Latest / Auto Collabs / Building a Dealership Culture That Can Scale with John Osborne of Carter Myers Automotive

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Building a Dealership Culture That Can Scale with John Osborne of Carter Myers Automotive · Auto Collabs

• 0:00
  People feel like they have to be somebody different to be a great leader or to lead their business. You can be nice and firm. You can be nice and hold people accountable.
• 0:08
  You can listen and care and still be extremely successful. [upbeat music] This is Auto Collabs. I get so mad now when AI can't do something. [laughs] Oh, I get so pissed off.
• 0:26
  [laughs] You run an image generation and you're like, "What even is this?" I know. That's even like- What, what are you? So- Do you even know what you're doing?
• 0:32
  I wish it was just with image generation, because I'm asking it to do things on websites and things that I have no business doing, that's, like, complicated and, like, I don't know, but I'm just mad that it doesn't know.
• 0:44
  Like, I expect you to know. [laughs] You're like, "You should know this." I am. Yes. I expect it... I don't know. Am I the only one? You're not the only one. Am I? I get mad. No.
• 0:53
  You know what I'm thinking about is, like, what Five Dysfunctions of a Team book would read like if AI was part of the conversation? [laughs] Five Dysfunctions of an AI Agent Team. That would be a funny- Hmm...
• 1:05
  little document to make right now. That would be a funny document. Because the whole, like, the whole- Actually, I'm gonna prompt that up right now. Do it Write Five Dysfunctions of an AI Agent Team.
• 1:12
  Use it as a parody against Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Well, I was just thinking about, like, the possibilities are endless.
• 1:18
  Like, the things that, you know, Kyle, you talk about these things that you're able to build and you're doing so quickly, and I've had a taste of it. You're building stuff like crazy.
• 1:24
  And then I kind of come back to the- You're, you... "I've had a taste of it." Yeah, a taste. I've had a taste. Cyrel's back here. Your cursor just ripping. No, he's got a...
• 1:31
  Well- Not only that, he's making real world things... I'm on a roll. Cyrel's got a 3D printer in the side- Yeah, I just make fake stuff... with a camera on it. No, he's, he's- [laughs]
• 1:39
  You may be- It brings up this whole point.
• 1:41
  The whole, like, the whole thing for me about entrepreneurship is getting to this place where you build the thing so you can move on to the architect role and not the operator role.
• 1:51
  Yeah, but the problem is you just- AI, it sucks you back into the operator role. It sucks you right back in, immediately. [laughs] That's a great point. All you wanna do is just do the work, because it is...
• 2:00
  Look, I'm telling you, I think vibe coding or, like, deep AI use- Mm-hmm... is way more addicting than, like, doom scrolling on Instagram- Yes... or drugs or alcohol. Because it's got the illusion of productivity.
• 2:15
  It is- But that is not a fact. That is right. Which gets us back to today's guest, John Osborne with Carter Myers Automotive. Whoa. Somebody who is very close- Oh...
• 2:23
  to our hearts, who reminds us that you have to pay attention to the reason you do things and the people, and you have to be on the floor, and you can't be buried. But we are gonna ask him how he uses AI.
• 2:35
  [laughs] Let's do... Uh, we have to. You, you ask everybody how he uses AI. But, uh, that's- I hope you enjoy this conversation with John Osborne. [upbeat music] John, thank you so much for joining us today.
• 2:48
  It's good to be with you. I appreciate it very much. Thanks for inviting me. Okay. So, um, you and I really got to know each other over a dinner at one of SodaCon.
• 2:57
  We, my wife and I sat next to you, and we had instant connection over so many things, family things and industry things, and just, I think, overall, a optimistic outlook for th- the day-to-day. Um,
• 3:12
  w- w- why do you have that outlook? Let me just ask you that. 'Cause you, you know what I'm talking about. Like, we both have this positivity around what we do.
• 3:20
  Why do you wake up in the morning and say, "I'm gonna just put this into the world"? Yeah. Uh, that's actually... I was thinking about this earlier.
