2024 Productivity Resolutions with Wake Tech (NC) Community College Small Business Center Director, Todd Lyden

[00:00:02] What you want when you want it, where you want it. This is The Mesh. Welcome to the Entrepreneur Exchange on the Mesh Podcast Network. A monthly conversation about startups, about small business, ideas, tools and advice to help you operate your business more effectively.

[00:00:29] On today's show, it is a new year and many of us make new years resolutions and in business it's often how are we going to get more productive? How are we going to get more efficient and we are here to help?

[00:00:41] Today we have Friend of the podcast and Tech Geek Todd Lyden with us to talk about productivity tips, apps, programs, other stuff that you might want to use to become more productive and efficient in 2024.

[00:00:55] Plus we will be highlighting some small businesses on our small business of the month feature. Businesses that you should be checking out. My name is Jeff Nuvill. I'm your co-host director of the Manufacturing Solutions Center in Connover, North Carolina.

[00:01:08] I'm joined by my co-host Gary Muller who is Executive Dean of Economic Development, Incorporate Education, a alumni community college and Hickory, North Carolina. Gary, how are you doing? Jeff. Thanks for that great introduction. Doing really well. We had a great holiday. Hope everyone had a great holiday season

[00:01:27] and we are actually feeling that it is winter time. Good as winter time in North Carolina. I'm more care-line. We're recording this in early January. There's a bad weather advisory, which means we'll get some ran. So we go further up to East Coast. It could be nasty.

[00:01:46] And we're actually looking at canceling or postponing classes because of the threat of a little bit of sleep. We don't know. Yes, we are. I just want to win. Well, we have classes on Saturdays. Okay. Well, we won't affect too many people. Okay. All right.

[00:02:03] It does affect the people that are wanting to come to class. No, well, no. That's okay. That's a good thing. You call us when we have no class. You want me to call in. Okay. You don't care because it's a Saturday. I'm planning on hunkering down.

[00:02:17] I get some firewood and get right hunkered down. Do you make me your resolutions? I do. Is there anything that you don't share? Yeah, even when I told you before we got on, I'm going to stop doing stupid things so I don't hurt my back anymore.

[00:02:31] How's that going? So far so good, but it's just what the fifth. That's good. That's better than I usually last in my resolution. Okay. Well, good for you. Well, I hope that you're able to fall through on that one. Me too. So does my family. Oh, good deal.

[00:02:45] Good deal. I'm not a good patient. Well, let's welcome our guests. Yes. Todd Liden, who is with us and has been with us at the beginning of the year for the last several years. Todd, how are you doing? I do as well. Thank you.

[00:03:00] And Todd, in the last year, you're still a small business director here in North Carolina, but you've moved to the largest small business center in our state, the Wake Tech Community College Small Business Center that's in Raleigh, Kerry. I'm not totally sure.

[00:03:16] Somewhere down in that part of the state. Congratulations. Thanks, Todd. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, we have, we have sites all over Wake County. I'm at the Kerry location. Of course, the original location is just south of Raleigh.

[00:03:30] So, and brand new location out in Wendell, which will be open in the fall. And then just broke ground on another location that will basically replace where I'm at. We're in rented space and we'll be moving into a new space going out towards apex.

[00:03:52] Oh, sounds like you will be busy? Yes, lot of growth. I just, I do what they tell me to do and just try to keep track everything that's going on here. And just to remind our listeners, you know, what, you know, in your role as small business

[00:04:09] director was sort of, what sort of stuff do you do there? Well, I, you know, I think the best thing we do is get to lay at a land. I think that's one of the beauties of our system is that we're unique to the areas we're at.

[00:04:22] So, I went from one of the most rural locations where there's very different terms of the audience and the needs to wake which feels like a huge microcosm of the entire state.

[00:04:35] I still have some of the same concerns but then the ones that I've heard my counterparts talk about here in a year out. And so it's just a matter of knowing what folks need here.

[00:04:46] And I've spent the last year, it's crazy to think it's almost been a year. Just learning at the beauty here is that there's so many great resources and so many outside partners to work with that it really does make it easier

[00:05:03] because we do get on average about three director quests a day coming in without even trying. We don't advertise particularly hard, we don't market pretty, we don't have to market too hard and we get a lot of requests.

