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Ep 238: The One Growth Lever Service Businesses Ignore

Ep 238: The One Growth Lever Service Businesses Ignore

by | The Digital Slice

The One Growth Lever Service Businesses Ignore

Most service-based businesses are using the same software, the same playbook, and hoping efficiency alone will create a competitive edge.

The Digital Slice Podcast is brought to you by The Friedman Group, LLC

One blueprint process can triple your business valuation. Most owners have never heard of it.

Join Brad Friedman and Ghazenfer Mansoor as they break down how AI automation, process mapping, and proprietary technology can help service-based businesses improve efficiency, increase valuation, and prepare for a stronger exit so you can build a more scalable, defensible company.

Ghazenfer Mansoor is a founder, author, and tech strategist helping businesses unlock serious growth through AI and custom software. He is the CEO of Technology Rivers, a software development firm that builds HIPAA-compliant healthcare platforms, SaaS products, and internal tools that automate operations and increase valuation, especially for service-based and regulated industries.

In this conversation, Ghazenfer explains why relying on the same off-the-shelf tools as everyone else rarely creates a true differentiator. He walks through how service businesses can identify bottlenecks, use AI to improve decision-making, and build technology that strengthens both operations and long-term business value.

He also shares how regulated industries like healthcare and financial services should think about AI adoption, data privacy, and compliance, along with practical ways to use de-identification, retrieval-augmented generation, and local model strategies more safely.

In this Episode:

  • Ghazenfer explains why many service-based businesses are still behind on technology and why AI hype alone is not a strategy.
  • Ghazenfer shares how owners can use their data to uncover bottlenecks in sales, margins, customer service, and operations.
  • Ghazenfer describes how custom tools and integrations can reduce friction and improve the customer experience.
  • Ghazenfer discusses how AI can help generate strategy ideas when it is given the right data, context, and prompting.
  • Ghazenfer walks through his blueprint process for mapping workflows and finding opportunities for automation, tech, and integration.
  • Ghazenfer emphasizes that AI should empower teams, increase productivity, and help businesses avoid falling behind.

Quotes from this Episode:

  • [00:01:00] “In fact, many services businesses are even way behind on technology as well.” – Ghazenfer Mansoor
  • [00:01:20] “But I think it's important to know what AI is, where AI can help my business, and how do we, uh, take advantage.” – Ghazenfer Mansoor
  • [00:06:44] “That doesn't mean you replace the human, but how do you empower those people to be more efficient in, in doing the work?” – Ghazenfer Mansoor
  • [00:10:40] “If that company has a tech, it is built for scale, and that would increase the value way more than just that.” – Ghazenfer Mansoor
  • [00:12:00] “look at the processes and workflows and come up with a very specific, um, scenarios that identify those, uh, areas where efficiency could be brought in.” – Ghazenfer Mansoor
  • [00:20:31] “if you're in a service business and you are not building tech, you are building risk.” – Ghazenfer Mansoor

Today's Guest:

Ghazenfer Mansoor:

Connect with Brad

Brad Friedman

You can also call the office at 720.248.8185 or email brad@friedmansocialmedia.com.

Books

Sponsors and Tools

This podcast is brought to you by Magai. The tool we use for our AI needs. Magai is over 30 AI apps in one. There's just one subscription to access all the best AI models. Get Magai right here, https://friedmansocialmedia.com/magai. And, if it’s your first time purchasing, use BRAD30 at checkout to get 30% off your first 3 months.

Our favorite Social Media Management Tool is AgoraPulse. Please contact me to learn more about Agorapulse and allow me to connect you with my contact at the company.

Libsyn is the Host of The Digital Slice Podcast. Just use our Libsyn code SLICE at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/libsyn to get up to 2 months of free podcasting service with Libsyn! Get your show on Apple Podcasts, get critical show-building stats—Libsyn even does video!

Streamyard is the tool we use to stream to all major platforms simultaneously directly from a browser. We also use Streamyard to record The Digital Slice Podcast because of its ability to provide us with crystal clear audio and 1080p video. Sign up today for free at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/streamyard

Are you looking for an email service provider that has stood the test of time? Be sure to look at Constant Contact, the provider we use.

