When I recently announced I was stepping down as CEO of Buskey, the cider company I founded from my dorm room and still own, it probably caught some people off guard. Why walk away from the day-to-day of a business you built from the ground up and still love?

The truth is, I am an innovator more than an operator and the decade of grinding was taking a toll. If I could go back, maybe I’d do it differently, or maybe I was 26 and needed to learn a lot of lessons. Fortunately for me I have employees and friends who are ready and eager to take the reins and I have no doubt can take Buskey to the next level.  Even 15 years into planning and running Buskey I never lost my unquenchable thirst to understand why and how people ran their businesses. My wife always said I wasted a lot of time thinking about other people’s businesses and wished I’d have the opportunity to help operators solve issues and capitalize on their underutilized strengths instead of just brainstorming as a theoretical.

Incredibly I met a mega talented entrepreneur, Lorcan, with Y-Combinator backing, who is letting me do just that. I’m finding pain points and opportunities for business owners, operators, and key employees and helping solve them with Agentic AI.

For a decade, I lived the daily reality of a U.S. operator. I know what it’s like to have your phone and email dictate your life. The first thing I built after stepping down was a tool to support Kevin at Buskey. Private events are incredibly important to the cidery but inquiries come in at all times of day and night and if they aren’t answered quickly the event is scheduled elsewhere. 

The tool automates scheduling, the intake, the endless transactional back-and-forth. It didn't eliminate a job. It will give Kevin his time back and also makes it easier for someone to host their special event with us. It means that when a customer walks into Buskey, Kevin can be behind the bar, fresh, present, fun, and focused on human connection, instead of staring at a smartphone screen or laptop.

Why I Joined Lua AI

I’ve stepped in to spearhead Lua AI’s U.S. operations. A lot of the current conversation around AI is deeply alienating- it's full of tech-bro jargon and focused on cutting jobs or replacing human creativity.

I’m here to do the exact opposite. I want to use AI to automate the tasks people hate doing so they can get back to what they love and where they have the highest impact.

We are building custom, highly tailored solutions, and focusing initially on these three industries I know best:

  • Home Services & Commercial Trades (HVAC, Plumbing, Painting, etc.) We are building professional tools to eliminate scheduling friction and automate dispatch. In fact, you can test it out an example right now. Follow this link to try scheduling a duct cleaning for a real residential address in or around Richmond, VA: Try the Live Lua Agent Demo.
  • Real Estate Development & Property Management Imagine an AI agent that can instantly analyze Offering Memorandums based on the exact variables you pick, comparing them instantly against your past deals to find the winning metrics. We are also building tools to enable fast, frictionless leasing and 24/7 tenant support.
  • Hospitality & Private Events Much like the Tool We Built for Buskey, we are automating the upfront lead capture and booking coordination so your hospitality team can focus on guest experiences, not email chains.

We are building tools that mean a business owner or operator never has to take a client call in the middle of a family dinner, miss a T-ball game, or lose a lead because they were actually sleeping.

Let’s Talk (No Sales Pitch, Just Brainstorming)

To build tools that actually solve real world headaches, I need to talk to people doing the work. I’m not here to be a transactional salesperson, I’m always disappointed when old contacts reach out just to push a product and don’t invest in the relationship. I’m approaching this as a fellow operator looking to brainstorm with the people navigating our fast changing world. I won’t try to sell you something in our first meeting, but if you tell me something you’d like to see a solution for I will come back with a proposal (or admit we aren’t in a position to solve it). 

I want to get on your calendar, and the agenda is simple: tell me where your business hurts and what you are seeing in your industry. 

Here is how we can connect:

  • At the Cidery: Let’s meet up at Buskey. A pint of cider is on me and I can show you around. 
  • In-Person: Let's grab coffee or lunch- my treat.
  • Virtually: If you aren't local or are short on time, I am more than happy to jump on a quick phone or video call.

If you've already got my info, shoot me a message, if not sent me a DM in LinkedIn and mention this post.

We are selecting our initial U.S. pilot customers right now to build custom solutions alongside them at a massive discount. If you’re in real estate, the trades, or hospitality, let's talk.