[00:05:22] And those requests are coming from folks who are starting businesses looking for support guidance, probably money every now and then. Most of them are looking for money.

[00:05:34] I'd say about two thirds at least, or their point is to get a business plan or something so that they can eventually go for funding of some sort.

[00:05:45] And here in North Carolina we're very fortunate to have resources like our small business internet work where we've got small business centers. Each community college route to state to help folks who are in startup mode or help existing small businesses.

[00:06:01] So if you're in North Carolina, you should check them out at your local community college if you're looking for that sort of assistance. So appreciate the work that you do Todd. Thank you. I know you know the works.

[00:06:14] I've done some of that in my in a past life but it's it's a appreciative of what you do. And you know, and you know, shockingly we don't bring you on the podcast for your dashing good looks.

[00:06:28] We bring you on the podcast because more so than most people that we know, you seem to be keeping up with tools and things that can help start ups and small businesses and you're up to speed on various productivity things last year.

[00:06:46] You were babbling about something called AI which you have Gary and I had to Google.

[00:06:52] It stands for artificial intelligence and we know Gary and I were taking copious notes on our yellow pads and using our advocacy's the new calculations, but it turns out you were onto something with this AI thing. You knew who knew that I mean it was.

[00:07:09] You know, and I must say that even I use some chat GPT GPT. I thought I said that right. Do some things you know, and play it around with it a little bit and found some benefit to it. Very good. We'll drag you there too Gary.

[00:07:24] You think so? We'll see. We'll try. We'll see. But we we time we always like to get your thoughts and perspectives on on tools and you know, and we're talking a little earlier sounds like you're still.

[00:07:38] You're still delving into the AI tools that might be of assistance to start ups and small businesses. So what's what do you see on the radar for the coming year?

[00:07:49] Well, I mean one of things I did is I went back and looked because I've I keep this presentation and like we've talked about in the past. I can't count it refresh it. There's not too much to refresh it in terms of a fact a couple years ago.

[00:08:01] We were retired a couple things because you'd ask me for recommendation. Like we got a we got a whole frame of different tools and things that are still out there.

[00:08:09] But the interesting thing with clients now is they still need those same types of tools and things that will help them get the jobs done.

[00:08:19] But the thing they have to be very aware of and we're just getting into it last year and we started talking about this because at that point. The the chat GPT three had only just been released a couple months beforehand and it started to make some headway.

[00:08:35] And then of course in the last year I mean it's it's become ubiquitous now that if you don't and that's the thing of going back through some of the tools. You swear to us. You're a bit less far. You can look that one up later. Yeah.

[00:08:51] Sorry, throw you off time. Thanks for thanks for chat GPT for answering questions. But to look at what these things do because one of the interesting things we have when I first got here,

[00:09:03] right on the gate, I set their a pitch where they basically went, we're a marketing firm and we want to incorporate AI and everything we do.

[00:09:12] We need extra funding for that which makes sense on the front end but they were going to then up their rates and increase their stuff to.

[00:09:22] You know, they couldn't explain how what are they really looking at is getting the efficiencies in their own business by using AI through all the marketing that they do for other businesses of course.

[00:09:35] And so that's the thing that folks have to really understand is that there's a cost to any of them being added whether it's to.

[00:09:45] And that's the thing I wanted to take a look at real quick is that chat GPT, of course, at a free level which is probably what you've used.

[00:09:52] I mean otherwise it's about $20 a month for an individual to pop on and get their next level pro level access is only really good in as much as it allows you to do certain things whereas.

[00:10:10] Of course, being is built off of that. That's why Microsoft puts so much investment into it because all of their stuff now if you go to being right there there's a chat GPT search built into the search function now and it'll do most of the things that you can do directly with chat GP at the free level.

[00:10:32] And if you're not if the tools don't have these them baked into them where they can be the software's already behind in essence, especially if you're talking about things like composing emails, writing news letters anything with verbage can be produced pretty quickly and easily at least that you know if you've played with a template level.

[00:10:58] And then to answer some basic questions a couple of really good examples we used here was when we first started playing with it a little bit was putting in there as a small business advisor.