Are you looking for a CRM for your business? We suggest taking a look at a few different ones before making your decision. Be sure to look at Nimble, one of our favorite CRMs, and take advantage of a 14-day free trial.

Here is some of the podcasting and video gear we use and recommend. These are often affiliate links.

These products and more can be found at our Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/bradfriedman

We highly recommend you use TubeBuddy to up your YouTube game! TubeBuddy: https://www.tubebuddy.com/TheFriedmanGroup

Launch your video Membership course or subscription website community with Uscreen. Uscreen helps creators like you build and grow their online video business with membership sites. See what you can do with Uscreen! https://friedmansocialmedia.com/uscreen

Affiliate Links & Transparency

Thank you for trusting me with my honest opinion on future purchases you may make after listening to this podcast. I am always completely transparent with you. As a friend of The Friedman Group, LLC you allow me to be able to use affiliate/referral links when suggesting items for purchase. Please know I am a customer myself or have done sufficient research to feel comfortable sharing these links with you. When you click on a link and purchase the item I may receive a small “commission.” This allows me to continue to provide you with quality content and doesn't affect you in any way at checkout.

Not every link is a referral link and some appear here because my guest spoke about them and I want to make it easy for you to check 'em out. Thank you!

Ep 237: 80% Of Healthcare Marketing Budgets Get Wasted: What Smart Practices Do

Ep 237: 80% Of Healthcare Marketing Budgets Get Wasted: What Smart Practices Do

by | The Digital Slice

80% Of Healthcare Marketing Budgets Get Wasted: What Smart Practices Do

The Digital Slice Podcast is brought to you by The Friedman Group, LLC

80% of healthcare marketing budgets are burning money. Here's what actually works — and it's not billboards.

Join Brad Friedman and Rob Odell as they discuss why so many healthcare marketing dollars get wasted, how educational videos build trust, and what better lead follow-up looks like so you can create a more effective patient acquisition system for your practice.

Rob Odell is the owner of wpDuo and a revenue infrastructure specialist who helps medical practices, particularly in ophthalmology and dental, transform their marketing into scalable patient acquisition engines.

At wpDuo, Rob focuses on performance marketing, backend automation, and lead management for medical and elective medical practices. In this conversation, he explains why sustainable growth depends on choosing the right channel, building trust with educational content, and following up with leads the right way.

In this Episode:

  • Rob challenges the idea that more marketing spend automatically leads to more patients.
  • Rob explains why billboards and radio often underperform compared to more trackable channels.
  • Rob shares how educational video helps doctors build trust before a patient ever books an appointment.
  • Rob discusses why providers should answer real patient FAQs instead of chasing generic social content trends.
  • Rob argues that a practitioner’s personality and social presence can become a durable business moat.

Quotes from this Episode:

  • [00:05:43] “Talk about what you do. Like you do it every day with patients, just spend five minutes, 30 minutes, maybe longer once a month and answer frequently asked questions, keep notes about 'em and go through that and start to build trust.” – Rob Odell
  • [00:11:35] “Your social media presence, if you stop thinking about it as an afterthought and start thinking about it as the new website or the new brand moat.” – Rob Odell
  • [00:16:20] “The offer is a big part of it.” – Rob Odell
  • [00:18:05] “At some point we're all in the content business, we're just selling services on the back end.” – Rob Odell
  • [00:21:29] “You've spent money to acquire these leads, so now work them across all possible ways.” – Rob Odell

Today's Guest:

Rob Odell:

Connect with Brad

Brad Friedman

You can also call the office at 720.248.8185 or email brad@friedmansocialmedia.com.

Books

Sponsors and Tools

This podcast is brought to you by Magai. The tool we use for our AI needs. Magai is over 30 AI apps in one. There's just one subscription to access all the best AI models. Get Magai right here, https://friedmansocialmedia.com/magai. And, if it’s your first time purchasing, use BRAD30 at checkout to get 30% off your first 3 months.

Our favorite Social Media Management Tool is AgoraPulse. Please contact me to learn more about Agorapulse and allow me to connect you with my contact at the company.

