From startup hustle to practical AI: How do you build a company that genuinely helps small businesses communicate better? Join host Dietmar Fischer as he sits down with Jack Kennedy and David Daneshgar, founders of Whippy, to uncover their journey from early consulting days to launching one of the most innovative AI-driven communication platforms.

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"The problem that I saw out there was that most of the books out there just talk about why it's important or what is important, but none of them really tell you how to make it happen."

That's where John Munsell's book comes in: get ⁠⁠⁠Ingrain AI on Amazon⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode, you’ll hear how curiosity and real customer pain points led Jack and David to experiment with OpenAI and Google models long before ChatGPT was a household name. Discover their insights on building practical AI for business, why most companies juggle too many tools, and how Whippy aims to simplify everything—automating the work that holds businesses back.

Highlights & Keywords

* The origin story behind Whippy AI* Real-world examples of AI in business

* How founders spot and solve customer pain points

* Building practical AI for small business communication* What the future holds for AI automation

* Why “just another tool” isn’t enough* Startup founder advice and trends in AI-driven SaaS

Quotes from the Episode

* “We knew we wanted to bring all communication in a business into one place. The need was just seeing people not doing a bunch of work that AI could do—and paying for all these software tools when it should just be in one place.” —Jack Kennedy

* “They were missing phone calls. They weren’t doing email marketing. They weren’t responding to proposals for weddings… and as a small business, you just can’t let things slip through the cracks.” —David Daneshgar

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Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes — don’t forget to subscribe to our Newsletter: ⁠⁠beginnersguide.nl⁠⁠

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Chapters:

00:00 Welcome, Introductions & Whippy Origins

02:30 Early Days with AI: OpenAI, Google & First Projects

06:40 Solving Real Problems for Small Businesses

13:10 Building Whippy: Integrating All Business Communication

17:45 The Future of AI-Driven Communication & Key Trends

Where to find the Guests:

* Connect to Jack Kennedy on LinkedIn

* Stay in touch with David Daneshgar on LinkedIn

* And definitely visit Whippy AI's website to get more insights!

Music credit: "Modern Situations" by Unicorn Heads

What happens when your company gets hit by a cyberattack?

In this eye-opening episode, attorney Joshua Cook reveals why cybersecurity isn’t an IT problem but a leadership challenge. After two decades fighting fraud and managing crisis response, Cook has seen every digital disaster imaginable — and he’s here to explain how to build true cyber resilience.

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Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes — don’t forget to subscribe to our Newsletter: ⁠beginnersguide.nl⁠

📧💌📧

Josh breaks down how AI has democratized cybercrime, why phishing scams have become nearly impossible to spot, and how every CEO should create an incident response plan before chaos hits. He also explains why planning matters more than the plan itself — and how leaders can keep their teams calm when everything goes wrong.

💡 You’ll learn:

- How AI is fueling new waves of fraud and misinformation

- Why leadership and communication are the real firewalls of business

- How to train teams and run tabletop exercises before the crisis

- What Maersk and Colonial Pipeline taught the world about transparency

- Why companies with a plan lose 60 % less money in an attack

Prepare, breathe, and lead — because it’s not if you’ll be hacked, but when.

👀 Quotes from the Episode

“Cybersecurity isn’t an IT issue. It’s a business problem, and it needs a business solution.”

“AI has democratized cybercrime — you don’t need to be a hacker anymore, just willing to commit a crime.”

“A plan might be useless, but planning is indispensable — that’s what makes companies resilient.”

🧾 Chapters

00:00 Welcome & Introduction – Meet Joshua Cook

02:00 How a Fraud Attorney Ended Up Fighting Cybercrime

05:00 AI Has Made Cybercrime Easier (and Smarter)

08:00 The Elderly Are the New Prime Targets

11:00 From Fake Law Firms to Real Scams – True Cases from the Field

15:00 Turning the Tables: How AI Can Defend, Not Just Attack

18:00 Cyber Resilience by Design – Why Leadership Matters

22:00 When Crisis Hits: Lessons from Maersk and Colonial Pipeline

27:00 Preparing the Team – How Training Prevents Chaos

31:00 It’s Not If, It’s When – The Power of an Incident Response Plan

35:00 Planning vs. Panicking – Eisenhower and the Art of Cyber Preparation

38:00 Why Calm Leaders Win in Cyber Crises

41:00 How Joshua Cook Uses AI Safely in Legal Practice

44:00 No, the Terminator Isn’t Coming (But AI Might Take Your Job)

47:00 Final Thoughts – Cybersecurity as a Business Superpower

🔗 Where to Find the Guest

- Joshua Cook on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jnc2000

- Josh's Book "Cyber Resilience by Design" – available wherever books are sold, e.g. on Amazon

- Prince Lobel Tye LLP: princelobel.com

🎧 About Dietmar Fischer:

Economist, digital marketer, and podcaster exploring how AI reshapes decision-making, leadership, and creative work. Want to connect with me? You'll find me on LinkedIn!

🎵 Music credit: “Modern Situations” by Unicorn Heads

AI at Work — Partner, Not Boss! with Professor GePhardT

Artificial intelligence is joining the workforce—but should it be your boss? In this witty, insightful episode, Professor GePhardT breaks down the Workday AI research showing that while 75% of employees are happy to work with AI, only 30% would let it manage them.

📧💌📧Tune in to get my thoughts and all episodes—don’t forget to ⁠subscribe to our Newsletter⁠: ⁠beginnersguide.nl⁠📧💌📧

Through sharp insights, storytelling, and yes—even cake metaphors—you’ll learn how to create clear AI boundaries, foster trust, and harness human-AI collaboration without losing what makes us human.

📚 Key Highlights:

• How to make AI your colleague, not your commander.

• What “AI optimism” really means.

• Why transparency is essential for responsible AI adoption.

• Practical steps for mapping your AI boundaries at work.

  
  

💬 Quotes from the Episode:

“People don’t fear AI—they fear losing control.”
“AI can follow recipes, but only humans can taste the cake.”
“The best workplaces won’t be run by machines—they’ll be led by humans who know how to work with them.”

⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to “AI at Work: Partner, Not Boss!”
02:15 Why AI Should Collaborate, Not Command
06:48 The Layers of AI at Work—Assistant, Advisor, Actor
11:10 The Cake Example: Baking Boundaries with Bots
14:00 Workday’s Research on AI Agents in the Workplace
19:25 The Secret to AI Optimism—Boundaries and Transparency
24:00 Interactive Challenge: Mapping Your AI Boundaries
27:30 Recap and Final Thoughts
29:10 Sign-Off and Quote by Karen Spärck Jones

👤 About Dietmar Fischer:
Dietmar is a Berlin-based podcaster and AI marketer behind A Beginner’s Guide to AI and Argo.berlin. He helps companies understand and apply AI in marketing and leadership with clarity and creativity.

🌐 Where to find the research base of the episode:
- Workday.com: Setting Boundaries
- Workday.com: Don't Call Them Boss

🎵 Music Credit: “Modern Situations” by Unicorn Heads 🎵