, right? If I were to now talk about the value that this is, the value that you have given away, right. You'd recognize that it was not helpful. What is that one big value from your work ethic that you think has quoted, quietly shaped your approach and made it even better? What would that be? That I think that I knew from day one, Deepak, but I've just doubled down on it. What would that be for you?
[00:09:56] Speaker C: Oh, man, you know, that, that we actually could do it. Sometimes there's that voice in the back of your mind that says, hey, you're not. You're not good enough. You're, you know, you're not going to do that. And I think not, not hearing that, but also being able to listen, right. When you do make a mistake or when things do go wrong, own it and find a way to, you know, improve it, make it right. And I feel like those are things that, that are really important again.
Also, it comes with all this great gray here, too. You know, it takes one to know
[00:10:32] Speaker A: when I agree with you.
[00:10:33] Speaker B: Yes, Justin, absolutely. And, you know, there's this power in what you just said as well, Right.
We have a situation where you have actually figured out what works. You've also figured out what worked but is not of any use to you today. And I really appreciate that. Now, we speak about a value system, and your value system seems to be one of be always willing to experiment, be willing to give away, not latch onto, and keep going from there. Now, Justin, if I could wrap up this segment and if I were to ask you, if you were to give advice to someone listening in in terms of figuring out their values, what would be a great place to start from? I mean, is it your upbringing that gives the right values? Is this something that you can look at in role models, mentors, coaches,
[00:11:15] Speaker C: all of those things, and none of those things, because if you were.
If you grew up and you didn't, those values weren't instilled in you, then you have to find them elsewhere. Maybe that is the coach or, you know, on. On the other thing, other side, sometimes mentors have different ideas for you or have their own vested interest, and you need to find your own path. And I think being able to look in the mirror and ask that question and make sure that you're doing right by yourself.
[00:11:49] Speaker B: Wow, Justin, I really appreciate that. So we are coming to the segment close now. We've looked at the early spark and Justin touched upon some of his learnings, his value system. When we return, we'll dive into the turning points where beliefs about growth are truly tested.
[00:12:05] Speaker A: We'll be right back with real stories, fresh insights and action steps to help you rise up at work without losing yourself. You're watching Rise Up At Work on NOW Media Television. Your ambition built your success, but somewhere along the way, your ambition took over and started running you. Hi, I'm Dr. Deepak Bhutra. I'm an executive coach, sales strategist and host of Rise up at Work.
[00:12:27] Speaker B: I've spent three decades inside corporate walls.
[00:12:30] Speaker A: A long time. I've been witness to how pressure rewrites
[00:12:32] Speaker B: purpose and when you lose sight of
[00:12:34] Speaker A: purpose, how the right mindset can help you reset and write a greater story. Rise up at Work premieres soon on NOW Media Television. Remember, it's time to move from surviving to thriving. It's time to rise up at work. And we're back. I'm Dr. Deepak Bhutra and you're watching Rise Up At Work on NOW Media Television. Let's keep reclaiming your career and learning how to truly rise up at work. Hi, this is Rise up at work on Now Media Television. Watch anytime on the Now Media Television app.
[00:13:03] Speaker B: It's available on Roku iOS and Android or stream at NowMedia TV.
So just turn me back with segment two. You have noted, you know, that investors fund predictability in our conversations before and it's not just about passion. I'm going to get into a conversation about some of those moments that forced the shift from hustle to systems. But we're going to bring it back home, kind of bring it back to your area of expertise. Right now, if I were to think about the work that you and I do and I actually realized that you give voice to my passion. Right. When did you realize that you had a knack for finding, helping customers find that voice and that this is the area domain that you wanted to focus on?
[00:13:43] Speaker C: Honestly, that was the change from having a job working in timeshare to going out on my own.
And that was 15 years ago, maybe 16 years ago. Initially, I had a another partner. It didn't work out and I ended up changing the name of the, of the business. And that's where the Ably Group was born. Ably was actually a mentor of mine growing up, growing up in my business. Formative years. So like 1920, 21, 22.
[00:14:11] Speaker B: And then ably is a name. Is that what you're saying?
[00:14:16] Speaker C: Yeah. I never told you that. Okay.