Libsyn is the Host of The Digital Slice Podcast. Just use our Libsyn code SLICE at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/libsyn to get up to 2 months of free podcasting service with Libsyn! Get your show on Apple Podcasts, get critical show-building stats—Libsyn even does video!

Streamyard is the tool we use to stream to all major platforms simultaneously directly from a browser. We also use Streamyard to record The Digital Slice Podcast because of its ability to provide us with crystal clear audio and 1080p video. Sign up today for free at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/streamyard

Are you looking for an email service provider that has stood the test of time? Be sure to look at Constant Contact, the provider we use.

Are you looking for a CRM for your business? We suggest taking a look at a few different ones before making your decision. Be sure to look at Nimble, one of our favorite CRMs, and take advantage of a 14-day free trial.

Here is some of the podcasting and video gear we use and recommend. These are often affiliate links.

These products and more can be found at our Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/bradfriedman

We highly recommend you use TubeBuddy to up your YouTube game! TubeBuddy: https://www.tubebuddy.com/TheFriedmanGroup

Launch your video Membership course or subscription website community with Uscreen. Uscreen helps creators like you build and grow their online video business with membership sites. See what you can do with Uscreen! https://friedmansocialmedia.com/uscreen

Affiliate Links & Transparency

Thank you for trusting me with my honest opinion on future purchases you may make after listening to this podcast. I am always completely transparent with you. As a friend of The Friedman Group, LLC you allow me to be able to use affiliate/referral links when suggesting items for purchase. Please know I am a customer myself or have done sufficient research to feel comfortable sharing these links with you. When you click on a link and purchase the item I may receive a small “commission.” This allows me to continue to provide you with quality content and doesn't affect you in any way at checkout.

Not every link is a referral link and some appear here because my guest spoke about them and I want to make it easy for you to check 'em out. Thank you!

Ep 236: Small Businesses Must Start Using AI Today

Ep 236: Small Businesses Must Start Using AI Today

by | The Digital Slice

Small Businesses Must Start Using AI Today

The Digital Slice Podcast is brought to you by The Friedman Group, LLC

As AI moves faster than most businesses can adapt, the real challenge is using it to gain an edge without losing the human thinking and judgment that make us valuable. To do this, we've got to start using AI today.

Join Brad Friedman and Bruce Randall as they explore how businesses can start using AI, what AI is already changing in the workplace, and why human awareness, ethics, and critical thinking matter more than ever, so you can adopt AI strategically without losing your competitive edge or your humanity.

Bruce Randall bridges advanced technology and human awareness. With 25+ years in leadership roles at startups, Oracle Cloud, and AT&T, he has guided organizations through AI-driven transformation, cloud strategy, and large-scale innovation.

Alongside his tech career, Bruce is a Reiki Master and lifelong meditation practitioner, bringing a unique lens to how human consciousness intersects with emerging technologies.

He is the author of The AI Human Paradox, which explores the convergence of AI, brain-computer interfaces, and identity, and he advises on cybersecurity solutions designed for a quantum future.

In this Episode:

  • Bruce explains why small and midsize businesses should start AI adoption with an easy win and build from there.
  • Bruce shares a real-world example of AI voice automation that shows how low the barrier to entry has become.
  • Bruce discusses how AI is already reshaping HR, sales, reporting, training, and customer response workflows.
  • Bruce warns that companies delaying AI adoption risk losing their competitive and comparative advantage.
  • Bruce explores why people need to keep doing their own critical thinking even as AI gets better at gathering information.
  • Bruce unpacks how quantum computing and artificial super intelligence could break today’s assumptions about what machines can do.

Quotes from this Episode:

  • [00:01:00] “You have to look at where AI fits your business, where you can get an easy win, show some return, and get a feel for it, and grow from there.” – Bruce Randall
  • [00:02:20] “You need to start and do something just to be able to stay up.” – Bruce Randall
  • [00:04:40] “AI's moving faster than the cloud ever did.” – Bruce Randall
  • [00:07:00] “You've gotta do your critical thinking yourself and use AI to gather the information.” – Bruce Randall
  • [00:10:00] “When you have quantum and artificial super intelligence, then every single paradigm we have is broken” – Bruce Randall
  • [00:13:20] “It's kinda like the Wild West of AI right now.” – Bruce Randall

Today's Guest:

Bruce Randall:

Connect with Brad

Brad Friedman

You can also call the office at 720.248.8185 or email brad@friedmansocialmedia.com.

