#39: Steve Smith -The Career Move I Wish I Made 20 Years Earlier

<p>Steve Smith has spent nearly 30 years at the intersection of technology, strategy, and operations, with a career spanning startups, IBM, TSIA, 8x8, and now Intelligence by Intent, where he helps law firms put AI to work. In this conversation, we trace his path from teaching adults to program when he was 13 to leaving corporate America and building a business he says he wishes he had started 20 years earlier.</p><p></p><p>Steve explains why AI should handle individual tasks while people protect relationships and judgment, how firms can move from chatbots to agents, and how his agent system, Project Ollie, manages email, calendars, research, projects, and client knowledge. We also talk about becoming more present with family, protecting close friendships, skiing with his kids, and the standing rule that work stops whenever his 165-pound Saint Bernard brings him a toy.</p><p></p><p>Chapters:</p><p>00:00 Rapid Fire: Ping Pong, Star Wars, and Steak With Magnus<br />03:54 Thirty Years in Tech, Startups, IBM, and RevOps<br />06:46 The Career Move He Wishes He Made 20 Years Earlier<br />08:54 The AI Advice Steve Gives His Kids<br />12:40 Building Intelligence by Intent for Law Firms<br />16:48 Choosing the Right AI Tool and Moving Beyond Chatbots<br />22:55 Teaching Adults to Code at 13 and Learning How to Learn<br />26:26 Magnus: Life With a 165-Pound Saint Bernard<br />33:53 Building More Time for Family, Friends, and Presence<br />38:21 Writing, Teaching, and Sharing What He Learns<br />46:24 Project Ollie: The Agent System Running His Business<br />52:46 Claude Code, ChatGBT, and Agentic Travel Planning<br />56:12 Final Wisdom: Find What Makes You Tick</p><p></p><p>Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.</p><h3>Show Links</h3><h3>Watch on YouTube:<br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://youtube.com/@Steve_Seger2" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/@Steve_Seger2</a></h3><p>Listen on Apple Podcasts:<br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pieces-of-impact/id1851467002" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pieces-of-impact/id1851467002</a></p><p>Listen on Spotify:<br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt?si=f5abdaf2294c4a35" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt?si=f5abdaf2294c4a35</a></p><p>Connect with Steve Seger on LinkedIn:<br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/steveseger" target="_blank">http://www.linkedin.com/in/steveseger</a></p><p>Intelligence by Intent:<br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://intelligencebyintent.com/" target="_blank">https://intelligencebyintent.com/</a></p><p>Read Steve Smith’s Substack:<br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.smithstephen.com/" target="_blank">https://www.smithstephen.com/</a></p><p>Connect with Steve Smith on LinkedIn:<br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/smithstephen" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/smithstephen</a></p>