[00:11:10] We set up a plan and we ran it through all the different the three major chat GPT and then of course Google changed the layout in the last year by unleashing what they call barred.

[00:11:26] And then we baked into all of their products, run it through that and then the different AI's to ask the same question okay put together a core business plan for this and see what the differences were and they're all pretty about pretty much about the same but it does reveal some of the differences and you can do some of the searches and see how.

[00:11:49] And the first word is a little bit different at a basic level than chat GPT because it'll it's actually still linked to the internet function way.

[00:11:57] So for example one of things I asked it to do was to how would we improve the SEO of our small business center network website and they both came up with about the same.

[00:12:07] And we have a lot of recommendations but barred because it was actually attached to the internet made direct suggestions. With websites and other things that you could do that chat GPT because it's not at that basic level connected to the internet would do.

[00:12:27] And barred barred was getting more specific, more customized suggestions for your specific website as opposed to just have more links or do this or do that.

[00:12:38] Yeah, again it had it produced very similar results in terms of the recommendations but then it got it and it's also way more conversational right out of the gate at x like it knows you way too quickly.

[00:12:49] And that's the thing to remember about most of these is that it's about adapting to learning you and your needs as you use it more more often.

[00:12:57] So if you have a specific account, that's why it saves the conversations so it now has memory of conversations with you asking how you ask things and what you're trying to ask right.

[00:13:11] So that's why that's the benefit for anything that is in this administrative text to speech or speech to text. For example, one of the things I tested out when you reminded me what you want to do this was I ran the podcast through one of the summarizer sites.

[00:13:31] And there's a ton of those now you've probably seen and probably had offers for a lot of these podcast summary sites where for a minimal cost they'll go in and produce a summary produce the show notes and basically they're just producing a transcript and then analyzing that transcript right.

[00:13:48] Well, we think that we're working with a human producer but we don't know that for sure we sort of behind the curtain like I'm sorry. I can't confirm. I haven't seen you. Yeah, we haven't seen him lately but we think he's still.

[00:14:01] But see that's one of the great things about anything like this where it's so much easier now you run the audio through it pulls a transcript.

[00:14:11] You know, probably ninety percent correct and then it can then easily summarize it into some quick and dirty notes which is perfect for things like if you have long meetings.

[00:14:22] You know anything where you want to retain so we're almost at a point where we could be recording calls with clients and then have an easier way of summarizing them or you could do that for yourself, you know, for any sort of business.

[00:14:38] Okay, well that's I mean I've been using it more on if I need to do a new job description or something like that and you know and it's it's been. It's been good.

[00:14:49] I mean it's sort of given me something that 80% I can work with I have to do a little tweaking but it does it does a lot of the work for us. That's a time saver. It's a time saver. Yeah, productivity right.

[00:15:02] That's a whole point is that and if and when I keep reminding folks is that almost everything you're using now should or doesn't.

[00:15:10] It should have it baked in without much additional cost because most of it is predicated on a volume and volume out in terms of the the analysis of the verbage right so.

[00:15:26] It's like in sub a penny going in versus you know what it what it produces for you. So you have to remember that that's part of the you make a simple request is hey, provide me a job description and then it's going out.

[00:15:43] And taking every conversation it's had on that subject and then producing and reproducing based on and then of course you get to tweak it you get to say no I want this to. Be more sophisticated or sound no professional or change the tone.

[00:16:00] I think we talked about it last time one of my favorite things I learned last year was that chat GPT was program to be male. So but it didn't know why.

[00:16:11] So I mean we could ask chat BGP to you know it's tender and that's what it would tell us. Well, yeah and what they found was those that you could ask for specific examples and say you know produce something.

[00:16:27] In a particular voice and then the how the voice would change if he said produce this as a woman would do it.

[00:16:36] So like if Gary or I had like our wives birthday coming up or something and we wanted to write some sort of romantic poem this might be a good resource for us. Oh yeah. Okay. Good to know. Good to know. Okay. Now on time today's coming up.

[00:16:52] I could be a hero. But I mean what this is coming down to and you've seen is that it's really coming down to the new skill that people have to have is the prompting.