• 3:27
  Um, I was talking to my wife, and, uh, you, you may have read the book or know the book Four Disciplines of Execution. No. And no? I don't know that book. Okay. It's a really good one.
• 3:37
  Uh, it talks about, like, leading measures. Um, so, like, all the things that you do that gets the result.
• 3:43
  So many times businesses and people look for the results, but they don't focus on the things that get the results. And so I was, I was thinking about- Hmm... like,
• 3:52
  how, how, in, in my life, how true that is in my life, not only in business, but personally. Um, I feel like God's gifted me with really cool things.
• 4:02
  Um, and I've got to do my part with the leading measures, but I gotta let the results... The results are gonna handle themselves. Um- Mm...
• 4:08
  and for me, like in my personal life, it's, and business, I feel like, um, I just do my best to bring joy and encourage people and let God do the results in my family and my, my, my work and, um, so I think ultimately, um, for me, the, the joy for me comes from just my relationship with God, so.
• 4:26
  That's... Well, I mean, like- We, we gotta... Can we pull back the curtains a little bit, Paul? Because what- You'd like to... you know, we, we get the privilege of having chats before the record button. Okay.
• 4:38
  And John, I don't know if you said this.
• 4:39
  It came out so naturally to, to the point you, you've made here, which is you're like, "I, I'm setting up systems and things inside of my organization so that I can invest more time with people," which I think is the almost polar opposite of what most people [laughs] start their day thinking.
• 4:57
  [laughs] They're like, "How can I not have to interact with people?" And so what I'm picking up is there, there's a missional mindset, heart set happening here. Where does that come from?
• 5:10
  Where, where does that stem from in you? Was it a subject of how you were raised? Is it a mentor? What led you down the path that you're on now? That's a, it's an inter- interesting question.
• 5:21
  I think, um, certainly family and growing up. Um, my, my father was just incredible with relationships and being really, um, fairly even in his approach.
• 5:34
  Like, he never had massive highs and never had massive lows and, and- Hmm... was who he was. Like, you d- saw the same guy at church and at work and at home. He was the same person.
• 5:45
  So I think I get a lot of that from my father. Um, I was in the military. Um, I was in the Army. I was in infantry, so that gave me, like, grit and perseverance.
• 5:54
  Um, and then, you know, I think, uh, between Alicia, my wife, I've been married 28 years- Yeah, 20, 28, 29 years Ooh, wow. Congratulations. Yeah, thank you.
• 6:08
  Uh, so a lot of it's my w- my wife and just my relationship with her, and, you know, she's always said, like, if things don't work out, 'cause, you know, it's just stressful, like any business can be stressful, but she's always been like, "Things do not work out.
• 6:21
  If things go completely haywire, we're good. Like, we'll go get a one-bedroom apartment and whatever it takes." Mm. So I know- Yeah... like, I don't have that pressure from home. Got a ride or die right there.
• 6:32
  [laughs] Totally. And then, and then the other part is, like, uh, church family and then my, my closest friends.
• 6:38
  You know, I've got a handful of really close friends that, um, share similar values, and they lift me up, and each one of them has their own strengths, and so whether it's, it's, it's financially or relationships, um, just, you know, you're, you're as good as the five closest people that you hang out with and communicate with.
• 6:57
  So, um, just a lot of bits and piece, and I've worked with some really, really good people, too, that have taught me a lot. Um,
• 7:06
  and you know, I'm a learner, so I listen and I read and I listen to podcasts, and, um, I don't know, just kind of a- Hey... patchwork. [laughs] Okay, what I...
• 7:14
  Well, what I'm hearing you say is that you have a v- experienced and currently still are cultivating a very well-rounded version of community, is the word that I would use. Yeah.
• 7:27
  Because even, like back to your military time, right? Like, back to your military time, right, the military's a community. Yeah. They know that, like, people are with them, and they cultivate- Mm...
• 7:37
  and they shape and they develop. And you talked about your marriage, you talked about the people you hang out with. Yeah.
• 7:41
  Uh, you've talked about this level of even when you're committed to, like, lifetime learning, you find mentors, and even sometimes that mentor is a person on a podcast.