[00:14:19] Speaker B: No, I did not know that. This is really interesting. I assumed it's an acronym for Something Fantastic. It's a name. Got it. Yeah.
[00:14:25] Speaker C: Well, it's part of the acronym of Something Fantastic and the tag team. Right. So Ably was my first mentor and he passed of cancer, unfortunately, way too young. But his name lives on. And both of my daughters, their middle name, when they were born, I gave them Ably. And when I was looking for a change so my. My previous partner and I didn't work out, that's where I renamed the business the Ably Group, which has become the tag team. And now.
Yeah. So that's how I started to learn early on in timeshare that in order to sell, you need. The future is always perfect and you're always selling what the future vacation is going to be like or that time that you can't get back.
Yeah, exactly. And so I realized a long time ago that. That what was always disconnected was the person coming in was coming in for the two Disney tickets or they were coming in for some free gift, and that was their motivation for sitting for 90 minutes. And it was the salesperson that needed to connect with them and create that personal connection. And so what I learned was that messaging needed to be pulled together. And when you did that in. In a. In a way that was meaningful, you could apply it to any and all businesses. And so that was what was really the beginning of the. The company and really what's the foundation of the Ably Group and what we do. And speaking of the work that you and I do together, it's even more important to pull that vision out of a founder that is so visionary like. Like yourself, and align it to the mission and so that the people that are going to benefit the most can participate in its success. When you're speaking of, you know, fundraising
[00:16:19] Speaker B: or crowdfunding, I love this because this is such a natural pivot, because nothing excites me more than to talk about me and my business and the work you and I do. Right. But let's dig into this to make sure that everyone listening in understands how important it is to give a voice to that, in. To that. How do you say this?
What did we call it? I'm the entrepreneur. I'm the founder. I have ideas. Giving voice to those ideas is something that, Justin, you and I do together. Right. I have a question for you. At what point in your work. Did you actually realize that you could focus on investing and fundraising as a specific activity in this domain? And what excites you about it?
[00:16:59] Speaker C: Well, there's a lot to be excited about for sure, because every day your cup gets filled up by people that are solving problems in the world that most don't even realize exist. And to be able to do that is truly a privilege.
And to do that in so many different ways has been something that I didn't expect.
It's been such a wonderful blessing the last six to 12 months that we've started to pivot into this space.
But truly what started it was an opportunity with an existing client where we were working as their marketing team.
We were embedded as part of their business, and they had run into challenges with traditional fundra and, and weren't getting the deals or the terms that were important or that were going to help the previous angels and investors that had come along before.
And so when they started to look at an opportunity for crowdfunding, we had spent the previous four years building a community with them to help raise awareness for their mission. And so it just felt like this really great intersection of where the, the mission was going to solve a war. One of world's largest issues and you know, which is electrifying hydraulics and, and creating, you know, more sustainable solutions in heavy machinery and transportation logistics. And then giving those believers an opportunity to participate in its success that they wouldn't have had otherwise. And so being able to be at the, at the forefront of that is what led us to, you know, this industry. And then we had again, I go back to the first segment where we talked about the people around me and the ability that they of the team, and it was some technical delivery solutions that we had come up with that put us on the map for the we funder platform. Who then said, you know, who are you guys and what do you do? And that gave us way, gave way to opportunities to work with, you know, founders just like you.
[00:19:10] Speaker B: Now, let's dig into this a bit because I'm sure that there are now salespeople, there are now professionals listening in, there are potential founders, there are people who've got ideas but don't know where to start.
When. If I were to ask a simple way to, you know, when we start thinking about funding, what's a great place to start from? When we're looking at we fund as a platform, right, or any of the crowdfunding things, people don't think about marketing, but how does marketing help in that raising capital from These type of sources, what specifically do you do that helps people or founders?
[00:19:43] Speaker C: Yeah, no, great question. I think the first thing that you're looking at is often founders have this thought that they've got to keep what they're doing a secret, and if they build it, it will come, money will show. Right. Like you see, I'm guilty of that.
[00:20:01] Speaker B: I'm guilty of that.
[00:20:02] Speaker A: I relate to it.