[00:17:01] Is that being able to and that's where I think and I haven't dealt in enough yet to figure out I've done some preliminary stuff to.

[00:17:10] I think we have to figure out how to ask the right types of questions especially if you're going to produce more complicated things like visuals etc.

[00:17:20] Right, but prompting is that skill that they're going to be talking about it's been it it's going to replace some of the administrative back in so it's going to be like okay how do you produce the best job description how do we make sure that it's a.

[00:17:36] It's safe we wanted to say the way we wanted to say it. Well it's interesting I mean I I know that.

[00:17:44] Yeah, something something Gary's always brought up in terms of when we when he talks to local businesses in terms of the needs that they've got from the workforce it's always been soft skills and communication skills and I'm wondering when we're going to start hearing them say prompting we need we need better prompting for AI.

[00:18:05] I mean if you looked at some of the data for late last year, I mean a lot of the job descriptions were coming out in particular with certain things were the capability to do.

[00:18:16] They've been I've said it as prompting but to have some knowledge of how to use AI in different software so that's where I tell folks make sure that what you're currently using or thinking of using if it has it what can you do with it and so that's why when we get back to.

[00:18:34] You know Microsoft that their stuff and they've just put out the app for what they're calling co-pilot.

[00:18:43] Which is going to be baked into all of the Microsoft software you can download in that but I mean basically if you've gone on to word or any of the traditional you know software or stuff in office, those kind of things it's got the.

[00:18:58] The AI little thing there we're now it'll give you prompts to go kid you want to say at this way or that way. It starts learning what you're doing and it will start asking you how you want to update those things so Microsoft has it borrowed obviously.

[00:19:15] Is the Google version of that so on the software side you've got their version of it and of course if you use Gmail I mean they've been doing this for months now where.

[00:19:25] Basically it will help you build out your email much better than you could you can ask within Gmail hey right me an email for this purpose and it'll do it for you.

[00:19:38] At least again as the start point and then you have to tweak it but as you use it more more often it learns what your needs are and we'll do it within the voice that you're you end up using and addressing things that way.

[00:19:53] So so these are the you know the sound like the meat and potatoes in the primary platforms that. You know these major companies Microsoft Google what not are are using and making available to us are there other.

[00:20:14] platforms or apps or tools that you're seeing that you're encouraging or suggesting that some of your small businesses are entrepreneurs work with.

[00:20:26] To help their businesses well I mentioned last time and I've done this almost every time since I can't try to keep these updated as well which is the places where you can search for the latest and greatest but also stuff that's just been around for a while.

[00:20:41] And I mentioned last time future pedia and AI tools director or kind of where the AI ones are being pushed and promoted there's a new one now which. I think it's only within the last couple months it's called there's an AI for that.

[00:20:56] Literally the website is theirs and AI for that. And you can do a search on you know what and again there the people are just basically.

[00:21:07] Taking an old concept and usually just kind of tweaking it with the AI being a huge component of it so you can find those things there but if you even go back to some of the older ones which are basically.

[00:21:19] I think I've recommended them in the past like get app is a good one for doing comparative searches on software that exist and then they have an AI category or ones that ask you how much more does it cost to if it has the AI component.

[00:21:34] The other one I like for that is called beta list. So those are really good for like trying to find the things that are currently out there and what they're what's being done with them but I like it said I would dare say.

[00:21:48] If you've got something I take a look at it because one that we've talked about a lot in the past that they jumped on board pretty quick and last year was Canva which fantastic marketing tool most small businesses.

[00:22:00] We even pay for that product because it's such a good product for doing their social media and creating designs all that kind of stuff.

[00:22:08] They've even baked into it a you know their version different AI products for developing images as well as helping with some of the verbage those kind of things so.

[00:22:20] Looking at what already exists and how you can take advantage of it is I think really important for folks to take a look at.

[00:22:28] I think it's one of the things that we've been considering in our realm which I thought if you wanted to take a look at because I've been kind of impressed with what they do.

[00:22:36] I think I don't know if I mentioned it last time a validator AI had been around for a little while and it's like let's test it it's you put in your business idea it'll kick out a short form analysis of the concept.