• 7:50
  Like, you know, Michael and I can vouch for the fact that we've been mentored by a lot of people that we don't even know.
• 7:56
  And so I, I love that you're shaping this up because I think there are a number of people, a, a large number of people in this industry that are faced with this, um, i- it really is a, a need and it's a demand, really, of high performance, and 30-day cycles, and OEM requirements, and, you know, owner requirements or GM require- whatever.
• 8:22
  There are all these demands on you to perform, and I think there are a, as a great... There's a good subset of people that don't have that. Yeah.
• 8:30
  And they internalize everything, and really we've seen the result of that pressure cooker mentality and what happens to a person, and how all of a sudden their relationships explode and their life explodes.
• 8:41
  You know, meanwhile, they may be showing up and they may be doing good. So I, I say all that
• 8:47
  to say, like, have you experienced that in the car business across management, across leadership, and then, like, what i- what's different about the way you would kind of involve yourself in what you do every day?
• 8:59
  Yeah, I, I mean, I think that we should be authentic. And so being authentic to me means I'm gonna be the same, as best I can, at work as I am at home and with friends and stuff. And so I think a lot of times
• 9:14
  people feel like they have to be somebody different to be a great leader or to lead their business, and, um, I don't, I don't find that, for me, to, to work.
• 9:24
  Um, you know, I used to always try to fit into a little bit of a... Like, I was told I was too nice or, you know- [laughs]... I wasn't what- whatever, you know? And, and I don't find that to be true.
• 9:35
  Like, I, I think you can be nice and firm. You can be nice and hold people accountable.
• 9:40
  Um, you can listen and care, uh, and still be extremely successful and, and I'm trying to get there, so I'm not saying, like, I'm extremely successful. But I, I just... Man, I've, I, uh,
• 9:54
  I, I think you also, over time, you, you get a little bit less about you and you try to, try to make it more about people, and so that, I think, comes with age, too. You know, I'm getting a bit older.
• 10:04
  20 years, t- 20 year ago John might be a little bit more ego-driven and, and a little bit more self-focused. Maybe a lot. What, what changes that?
• 10:12
  What are the things that move you from 20 year ago John to, you know, current day John? Uh, experiences. Um, seeing that... Like, fulfillment-wise, the best fulfillment is seeing the people around you succeed.
• 10:27
  It's not when you get the kudos and the successes, which I think, and especially with social media today, like, man, it is like... It's a never ending s- loop, you know?
• 10:39
  So, um, stepping back from that and really seeing team members that you've worked with go on and succeed and do huge things, um, uh, to me that...
• 10:49
  I think, I think it's just experience and being self-aware enough to, um... Maybe, a- again, I, I come from a little bit maybe different background with the, the faith component- Mm-hmm...
• 11:02
  um, that not all share, um, and I'm not trying to push that on anybody, but I do think that's a big part of it, too. Like, what is, who, what is my identity planted in? Yeah.
• 11:09
  If it's planted in success, then- Your P&L, right... that's gonna be, that's gonna be really a tough- It's volatile... thing because I'm as good as whatever that month or day is. Yeah.
• 11:16
  And I struggle with that, truthfully. Like, it's still a struggle. Like, if I have a really bad month, I own it, and it's hard. Yeah. Well, I think- But it-... that's the balance, right?
• 11:25
  Between accountability, because I think someone who expects accountability and is accountable for their actions, like, I, I feel, like, I always joke, I say I take everything personally. Yeah. I really do.
• 11:38
  And I wish I didn't take a lot of things personally. I do and, you know, I can, I can tell myself it's because I care so much, and I do believe that.
• 11:45
  But by the success and the failure of the business, or if even if somebody on our team fails or can't make it, right? I always take it as a...
• 11:55
  I, I take it and I weigh heavy and, and there's a part of, like, needing to understand that, like, at that, that is part of life, right?
• 12:02
  And after 20 years, you're saying, like, "Well, I've been kinda doing that for 20 years, so it helps me feel a little more comfortable in my own skin." Um, but being comfortable in your skin I think- That's...
• 12:12
  You, you mentioned that about your dad. You know, I think that's what allows a person to be the same in all situations. Yeah. Right? They don't feel like they have to make something up, make something up there.
