Peter Fountain

Category: business

business, Life

Yes, I Use AI (Sometimes)

Feb 6, 2024 by Pete

AI seemingly exploded into the public consciousness in 2023.

Although AI wasn’t exactly new in 2023, it was new to most people and as usual it was met with a wide range of reactions ranging from the fear of a “Terminator” type cyborg apocalypse to indifference similar to NetFlix challenging Blockbuster.

I’ve always been drawn to technology starting way back when after I saw my first Commodore 64 but I’ve never been terribly impressed by fancy features or crazy claims.

When it comes to technology, I always find myself asking “what can this do for me” or “how can this make my life better, easier, faster, cheaper, etc.”

I’ve never really been a fan of technology for technology’s sake.

As AI burst into the mainstream last year, I found myself in the same position as usual.

While I marveled at what some AI tools were capable of, I quickly found myself asking how I could harness it, how could it make things easier, how could it make me more productive.

So I opened an account on chatgpt and started messing around with it.

I quickly realized that there were a number of ways it could make my life easier, particularly with managing social media and creating posts. I also realized that it could serve as a sounding board for ideas and sometimes even help me look at things in a new or different way.

I also discovered that I don’t love everything AI does. It sometimes gets facts wrong, and while it writes grammatically and technically correct text, there seems to be something off about it sometimes.

It’s hard to describe, but sometimes the writing sounds mechanical, like it’s going through the motions without really understanding what it’s doing.

And that’s fine!

Like most technology, I look at AI as something to compliment what I do, and in some cases to elevate what I’m doing.

Sometimes it spits out a decent Facebook post that I can edit and improve.

Sometimes it spits out text that helps me see something I hadn’t considered or thought of that I can add to my own writing.

Sometimes it spits out something so awful that I decide I’m better off taking care of it.

And all of those things are perfectly OK!

I’m not threatened by AI, I embrace it as a tool to help make me better, to help me produce better results, and to help make my work better, faster, and more valuable.

Maybe someday AI will take over the world.

Maybe someday a Star Trek-like world will evolve where material needs are taken care of and people only live to enrich and better their lives.

Who knows? I imagine down the road AI will be looked at as the most important advancement in human history (assuming SkyNet doesn’t eliminate us first).

I’m not sure what the future holds, but in the present I’m happy to have another tool to help me and in some cases to make life a little easier.

business

Choose Wisely

Oct 30, 2022 #exercise, #fitness, #gym, #health, #personal trainer, #personal training, #workout by Pete

Have you considered hiring a personal trainer? Have you hired a personal trainer in the past but not gotten the results you hoped for? Are you intimidated by the very thought of hiring a trainer and setting foot in a gym?

Working with a personal trainer can boost your success rate by up to 30% (according to the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine), so working with a personal trainer seems like a logical step to take if you are serious about your health.

I’ve always believed that good health equals true wealth, and after college I decided to immerse myself in the fitness business in the hopes of helping people get fit and feel great.

I started by becoming a certified personal trainer, learning as much as I could about exercise, nutrition, and wellness. I spent most of my waking hours in the gym training people, learning and observing. Over time it became apparent that the best personal trainers were not always the ones with the most impressive credentials or the most years in the business.

Becoming a personal trainer is fairly easy, in most cases you just have to pass a test. Some certifications are more rigorous than others and it can be difficult to determine the good trainers from the bad.

Conventional wisdom says to look for someone with top-notch certifications or even a formal degree in exercise science, and someone with lots of experience.

Education and experience are important, but I am here to offer the opinion that there are other factors to consider that are equally important. When looking for a personal trainer, consider the following:

  • Personality. I believe this is the most important factor. Are they laid back or intense? Will they holler at you during sets or will they gently encourage you? Do they follow through (if they say they will email you a diet or some information, so they actually do it)? Overall, do you feel comfortable with them?
  • Availability. We are all busier than ever. It’s important that a trainer has time for you that fits your life.
  • Communication. How do they communicate? Are they the strong silent type? Do they speak in industry jargon or do they communicate in a way that you clearly understand the message? Do they answer questions without getting defensive or dismissive?
  • Motivation. Do they inspire you to follow through on your workouts and health plans? During your session to they encourage you and keep you pressing forward? Do you look forward to your next session, or do you dread it?
  • Patience. Teaching people how to exercise properly can be frustrating. A personal trainer has likely become an expert on various movements, but helping someone learn something that now comes naturally to them can be trying. It takes patience, and the ability to keep you motivated while you learn, not matter how fast or slow the process.
  • Good listener. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason! Your trainer should listen to you, ask questions, and clarify what you are saying. If you don’t feel heard and understood, it’s time to move on.
  • Passionate. At the gym the other day I watcher a trainer walk their client through a workout. The spent 60% of the time on their phone. You want trainer who is not only into fitness, but is into your success. You don’t necessarily need a Richard Simmons type character (unless you like that), but someone who is passionate about your goals and your success is vital to your success.