[00:22:54] We've tested it the one I tested with I have moving to a place with infinite number of apartment complexes. And I love trivia so I thought well wouldn't be great if you could market a trivia night to the apartment complexes.

[00:23:12] You know bars and places like that always do that but keeping people right where they're at then I have to travel if you go I thought put that into it and it was very interesting like I mentioned I did it with a couple of different AI's.

[00:23:28] I think I mentioned earlier had a more robust answer very similar to chat GPT but then I put it into this validator and a couple others got very similar results but a way more expansive thing at least is a start off point again.

[00:23:46] It's like mostly things a freemium because they'll let you get bits and pieces because it doesn't cost much but then if you really want to get anything out of it they've got to pay for the computing power.

[00:23:56] The other one that was very similar that we've been testing over the last couple months is called venture kit.ai. Very similar what I like there is it produces a SWAT analysis. That's at least at the freemium level very useful so I thought that was great too.

[00:24:14] The other one I've been very impressed with and I haven't looked at the costing because thankfully we get it through the school is Adobe is up there game with all of the AI stuff you've probably seen the commercials.

[00:24:26] Using the the the the jettitive AI to update you could take a picture and tweak it and do all sorts of crazy things with it that you used to have. I have to have all these skills with Adobe being taught to you but now you could basically say.

[00:24:43] You could tell it to take that part of the picture out put something else in and tweak it or generate something wholly different.

[00:24:52] So Adobe's been fantastic they got I think it's called fireflies the one that's the experimental version but then their creative cloud stuff has all these different things in it I'm not sure if it's cost effective for small business but.

[00:25:09] What I do recommend those is that if you got people that you're paying for these things who we talked about before is that. If they're talking about increasing their prices they're getting all these different things that you've been paying for whether it's copy.

[00:25:24] Copy rating services or marketing services or any sort of audio visual stuff there's so many more shortcuts now that. providers have that. You know they should their efficiency should be passed on to you so if they're they're costs are going up it's going in the wrong direction.

[00:25:45] So something keep in mind. So so when the marketing or PR social media the company that you've been working with is coming with the angle price increase it's time to push back.

[00:25:59] I mean it depends on what the needs are but yeah, I mean I would think that you know especially if it's like we're going to do a whole site redesign and new new graphics new this new that and they're not doing anything to pers to spectacular.

[00:26:12] One of my favorites because visual stuff stuff for AI you've probably if you've experimented with it all it can't handle the verbiage within the pictures. And it'll screw up humans for some reason but one of my favorites is this site idea Graham. I'm trying to remember.

[00:26:34] It's it's it's IDEO Graham dot AI. I've actually worked with a couple clients who asked like I needed an example and there were we ran some of their concepts through. And they got some really decent results as a starting off point for producing a logo.

[00:26:55] Because it's real tough for it to do things between the abstract and realistic but this one does a really good job as impressed. So now you know we have all these tools out there I mean they're are probably some small businesses that.

[00:27:15] Might be listening to us that do marketing or offer social media I mean you know what you who's at risk out there.

[00:27:24] Or when are we going to be replaced by the bots Todd what's you know what what where the risks out there is as you start to play with some of the say I stuff.

[00:27:33] I think the interesting thing is it's a tool just like anything else and while it makes all of these types of jobs easier it doesn't replace the fact that you still have to have. You know people doing actual things you know it's.

[00:27:52] It's interesting I know people are really afraid of it now do think in certain cases there are places where because the efficiencies found are. You can cut back on the number of administrative support positions or some of these marketing and copy rating positions.

[00:28:09] But at the end of the day you still need a human that's going to review it because number one the AI can give you false information it can give you.

[00:28:20] Stuff that isn't particularly pertinent in another case I think the other concern down the line is going to be especially if you look at the the copyright and trademark issues that you're starting to see arise when. You know we can create a Jeff bot pretty easily.

[00:28:37] We're not sounds like you oh yeah we can we can we can replace you know we can do a Jeff bot that can look and sound like you. To make sure though that it's not being you know done in a way that Jeff doesn't want to done.