[00:20:03] Speaker C: Yes, well, and so you, you know, the Silicon Valley vision of, you know, being given $200 million because somebody found your garage and your project, you know, doesn't actually exist. And so even the ones that are, are stealth or silent, they have had to tell somebody about what it is that they're solving. And so with crowdfunding, what, what that does is it, you know, the earlier you have your IP protected, the easier it is to talk about what it is that you're doing and build of who's going to benefit, you know, who's going to make money off of it, who's going to become more healthy or who's going to, you know, in your case, avoid burnout and have a higher career trajectory because of starting earlier. And so that's being able to identify that first is how you build your community. When you build your community and you want to fundraise from it. Now you're giving those evangelists an opportunity to own a piece of your future success and as you know, participate and get shares or equity of some kind, then they are going to go home at Thanksgiving or around the dinner table and talk about how excited they are and be part of your sales force long term. And so, you know, those are all opportunities that, you know, we try to instill in our founders and, you know, in our community to give them an opportunity to have success on the, the road.
[00:21:35] Speaker B: So, Justin, let's, let's really challenge the founders out there, right? Anyone who's thinking of doing something, what would your advice be that separates a company that can raise capital from one that just cannot? What happens? What's the biggest thing that you've noticed separates the winners from the losers?
[00:21:52] Speaker C: Honestly, it's their ability to articulate their mission and vision and show what the future is with that success.
And, and the better and more clear, they are clearly able to articulate that and show what that solution will help you overcome while being authentic and transparent.
That's really what separates them. Because now you're looking at galvanizing your community and the people that are most interested versus, you know, always selling.
[00:22:27] Speaker B: That's a very important point because I'VE actually realized a lot of founders, they were pretty. I mean, particularly, I've noticed founders that come from a corporate background or an engineering background. They tend to have tremendous ideas. But how you position that idea, how you articulate the idea is so important. And I think some of the work that you've done with me as well, Justin, has been on trying to temper me, temper how I approach things, and I think it's extremely valuable for me. I can see a problem a different way. But how to explain that to others is where the challenge is.
Justin, if a founder is listening and is preparing to raise today, what question should they ask themselves first? What would you recommend?
[00:23:01] Speaker C: What question should they ask themselves first is, are they willing to put in the work?
Often founders think that a fundraiser, they can hand it off and allow somebody else to do it for them. But truthfully, investors want to know that you're engaged and that you are the one that's going to see this through. That's all they know. Right? Because they don't know if the product works. It's generally, if you're raising money for it, it's not in their hands or it's not a service that's available. So truly, what ends up happening is when you invest in a company, you're really investing in the leadership and seeing that through, and they have to believe in you. So if you're going to raise money and do it successfully, you have to be clear with your vision, you have to be authentic and how you're going to, you know, in who you are and then transparent about what you're doing with that investment in that money.
[00:23:54] Speaker B: So I must be honest with you, Justin. There's so much power in what you just said that I actually would ask everyone re listen this segment specifically, if you're intending to get into fundraising or are you thinking of being a founder? Being a founder is great. It gets you a nice warm feeling. But there's a reality to how you got to raise funding. Right? And I love that we explained it there. What I wanted to do then, Justin, is that, you know, we've answered the question that they need to ask. We kind of have a feel for it. And as I listen to you, I'm also drawing parallels to my sales environment.
[00:24:22] Speaker A: Right.
[00:24:22] Speaker B: In sales also, we talk about looking for pain and solving a problem from a customer's point of view. Right. I may have all the features in my tool, in my process, but if it cannot relate back to what the problem being solved or I cannot position it or explain it, then There is no sale. And I think that's extremely powerful. So if anyone is in the sales game as well and is thinking at the end of the day, selling your idea, convincing a buyer to invest in you by buying your product, it's the same parallel, I guess, that's happening over here. You may have the idea, but the way that you want to commercialize the idea and how you want to position it is important for everyone.
We're going to start wrapping up this segment. I really enjoyed this conversation. We spoke about a lot of things. For me, raising capital and speaking the language of capital was something I could not relate to, even though I've been in corporate world for a very long time. And I just, I think that's where you've helped build a bridge. So we're going to move from this conversation around investment and we're going to start moving into the relevance of AI because we live in a very different world now. And I was very curious to just pick your brain on what skills matter in that scenario. So let's move on to segment three.
