I’m sharing here a podcast interview I did with William Downs, host of the Basic Business AI podcast — a show dedicated to simple, practical AI strategies for business owners who don’t want a tech degree.
👉 Watch the original podcast episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDd22lYhlNI
Try OneTake AI for free: https://try.onetake.ai
In this episode, William and I talk about the real challenges business owners face with content creation, productivity, and AI adoption — and how tools like OneTake can dramatically reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks.
Below the video, I’m sharing an article that recaps the main lessons from our interview and expands on the stories we discussed.
What You Will Learn Today
- How my early struggles in content creation shaped my approach to AI
- Why AI has become a practical tool — not a futuristic concept
- How to think of AI as a “super-smart intern” instead of a tech burden
- Real examples of how OneTake helps creators, coaches, and businesses save hours
- How proactive AI will reshape our workflows in 2025 and beyond
- Hard-earned lessons and strategies from growing multiple businesses
- Encouragement for entrepreneurs adapting to the new AI era
Introduction
Unlocking Business Growth
When William invited me on the podcast, I immediately thought back to my early days in business — long before I launched OneTake. I came from the Free Entrepreneurs Movement, where we sold online trainings and group coaching programs. Back then, everything depended on my ability to produce content: videos, courses, sales material, YouTube content, podcasts — and all of it required editing.
For years, my personal bottleneck was video-editing. I would spend months editing my own videos. Literal months. Every stumble, every pause, every slide, every improvement to the audio — it all came from me grinding away manually.
So when William asked, “How is AI reshaping your industry?” the short answer was simple:
AI has completely changed the game. It let me break free from this cycle of spending weeks on something that should take hours.
The Early Days
Starting with the Free Entrepreneurs Movement
Before OneTake, my world revolved around creating educational content. But the more content you produce, the more time you spend fixing tiny things: trimming silences, editing out rambles, balancing audio, adding titles, preparing podcasts… and that becomes a full-time job.
The impact of AI in streamlining business operations
AI became my escape hatch. It allowed me to produce more content in less time — without sacrificing quality. That’s why tools like OneTake exist today: because I needed them myself before anyone else did.
Embracing AI
AI as a replacement for manual editing
I told William how, for a simple 10-minute YouTube video, I used to lose an entire weekend editing. Ten hours of work, easily. And that’s the same pain point most small business owners have today.
When we trained our AI, the question was simple:
“Can we turn raw webcam footage into something that looks like someone spent 10 hours editing it?”
And the answer became yes.
Record yourself on your phone, upload it, and the AI does the rest:
- Removes stumbles
- Fixes your audio
- Adds text where it matters
- Cuts out off-topic moments
- Harmonizes sound between guests
That was the moment everything changed.
Managing Time and Resources
Balancing time investment vs. quality output
Business owners think they need to do everything manually to get quality. But quality doesn’t come from suffering — it comes from consistency. AI allowed me to keep the quality high while reducing time investment from hours to minutes.
How AI helped me and my clients achieve more
When clients realized they could finally publish weekly content without burning out, everything accelerated: traffic, sales, clarity, opportunities. AI didn’t replace our creativity — it amplified it.
Overcoming Obstacles Together
Common challenges with traditional editing
People hesitate to adopt AI because they think it creates more work:
“I need to figure out my strategy before I use AI.”
“I need to plan my videos before I use an editing tool.”
But that’s not how AI works.
AI doesn’t give you homework.
How AI acts like a smart assistant
I explained my favorite analogy to William:
Imagine you hired a super-smart intern who has read every business book, every classic, and has multiple PhDs.
Would you let them sit in the corner while you figure out what to ask them?
Of course not.
You’d say, “Here’s what I’m trying to do — help me figure out the best approach.”
That’s exactly how AI should be used.
I keep ChatGPT open on a second screen at all times. It thinks with me, not after me.
Exploring New Opportunities with AI
Harnessing AI tools like OneTake
What excites me isn’t just the editing automation — it’s the creative help. For example, OneTake can:
- suggest new ideas
- help you create your content plan
- help you articulate your product
- improve your script
- generate outlines instantly
You don’t need to over-prepare. You hit record, let the AI clean it all up, and your raw thoughts become a professional video.
Real-world applications we discussed on the podcast
William mentioned how on his podcast, sometimes someone drops a mic or a camera shakes. OneTake detects those moments and cuts them out automatically. It even harmonizes audio levels between speakers — something that used to take editors hours.
Proactive AI: The Future Is Here
Enabling a proactive approach to managing businesses
This was one of my favorite parts of the conversation. We talked about how AI is moving from reactive (waiting for prompts) to proactive (thinking ahead on your behalf).
We’re training OneTake to understand your content library and suggest:
- themes
- guests
- topics
- improvements
- follow-up ideas
It’s similar to the French expression “l'esprit d’escalier” — when the conversation is over, and on the stairs going down, you suddenly think of the perfect comeback.
AI can now have that same “after-conversation insight.”
My vision for 2025 and beyond
In 2025, AI will:
- notify you with suggestions
- anticipate what you need
- help you see opportunities you missed
- create next steps without waiting for you to ask
This is where productivity will explode.
Final Thoughts
Sharing the Vision
As I wrapped up the interview with William, I reflected on how far this journey has come — from spending months editing videos myself to building a tool that handles it in minutes.
My message to entrepreneurs is simple:
AI isn’t here to replace you. It’s here to remove the friction that slows you down.
Use it like a partner — a brilliant one — and you’ll create more, faster, with less stress.
If you want to experience it yourself, try OneTake AI here.
Thanks again to William and the Basic Business AI team for the great conversation.