• 12:22
  Um- The, the identity thing is, is interesting to me because I think so often, whether it's social media or social factors or whatever it might be, so much of our...
• 12:33
  W- we assume that so much of our a- our identity is tied to the thing we do to earn money. Mm-hmm. And, and I can't remember what it was. I'll have to dig it up, but, but there was a, a guy who was like,
• 12:48
  "Y- you are not what you do. You are not even your name. Your name is just a sound that comes out of someone's mouth that is assigned to you. But, like, who are you?"
• 13:01
  And w- what, what you're saying, John, really resonates with me, and it...
• 13:05
  and it's clear to me that it is true what we say in our industry, that the best organizations that have a good grasp on their identity attract the strongest people who also have a sense of identity. Hmm.
• 13:19
  And yours is tied to so much more.
• 13:22
  It's almost this sense of like, "I do care about these things in my business, and, and it is right that I care about these things," because on the faith side of things, we learn to be good stewards of what we've been given- Yeah...
• 13:34
  or what we've earned. Um, on the flip side, it's like this healthy reconciliation of like, and also, none of this matters because we are tiny specks- [laughs]...
• 13:44
  on a rock hurtling itself around a star in the middle of nothingness, you know? Ah. Thanks, Michael. And, like, it's none of it's coming with us. [laughs] You know? But,
• 13:55
  you know, but, but that's what I'm getting from you that really resonates, and this, this idea, I mean, gosh, Paul and I have had so many conversations about this idea of who I am with my wife and children is the exact same version- Mm-hmm...
• 14:06
  you're gonna get at work, at church- Yeah... at play. It doesn't matter. Yeah. There...
• 14:11
  And, and I just find that such an, a, a much easier way to live life, 'cause I don't have to remember, like, uh, C- Gemini, remind me who I was in front of John, uh, on- [laughs]... the ought-teenth of September.
• 14:27
  You know, it's like, just be the same dude. I like how he speaks to Gemini with an English accent. Yeah, I do. It's fantastic. Yes, I do. [laughs] Um, and so I wanna talk to you a little bit about that.
• 14:38
  What has your experience been, um, you know, obviously Carter Myers Organization, you guys are expanding, which is so awesome to see.
• 14:45
  I mean, it's actually awesome to hear Liza a couple years ago be like, "We have plans," and now, you know, coming into this- [laughs]...
• 14:53
  this phase of, like, all of us getting to see what those plans were, uh, the expansion of which, and attracting authentic people because you know that that's the right way to build in a community.
• 15:04
  How are you guys thinking about that in terms of expansion and making sure that you are also attracting authenticity in your people? Yeah. Uh,
• 15:16
  you know, I think we have to work on develop- developing our bench so that we can grow. Um, that's first and foremost. We always wanna develop our bench and, and promote from within.
• 15:27
  Uh, but when you're rapidly growing, there is gonna be an element of bringing people from the inside, and I'm, I'm thankful that I was one of those people. Like, I wasn't with CMA for a long period of time.
• 15:37
  You know, it, it's been almost three years now, and, and my connection to CMA is Matt Walsh, um, when he was with Honda and Acura, um, I ran an Acura store. And so super grateful.
• 15:47
  I connected with him, and then we connected, uh, he and I, with Liza at NADA in 2023, the, in January in Dallas. It was cold. Um, you guys probably remember that. It was- It was cold... it was nasty.
• 16:01
  Um, and so, you know, I, I think, um, I think CMA, a- again, I'm not the expert on this, but if I look at CMA, it's 100-year-old company, now 102,
• 16:15
  and people don't maybe see 100 years of hard work that her father and her grandfather and her...
• 16:22
  You know, all of the hard work all of these people did in 1979 becoming an ESOP, uh, which is we're employee-owned, you know?
• 16:30
  The grind, and these last four, six to eight years have been really cool, explosive growth, but it's foundation work that was done for a long time, and I think, um, that's a huge, important part of it.
• 16:45
  Um, so there's, there's really cool things happening within CMA.
