🛠️ Hire me to implement AI in your business: https://markszymanski.co/work-with-me 🎓 Join my community and learn how to leverage AI: https://ModernBuildersSociety.com 💡 Book a 1:1 advisory call with me: https://markszymanski.co/advisory     🎙️ About this episode with Mansel Scheffel Mansel Scheffel is an independent AI builder and consultant (AtomicOps) breaking down what actually works in production with Claude Code, agentic workflows, and AI automation. He went from a hungover 22 year old pianist in South Africa to a solo consultant landing some of the largest banks and governments in the world, all without a degree and without ever hiring full time staff. In this conversation we trace that whole path (the leap to London, learning Splunk by getting thrown to the wolves, and the intermediary layer playbook he used to reach clients a solo operator should never have been able to reach) and then bring it into the present, where he runs his AI consulting business AtomicOps alongside a fast growing YouTube channel and community. We get into the no hype, no doom view of AI that we both share, the Anthropic billing change that just broke a lot of the elaborate AIOS builds people sell on YouTube, why he builds constraints first, and how he thinks about vibe coding, security, and what a software engineer is actually worth in a world where the model writes the code. If you are a builder or a solo consultant trying to figure out what actually ships, this one is for you.     🔗 Connect with Mansel Scheffel AI Transformation Academy (Skool community): https://www.skool.com/ainative LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mansel-scheffel/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mansel.scheffel     🔗 Connect with Mark Szymanski Website: https://markszymanski.co Facebook: https://mjs.link/FB Instagram: https://mjs.link/IG LinkedIn: https://mjs.link/LI X: https://mjs.link/X YouTube: https://mjs.link/YT     🎧 About this show Fueled By Progress is a long-form conversation series with builders, operators, and thinkers exploring business, technology, and what it actually takes to build a meaningful life in a modern world.    If you're new here, welcome. If you've been here since episodes recorded in my car, thank you. We're still just getting warmed up 💪      🆓 Free Value  - Get your AI Resource Bundle: https://markszymanski.co/ai-crash-course-resources  - Full AI Crash Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1cd_ntgOuY  - Claude Code Beginner's Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0nJ_8_77Yg  - Follow my thinking between videos: https://mjs.link/Newsletter      ⏱️ Chapters  00:00 Intro  04:00 What Mansel does now (banks, cybersecurity, AI, solo)  07:54 South Africa to London at 22  10:25 Splunk, the first big bank, going solo  14:14 The worst risk is not taking the risk  17:59 The first solo year and land and expand  20:00 The intermediary layer playbook  22:48 Big clients vs small, and why he started a community  33:38 Starting YouTube and content as lead gen  46:48 No hype, no doom, and who is actually watching  50:01 The Anthropic billing change and constraints first  59:41 The community and the live workshop playbook  1:07:24 Syntax vs orchestration and vibe coding  1:14:38 Making AI builds secure, and the future software engineer  1:25:23 The AI skeptic at the family table      📃 Ethics Statement: https://markszymanski.co/policies/ethics-statement/

🛠️ Hire me to implement AI in your business: https://markszymanski.co/work-with-me 🎓 Join my community and learn how to leverage AI: https://ModernBuildersSociety.com 💡 Book a 1:1 advisory call with me: https://markszymanski.co/advisory 🎙️ About this episode with Jake Goldman Jake Goldman is the founder of 10up, the WordPress agency he scaled to about $45 million in revenue and roughly 300 people over twelve and a half years, before merging it into Fueled and stepping into a partner role. We get into how he started, why he deliberately built a company that was never about him personally, what it looks like to live through the AI transformation as a founder instead of just commenting on it, why he believes customers will keep paying agencies even as AI does more of the work, and his closing call to install one of the tools this weekend and just go try making something you didn't think you could. 