[00:25:24] Speaker A: We'll be right back with real stories, fresh insights and action steps to help you rise up at work without losing yourself. You're watching Rise Up At Work on NOW Media Television. Your ambition built your success, but somewhere along the way, your ambition took over and started running you. Hi, I'm Dr. Deepak Bhutra. I'm an executive coach, sales strategist and host of Rise up at Work.
[00:25:47] Speaker B: I've spent three decades inside corporate walls.
[00:25:49] Speaker A: A long time. I've been witness to how pressure rewrites
[00:25:52] Speaker B: purpose and when you lose sight of
[00:25:54] Speaker A: purpose, how the right mindset can help you reset and write a greater story. Rise up at Work premieres soon on NOW Media Television. Remember, it's time to move from some surviving to thriving. It's time to rise up at work. And we're back. I'm Dr. Deepak Bhutra and you're watching Rise Up At Work on NOW Media Television. Let's keep reclaiming your career and learning how to truly rise up at work. We're back on Rise Up At Work.
[00:26:19] Speaker B: The tools that we use are changing faster than ever. We are literally drowning with the amount of change that's coming out. Justin, I'm going to change this. And in this segment, we're going to talk about how do you maintain a vision in the age of automation and AI, Right. Artificial intelligence.
And for me, what I've been noticing is that basic tasks, and particularly coming from a coaching background, the amount of AI I'M using in my own work as well as the work that I'm doing in the sales arena, everything is changing. Basic tasks that we used to think sacrosanct. As an example, writing a LinkedIn DM to a customer, writing an email to a customer is now like it's pocket change. It's like table stakes. Everyone's automated it to death. And here's my concern. As basic tasks become commoditized, the value of positioning, clarity and emotional intelligence can only increase. And that's where, Justin, I have a suspicion and a feeling that you should be able to deliver better dividend. But I want to take this conversation in a very different direction.
Direct question to you, sir. In simple terms, how do you feel AI is changing marketing?
[00:27:21] Speaker C: Right now I feel like I'm in a space marketing. This is on. The first industries affected by AI was marketing and sales. And, and so to stay out in front of it, it was, is, was and is so important because to your point in the opening there, there are so many daily tasks and, and elements that can be automated. The, the challenge is at the end of the day, somebody on the other side has still got to make a decision to buy what you're selling. So if you sound like AI or the AI slop, you know, you're the first one dismissed. And you know, I feel like that's still our differentiator is the humanization of messaging.
And, and I feel like, you know, we're well positioned to maintain that. I hope that I'm listening to this in five years or watching this in 10 years and I'm still here and it hasn't overtaken me, but.
[00:28:27] Speaker B: Yeah, but there's something very powerful in what you said. And I really want to emphasize this to everyone if you are in sales or if you are in a place where your ideas matter. Justin, you said something really incredible. You said if you're positioning AI slop, people are going to look at your AI slop and you're now out of the running. You're not going to be getting that mind share that you think you're going to get because you are looking at what you wrote as something remarkable, but the reader looks at it and knows it's AI slop. So you've lost credibility, you've lost momentum. And I think that's a very powerful message because in marketing, I would argue that your ability to actually make sense, your ability to humanize communication is what makes us marketing so important. Right? Your message is based upon that people need to connect to the message and if the message is resonating as AI slop, then where is the connection? And I think that's something that I've never heard put the way you just put it. And I wanted to call that out.
Which parts of marketing, however, Justin, do you feel is becoming commoditized rapidly?
[00:29:27] Speaker C: I mean, writing is now commoditized to the point where like the expectation of a lot of founders and people that we work with are that you're just going to throw it into some sort of GPT and it'll come back out, you know, some sort of prompt.
[00:29:39] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:29:40] Speaker C: And, and, and that's so tough because I think that these sorts of things, like right now, these core pieces of content that you and I are creating, this show, this interview, the podcast that you do, the podcast that I do, that's what I think is still something that is so unique in the space because you can now, now I can take this content. It's my real voice. It's your real voice. And, and put it out there versus trying to put a prompt out, a prompt in the. Into a GPT and it. And it come out with something that it's pulled that's old data, that's not real, that doesn't have sentimentality, that isn't aligned with the mission or the vision, or is just plain wrong. And I think, you know, that's something that I still think there's a lot of, of authenticity that needs to go into it versus say a task. Is somebody downloading a form on your website and then getting a responded email and being in some sort of sequence? You know, I. That there are places for automation and that's important. I think that there's a lot of room for authenticity still.
