Ventures
Actionworks: Education company that builds entrepreneurship and innovation programs for the U.S. Department of State, Intel, the University of Texas, and dozens more. Building with AI since 2019.
Minimum Viable Video: Cohort-based course on creating videos to get customers, connections, and capital.
Coaching: I help founders, engineers, and tech workers have more success with business and video.
(Previously) 3 Day Startup: 10-year CEO journey scaling an entrepreneurship bootcamp to 50 countries.
Personal
- My fiancé and I (and her ridiculous cats) split our time between Austin, TX and Savannah, GA
- Interests: LLMs, Formula 1, Mexican food, Alvvays, Nolan films, cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman’s theory of reality, Longhorn football
- I’m 5 years deep into writing a from-the-trenches newsletter of stories and tips on entrepreneurship, AI, and video
- I’ve had a hell of a lot easier time building companies than figuring out vulnerability; that came with Personal Boards of Directors
I manage a mysterious health condition—maybe you’ll be the one to diagnose it?RESOLVED!
Contact
DM me on X or email me at my name at actionworks dot co (not dot com).
Blog
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You’re Not Using AI Enough
I was 16, freshly armed with a driver’s license, and ready to explore the world beyond my neighborhood. I’d like to say my newfound freedom led to wild, Ferris Bueller-style adventures, but the reality was far less cinematic. Instead, my first big solo mission involved a financial misadventure that would stick with me for years.
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Winning an Award and the Power of Relationships
This award didn’t happen because I was great (though I promise you, I was). The real reason is Rodrigo—my rock star business partner in Guadalajara.
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Don’t Leave Money on the Table: The Secret of Free Upside
Look at the fighter jet pictured below—specifically, the cockpit. Then look a little closer. The paint job is designed to cause confusion in a dogfight. We’re seeing the bottom of the plane. But the paint job depicts a fake cockpit, making us think we’re seeing the top of the plane. Mimicking the cockpit causes momentary […]
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A Casual Approach to AI: “Speech In, Text Out” (SITO)
The biggest change to how I use AI is something I call SITO: “Speech In, Text Out.” This approach makes it easier to make requests to GPT while simultaneously increasing the quality of outputs.
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The Secret Killer of Startup Ideas: Mexico Month Part 5
A simple mental model to increase your odds of success: When you’re building a business, you need to keep two lines aligned: one line represents what the customer thinks, and the other line represents what you think. These two lines are the foundation of your company’s success.
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Notes From a Fever Dream: Mexico Month Part 4
Rodrigo was a big fan of lucha libre—Mexican wrestling—but the rest of us were first-timers. I didn’t expect much beyond a quirky cultural detour. How exciting could it possibly be? A bunch of men in tights fake-fighting in cheap masks?