🔗 Connect with Jake Goldman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobgoldman/ Fueled: https://fueled.com 10up: https://10up.com 🔗 Connect with Mark Szymanski Website: https://markszymanski.co Facebook: https://mjs.link/FB Instagram: https://mjs.link/IG LinkedIn: https://mjs.link/LI X: https://mjs.link/X YouTube: https://mjs.link/YT 🎧 About this show Fueled By Progress is a long-form conversation series with builders, operators, and thinkers exploring business, technology, and what it actually takes to build a meaningful life in a modern world. If you're new here, welcome. If you've been here since episodes recorded in my car, thank you. We're still just getting warmed up 💪 🆓 Free Value - Get your AI Resource Bundle: https://markszymanski.co/ai-crash-course-resources - Full AI Crash Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1cd_ntgOuY - Claude Code Beginner's Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0nJ_8_77Yg - Follow my thinking between videos: https://mjs.link/Newsletter ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Cold open 00:41 Mark's intro 05:48 Meet Jake Goldman: how he started 10up 12:42 Scaling 10up to $45M and 300 people 18:06 Joyful UX and the developer mindset 23:50 Jake's day to day at Fueled now 25:34 Going all in on AI tooling 37:18 Why this AI shift is genuinely different 39:13 The "golden era" that minted today's web devs 45:03 Personal brand vs entity brand 49:49 Why customers still want humans accountable for code 01:20:00 Emotion, defensiveness, and the AI debate 01:32:49 Jake's advice: just go try and make something 01:34:44 Mark's closing thoughts 📃 Ethics Statement: https://markszymanski.co/policies/ethics-statement/

💡If you like how I think about business, technology, and systems on Fueled By Progress, you can find the best way to work with me or learn more at https://markszymanski.co/start This is a conversation with Josh Hall about building and selling his web design agency, transitioning to courses and community, the identity shifts that come with entrepreneurial evolution, and why being present for family is the real endgame. 🔗 Connect with Josh Hall: Web Designer Pro: https://webdesignerpro.com/ Personal Website: https://joshhall.co/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshhallco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshhallco/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshhallco/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoshHallco 🔗 Connect with Mark Szymanski: Website: https://markszymanski.co Facebook: https://mjs.link/FB Instagram: https://mjs.link/IG LinkedIn: https://mjs.link/LI X: https://mjs.link/X YouTube: https://mjs.link/YT About the show: Fueled By Progress is a long-form conversation series with builders, operators, and thinkers exploring business, technology, and what it actually takes to build a meaningful life in a modern world. If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been here since episodes recorded in my car—thank you. We’re still just getting warmed up 💪 Host --- Mark Szymanski Production --- Nathaniel DeHaven (https://elevatedmultimedia.com) Chapters: 0:00 Cold Open 0:40 Mark's Intro 5:29 Welcome and the Freedom of Working From Home 6:18 Topics Preview: Family, Business, and Community 8:07 Josh's Origin Story: Cabinet Maker to Web Designer 10:50 How the Band Translated to Business 13:05 The Evolution of Web Design Over 15 Years 16:05 Why Websites Became the Digital Hub 19:38 The Rise of DIYers and Visual Builders 24:04 Web Designers as Digital Strategists 25:38 Selling the Agency and Going Full-Time Teaching 27:06 What It Means to Be a Community Builder at Heart 30:56 The Learn Build Teach Model 37:55 Knowing When You're Meant for More Than Service Work 43:18 Delayed Gratification and Passion Projects 49:48 What Gets You Here Won't Get You There 53:11 The Trajectory from Courses to Community 59:57 Moving from Lifetime Access to Membership 1:03:12 Staying Relevant After Leaving the Trenches 1:09:57 Identity Shifts as You Evolve 1:15:22 Content Strategy Going Forward 1:21:08 Delegating and Building Mini-Coaches 1:25:43 AI and the Future of Web Design 1:34:36 How Web Designers Should Use AI 1:40:08 Why Family Matters More Than the Business 1:44:41 Wherever You Are, Be There 1:48:03 Structuring Work Around Family 1:54:53 Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Josh

