It’s been a wild few weeks, and while life and work continue to do their dance, I’ve got two stories for you this week—both very different, but both tied together by a theme I keep coming back to: what it means to use systems and technology effectively.

1. The IKEA Saga: When Automation Fails (and Then Weirdly Wins)

I’ve long said that IKEA makes surprisingly high-quality products—especially their kitchens and closets. We recently outfitted our new home with 15 or 16 of their PAX units, and I remain a fan of the product. What I’ve not been a fan of, historically, is their customer service. It’s been… inconsistent, to be generous.

But to their credit, something’s changed. Over the past few months, I’ve had several smooth, helpful interactions with their support—especially via live chat. Returns are easier. Answers are faster. I thought maybe, just maybe, they’d turned a corner.

Then came the case of the vanishing hardware.

One of the PAX units arrived with no hardware inside. The box was sealed, undamaged, and delivered by IKEA themselves. And yet—no screws, no brackets, nothing. I contacted support. They promised to send a hardware kit. Didn’t happen.

I followed up. They apologized and said it would go out right away. It didn’t.

This happened two more times.

Eventually, they gave me a DHL tracking number. A few days later, I got a call: “We have your package, but you owe $20.94 in import tax before we can deliver it.”

Let me get this straight:

You forgot the parts, then made me chase you down multiple times, and now I have to pay to get the thing you forgot to send?

Nope.

I refused. And I kept refusing, as DHL sent me daily texts, emails, and robocalls.

Then—this is where it gets weird—a few days later, the package just showed up at my door. No signature required. Stamped “PAID.”

Somewhere in IKEA or DHL’s internal system, someone decided it was cheaper to cover the cost than deal with the returns. It’s both hilarious and baffling. But more importantly, it’s a real-world example of what happens when automation systems get bolted onto broken processes. You end up with loops that look like efficiency but feel like madness.

And yet—it got resolved. Eventually. That’s progress?

2. A Teenager, a Truck, and a GPT: Building a Business with AI

Now for something much more uplifting.

A member of our Less Doing community shared how he used AI to help his teenage son launch a real, functioning business from scratch—and I was blown away.

Here’s what they did:

• His son wanted to start a junk-hauling business—a tried and true small business idea, but one that’s usually full of manual effort and back-and-forth communication.
• Instead of slapping a phone number on Craigslist and waiting, they built a tech-powered backend using ChatGPT, Twilio, and Retell.ai.
• Calls to the business are handled by a voice agent that asks the right questions, captures key info, and even handles price estimates.
• Customers can text photos of what they need hauled away, and a custom GPT model will instantly generate a quote.
• If they approve, it gets scheduled, his son shows up, does the work, and gets paid.

Simple. Efficient. And it’s already working.

This isn’t some overbuilt, venture-funded fantasy startup. This is a teenager, a truck, and smart use of AI to eliminate friction and create a seamless customer experience.

What I love most is that it flips the narrative:

Instead of worrying about kids losing their “critical thinking” by using AI, this is how you teach them initiative, resourcefulness, and entrepreneurship.

Build something. Solve a problem. Use the tools at your disposal.

Tools That Actually Help

Speaking of tools, I’ve been asked a lot lately about how different asynchronous communication tools stack up—especially for coaches, consultants, and high-level service providers.

So I put together a quick side-by-side comparison of Carbon Voice (my async tool of choice) with the other big players out there.

👉 Check it out here.

And while you’re at it, keep your eyes open—I’ll be announcing a brand-new group coaching program in the next few weeks, complete with monthly live calls, in-person events, and deep async support.

If you’re a coach or entrepreneur who wants to use async to scale without burning out, you’ll want to be part of it.

P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 4 ways I can help you optimize and grow your business:

Grab a copy of my books

• Less Doing, More Living: It’s the roadmap to optimizing your life and business. — Click Here
• On Productivity: Learn the strategies to become more productive and efficient. — Click Here

Join the Less Doing Lab

• Connect with like-minded individuals and get access to my weekly broadcasts where I share the latest tips, experiences, and stories completely FREE. — Join Now

Take my Courses

• Overwhelmology: Learn how to manage overwhelm and increase productivity. — Enroll Here
• The Replaceable Founder: Discover how to build a business that thrives without you. — Enroll Here

Work with me and my team privately

• If you’d like personalized guidance to take your business to the next level, join the Outliers, my 1:1 coaching program delivered exclusively on Voxer. Just reply to this email with the word “Private,” tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to work on together, and I’ll get you all the details.