[00:30:53] Speaker B: You know, it's so powerful, what you said, Justin, that I have a couple of buddies were sitting and just talking about the role of AI, and someone suggested, guys, just think about it, how dehumanizing it is that possibly one day you're lying on your deathbed and your final rights are being murmured to you by a robot. You said, tell me, have we lost our humanity to that degree? Or the fact that there's a priest standing next to you as you're passing and he actually is holding your hand. Isn't that what we need to do? And I was thinking it's a bit of an exaggeration. But you know what? It's happening all around me.
Some very intimate things seem to be people believe can be outsourced to AI as an example. Right. And that intimacy or that humanity is What I kind of start missing. In fact, I'm predicting, Justin, in two years from now, you and I are going to be willing to pay a premium to actually get someone to speak to on one of those call center calls. Right, because it's getting very vexing and very tiring. You are going through layers and layers. First, the voice. But let me ask a question. Since you spoke about authenticity, right.
If we were to talk about that and if authenticity is a skill, what skills are becoming more valuable because of AI? We've spoken about writing becoming, you know, how do you say, under pressure. But what skills are becoming more valuable because of AI? And I think authenticity is one of those things I don't think of. But what else would you position, sir?
[00:32:12] Speaker C: That's a great question. I think that the expectation is that everything is getting more easy and more efficient. And I don't know if that's necessarily the truth or the case. So what I think is so important still is that customer experience that people are going through that can't be automated.
I mentioned earlier that, you know, you still, on the other side of things, somebody is still making a decision to buy your product or service. They're still making a decision to invest in your company or your product or your service.
So I think their experience through that funnel is still something that, you know, being able to, to do that in a way that makes you feel important, makes you feel heard, makes, makes you feel validated.
I, I'm not sure what that skill is necessarily, but being able to see it and, and execute on it, that's where I think, you know, we'll always, there will always be room for that.
It's.
[00:33:21] Speaker B: That's again, a very powerful point. In fact, if I recall some of my conversations with sales people that I do, right, Because I'm a sales coach. And one of the realities that I. It hit me was salespeople that are exceptionally good at the point of judgment, right? You are sitting, you're discussing with the customer, and you offer a price.
The customer hears the price and he leans forward or he leans back, and AI can't make sense of that, right? But you as a human being selling, you know that you're at a point of infliction. Something is going on at that point, and you need to make a judgment call. Which direction should this conversation go in?
AI could potentially give you the directions it could go into, but that switch happens because a human being is watching another human being and knows something is up. I don't think this is the right time to talk about price or I noticed the body. He either flinched or he didn't flinch. And then you respond accordingly. So I think judgment is going to be a very important one.
I've always told this to people. AI won't take your job. It is someone using AI who's going to take your job. And the differentiator then has to be how to use AI in such a way that you actually augment your humanity or your own intelligence in such a way that it becomes a force multiplier. But sir, this is a tenuous area, right? AI, you and I can sit here and talk about it forever, but if I would ask a simple question, if you were 21 years old and entering marketing today, what would you focus on? Mastering first, knowing that AI onslaught is ongoing.
[00:34:49] Speaker C: So if I was entering today, one of the first things I would learn is more about how to put these elements together, right? Make how to create your own instances or your own, your own agents and, and what the capabilities are.
You know, the technical side of things, I think is what is going to lead all of this and your ability to do that and then integrating that with, you know, your ability to, to tell a story. I, I laugh like you, you mentioned that you're a sales coach and I love that. And, and you have such a passion for life. But I, the way I share that is you show me a really good salesperson and generally I'll show you bad marketing because somebody that's really good at sales is really good at developing a relationship with them. You mentioned, you know, the tells and, and the leaning in or the, you know, the head nod or whatever.
[00:35:52] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:35:54] Speaker C: And a lot of that could be over. It can be overcome by creating a really good vision of whatever the mission is and by, by telling that story ahead of time to make it easier for them for your salesperson to actually sell. So generally when you have a really good salesperson, not always, but generally when you have a great salesperson, you have really, you poor marketing. It doesn't align with those products and features, those benefits don't align with what, with what the messaging is. It's generally left behind. And I think that is such an interesting element.