• 16:48
  I think because of Liza's, um, mindset and really, um, serving up, like, taking care of the employees that are gonna take care of our communities and having a really good missional and philanthropy mindset around our communities and stuff, I think,
• 17:04
  um, that is attractive to, um, people that are looking to sell. Um, you guys have probably heard this 'cause you've talked with Liza a lot, but not one of our transactions to date have gone through a broker.
• 17:15
  It's all been relationship, which is nuts. Um- It really is nuts. Yeah, it's, it's just really... it's so cool, and that's what happened here in Lexington Park.
• 17:23
  You know, I moved here three years ago for the Honda dealership. We had no idea this Toyota and Hyundai store would come up and be available, but here we are, and we've got a great, uh, team here.
• 17:34
  And- Is there anybody else watching or listening that wants a Honda, a Toyota- [laughs] and a Hyundai store? Anybody? It's amazing. Like, what a trifecta. Yeah. Holy cow. It's amazing. So, um, yeah, it's just, it's cool.
• 17:48
  I don't know if I answered your question, but it's really- You did...
• 17:51
  um, it, it's really amazing, and it's a lot of hard work, um, of tons of people doing incredible things within CMA, and then partners that aren't in CMA but are, are significant as well. Yeah. Th- this is like...
• 18:04
  Okay, this is the last thing, and then I'll shut up. But, but I have to get this out of my face. W- you said... So, so if we backtrack, we're talking about 90 years of laying foundation, is what I heard you say.
• 18:17
  And of course, there's periods of growth through all of that, but largely in preparation for the explosive growth that you've said over the last eight years
• 18:27
  Th- this is a principle that I've heard time and time again, even for, like, people my- that, that my kids follow on social media who then find out that their f- famous YouTuber had been, uh, creating, recording, and posting videos every day for eight years, nine years, 10 years before anyone even knew who they were.
• 18:47
  Th- this seems to be a recurring theme of it, it, the human condition, which is it takes... We have, we have more time than we think, but less than we want perpetually.
• 19:00
  And if it's worth v- if it's worthwhile, then it should be worth the while. Mm-hmm. And in CMA's version, it's like, yeah, n- 90 years of making it worth the while. Mm-hmm.
• 19:11
  And, and so it's like part a congratulations, but also, man, what a deep life principle of stay the course. Like, if you believe in the mission, stay the course. It's gonna work. Yeah. Um, how do you impart that?
• 19:28
  I- is it easier, do you find, in 100-year-old organization to be like, "Guys, 100 years," like, "Stay the course"?
• 19:34
  [laughs] Or do you find that it still requires a, a great deal of coaching in individuals to say, "Hey, no, like you, you gotta understand. You gotta stay the course"?
• 19:43
  I think it adds a, a tremendous amount of, um, responsibility because what are we gonna do to make the next 100 years, um, to build on the first 100 years? And so, um, I think to me, it's a ton of responsibility.
• 19:59
  Like, it, I think Carter Myers has, the brand Carter Myers Automotive has a, has a unbelievable reputation that also adds to the responsibility of what we do. Like, we have to be, we have to be excellent in what we do.
• 20:14
  And we are human, so we're gonna screw up. Um, but we, it, there's a, there's a level of expectation that I think we all put on ourselves 'cause this kind of this CMA badge I've got on my shirt, like, it means something.
• 20:26
  Mm-hmm. And, uh, it's, it's really cool. Let's talk for a second, um, 'cause we still have a little bit of time left.
• 20:34
  I think translating what's happening now in the moment in the industry broadly in light of, like, now that we kind of understand your philosophy and the organization and what's happening, we're in a time in the industry when it seems like the pace of change, uh, is just relentless.
• 20:51
  And it, it's kind of felt this way really since we got out of COVID. Since COVID happened, it, it felt like it's one thing after another, after another.
• 20:58
  And now the most recent thing over the last 12 months is the emergence of some very impactful technology that we've never had at our disposal.
• 21:07
  A lot of people are deploying and hearing and thinking about deploying AI tools.
• 21:12
  Liza has been, uh, very bullish on making sure Carter Myers is learning and kind of in this lifetime development mode now when it comes to AI.