Books

Sponsors and Tools

This podcast is brought to you by Magai. The tool we use for our AI needs. Magai is over 30 AI apps in one. There's just one subscription to access all the best AI models. Get Magai right here, https://friedmansocialmedia.com/magai. And, if it’s your first time purchasing, use BRAD30 at checkout to get 30% off your first 3 months.

Our favorite Social Media Management Tool is AgoraPulse. Please contact me to learn more about Agorapulse and allow me to connect you with my contact at the company.

Libsyn is the Host of The Digital Slice Podcast. Just use our Libsyn code SLICE at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/libsyn to get up to 2 months of free podcasting service with Libsyn! Get your show on Apple Podcasts, get critical show-building stats—Libsyn even does video!

Streamyard is the tool we use to stream to all major platforms simultaneously directly from a browser. We also use Streamyard to record The Digital Slice Podcast because of its ability to provide us with crystal clear audio and 1080p video. Sign up today for free at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/streamyard

Are you looking for an email service provider that has stood the test of time? Be sure to look at Constant Contact, the provider we use.

Are you looking for a CRM for your business? We suggest taking a look at a few different ones before making your decision. Be sure to look at Nimble, one of our favorite CRMs, and take advantage of a 14-day free trial.

Here is some of the podcasting and video gear we use and recommend. These are often affiliate links.

These products and more can be found at our Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/bradfriedman

We highly recommend you use TubeBuddy to up your YouTube game! TubeBuddy: https://www.tubebuddy.com/TheFriedmanGroup

Launch your video Membership course or subscription website community with Uscreen. Uscreen helps creators like you build and grow their online video business with membership sites. See what you can do with Uscreen! https://friedmansocialmedia.com/uscreen

Affiliate Links & Transparency

Thank you for trusting me with my honest opinion on future purchases you may make after listening to this podcast. I am always completely transparent with you. As a friend of The Friedman Group, LLC you allow me to be able to use affiliate/referral links when suggesting items for purchase. Please know I am a customer myself or have done sufficient research to feel comfortable sharing these links with you. When you click on a link and purchase the item I may receive a small “commission.” This allows me to continue to provide you with quality content and doesn't affect you in any way at checkout.

Not every link is a referral link, and some appear here because my guest spoke about them and I want to make it easy for you to check 'em out. Thank you!

Ep 235: The Reputation Strategy That Turns Reviews Into Real Growth

Ep 235: The Reputation Strategy That Turns Reviews Into Real Growth

by | The Digital Slice

The Reputation Strategy That Turns Reviews Into Real Growth

The Digital Slice Podcast is brought to you by The Friedman Group, LLC

If your business is collecting reviews without a clear strategy, you could be leaving visibility, trust, and revenue on the table.

Join Brad Friedman and George Swetlitz as they discuss how reviews, responses, sentiment analysis, and AI can strengthen your reputation management strategy so you can improve visibility, win more customers, and keep them coming back.

George Swetlitz is the Co-Founder of RightResponse AI, a reputation management platform designed to help location-based businesses drive customer growth. RightResponse AI uses advanced AI to help businesses grow through better review management, deeper review insights, and a stronger understanding of the competitive environment—all focused on driving customer acquisition and retention.

George’s approach to AI is grounded in operational experience, with a focus on creating practical solutions that deliver measurable results. Before launching RightResponse AI, he was the CEO of a consolidation of audiology clinics with about 220 locations, where managing reputation to drive organic growth was one of the most important parts of the business.

In this Episode:

  • George explains why reviews are critical to customer acquisition and retention.
  • George defines the review ecosystem and why it extends far beyond simply collecting Google reviews.
  • George breaks down how visibility in Google Business Profile affects whether prospective customers ever find your business.
  • George shares why personalized review requests outperform generic templates and create a stronger emotional connection.
  • George shows how AI can turn hundreds of reviews into structured sentiment data that business owners can actually use.
  • George details how competitor review analysis can uncover trends, weaknesses, and opportunities in your market.

