#263 PhD goal for the coming 3 years

In this episode, I talk about my decision to finally start my
PhD, or rather, a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA). After
delaying it for years, I realized it was time to dive in. The
focus of my DBA is on how small service-oriented companies can
grow using AI and automation. I’ve had to narrow my research down
significantly, but now I’m looking at how AI can streamline
processes in HR, marketing, sales, and operations to help
businesses scale faster.


One of the most exciting parts of this journey is seeing how AI
can make my research easier. Tools like ChatGPT have helped me
with literature reviews, and I’ll be using AI transcription and
analysis tools for my primary research. I’m saving months of work
just by using automation in my dissertation process, which
perfectly aligns with my research topic. Over the next three
years, I’ll be applying all of these principles to my own
companies and sharing what I learn along the way.





Transcript:


Hello, everybody, and welcome to another episode of Sweet Buzz!
How’s it going, guys? Lately, I’ve been lagging behind on my
sales stories, but I’ve been so busy with other things that I
thought I’d share them with you. Today’s topic is AI, and how it
ties into my PhD journey. I’ve been delaying starting my PhD for
a while, thinking “next year will be easier,” but guess what? It
never gets easier! So, I finally took the plunge.


Last year, I was ready to start my PhD, but when my wife became
pregnant, I thought it wasn’t the right time. Now, I’ve finally
started, and I’m pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration
(DBA). It’s different from a PhD in that it’s more
applied—focused on research that can be directly used in
business. My DBA is all about how small, service-based, bootstrap
companies can grow using automation and AI, which is a perfect
fit for the work I do.


As I started this process, I realized the importance of narrowing
my focus. Initially, I thought, "I’ll just research how companies
can grow." But my advisors pushed me to get more specific, so now
I’m focusing on how small service-oriented companies can use AI
and automation to scale. The idea is to look at all aspects of a
company—HR, marketing, sales, operations—and identify how AI can
streamline processes and save time. My dissertation will explore
these hacks, and I’ll be applying those same principles to my own
businesses.


Using AI for my dissertation feels like a cheat code! ChatGPT has
already saved me tons of time with literature reviews, and I’ve
got tools lined up for transcription and interview analysis. What
used to take months can now be done in weeks. I’m excited to dive
deeper into how AI can help small businesses grow, and I’m
applying all of these ideas to my own companies as I work through
this process. I hope to complete my DBA in three years, but until
then, I’ll be sharing all the insights I uncover along the way!