Education and experience are important when considering who to hire as your personal trainer, but so to are the intangible factors like passion, listening and patience.

Money spent on a personal trainer, and on your health in general makes for a wise investment that can pay dividends for a lifetime. Make sure to choose your personal trainer wisely.

business

This Time is Different

Apr 19, 2022 by Pete

I’ve long felt that I needed to work to develop passive income streams to help guard against the unexpected. Among other things, the pandemic was a very real lesson in the importance of not relying on one source of income.

For years I’ve been aware of the folks making good money doing things like affiliate marketing, freelancing, online sales, and other things. Countless time’s I’ve read about it, thought about it, said “I need to do that” and nothing happens.

Some of the folks I started following years ago have built their businesses from very modest monthly sales to multi-million dollar empires. While those people are undoubtedly the exception, I know there care countless other’s who have enjoyed plenty of success.

Although I’ve done relatively well with real estate and loan signings, the crazy housing market has clearly had an impact on things. It’s a war out there, and it’s very difficult to make any headway, especially for newer folks like myself. It’s certainly not impossible, but it’s very slow going.

On the other side, interest rates are going up, and I assume that will mean a slow down in people refinancing, buying, and selling, which will negatively impact my loan signing business.

Rather than wait for the bottom to drop out, and while I continue to work hard at real estate and loan signings, I realize there’s time to pick up a side hustle (or two).

Of course I’ve had those thoughts before, and they never go anywhere.

But this time is different.

Rather than my usual pattern of thinking, planning, preparing and dabbling, I’ve decided to hit it hard. I decided to open an Etsy shop . To start I’m selling coffee mugs with funny, clever, or witty sayings on them.

I decided to start here because I thought it would be fun. Designing the mugs and finding catchy or funny sayings to print on them is an interesting creative challenge. Drawing people to my shop and making sales will also be fun. Learning SEO, sales techniques, and providing great customer service all appeal to me.

But this time is different. Different how?

In less than two weeks, my shop is up and running. I spent a little time doing research. I watched a few youtube videos and read some articles. I paid someone on fiverr.com to make me a banner and logo (something I would have tried to do myself in the past). I did a little research into popular products and then started designing.

I have five mugs in my shop. My logo and banner are acceptable, and everything else seems ok, for now.

But the most important part is that I’m up and running in weeks, not months or years. I’ve broken my usual pattern of endless thinking, planning and procrastination.

I don’t have any sales yet, but some people have visited my shop. I believe the sales will come as I keep improving things.

This time is different, and it feels wonderful! Taking massive action is a great thing!

It’s been very hard to ignore my usual habit of planning, thinking and thinking some more. I’ve done it all my life. I’m sure I’ve missed many opportunities because of it.

But I’m on a roll now. I know I’ll make lots of mistakes, but I also know I’ll learn from each one.

I know it will take time and patience to build a following and a loyal customer base.

I also know that the most successful people aren’t necessarily the brightest or the best salespeople, they are the one’s who don’t quit. Then learn from their mistakes. They start over if they need to. But they just don’t quit.

I want to be one of those people, and it starts here. It’s scary, it’s even a little painful, but it feels so good!

This time is definitely different.

business, real estate

My Sad Daily Ritual

Mar 13, 2022 by Pete

Among other things, I’m a real estate agent and as such, I check the MLS (multiple listing service) every morning so that I can keep track of what’s going on in the market.

When I first got my license three years ago, hopping in to the MLS every morning was something I really looked forward to. It was fun to see the new homes popping up, and even more fun to find something that my buyers might like.

But that fun is long gone.

It’s no secret that there is a very low inventory of homes for sale throughout the country, and especially here in Rochester. It’s shocking to look at the MLS and to see so few homes dotting the map.

Of course there are people putting a positive spin on it, especially those involved in the selling side of things, but for most, the reality of the housing market is sad, frustrating, maddening, and possibly even depressing.

For many folks, the housing market is just something to read about on the news, or something to speculate about when gathered with friends.

But for other’s it’s far more taxing.

We’ve been told that the American dream is to go to school, get a job, buy a house, raise a family, and live happily ever after.

Debating the reality (or sanity) of that dream is beyond the scope of this post, but for many people. buying their first house is a big deal.

At the moment, the path to buying any house, let alone your first house, is very difficult (although not impossible).