• 21:22
  And, and I know that a little bit just from knowing a little bit behind the scenes.
• 21:24
  But can you share with us what you personally are using AI for and maybe some of the things you're using to leverage in your management of the stores? Yeah. Um,
• 21:36
  I, I utilize it kind of like I would think an executive assistant, like, that just handles a lot of things. That's how I view it. Um, so I have it, I use Claude and I have it attached to most things.
• 21:48
  And in the morning, I get a morning, uh, brief that sh- looks through my emails, um, looks at my calendar, shows anything that I might have some o- some overlap, um, read some of the reports that I get sent to me, um, shows trends month versus prior month, month versus prior year same month, um, and highlights things that it would take me a lot longer to look at.
• 22:10
  And truthfully, in a given day, you just don't have the time to look at all of those details. Mm-hmm.
• 22:15
  But within using AI to scan everything and put it in a morning brief, you're able to look at the highlights and see within 10 minutes what you need to focus on- Mm-hmm...
• 22:28
  um, maybe hand off to a team leader, um, and say, "Hey, take a look at this." Um, for me, that's what I, what I do.
• 22:35
  It also helps with, um, a lot of things that maybe takes longer, creating a slide for, a slide deck for a, a training program, um, you know, utilizing AI to help with a, uh, um, with an AI version for the training.
• 22:49
  Um, there's so many- Hmm... ways to use it that are, are really helpful. Um, I-- it speeds things up and allows me, again, to spend more time with people and not, not consumed with the data. Hmm.
• 23:04
  So your morning briefing you said takes you about 10 minutes to review all the stuff. And you said Claude is connected to your email, to your calendar. Um, is it getting the reports?
• 23:13
  Are those emailed to you or you have, like, some connections to some other things? I don't have- I just wanna try to get some as, as...
• 23:19
  I just wanna plant some ideas in some people's heads who are listening saying like, "Oh, I didn't think-" Yeah. "Oh, let me, let me look into that more." So. Yeah. So, uh, Ford.
• 23:27
  Ford sends out emails, not every day, but many days of, like, where your rankings are. Mm-hmm. Uh, Toyota every day. Hyundai most days.
• 23:36
  Um, and so it can read your emails today and, uh, the history of your emails and show you what your market share trends are. Are you s- getting behind? Are you sp- you know, are you increasing your market share?
• 23:48
  It can read all your emails to show trends. Um, it can also look at, again, the reports that I get sent each morning. And I have those sent from Venn Solutions. We, we have Venn Solutions.
• 23:58
  Um, and you know, we, we look at the dealer performance summary, which shows internet, showroom, phone, phone traffic. It shows month to date versus prior month, month to date versus prior year, and again, shows trends.
• 24:09
  Um, so that kind of thing, uh, just to speed up and to digest, um, usable data- Mm-hmm... to make quicker decisions or to see something that you...
• 24:20
  Like, if I've got a lead difference of I'm off 10, 20, 30% versus prior month or prior month same year or... prior year, same month. Mm-hmm. Maybe I've got something wrong with my s- my website, and maybe I need...
• 24:33
  I- it, it'll highlight something that would've maybe taken a week or two to figure it out another way. So, um, it's, it's a fantastic way to get a, a quick snapshot.
• 24:43
  Would you say that's the most impactful use of it, like practically speaking, in your life right now? I would say that the morning brief, 100%. Yeah.
• 24:52
  So, o- okay, so to get this straight, you're not speaking to it with a British accent? [laughs] Nah. Ah. After a couple with you- I don't, I don't-... I might try. Yeah. [laughs] It, it, it works better.
• 25:01
  It's more polite. You know, um- It could be a Scottish accent, though. I like trying that. Oh, do that. It probably understands that too. [laughs] It doesn't understand Canadian. Um, so- [laughs]
• 25:11
  I love that you said it went there, because I think the majority of what we hear in the industry about how to deploy AI is always in, buried within some tool or some solution that addresses one lane of the business, and I, I love those solutions and I think, you know, I'm so thankful for the, the hundreds of entrepreneurs and companies out there developing things for their lane.