Quotes from this Episode:

  • [00:01:07] “If you do this properly, you can drive growth dramatically through reputation management.” – George Swetlitz
  • [00:01:41] “I call it the review ecosystem, and that’s often also called reputation management.” – George Swetlitz
  • [00:06:00] “AI is really terrific at creating these highly targeted, highly emotional, highly connecting messages.” – George Swetlitz
  • [00:06:33] “We have customers that use photos that have upwards of 75% conversion rates in these kind of group settings because of that connection.” – George Swetlitz
  • [00:10:42] “AI allows you to take this massive amount of unstructured text and turn it in to highly structured data.” – George Swetlitz
  • [00:22:00] “It can be an engine for growth as opposed to a task that needs to get done every week.” – George Swetlitz

Today's Guest:

George Swetlitz:

Connect with Brad

Brad Friedman

You can also call the office at 720.248.8185 or email brad@friedmansocialmedia.com.

Books

Sponsors and Tools

This podcast is brought to you by Magai. The tool we use for our AI needs. Magai is over 30 AI apps in one. There's just one subscription to access all the best AI models. Get Magai right here, https://friedmansocialmedia.com/magai. And, if it’s your first time purchasing, use BRAD30 at checkout to get 30% off your first 3 months.

Our favorite Social Media Management Tool is AgoraPulse. Please contact me to learn more about Agorapulse and allow me to connect you with my contact at the company.

Libsyn is the Host of The Digital Slice Podcast. Just use our Libsyn code SLICE at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/libsyn to get up to 2 months of free podcasting service with Libsyn! Get your show on Apple Podcasts, get critical show-building stats—Libsyn even does video!

Streamyard is the tool we use to stream to all major platforms simultaneously directly from a browser. We also use Streamyard to record The Digital Slice Podcast because of its ability to provide us with crystal clear audio and 1080p video. Sign up today for free at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/streamyard

Are you looking for an email service provider that has stood the test of time? Be sure to look at Constant Contact, the provider we use.

Are you looking for a CRM for your business? We suggest taking a look at a few different ones before making your decision. Be sure to look at Nimble, one of our favorite CRMs, and take advantage of a 14-day free trial.

Here is some of the podcasting and video gear we use and recommend. These are often affiliate links.

These products and more can be found at our Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/bradfriedman

We highly recommend you use TubeBuddy to up your YouTube game! TubeBuddy: https://www.tubebuddy.com/TheFriedmanGroup

Launch your video Membership course or subscription website community with Uscreen. Uscreen helps creators like you build and grow their online video business with membership sites. See what you can do with Uscreen! https://friedmansocialmedia.com/uscreen

Affiliate Links & Transparency

Thank you for trusting me with my honest opinion on future purchases you may make after listening to this podcast. I am always completely transparent with you. As a friend of The Friedman Group, LLC you allow me to be able to use affiliate/referral links when suggesting items for purchase. Please know I am a customer myself or have done sufficient research to feel comfortable sharing these links with you. When you click on a link and purchase the item I may receive a small “commission.” This allows me to continue to provide you with quality content and doesn't affect you in any way at checkout.

Not every link is a referral link and some appear here because my guest spoke about them and I want to make it easy for you to check 'em out. Thank you!

Ep 234: Your Paid Ads Aren’t Working Even If You’re Getting Clicks

Ep 234: Your Paid Ads Aren’t Working Even If You’re Getting Clicks

by | The Digital Slice

Your Paid Ads Aren’t Working Even If You’re Getting Clicks

The Digital Slice Podcast is brought to you by The Friedman Group, LLC

Paid ads can waste money fast when your tracking is broken, your goals are fuzzy, and your data never makes it back to the platforms.

Join Brad Friedman and Andy Janaitis as they break down how to build smarter Google and Meta ad campaigns with better measurement, stronger attribution, and more realistic strategies for small businesses so you can spend more confidently and grow profitably.

Andy is the founder and chief strategist of PPC Pitbulls, a boutique digital marketing agency that helps small businesses grow past 7 figures using Google and Meta Ads.

He partners with founder-led brands and e-commerce teams to simplify paid ad strategies, ensuring campaigns are built on solid tracking, clean execution, and profitability—not noise or guesswork.

