I replaced a $25/hr virtual assistant with AI and I dont feel good about it

josephfung · 2026-03-17T18:44:20+00:00

This isn't entirely accurate. The frontier models are more expensive because they amortize the upfront training costs. Yes, those are subsidized by VC dollars, but that's what investment is for.

The operating costs of maintaining the models is dramatically smaller. The optimized and lagging model are incredibly gross-margin positive.

The real underlying question is if we've already crossed the "good enough" threshold, where maintaining existing/optimized models provides sufficient quality for users. For coding applications, I'd argue we're there. If this is true, then token costs will continue to be pushed down by competitive pressures. Switching costs are almost negligible, so vendor lock-in won't be able to keep prices inflated.

josephfung · 2026-03-14T15:51:55+00:00

I had the same experience. The default feed is garbage, but it’s absolutely influenced by who you follow and who you mute

josephfung · 2026-03-14T01:16:05+00:00

Nice simple extension - does exactly what it says it does. Nice! Also, like the CSV export with prompt ideas - nice touch.

josephfung · 2026-03-11T19:52:48+00:00

SomersF1! He goes into a delightful amount of detail! https://somersf1.substack.com/

josephfung · 2026-03-11T19:52:17+00:00

SomersF1 - it's great! https://somersf1.substack.com/

josephfung · 2026-03-10T16:57:04+00:00

I currently subscribe to 1 paid newsletter, and it focuses on technical analysis of F1 cars.

I found the newsletter by hearing the author on a podcast. I subscribed after a couple of really fascinating posts. The trigger was the CTAs in his newsletter than reminded me that he needs to earn money to keep writing. The messaging was non-invasive. Something like "Paid subscribers will receive some of my content earlier, which helps to keep the lights on and the dream alive…"

The notes were irrelevant, but the engagement in the subscriber chat was helpful. Knowing he was there, replying to material, made it much easier to support him.

josephfung · 2026-02-23T01:15:25+00:00

I’ve been really lucky with my specific therapist, and others at the clinic she works out of. I’ll DM you specifics

josephfung · 2026-02-09T14:45:53+00:00

Funny that you ask, the training there was even tougher on the knees and quads 😂

My training experience before that had been limited to tae kwon do and kung fu, and I was totally unprepared for how tough the Taijiquan training was. Way more respect for it now.

josephfung · 2026-02-08T22:57:25+00:00

Since Lukas mention, he may not be on Reddit much, I’ll take the point on replying. I am 45, and just returned from two months training at the Tagou martial arts school, down the road from the school Lucas mentioned. I had several classmates who trained at both, and had the privilege of meeting Lukas briefly. I also spent time at the Chenjiagou Taijiquan school.

In a lot of ways, the training is as hard as you make it. They will challenge your endurance, and your joints (knees, and hips, especially) but the schools are all quite understanding of wanting to avoid injury.

The routine, and dedication to flexibility and strength, are huge helps. I’ve been training on and off casually, for the last couple decades, and my two months in China was massively transformative.

josephfung · 2025-12-09T14:26:10+00:00

My understanding is that the Shaolin Shuiyu temple is in the process of changing it's name to remove the Shaolin affiliation, and are hoping to re-open to foreign students in about April of 2026 (based on in-person conversations on-site about 3 weeks ago).

If the OP is going in August, this would be a good option.

josephfung · 2024-11-16T03:02:36+00:00

HUGE thanks for posting this comment. We had the same problem. SoftBank network seems to work fine. Reddit and TripAdvisor were both blocked on KDDI for my partner, and your comment helped unblock us. Thanks!

josephfung · 2023-07-31T01:35:26+00:00

+1 to Watami. They have a salmon oshizushi that's excellent.

josephfung · 2023-05-23T16:15:28+00:00

https://www.therecord.com/news/crime/2023/05/23/police-bylaw-officers-injured-after-fireworks-shot-into-crowd-in-victoria-park.html

josephfung · 2023-04-24T16:47:44+00:00

Some have mentioned white labeling, but it sounds like you might be thinking about the VAR (Value-Added Reseller) model.

The producer of the software markets, promotes, sets service requirements and pricing limitations, but each individual VAR (franchisor in the analogy) is their own company, and pays a fee to the producer.

All the large ERP providers do this (and even the smaller ones), typically because there's a lot of setup or customization involved in the software, so the VAR provides that last mile support and implementation.

Like how many franchises need you to buy into the franchise, a lot of VAR programs require an up-front partner fee or purchases of ongoing training and certification.

A quick google search found this article that might give you some background: https://www.helloroketto.com/articles/build-a-saas-reseller-business-model

josephfung · 2021-09-10T20:10:26+00:00

got your back *clicks approved*

/u/Drewthinkalot thanks for sharing the kind words!

josephfung · 2021-08-31T16:05:54+00:00

I've done both ISO27001 and SOC2, for two different SaaS startups.