[00:28:56] That wouldn't that wouldn't leave much time. I mean the you know there's I have a whole dark side that I really don't show to the internet you know that's I try to keep that pretty close so anyway. Anyway, well we that's another podcast. Yeah, yeah, right.

[00:29:13] The dark side of Jeff new. Get a couple listeners but anyway. Well, Todd any other any other thoughts is we sort of wrap up our updates here.

[00:29:28] Well like I said I would the key thing under mind focuses go back to their tools whether it's you know the ones they already have or if they're looking at it and figure out what does it add to the.

[00:29:40] And so we're not to the functionality of it like so we were looking back at some of the. You got it to a point now where you can work in spreadsheets and it can do some of the functions that used to take people years to learn.

[00:29:55] And now you can just ask it to do that and not create the you know this law and it's not you know so it's it's efficient sees productivity.

[00:30:06] And it's not replacing you know but in in any industries we've seen many of them are millennia now when you get that doesn't necessarily mean. You know jobs are gone just means there is a cut back to the need for the numbers so.

[00:30:27] And I think it also does impact this sort of skill sets that people might be looking for you know whether it's just familiarity with with AI or what not I mean you know to some degree.

[00:30:40] You know from a manufacturing perspective you know there's there's many jobs that have been traded out for automation and you know it's it's really. And so that's the same model of things advancing and and skills as changing and you know so time marches on.

[00:31:01] Some jobs go away other jobs are being created that's right exactly. So. And it is always a pleasure you know sometimes you make a stank in our heads hurt a little bit that is okay. Yeah, like that.

[00:31:16] So you're you're making your expanding our thoughts here so that's that's good. We always we always like to do our our lightning round and and ask you to participate at you know diligently work. And so that's not using AI to come up with some new questions.

[00:31:34] But maybe I should be using AI I don't know we'll see how they match up, but you ready to you ready to join us for a quick lightning room is ready to can be alright well this. This must lightning round round sponsor by global gym.

[00:31:50] So we're going to lose some weight and getting shape. You should go to someone else's gym, but if you already look good you go to global gym. Check them out on the internet. So we've got some quick answers don't overthink it Todd.

[00:32:03] First off, what is your favorite cartoon character? Thanks, buddy. Sweet salty or sour salty. Talk in snacks or your disposition. Probably both. If you were an Olympic athlete, what sport would you compete in? If I were in an Olympic, is there competitive chair sitting? Yeah, not yet.

[00:32:40] All right we're going to let that one pass. Here's this one. Don't we know what you think about this one? If you had to delete all but three apps from your smart bone, which apps would you keep? Oh wow that's a. Oh wow that's so um.

[00:33:04] This might not be a good lightning round class. Not a good lightning. Not that those requires some thoughts. The three they would probably stay no matter what is. The other one, we don't have to deal with the other one.

[00:33:26] So that's what we call the camera or the built-in ones. You know I'm not gonna count the camera. We're not gonna count the phone option but something you might have had to download. Something it has to be done Um, shoot. Probably the different browsers.

[00:33:41] That's the other one because you can do a lot with the pending on which one's there. And then, um, probably just whatever I got for photos. Okay. Yeah, Gary's looking at his phone. I don't have three apps. What do we get rid of? I only have two.

[00:33:58] Gary has a flip phone. No, okay. Anyway, last question for you, Todd. What is your, what is your spirit animal? Sorry. I was going with the fox. The fox? Don't get it. That's a good one. That's good. That's what my name means. Todd? Yeah.

[00:34:20] I didn't, I didn't know that. Well, Todd, it is always a pleasure. We always enjoy having you on and look forward to talking with you more than once a year. But if people want to find you and the wake tech small business center, where should they be looking?

[00:34:39] Well, as I always say, if you just Google Todd line and using a find me, you're still only one another guy in Minnesota. I think it is that that shares my name that pops up even hardly at all, but and I'm on all the social.

[00:34:50] So I mean, I still folks that if you can't find me, you're just not looking. All right. Well, it's widened with the LYD end. So if you're a little tired, that's do some Googling and you'll find them out there. So it's always a pleasure.