💡If you like how I think about business, technology, and systems on Fueled By Progress, you can find the best way to work with me or learn more at https://markszymanski.co/start A candid conversation with Kia Ghasem about building an AI automation agency at 25 years old, why most AI solutions fail to deliver ROI, the trap of YouTube-dependent lead generation, and how he's pivoting from content creation back to product and service. 🔗 Connect with Kia Ghasem: Website: https://kamexa.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kia-ghasem X: https://x.com/KiaxGhasem YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KiaGhasem 🔗 Connect with Mark Szymanski: Website: https://markszymanski.co Facebook: https://mjs.link/FB Instagram: https://mjs.link/IG LinkedIn: https://mjs.link/LI X: https://mjs.link/X YouTube: https://mjs.link/YT About the show: Fueled By Progress is a long-form conversation series with builders, operators, and thinkers exploring business, technology, and what it actually takes to build a meaningful life in a modern world. If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been here since episodes recorded in my car—thank you. We’re still just getting warmed up 💪 Host --- Mark Szymanski Production --- Nathaniel DeHaven (https://elevatedmultimedia.com) Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:28 Welcome and Kia's Background 1:06 How Mark Found Kia on YouTube 2:00 Kia's Origin Story - Computer Science to AI 3:45 Getting Started in the AI Agency Space 5:05 The Hard Truth About Early AI Sales 6:42 Finding Solutions That Actually Bring ROI 8:00 When Will AI Agents Actually Work 9:01 Mark's Journey from WordPress to AI 10:41 Working with Overwhelmed Business Owners 13:00 Systems Thinking vs AI Hype 14:06 Personal Branding and The Ecosystem Breakdown 16:26 Building Unintentionally - YouTube, School, Agency 19:07 Why Kia Chose Agency Over Content Creation 20:00 The YouTube Lead Gen Problem 23:02 DIY, DWY, DFY Ladder Explained 24:18 Moving Toward Product 26:06 The Gap - From Uni to Agency 27:55 The 5AM Epiphany That Started Everything 28:02 Did Entrepreneurship Come Naturally 31:49 Social Media and The Comparison Trap 33:33 Content Consumption Strategy 36:01 Does YouTube Still Power the Agency 39:40 Scaling Without Being the Content Guy 41:40 Self-Awareness in Business 43:44 Problem Solving Over Sales 45:03 Team Structure - Staying Lean 46:52 Niching Into Marketing Agencies 49:01 Dealing with Unqualified Leads 52:02 N8N, Code, and Service Delivery Breakdown 57:58 When to Use No-Code vs Custom Software 1:00:03 The 35-Interview Audit Lesson 1:04:01 Three Interviews Is All You Need 1:07:01 Building Community in the AI Space 1:12:03 Will We Go Back to Anonymous Internet 1:15:53 The Future of Content - Live Streaming 1:17:46 Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Kia

💡If you like how I think about business, technology, and systems on Fueled By Progress, you can find the best way to work with me or learn more at https://markszymanski.co/start Julian Galluzzo shares how dropping out of school at 13, building agencies, and embracing AI-driven development reshaped his career — and why speed, curiosity, and progress matter more than credentials. 🔗 Connect with Julian Galluzzo: Website: https://juliangalluzzo.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-galluzzo-610379173 X: https://x.com/galluzzo_julian YouTube: https://youtube.com/@galluzzojulian 🔗 Connect with Mark Szymanski: Website: https://markszymanski.co Facebook: https://mjs.link/FB Instagram: https://mjs.link/IG LinkedIn: https://mjs.link/LI X: https://mjs.link/X YouTube: https://mjs.link/YT About the show: Fueled By Progress is a podcast about candid conversations with builders, creators, and curious people—focused on decisions, disciplines, and stories that move us forward. If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been here since episodes recorded in my car—thank you. We’re still just getting warmed up 💪 Host --- Mark Szymanski: https://markszymanski.co/links Video/Audio Production --- Nathaniel DeHaven: https://elevatedmultimedia.com Chapters: 0:00 Introducing Julian Galluzzo 4:03 From Freelancing to Running a 40-Person Agency 8:35 Why Speed Beats Perfection 13:48 How One Client Turned Into an Agency 17:23 When Building Turns Into Managing Everything 22:06 Leaving the Agency to Reclaim the Craft 24:54 Getting Fired and Accidentally Stealing an Agency 28:40 Joining Memberstack and Finding the Right Environment 33:21 Webflow vs WordPress From a Builder’s Perspective 41:14 Why WordPress Isn’t Outdated 49:00 The Moment AI Changed Everything 53:10 Building Real Apps With Claude and Gemini 59:02 Training AI to Design Better Than Humans 1:04:28 Why Knowing the Stack Still Matters 1:10:56 Is Vibe Coding Legit or Dangerous 1:18:53 Engineering Thinking vs Knowing Syntax 1:24:24 Do You Actually Want to Be the Boss 1:28:44 Would He Recommend Dropping Out of School 1:35:02 What Julian Is Actually Optimizing For 1:38:21 Where to Follow Julian’s Work