Kia Ghasem

💡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