[00:35:04] And I think you can probably also Google Wake Tech Small Business Center and find some of the good works at Todd is doing out there as well. So appreciate you joining us today. Yeah, we always like to wind up by giving a shout out or highlighting some businesses

[00:35:21] that we might have come across, Todd anything that you want to throw out to us this go around? Yeah. I ran to the beach over the break and on the way back, stopped in Bergau, which most people are probably not familiar with because it's a little

[00:35:38] town off a 40 just north of Wilmington. And they've done some really good things, a guy who used to be a tech guy or a tech guy. He has done a lot of investing in the town and created both a pizza place and we stopped at Bergau

[00:36:01] and we were doing which was the second business that he helped fund there. It's really great location in their downtown, great food. And then what he's done is started a competition for a third, which I guess is going to come online this year sometime I think.

[00:36:22] Called Own Your Own and there's going to be a third, he did a whole competition. It was really interesting to learn about. But Bergau Brewing was really good, nice little place there if you're heading down 40 towards Wellington or coming back. Okay. Sounds good, very good.

[00:36:40] Gary, what do you got this this month? Minds one we talked about in our production meeting last month and it's not a small business, but it's new to North Carolina, at least it's new to me.

[00:36:54] And they moved into a more special and I think they've been in there a couple other place parts. It's called the habit. Burger Girl. Todd have you heard of it? Yeah. Okay, it started in Santa Barbara, California many years ago.

[00:37:08] But it's basically stayed out west but they are now venturing in the North Carolina, which more is it was one. Great burgers, great fries, great salads, great desserts. You know me, I'm a junk food addict so this is. But it's really good.

[00:37:24] It has a little bit of that California high price, but it is. Good quality. So I recommend people going through more stuff. I think they may have one in Raleigh and in Charlotte area. Okay, what's the name of it again? The habit, HABIT, Berger Girl.

[00:37:41] Or just the habit. Your listeners a long time listeners must think you weigh 300 pounds. You really call out the food. That's right up my hand. Your pretty damn skinny for a guy with a stress at all. Seems to enjoy the food.

[00:38:00] By the way, they do have good milkshakes and moths. Okay, I'll take your word for it. All right. So I'm going to give a shout out to a company called The Battery Exchange. Battery with the letter X change.

[00:38:16] It's actually a business that I found out about when I attended the NC idea summit this year. This past November and Raleigh. But it started by two fraternity brothers at Winston Salem State University here in North Carolina.

[00:38:32] It does been wiggin' and Aubrey Iboa who they were actually studying in China once a semester. Their phones ran out of juice. They were stuck with in a country where they did not speak the language. And weren't sure how they were going to get back to their campus.

[00:38:47] I'm ultimately figured it out. But it's struck an idea of like, you know, it's a relatively common problem where people run out of battery power and they're not always carrying around a corridor. They might not have access to an outlet.

[00:39:00] So they came up with a business idea where they are creating key asks where you can get a charger. And it's got cords or different phones so you can charge your android phone or your apple phone or what not from it.

[00:39:15] And the business side they've created these key asks are in Charlotte, North Carolina. They're on campus at Winston Salem State and they're looking at various campuses and public places to put these key ask. You can actually get a charger for four hours for free.

[00:39:29] They make their money by doing advertising on their key ask and getting paid for the advertising here. So you do have to use their app and I think there will be some charge if you don't actually return the battery. But you'll have four hours to use it.

[00:39:44] So interesting business model they've received some grants to help scale it. But you can check them out at www.batteryxletterxchange.co and give it a look. And we'll see how they progress but just a cool interesting idea there. Anyway, thank you Todd for joining us today.

[00:40:11] We always you're always a great way to start off our new season of the Entrepreneur Exchange and this is great learning about AI. Yeah, we're going to drag Gary and I to the future into the future despite our screaming and complaining. Or we might just replace you.

[00:40:30] Yeah, that's true. It could be our last season with Maynard and B-Times. Maybe we want to thank our friends at the Mesh Podcast Network. If you go to the mesh.tv, you can see all the podcasts that they're doing with everything from sports, comedy, public interest business.

[00:40:51] So check out the mesh.tv and we wish everybody a safe and prosperous 2024 and we'll look forward to talking with you again. Next month. Take care. You've been listening to the mesh and online media network of shows and programs ranging from business to arts.

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