Podcast Summary: Living The Red Life - From Burnout to Systems: How Justin Day Transformed Everything

Host: Rudy Mawer
Guest: Justin Day
Release Date: March 20, 2025
Length: Approximately 14 minutes

Introduction

In the episode titled "From Burnout to Systems: How Justin Day Transformed Everything," Rudy Mawer, the host of Living The Red Life, welcomes Justin Day, a seasoned entrepreneur who has successfully scaled his agency from a local setup to a worldwide operation generating multiple millions in revenue. Justin shares his journey, strategies for growth, insights on leveraging AI, and personal lessons learned along the way.

Justin Day’s Journey: From Freelancer to Multi-Million Agency

Justin Day began his entrepreneurial journey as a freelancer, offering graphic design services to friends. His dedication and quality of work led to organic word-of-mouth referrals, enabling him to secure larger deals over time.

Justin Day [00:18]: "It really started out as a freelancer, right. Where I was just doing graphic design for friends. They'd pay me for this and then get word of mouth out and then I started to get bigger and bigger deals."

As his reputation grew, Justin transitioned from a local agency to a system-based, scalable business model over five to six years. This transformation was marked by significant milestones, including landing his first $100k deal, which served as a catalyst for rapid growth.

Justin Day [02:22]: "Yeah, I was like 100k deals like, wow, okay. They just gave me this money. I mean, let's do this."

Key Strategies for Scaling

Justin attributes his success to three core strategies: building a robust team, personal branding, and continuous offer testing.

a. Team Building

One of the pivotal moments in Justin's journey was the decision to outsource tasks and build a reliable team. Initially, he struggled with managing operations alone but found his first Operations Manager through networking within a community group.

Justin Day [04:10]: "Where I really needed help was finding my first W2, getting my Ops manager in because I didn't want to learn how to do all the ops and develop and I didn't have time."

Utilizing virtual assistants (VAs) also played a crucial role. Justin emphasizes that while VAs might not achieve 100% perfection, they are "80% of the way there" and significantly alleviate the workload.

Justin Day [04:46]: "...VAs are the key for sure in any business, especially in the agency world... done is better than perfect, and a lot of clients will take that."

b. Personal Branding

Justin highlights the importance of building a strong personal brand to stand out in a saturated market. By sharing his journey and personal stories, he created a unique connection with his audience, differentiating his business from others.

Justin Day [06:03]: "Standing out, putting your story out there, making it a personalized approach versus business first. Like, no one wants to follow or look at a business. They want to follow a brand and a story."

He advocates for consistent content creation, even if initial efforts feel unsuccessful, as persistence eventually leads to visibility and engagement.

Justin Day [06:17]: "Feel free to just put stuff out there. Who cares if people don't like it?... you never know who's going to see those posts."

c. Offer Testing

Justin stresses the necessity of testing multiple offers to identify what resonates with the market. Relying on a single offer can hinder scalability, as only a fraction of ideas typically succeed.

Justin Day [07:19]: "Only one out of every 10 offers can really hit... put it out there, just test it and see if it's biting."

Leveraging AI for Business Growth

A significant portion of the discussion delves into the strategic use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance business operations and profitability.

a. Beyond ChatGPT: Advanced AI Uses

While many entrepreneurs experiment with basic AI tools like ChatGPT, Justin explores more advanced applications, particularly in video content and automation.

Justin Day [07:38]: "Leveraging Sora to get kind of some very interesting videos out there to break through mold... AI avatars... use it for scripts, ideas, testing new offers, and just understanding your target audience."

b. Five Ways to Use AI

Justin outlines five innovative ways businesses can harness AI to streamline operations and boost efficiency:

1. Deep Understanding of Target Audience

   • Justin Day [08:07]: "Do you know 10 things that keep them up at night? Do you know where they shop? Who their best friends are?"

2. Connecting Business Systems

   • Justin Day [08:33]: "Connecting the dots in your business... increase your LTV, reduce your CAC... make onboarding super easy."

3. AI Assistant for Email Management

   • Justin Day [09:12]: "Set filters to notify you when an important client comes through... safeguard you from getting buried in emails."

4. Ongoing Content Generation

   • Justin Day [09:37]: "Generating content for SEO and social media... leverage AI to post consistently without overwhelming your team."

5. Automating Repetitive Tasks

   • Justin Day [09:39]: "Use AI to handle mundane tasks, freeing up time for strategic initiatives."

c. Future of AI

Looking ahead, Justin envisions AI becoming more conversational and embodied, with advancements allowing for more natural interactions and comprehensive task management.

Justin Day [10:08]: "Conversational AI... more organic conversations... AI avatars that manage different AI bots... scale at the speed of light."

He anticipates AI handling complex functions like creating entire videos and managing sales calls in the next few years.

Justin Day [10:46]: "AI agents managing different AI bots... enabling you to scale really fast."

Lessons in Agency Growth

Justin shares actionable insights for entrepreneurs aiming to scale their agencies beyond the $500k mark.

a. Niching Down and System Building

He advises against offering a la carte services, advocating instead for niching down and developing repeatable systems that can be delegated to a growing team.

Justin Day [11:28]: "A la carte will kill you... niche down and create systems... develop the Swarm system for cohesive operations."

b. Client Acquisition Strategies

Justin emphasizes the importance of consistent content creation and networking. Posting multiple times a day and engaging in networking events can significantly enhance brand visibility and client acquisition.

Justin Day [12:14]: "Posting every day, two or three times a day... leveraging your network and going to networking events... open up doors you never knew existed."

Personal Insights and Lessons

a. Biggest Failure

Justin candidly discusses a significant setback where he filed his business just before the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to substantial debt.

Justin Day [12:53]: "Filed for my business right before COVID hit... ended up in about a hundred grand of debt."

He managed to recover within eight months by adjusting his strategies and raising his prices.

Justin Day [13:00]: "It took me about eight months to get out of it... a big lesson in understanding how to put your eggs in specific baskets."

b. Advice to Younger Self

Reflecting on his experiences, Justin advises his younger self to focus on one area, outsource early, and avoid spreading himself too thin.

Justin Day [13:45]: "Don't try and be everywhere all at once... niche down... go get a VA, go outsource... scaled so much faster if I started earlier."

Conclusion

Justin Day's journey from a solo freelancer to leading a multi-million-dollar agency underscores the importance of strategic outsourcing, personal branding, and leveraging technology like AI to drive growth. His insights offer valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and business owners aiming to scale their operations efficiently.

Rudy Mawer [14:30]: "If you want to learn AI, go see this guy... keep living the red life and I'll see you guys soon."

Connect with Justin Day:

• Website: swarmsystemAI, aimarketingtools.com
• Instagram: Justin Day Digital

This episode serves as an enlightening guide for entrepreneurs seeking to transition from burnout to building scalable, efficient systems using both human resources and cutting-edge AI technologies.