Ep 112 - Using AI To Turn Passion Into Projects With Ryan Thomson, The Assumable Guy
· Summarized
Key takeaways
- Start with one specific, meaningful problem rather than trying to master all of AI at once.
- AI can do much more than writing; it can automate tasks, generate leads, build websites, recruit agents, and support marketing efforts.
- Be willing to experiment, learn, and train AI tools to sound and behave like you for authentic results.
- Using voice and conversational AI can significantly accelerate problem-solving, planning, and brainstorming.
- Overcoming the fear of quick or 'too good to be true' results requires starting small, building confidence, and recognizing the value of time saved.
- Curiosity fuels success with AI—ask simple questions like 'Can I do this?' and learn by doing.
Summary
Introduction and Podcast Evolution
Carrie introduces the show, explaining the recent rebranding from 'ChatGPT Experiment' to 'The Amazing Intern' to better reflect the evergreen principles and mindsets applicable across all AI tools. She highlights that the podcast aims to turn AI curiosity into confidence, providing valuable frameworks regardless of which specific AI tools listeners use.
Meet Ryan Thompson and His AI Journey
Ryan Thompson, a Colorado real estate entrepreneur, shares how he initially discovered AI through ChatGPT to write blogs, which soon evolved into building complex AI-driven systems to automate and scale his real estate business. He describes his background, his passion for outdoor activities, and how he uses AI not only for business but also for personal projects to enhance his health, explore local events, and create custom learning content. Ryan emphasizes that curiosity sparked his rapid growth in using AI, starting from simple prompts to building autonomous agents that manage websites, leads, recruitment, and marketing campaigns.
Using AI to Improve Business Operations and Personal Life
Ryan discusses practical examples of AI in action: creating websites via natural language commands, automating lead generation, personalizing outreach, and running marketing campaigns—all with minimal technical skills. He highlights how AI saves him hours each week, freeing time for passions like biking and family. Ryan stresses that the key to success is starting small with a real problem—such as improving outreach or building a website—and growing from there. He underscores that AI tools, especially when trained properly, can produce high-quality, reliable results quickly, countering the misconception that quick work is inherently low quality.
The Power of Voice and Conversation in AI Interaction
Ryan explains how he leverages voice interactions with AI tools like Claude for brainstorming, planning, and problem-solving. He advocates for spontaneous verbal processing, which can be more efficient than writing, and discusses the ability of AI to listen, respond, and keep transcripts of interactions for further use. He illustrates this with examples of developing health apps, community websites, and educational podcasts, emphasizing that conversational AI mimics human thinking and accelerates project development.
Overcoming Hesitation and Embracing AI Convenience
Carrie and Ryan address common fears around AI, such as the feeling of cheating or skepticism about quality. Ryan encourages starting with one manageable problem, learning by doing, and building confidence through small experiments. He stresses that AI can handle complex tasks—from ad campaigns to website code—reliably when trained properly, and that the perceived 'cheating' factor diminishes as users see tangible benefits. Ryan describes AI as an approachable 'intern' that can serve as a problem solver, collaborator, and assistant, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and experimentation.
Future Projects and Continuous Learning
Ryan shares upcoming plans, including developing a personalized health tool and a community event website, both powered by AI. He describes his goal of creating plug-and-play solutions for real estate agents and leveraging AI to streamline work processes. Ryan highlights that these projects help him remain innovative while extending AI's value to others. He underscores the importance of starting small, iterating quickly, and learning continuously to keep pace with AI advancements.
Sponsors
- Amazing Intern · Visit AmazingIntern.ai for episodes, training, articles, and connection opportunities. Reach out if you have a story to share!
Show notes
Episode Summary
Cary sits down with Ryan Thompson, a Colorado real estate business owner who has gone from using AI to write blogs to building AI-powered systems that help run and grow his business. Ryan shares how he uses AI to create websites, generate leads, recruit real estate agents, manage marketing campaigns, research prospects, brainstorm new ideas, and build tools that work even when he is off the grid.
The conversation also gets into the personal side of AI. Ryan talks about using it to explore health goals, build side projects around local events, create custom learning podcasts, and free up more time for biking, travel, friends, and the outdoors. His story is a great example of what can happen when curiosity starts with a simple question: "I wonder if AI can help me do this?"
3 Key Takeaways
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Start with one real problem, not the whole world of AI. Ryan's advice is simple: pick something important that you have been putting off and see how AI can help. You do not need to understand every tool or feature before getting started.
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AI can become much more than a writing assistant. Ryan uses AI-powered agents and systems to research prospects, send personalized outreach, generate real estate leads, support ad campaigns, build websites, and handle work while he is away.
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The time you save can create value outside of work. Ryan is using AI not just to grow his business, but to make more room for the things he cares about, including health, outdoor adventures, learning, friends, and new experiences.
Episode Resources:
- How to get AI to write like me - Episode 21
- How to use projects in ChatGPT- Episode 55
- Talking to AI like a human - Episode 91
- How to create a brainstorming partner - Episode 66
- Is using AI cheating? - Episode 111
- Talking to it with voice - Episode 12
- Having two-way conversations - Episode 47
- Start with one thing - Episode 98
About Ryan Thompson
Ryan Thompson is a Colorado-based real estate business owner and the founder of The Assumable Guy, a real estate team focused on helping buyers access homes with assumable mortgages, including mortgages with lower interest rates than many current market options.
Ryan describes himself as an ideas guy who loves exploring what is possible with AI. What started with using ChatGPT to write real estate blogs has grown into a much bigger set of tools and systems. He now uses AI for lead generation, agent recruiting, personalized outreach, website building, paid advertising support, research, brainstorming, and automation.
Outside of his core real estate business, Ryan is an avid outdoors person who enjoys biking, exploring new places, and spending time in the mountains. He is also building side projects with AI, including a personalized health tool and HappeninCOS, a website designed to help people discover events and things to do around Colorado Springs based on their interests.
Connect with Ryan and explore his work:
The Assumable Guy: www.assumableguy.com
HappeninCOS: www.happenincos.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanthomson111/
Cary offers customized one-on-one ChatGPT training in 60 minute sessions. Find out more information on the sessions, answers to frequent questions, and how to register at www.AmazingIntern.ai
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CONNECT WITH CARY
ChatGPT Podcast Website: www.AmazingIntern.ai
Marketing Podcast: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com
Cary's Agency Website: www.CMWeston.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryweston
MUSIC CREDITS
The instrumental music used in this podcast is called "Curious" by Podington Bear".
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