Lucky you! 🍀We got a week full of great events!

Hey! Andres here,

Welcome to the networking desk!

This week, I wanted to share a way to become more efficient as you continue to grow your business or non-profit.

I have been using these techniques and have saved me a ton of time lately, so I thought I would share!

(also, sorry for the title I don’t know how to make this topic more interesting, I am a nerd.)

Here’s what we got this week:

• LFM - Tools I have been using lately

• Curated Local Events

• Local Coffee Shop Spotlight

• Silent Action for a great cause :)

Alright, let’s do this.

“Lean forward moment” of the week - 👨‍💻Software & AI Tools To Optimize Your Day

A few weeks ago I talked about free tools for non-profits (you can find that here) but this week I wanted to highlight some other tools that have made my life easier.

*Quick disclaimer: I am big a fan of AI, but not all tools are as good as they say.

My clients are getting swamped with offers for tools that claim to do something, but are nowhere near their claims.

Please be careful out there and research a bit before purchasing a new tool that could just end up being another expense on your business without much benefit.

OK! so with that out of the way, here are the tools I have been using that have actually saved me time.

1. Zapier - Zapier has been awesome, and I am still learning ways to use it and save time within my day. They create automations between your tools so you can automate your day (both personal and business). Examples of how I use it:

• Automatic reminder emails: This is a function that has saved me not only time but gas too, this automation will check on a calendar event, and ask the people on that event to confirm that we are meeting the next day.

  Some scheduling software has this built in but this allows me to scan my calendar and email people even if they were the ones that created the event.

• AI assisted email filtering and distribution - I started using their AI answering and filtering systems and they seem to be pretty good, the main idea is to be able to complete tasks with AI in the middle of the process, for example: I am currently adjusting one that will take all emails coming to my support email, read them and create instructions to my team based on the email while at the same time leaving the original message (because we know AI can alucinate so just in case.)

They actually have great tools there so even if you think Zapier might be too advanced for you they have an AI assisted function creation which will let you type exactly the automation you need, they also have a trial period so you can give it a shot.

2. Notebook LM - I started using this last week, and it has helped me by turning long pdfs or articles into podcasts! Yep. You heard that right, it is really helpful for learning or reviewing documents on the go.

   I no longer have to sit there for hours but rather listen to them on a commute or on my way to coffees. Of course be careful about important documents, but if it’s something you just haven’t had the chance to read this can be a big time saver, you can always go and refer the original article for what was said in the podcast.

This tool is also great for students as it can create study guides, FAQs and more. It’s free too, so why not give it a shot?

2. Google AI Studio - Ok, so my use for this tool is fairly niche, but hey maybe you can find a specific application on your field. AI studio allows you to do a ton of things, but I mainly use it for it’s ability to read your screen.

   I currently scan the screen for images and use it to describe what’s in them. This is crucial for SEO, as most people don’t add alt descriptions for people with dissabilities who use the web by listening to the page, it helps me clearly describe an image which google really likes as it now understands and can categorize the image for search.

I can see how some other people can use this tool, maybe to guide them on how to use an app or a website, I have seen people use it when learning a new program like video editing, and asking “how do I remove the background” and it will guide them through the options, which is cool.

Final thoughts…

Like I mentioned at the beggining tools should aid your business, not become an extra expense because is new and flashy, you do not need AI to win. Use what’s free and only pay if it pays back for itself.

I often see clients (both business owners and non-profits) over paying for tools that do the same thing, please ask someone to review what you use and see what else could you get out of what you got, or if something can be cut.

If you ever have question, I am here to help. I really don’t like spending on useless tools :)

🖥️ Convert more website users into clients

🗓️ Now, the events…

⭐ = Personal Picks for the week

Local shop of the week - Tree Story Bakery & Cafe

Not an ad – just a cool spot you can visit

I got to admit, I love this kind of vibe in coffee shops.

It felt quiet and warm for a good conversation, had a couple of meetings here, and they went great, I had their matcha tea, and it was good, not the best, but you don’t always need that as long as the ambiance is great.

Local Non-Profit Event - RevvedUpKids

I wanted to share the great service RevvedUpKids serves to our community, they help children and teens with vital training that equips them to be safer from sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking which is a BIG problem in our community and their job is saving lives.

This weekend they will be having their annual event (here)

Also, they are having a silent auction which you can participate by going to Silent Auction RevvedUpKids

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Thank you for reading! Quick thing before I go:

1. If you are new or would like to read older posts, check out this page. There is a backlog of previous weeks of “The Networking Desk”

2. Know someone who would benefit from this newsletter? Be sure to share it with them! 📩 (just copy the link or forward this email) I will keep putting out great newsletters for them and for you. That’s a promise.

See you next week.

- Andres Inciarte