The Exceptional Average: AI for the Rest of Us

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"First Sell, Then Build" - or why do Americans sell their products before building them?

🎙️ The Exceptional Average Podcast | Jan Suchan

Jan Suchan shares his experience with vibe coding and the surprising differences between European and American business approaches.

Key points we discuss:

• The "sell first, build later" mindset that American companies master
• How Jan participated in a one-day hackathon where teams built MVPs using vibe coding tools
• Why most people don't know their AI tools are using their data
• The future of AI agents working together to run your business
• Privacy settings you need to check in your AI tools right now

Jan shares why Europeans build great products nobody buys, while Americans sell products that don't exist yet.

We also discuss how AI is changing development and what you should know about protecting your data.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 

00:00 - Introduction

04:36 - European vs American business mindset

05:48 - "First sell, then deliver" approach

14:07 - Building MVPs at a one-day vibe coding hackathon 27:15 - The future of AI agents

37:49 - Privacy risks in AI tools

47:52 - Critical thinking in the AI age

#VibeCoding #AITools #ExceptionalAverage

WARNING: This episode might make you uncomfortable about how you're using AI right now.

Mike Todasco (100+ patents at PayPal) dropped a truth bomb keeping me up at night: "People using AI right now are living in the future while everyone else isn't even aware they're falling behind."

In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Mike reveals:

• Why most "AI experts" are wasting hours on the WRONG approach
• The shocking 20-minute daily habit that separates future millionaires from the soon-to-be-obsolete
• How his startup FAILURE led to PayPal hiring him (and why European companies are getting this completely wrong)
• The uncomfortable reality about who will win and lose in the coming AI revolution

If you're still using AI casually or "when you need it," this episode is your wake-up call. The opportunity gap is already forming, and it's widening faster than anyone expected.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 

00:00 - Introduction

04:13 - How Mike's biggest failure became his golden ticket 15:32 - The 20-minute AI habit that's creating an elite class of professionals

28:24 - The prompting secret that 99% of people get wrong 35:18 - Why "AI creativity" is a dangerous myth (and what's really happening)

47:22 - The uncomfortable truth: You're either living in the future or getting left behind

58:12 - The real reason most people will lose in the AI revolution

From Robotics to Audio AI: Matt Krainski on Space Industry, AI, and the Future of Sound Technology.

In this episode of my Exceptional Average Podcast, I sat down with Mateusz Krainski, Head of Product at Revoize. Matt took me on a fascinating journey from his days working on robotics to his time at the European Space Agency and now developing cutting-edge audio enhancement technology. We had an engaging conversation about the future of space exploration, particularly how the moon is becoming the next frontier before Mars.

I was particularly impressed by Revoize's innovative approach to audio enhancement, which doesn't just mask noise but actually regenerates the audio signal. Matt also shared valuable insights into startup life and how AI is transforming development work rather than replacing it.

Whether you're interested in space technology, audio AI, or the future of communication, this episode offers plenty of thought-provoking ideas about how technology is shaping our world.

Jesse Anglen reveals how his AI agents create content, replace traditional roles, and reduce costs by 90%. Discover the future of digital labor and why the first "one-human unicorn" might emerge within 5 years.

SEO in 2025: Beyond Blue Links

In this episode, I chat with Szymon Słowik, a leading Polish SEO strategist and founder of takaoto.pro agency. We explore how Google's traditional "10 blue links" are disappearing as AI overviews and zero-click searches transform digital marketing. Szymon shares insights on traffic acquisition, the SEO pyramid framework, and why businesses often fail when expanding into new European markets.

As someone who's been following Szymon's work since 2016, I was thrilled to discuss both technical strategies and cultural nuances that make or break international expansions. Perfect for business owners navigating today's fragmented search landscape.

Guest: Szymon Słowik

https://takaoto.pro

https://www.szymonslowik.pl

When I sat down with Denisa, Head of B2C Sales at Orange Slovakia leading 400+ people, I expected our usual leadership chat. Instead, she opened my eyes to a refreshingly practical view of AI in business.

Rather than seeing AI as a threat, she revealed how it's giving her team a "gift of time" - handling routine tasks so they can focus on what humans do best: connecting with people.

From retail floor strategies to call center innovations, Denisa shared real examples of how AI is transforming business while keeping the human touch alive.

If you're wondering how AI will affect your industry, this conversation offers both practical insights and hope for the future.

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Guest: Denisa Dudaskova

Denisa leads B2C Sales at Orange Slovakia, overseeing retail stores, door-to-door sales, and telesales operations with a team of 400+ people. As a commercial leader with a consumer-centric mindset, she combines traditional retail expertise with innovative AI solutions to enhance both employee and customer experiences.

I thought I knew how hiring worked until I spoke with an elite HR consultant. Urszula revealed that my CV has just 7 seconds to grab attention - and I was doing it all wrong.

Want to know the craziest part? Those expensive cover letters I spent hours writing? Nobody was reading them.

During our chat, Urszula shared exactly what recruiters look for in those crucial seven seconds, including the four specific spots where keywords must appear in your CV.

She also told me why getting an interview on Friday afternoon can kill your chances, and revealed the one factor that matters more than experience (hint: it's who you know, but not in the way you think).

If you're looking for your next job, these aren't just tips - this is the actual playbook recruiters use.

No corporate speak, just straight talk about what really gets you hired.

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Urszula Lipinska-Farkas | recruitula.com

A global IT recruitment expert with extensive Fortune 500 experience, Urszula specializes in transforming recruitment practices and building high-performing teams. As a licensed GROWTH 2.0 Partner and Global DISC Practitioner, she combines her deep understanding of psychological safety and cognitive diversity with practical recruitment strategies. Her unique approach bridges the gap between traditional HR practices and modern workplace dynamics, helping both candidates and companies thrive in today's evolving job market.

How a Cambridge PhD Created the Perfect Racing Algorithm That's Still Used in Formula 1 Today.

When Julian mentioned Formula 1 during our chat, I knew this podcast could easily run for three hours! What started as a discussion about AI and Amazon advertising took a fascinating turn when Julian revealed his Cambridge PhD work - developing a "virtual racing driver" that helped F1 teams test car modifications without spending millions on physical track time.

Our conversation revealed Julian's remarkable journey from technical roots to entrepreneurial success. The moment that stuck with me was his explanation of how F1 teams shifted from expensive track testing in Spain to virtual simulation (around 21:18 in our chat), where his PhD work created software that could drive an F1 car at its absolute physical limits.

Time Stamps (directly from transcript):

00:00 - Welcome and introductions

00:27 - Julian's engineering background and Cambridge PhD

01:19 - Transition from F1 to entrepreneurship via food tech

02:47 - How personal Amazon selling led to creating Autron

09:19 - Deep dive into Amazon's European marketplace

21:18 - The F1 revelation: Creating the perfect virtual driver

24:13 - Daily AI tools and practical applications

Key Moments I Loved:

- Julian's explanation of how Autron isn't just another API wrapper, but a custom-built solution from his F1 optimization experience

- His insights about Amazon's European market (Germany and UK being about 10% of US market size)

- The fascinating story of how he wrote the original Outron software for his own Amazon business before turning it into a product

- Our discussion about AI implementation in e-commerce, especially his point about turning complex data into actionable insights