[00:36:34] Speaker B: Justin, it's. Again, I gotta nod my head at this now for sellers and for professionals listening in, please understand. I don't think, Justin, you're being judgmental. I think you're actually saying something pretty, pretty smart. And I've always said to salespeople, if after five meetings you're getting a price. Objection. Are you getting this? Leaning forward or you're getting this flinch. He's flinched at my price.
That actually tells me that you did not market the value of your system, your product, your service early enough for you to actually mitigate that expected flinch. Right. And if you know in sales that there are typically five or six types of objections and if you have not positioned objection handling through your strategy, through your potential marketing, through sharing of case studies and stuff, then you kind of ask for this to fall upon you. In any case, because you cannot resolve objections at the last moment, you need to start mitigating a potential objection by the actions and activities you do very early in the game. And I think you just nailed it. One of the low hanging fruits which people do not consider is potentially marketing. How can you use marketing upfront to take away that severity of this objection called pricing? Because marketing can help you position the value very well, very powerfully and not rely only on humanity or judgment calls at the last moment. Very powerful message there, Justin. I really appreciate this conversation. Had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed this. We can dig into this more in the future, but let me close by just simply sitting as follows. We started off with values. We spoke about your approach to marketing and some guidance you gave. We just spoke AI it comes down to fundamentals over tools at the end of the day, right? You can have all the tools, but if you get the fundamentals wrong, they're not going to work.
We're going to return in segment four and we'll close with some daily practices that I'm going to get into discussing with you, Justin, that create a high impact career to make sure that the last segment delivers value.
[00:38:23] Speaker A: We'll be right back with real stories, fresh insights and action steps to help you rise up at work without losing yourself. You're watching Rise up at Work on NOW Media Television. Your ambition built your success. But somewhere along the way, your ambition took over and started running you. Hi, I'm Dr. Deepak Bhutra. I'm an executive coach, sales strategist and host of Rise up at Work.
[00:38:46] Speaker B: I've spent three decades inside corporate worlds.
[00:38:48] Speaker A: A long time I've been witness to how pressure rewrites purpose.
[00:38:51] Speaker B: And when you lose sight of purpose,
[00:38:53] Speaker A: how the right mindset can help you reset and write a greater story. Rise up at Work premieres soon on NOW Media Television.
Remember, it's time to to move from surviving to thriving. It's time to rise up at work. And we're back. I'm Dr. Deepak Bhutra and you're watching Rise up at Work on NOW Media Television. Let's keep reclaiming your career and learning how to truly rise up at work. This is Rise up at work on NOW Media Television.
[00:39:19] Speaker B: Watch anytime on the NOW Media Television app, available on Roku iOS and Android, or stream at NowMedia TV.
So we've talked about systems and the future. We had a great conversation, Justin, on value systems and the way he's been raised and the stuff that he's done and how he's looked for mentors. There was a great back and forth on understanding where Ably came from and that was a very touching point. Now I'm going to dial in a bit deeper and I really want to make sure that the audience gets from Justin some of the daily habits that he has used to anchor a very successful career and built a reputation for himself in the domain of marketing. Right now, principles take constant. Even when marketing shifts. It's an easy thing to say, right? And impact is a result of what you choose to do and what you choose to stop chasing. And that's what I want to dig into with him. Justin, with so much change going on and as everything changes, markets, tools, capital cycles, AI, so on, so on, what has stayed constant for you that you want to share with this audience?
[00:40:16] Speaker C: So this is something I wish I had learned earlier, but definitely been a part of who I've become in the last couple of years. And that's. Discipline is more important than motivation. Motivation leaves the moment things get hard, but discipline keeps going regardless of what you're going through. And I wish I had been able to understand that earlier because for so long I just, I waited for the inspiration to hit or the motivation to hit to tackle some of the larger problems versus having the discipline to focus on those each and every day. So, you know, what do they say? A 1% improvement every day doesn't, you know, you don't see in a, in a day, a week, a month, but over the course of that year, over several years, you can see that.
And that's really important. That's, that's something that I try to instill in my, in the people that we work together with, our clients and even, you know, my, my young daughters.