I clearly remember getting married and scraping together enough to buy our “starter” house. It was as struggle, but the day we were handed the keys was simply amazing!

In today’s market, I don’t know how we would have done that, at least not without several more years of saving money and waiting around.

Not too long ago, one selling point for businesses trying to attract talent was housing costs. While some area’s of the country have outrageous housing prices, Rochester was always known for reasonable prices, getting a decent house at a fair price was fairly common.

At the moment, those days are gone. Prices are crazy to say the least. One has to wonder if that will make it more difficult to attract workers to the area.

Of course there are lots or other situations and stories and all that, again far too many for the scope of this post.

Whereas I used to look forward to my morning trip through the MLS, I find myself having to force myself to log in every morning. I know what’s waiting for me on the other side of that login screen, and many mornings I don’t really want to see it.

But I do log in. I do continue to send homes to my buyer’s while encouraging them to keep looking.

I continue to prepare my buyers so that they are well positioned to make an offer when they do find something they like.

Most importantly, I encourage everyone to focus on what they can control, and to let the rest go.

It’s easy to bitch and complain. It’s easy to give up. It’s easy to become negative and bitter.

I remind myself of that every morning! I have a choice!

I don’t know if the market will turn around. I have no clue what interest rates will do. I don’t know if we are in a bubble.

I don’t really care. I can’t control those things.

Instead I focus on checking the MLS every morning, helping my folks prepare to make the best offers possible, and to keep spreading a positive message.

Just because something is hard or takes time doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.

business

Right Under My Nose

Feb 6, 2022 by Pete

This past week, in the middle of a crazy snow storm, I had a quick appointment with someone to sign some documents at a location not far from my home.

When I looked up the address online, I realized that the location was across the street from somewhere I visited frequently for several years, but for some reason I had no idea what this place was.

The location is called Homesteads for Hope and it’s located at 2185 Manitou Rd. According to their brochure, they are “a 501(c)3 non-profit Community Farm developing an inclusive agritourism center, offering programs, classes, memberships, CSA food shares, community and private events”.

The folks who run the place were kind enough to tell me all about what they do and to be honest, I was blown away. Not only do they run a 50 acre farm, but they have programs to help people with learning disabilities learn all about farming and agriculture. In addition, they host weddings and other events on their property, which runs along the Erie canal.

The experience was shocking. Suddenly learning that there was a 50 acre farm at this location floored me. I don’t know how many times I’ve driven by there, or driven to a location across the street, and never noticed this place.

As I learned more about it, I was a little disappointed in myself. I love gardening, I love live music, I love exploring local places, and yet I completely missed this one.

I’m already looking forward to this summer when I can visit for the first time and I’m grateful to the folks who took the time to tell me all about what they are doing.

It’s a reminder to always keep my eyes open and to be more aware of things that may be right there under my nose!

business, Life

My Ideal Avatar

Nov 7, 2021 by Pete

To make a little extra money, and to kill time, I occasionally drive for Uber and Lyft. I’ve been doing this for a couple years and I’ve found it to be profitable and interesting, most of the time.

Last night I decided to head out to see if I could grab some folks headed to dinner or bars or whatever. I figured I’d drive from 5 or so until 8 and then call it a night (I prefer not to drive too late on the weekends so I can avoid getting the drunk people leaving the bars).

I picked up a couple quick rides, as usual they were just folks leaving work and they were content to simply ride and focus on their phone. Most people leaving work aren’t interested in conversation or much else, they just want to go home.

In the middle of my time I grabbed a call from a suburb, which, on a Saturday night, is usually someone (or a couple) headed somewhere for dinner and/or a night out.

When I picked up these folks, it was exactly that. A young couple with a few young kids headed out for the night.

These are my favorite passengers as they tend to be in a very good mood, they are usually sober, and they are (for whatever reason) very chatty.

These folks were no exception and we had a very nice conversation all the way to their destination. We covered a bunch of topics and had a really nice conversation. It was definitely the highlight of my night, and it was fun to safely deliver them to the start of their night out.

I’ve driven hundreds of people, and most of them have been perfectly fine. Most are content to stare at their phones, some are chatty, and a precious few will talk my ear off. Some are more memorable than others, and the conversations can range from interesting to annoying.

But my ideal avatar is definitely people headed out for the evening. I’ve never had a bad trip with that niche, and they tend to be the most interesting to talk to, in addition to being in a very good mood.

I treat Uber like a business, and I try my best to make the most money (and profit) in the least amount of time, but there are times like last night when I pick up my ideal avatar when it’s as good for my soul as it is for my wallet.