With over 10 years of agency and analytics experience, Andy’s background spans engineering, web development, and digital strategy. He’s known for his practical, down-to-earth approach that cuts through marketing overwhelm and empowers business owners to take confident action. Whether he’s helping a brand understand attribution or demystify Performance Max, Andy brings clarity, integrity, and a deep respect for the entrepreneurial journey.

In this Episode:

  • Andy explains why measurement and conversion tracking need to be in place before launching any paid campaign.
  • Andy shares how to define the right conversion goal instead of optimizing only for clicks or views.
  • Andy discusses how CRMs like HubSpot can connect lead data and offline conversions back to Google and Meta.
  • Andy breaks down why ad platforms perform better when they receive deeper funnel data instead of just top-level lead signals.
  • Andy clarifies how AI-driven ad delivery uses conversion signals to find more of the right prospects.
  • Andy warns that attribution can get messy when multiple platforms claim credit for the same customer journey.

Quotes from this Episode:

  • [00:00:47] “It's not really worth wasting your money on the ads and you're not gonna get anything out of it.” – Andy Janaitis
  • [00:01:31] “Is it somebody to book a call? Is it somebody to come on and sign up for your newsletter or download your lead magnet?” – Andy Janaitis
  • [00:04:00] “Google or Meta is gonna say, Hey, every click is as good as any other click.” – Andy Janaitis
  • [00:06:40] “This person clicked on the ad, filled out the form, and ultimately became a real client. Let's put the ad in front of more people like that.” – Andy Janaitis
  • [00:14:40] “Every single dollar that you put into ads has to yield something.” – Andy Janaitis

Today's Guest:

Andy Janaitis:

Connect with Brad

Brad Friedman

You can also call the office at 720.248.8185 or email brad@friedmansocialmedia.com.

Books

Sponsors and Tools

This podcast is brought to you by Magai. The tool we use for our AI needs. Magai is over 30 AI apps in one. There's just one subscription to access all the best AI models. Get Magai right here, https://friedmansocialmedia.com/magai. And, if it’s your first time purchasing, use BRAD30 at checkout to get 30% off your first 3 months.

Our favorite Social Media Management Tool is AgoraPulse. Please contact me to learn more about Agorapulse and allow me to connect you with my contact at the company.

Libsyn is the Host of The Digital Slice Podcast. Just use our Libsyn code SLICE at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/libsyn to get up to 2 months of free podcasting service with Libsyn! Get your show on Apple Podcasts, get critical show-building stats—Libsyn even does video!

Streamyard is the tool we use to stream to all major platforms simultaneously directly from a browser. We also use Streamyard to record The Digital Slice Podcast because of its ability to provide us with crystal clear audio and 1080p video. Sign up today for free at https://friedmansocialmedia.com/streamyard

Are you looking for an email service provider that has stood the test of time? Be sure to look at Constant Contact, the provider we use.

Are you looking for a CRM for your business? We suggest taking a look at a few different ones before making your decision. Be sure to look at Nimble, one of our favorite CRMs, and take advantage of a 14-day free trial.

Here is some of the podcasting and video gear we use and recommend. These are often affiliate links.

These products and more can be found at our Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/bradfriedman

We highly recommend you use TubeBuddy to up your YouTube game! TubeBuddy: https://www.tubebuddy.com/TheFriedmanGroup

Launch your video Membership course or subscription website community with Uscreen. Uscreen helps creators like you build and grow their online video business with membership sites. See what you can do with Uscreen! https://friedmansocialmedia.com/uscreen

Affiliate Links & Transparency

Thank you for trusting me with my honest opinion on future purchases you may make after listening to this podcast. I am always completely transparent with you. As a friend of The Friedman Group, LLC you allow me to be able to use affiliate/referral links when suggesting items for purchase. Please know I am a customer myself or have done sufficient research to feel comfortable sharing these links with you. When you click on a link and purchase the item I may receive a small “commission.” This allows me to continue to provide you with quality content and doesn't affect you in any way at checkout.

Not every link is a referral link, and some appear here because my guest spoke about them and I want to make it easy for you to check 'em out. Thank you!

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