[00:41:18] Speaker B: This is again a nugget that I just want to make sure we kind of put the microscope on a little bit because I want to make sure people listening, understand what just happened here.
We drew a parallel and I think this is one of the reasons why I absolutely enjoy the things like people tell me strategy, structure, will eat, strategy for breakfast, something like that.
And Culture will eat strategy for breakfast. We hear that as well. And in my sales experience and in the way that I have worked looking at professional dial rock stars, you kind of nailed it. Motivation and discipline. Your motivation will give you the courage to survive while all else is failing. But your discipline is what going to keep you at the right place at the right time and keep you going forward. And to be honest with you, when you rise, you're going to rise to the level of discipline because motivation is more like you're going to push you higher, but discipline is going to what's going to hold you back. And I think people miss that. People think that sheer motivation and the fact that you can look into a mirror and go rah, rah, rah is enough to get through life. It's not it's structures, it's discipline. And I'm a process geek and I've always said this to people, guys, if you want to make something wash, rinse, repeat and that simplified, then you need to bring discipline in. Discipline gives structure, structure creates to a process and a process becomes then wash minutes, repeat. That was a very powerful connection right there. And I'm grateful that you raised that point because I really want people to understand we are all for motivation, but we're not for motivation in isolation. The discipline to enact or to deliver on what that motivation demands of is far more important. And that's a good call from you, Justin. Thanks for that. Justin, what beliefs about success did you have to unlearn though? And I think we kind of touched upon it. But I want to double down on this a bit more. What have you had to give away and move on besides fake it till you make it?
[00:43:06] Speaker C: I had to give away a lot of ego.
I unfortunately, you know, went through a divorce several years ago and you know, when you do that, a lot of things get stripped from you. What's, what's real, what's not, who you know, who's by your side, who's not those sorts of things.
And I think part of what made it difficult or what was so eye opening was ego. Well, I, you know, wanted to be successful, be seen as successful and those sorts of things.
[00:43:37] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:43:38] Speaker C: And I think that was something that was, was, was really important and that it wasn't what I had, it was who was around me. And, and you know, the, the elements of, of success, you know, were not something that, that you can lean on. Right. Like because you know, your friends, your friends change and those sorts of things. So it's a matter of, of being True to yourself and also, you know, loving the people that are close to you. So that's maybe a cliche, but I. It was one of those things where, you know, not to get too personal, but it was a. I was the one that chose to leave. And. And it was important to do that to.
To protect myself. And. And, you know, it made me really put ego aside with a lot of stuff and really look after what was important for my daughters and I. And then. And then, you know, after that, it was a business. Other things.
[00:44:41] Speaker B: Justin, let's just pause for a second there, because I really want to make sure that people understand.
The key word in the entire thing that you just said is not the fact that you went through a divorce or the fact that you did let go of ego is the fact that you were willing to share.
Vulnerability is considered by many to be a weakness in a corporate or in an entrepreneur, in a founder. And I think what you're saying is that it may have been at one point, but at the end of the day, you need to make decisions that are good for you. And some of those decisions may, look, people may pass a judgment call. And I think there's a very powerful message in that, what you just said there. Right. And if anyone is listening, I would ask you to all step back and ask yourselves, are you willing to be as vulnerable as what Justin just explained? Because I do believe vulnerability is misunderstood. People look at that and assume that it's about, how do you say, weak masculinity. But then what's the opposite of that? Toxic masculinity. What would you prefer? I would definitely prefer some element of vulnerability where you actually understand what do you need? And I've always said this to people. We are in relationships, and I don't want to pontificate. Right. But sometimes putting that oxygen mask on your face first is actually a good step than worrying about 10 other people sitting next to you. Because the probability that you could save granny and the little baby next to you falls rapidly if you are not taking care of yourself first on that aircraft. So instead of having one person in trouble, you may end up with three people in trouble because you didn't do what you needed to do at that particular point.
I must be honest, I didn't expect that response. But, hey, Justin, this is exactly what this show is about, right? Getting people listening to understand we are all human and we all have our own stories and our own perspectives. It's what we do with those stories and perspectives that allow me to bring you on this show to share your thought process. So there's a learning there. Right. This could become a sob story about a divorce, but it can also be about rising up again and coming back with a vengeance. Doing things that you want to do at your time, patience. And I do appreciate you calling out your daughters and the influence and the impact you want to make on their lives as a role model. So. So let's keep going.
