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Welcome back to the CEO School Podcast!
Today, Suneera sits down with Andrea Palacio, the AI and automation strategist behind Crewless, who spent four years running an e-commerce business from a 42-foot catamaran before buying a landscaping company that nearly broke her. Five days after closing, the seller took their money and disappeared. Within two months the team dropped from twelve people to two, her husband was cutting lawns in the Florida heat, and Andrea was locked in the bathroom crying while her babies waited outside the door.
What she built next changed the math. One AI receptionist, one automated follow-up system, and a $750,000 offer she turned down because the business no longer needed her in it. She walks through what to automate first, the question that tells you whether a task needs you at all, why most founders end up with AI slop instead of results, and the agent that pitched her onto this show without her writing a single word. Let's get into it!
Andrea paid for the best coaches in the world because learning through your own time and energy is the most expensive way to learn.
Time Stamps:
(00:00) Meet the AI strategist who ran a company crewless
(03:16) Four years at sea with zero sailing experience
(05:55) The boring business that went from twelve employees to two
(07:04) Crying in the bathroom while both kids waited outside
(12:33) The AI receptionist that stopped customers from canceling
(13:34) Turning down $750,000 because the company ran itself
(14:55) The one question that decides what gets automated
(19:51) Why most AI content comes out as slop
(24:33) The four Cs of where CEO time belongs
(37:37) Deploying agents that work around the clock
(40:45) The AI agent that booked her on this show
(49:15) The free book written for CEO School listeners
Connect With Andrea Palacio:
https://www.instagram.com/andreapalacio/
Share this with a founder who swears she'll automate it all right after this one busy season.
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Learn more about how Suneera Madhani is paving the way for powerhouse female CEOs like you to take center stage, not just in your industries but in your whole life.
Website: https://suneeramadhani.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/
This episode was produced by Hi Hello Labs: https://www.hihellolabs.com/.
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