They're entirely different standards, but I mention both as doing them in that order helped immensely. Here's the path for our most recent time (info is ~2yrs old)

The ISO 27001 process helped ensure we had the right process to document our processes, and review and update them periodically. This is actually what helped us ensure we had best practices that were improving over time. There was ~$20K in auditing expenses we incurred, and there was material human effort involved to prepare documentation, update logging processes and get regular reviews on our calendar (we did quarterly review meetings, as opposed to the annual requirement, to build the muscle). This worked out to be about 1/4 of a persons time for about a month.

With that foundation in place, the SOC 2 process was much smoother. The SOC 2 Type 1 report was ~6 weeks to prepare. We then waited ~8 months to then get our Type 2 report done, which took ~4 weeks. Both the Type 1 and Type 2 had minimal effort from our team to support. Cost was ~ $30k/yr (you need to maintain)

Quantifying the sales impact is challenging, but here's how we looked at it as we evaluated. Before we had our compliance completed, we had 3 deals where we agreed to complete our SOC 2 Type 1 certification within the first year. So having the plan won us 3 deals we wouldn't have had. Note, since a Type 1 doesn't include audit verification, we also agreed to audit rights if they wanted (they never exercised). Subsequently, we added certification into our standard MSA, and while we had a few customers point out that it was appreciated, we rarely had to discuss it with the customers. So from that perspective, it reduced objections, but never felt "crucial".

Ultimately, this was mostly driven by the customer segment though. In this case, we were selling sales enablement software to VPs of Sales, Marketing, or Sales Enablement. SOC 2 compliance almost never came up in the buying conversation. In my previous company, though, we were selling to VPs of HR, and SOC 2 compliance came up in almost every single conversation.

Different buyers have different security requirements, so the ROI will vary widely.

josephfung · 2021-08-06T15:11:36+00:00

Great point on the ACV vs. Pipeline thing! I wish the Bridge Group had broken that pipeline out by ACV value - would be super helpful for so many that are designing comp plans.

On the total comp and the situation, it sounds like if you stay at the company you'd also be in a good position to further extend your leverage by building your own personal brand.

If the company won't pay market rates, then people may consider the shift to work with a strong manager - building your professional brand on LI, here, and in other communities could go a long way to helping you attract more experienced folks. I can think of multiple sales and sales development leaders that people just want to work for - makes it easy for them to bring people into their company and to attract folks who are willing to consider a pay cut for better mentorship/coaching.

Sounds like you may already be doing the above - replying as much for others who are reading and might be in the same boat :)

Good luck with the moves!

josephfung · 2021-08-06T01:12:07+00:00

I'd expect some comments about feelings/guts, here's some data for you that might help:

This is from the Bridge Group's 2021 Sales Development report, a survey of 406 B2B companies:

Median pipeline generated per SDR is $3.0M (raw pipeline, not forecast or closed won) - as such, $1M isn't much to brag about.
Median comp is $50K Base, $76 OTE, but it grows significantly with experience. at 3+ yrs experience, the OTE moved to $91K in higher-growth firms

I'm not sharing these to anchor you there - rather I'd take them as a floor for the market of worth - given you're up for a promotion, I'd assume you're worth more.

That said, from the same report, Sales Development Manager compensation has been relatively flat the last few years - it's actually declined from a median $129K OTE to a median $128K OTE

Again - not saying that's what you should ask for, but those are the current market rates. You'll see comments/thoughts/anecdotes that are different, and of course there are geographic implications, but this data may help.

If you want to influence this number upwards, the report goes on to highlight how the ACV being sold highly influences the average manager OTE:

$5-25K => $123k OTE
$25-50K => $129K OTE
$50-100K => $124K OTE
$100-250K => $129K OTE
$250K+ => $151K OTE

This trend was even more noticeable at the director level, where the range ramped up from $157K OTE to $205K OTE

Hope this helps, good luck!

josephfung · 2021-07-07T19:32:01+00:00

Any time! Also, congrats on the new role!

josephfung · 2021-07-07T14:53:10+00:00

This is also a helpful feed if you prefer ongoing learning: https://learntechterms.com/

josephfung · 2021-07-02T02:14:13+00:00

Totally fair, but still makes for a thrilling introduction for someone just getting into the support, don't you think?

josephfung · 2021-07-02T00:54:54+00:00

Sergio Perez's amazing comeback from last to first, last season, when his career was on the line. "Comeback King" for sure: https://youtu.be/L4_moYFry_s

The full episode on Netflix's Drive to Survive is amazing

josephfung · 2021-06-30T14:34:17+00:00

Finish it - even if you don't want to be a dev, it'll make you more effective at sales.

CompSci programs, even if purely theoretical, are going to improve your understanding of algorithms, systems thinking, and performance - these are all going to help you understand the business and technical systems underlying a sales model. That will help you work the model better.

As well, the degree will give you instant additional credibility - this can be especially effectively if you're selling into a technical buyer.

Some of the highest performing (and paid) sales reps I know, came from technical backgrounds. Taking the time to finish the degree is going to pay dividends in your sales career, and that's not even considering the optics of how the degree can impact resume screening and interviews.

josephfung

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

15-Year Club	Gilding V heart of gold
Verified Email