Now, you've unlearned a few things, right. But let me then ask you what daily or weekly habits have really shaped your career trajectory that you really double down on?
[00:46:50] Speaker C: So. Good question. I think. You know, I mentioned creating discipline to be able to solve those big problems and also do the stuff that's difficult first. I know that's sometimes a cliche, but
[00:47:03] Speaker B: I was so going to ask you that question. I was going to ask you a question on prioritization, time management. Boom. What a brilliant. Keep going, boss. I'd like to get some nuggets from you on that.
[00:47:13] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, we all have those roadblocks in the, in the way sometimes, whether it's the, the, you know, the difficult client or, you know, something that is, you know, we keep, we keep putting off because we don't want to get to it, but it's going to have the most meaningful impact. And I don't necessarily mean in a successful impact. What happens when you don't tackle that thing that's on your mind all the time? Is it. It takes up space, emotional energy.
[00:47:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:47:41] Speaker B: Yes.
Always fight.
[00:47:44] Speaker C: And so then you have to. Your discipline is challenged even more if you don't have the motivation to do that. And then, you know, truly, once you get through it, the rest of the day is really easy. And so what we try to do is tackle that most difficult thing first or the piece that's. That's most difficult or hardest to deal with and move on to the other challenges.
[00:48:08] Speaker B: I've always told people that if you can actually figure out what Justin just said, you also figure out the way how to manage upwards. If you can take your boss's worries and move them to the back of his mind in terms of how you do things and how you prioritize time and how you focus on him, you'll actually end up building a tremendous relationship with your manager. Now, that was not supposed to come out from what you just said, but I had to associate that because it's been top of my mind, managing upwards, managing your own discipline, your own time, and then taking that energy that you've used to change your own way of doing things and then channeling it upwards will actually lead to a tremendous career progression. And at the end of the day, this show is rise up at work. So I have to bring that in. Now if I would ask you, Justin, to just imagine you are a time traveler and you're now meeting 21 year old Justin, who's sitting slurping a soda at somewhere, right? And you walk into that diner, you see him and you walk up. What would you tell him? That I am coming from the future and this is my message to you. What would that message sound like?
[00:49:11] Speaker C: Justin, don't take your handsomeness for granted. No, I was kidding.
[00:49:21] Speaker B: My granddad said that about my hair. I, I had an afro when I was in college and he told me, don't fall in love, buddy. Don't fall in love. Your dad's bald, I am bald and I know what's gonna happen to you. And I told him, no, no, no. My uncles have awesome hair on my mother's side. I am comfortable that my uncle's jeans are gonna kick in. They didn't kick in. They did not kick in. So that's a good point. I love that. That was a great humor there, sir.
[00:49:44] Speaker A: So just carrying on and kind of,
[00:49:46] Speaker B: let's start wrapping up this segment.
[00:49:49] Speaker A: If someone wants to rise up at
[00:49:51] Speaker B: work tomorrow morning, what is the very first step to start your morning or your day to get energized? What do you do?
[00:49:58] Speaker C: I, you know, like I said, you know, start with the most difficult thing first and then make a plan. Make a plan for, you know, start with the goal where, you know, we all have this place where we want to get to, but what are the steps that you're, that you need in order to achieve that? And the other, you know, the piece with that is in order to get somewhere you've never been, you need to do things that you've never done. And so you have to be open to seeing things from a different way.
[00:50:25] Speaker B: In order quoting, I am putting that on a T shirt, boss. You absolutely nailed it, sir. I'm going to start wrapping up this segment. Justin, thank you for sharing those insights. This has been a great conversation. Time just flew by. Where can our viewers connect with you and learn more about the ably group?
[00:50:42] Speaker C: Yeah, ably group. A, E, B, L, I, group.com is the best way you can connect with me on LinkedIn, Justin Starbert. And those are the two best ways to connect with us. If you need help with the business
[00:50:55] Speaker B: or, or crowdfunding and LinkedIn as well. Justin Starboard is prominently on LinkedIn. You'll find him.
That's it. I'm Deepak Bhutra, and this has been another episode of Rise up at Work where we are building clarity and discipline for the modern career. Only now on Now Media Television.