• 25:33
  But
• 25:34
  your solution was very much more practical, which I also believe that most AI uses that will move the needle in your life and free up your time for what you're thinking about are, tend to be very practical ones- Mm...
• 25:46
  and not super complicated. If you're listening, like you might be like, "I don't know how to connect all that stuff," it's actually not that hard. Um, you know, Clyde is- If I figured it out, anyone can figure it out.
• 25:57
  There you go. I like that. Even an Army infantryman can do it, right? Yeah. Yeah. [laughs] They called me a grunt. I can... I promise people can figure it out. Even a grunt can do...
• 26:07
  John, what's on, what's on, uh, what's on the, uh, six-month horizon? What do you hope to accomplish by the end of this year?
• 26:12
  Uh, by the end of this year, I need to have a, a leadership team, uh, picked out for the Honda store coming up. Uh, we open tentatively January 20th of next year.
• 26:20
  Um, so, um, that's probably- You handpicking that from inside? Is that gonna be an inside team that you place?
• 26:25
  It'll be a combination of in- inside and potentially a few exterior, uh, applicants, but also within CMA, uh, potentially as well. Southern Maryland is a really cool place.
• 26:36
  That cost of living is still relatively affordable compared to many, many areas. And we've got- That's great... so much water around us, lots of outdoors. So I really think it's a great place to- Mm...
• 26:46
  buy some land if someone- It's attractive, yeah. Yeah. Like it's an attractive place. If you're gonna relocate, this isn't- Best place to do it...
• 26:51
  yeah, this isn't like inner city metro, live your life in traffic- Yeah... America. Unbelievable. It's kind of a small town America feel. I love that. I love it.
• 27:02
  Well, John, it's a, it's a delight to catch up with anybody from CMA, but, uh, of course, on this occasion, it's been our pleasure to have you on the show. Thanks so much for joining us on Auto Collabs.
• 27:12
  Yeah, my pleasure. Thanks, guys. [upbeat music] It makes sense to me that John uses AI in probably [laughs] one of the most practical real world application ways possible. Yes.
• 27:28
  [laughs] I, I was like- He's not, he's not buried in vibe coding, I promise you that... no, you know what? It's like that, that, that's the thing.
• 27:36
  He, this, this is a true skilled operator in my opinion, because he's like, "I know what I need from it in order to do the thing that I must do today." Better. Mm-hmm. And so often I get stuck up in the clouds, right?
• 27:50
  Mm. Kind of reminds me of that whole Gary Vee clouds and dirt thing. Like he's, he knows how to live in the dirt and, and it's working for him. When I go to AI, I'm like, "That's cool, but what could I build with it?"
• 28:00
  Mm-hmm. And then I get lost. I... it actually, to your point earlier pre-show, it like kills productivity. Yep. So that, that's what impressed me about the way that he uses it.
• 28:07
  It's the promise, it's like it's the promise of hitting the thing, though- Yeah... that is going to really unlock, right, something. Right. I- I'm gonna make millions off of this thing, when it's like you can, you can...
• 28:21
  And well, I think that that goes, it's not just with AI. It's like, "Oh, but if I only had the team that," or, "If I only had the technology that." Yes. Yes. But if you just said, "Okay, this is what I have right now.
• 28:33
  These are the people, these are the elements, the technology that I have to work with," and squeeze all of it out- Yeah... I think, you know, to, to so many point the, the, how, what's there that's there?
• 28:43
  It's already there. Uh, and, and, and we can learn a lot from that. So, hey, we hope that you had a whole bunch of fun hearing us jabronis talk about AI. We did. But then- We had a lot of fun...
• 28:53
  but then really hearing from John, uh, because he's the operator. Star of the show. Hands in the dirt. Uh, on behalf of Paul Jay Daly, Michael Cirillo, myself, Kyle Mountserre, thanks for joining us on Auto Collabs.
• 29:05
  We'll see you next time. [upbeat music] Welcome to Auto Collabs. Welcome to Auto Collabs. [laughs] Why are we recording? Are we rolling yet? Not yet.