- The Homebase AI
- Posts
- Case Study #27 From Military Precision to AI Innovation: How One Ex-Marine Is Revolutionizing Business AI Adoption
Case Study #27 From Military Precision to AI Innovation: How One Ex-Marine Is Revolutionizing Business AI Adoption
Meet Justin Coats, whose journey from Marine Corps helicopter mechanic to AI innovation leader offers a compelling glimpse into the future of business transformation. After building and selling a successful Amazon consulting agency that served over 200 businesses, Justin discovered he could replicate the work of 30 copywriters in minutes using ChatGPT. This revelation led him to pioneer a unique approach to AI implementation that's helping businesses achieve 2-3x productivity gains within days.
Interviewed by David Stepania for the Homebase podcast.
Justin Coats | Co-Founder & CEO @ Neesh.ai
Key Metrics & Achievements:
Helped marketing agencies triple their content output within first week
Reduced social media content creation time by 80% (from 8 hours to 90 minutes)
Saved nonprofit CEOs 4+ hours per week through AI automation
Successfully implemented AI solutions across 6+ industries
Developed digital workforce equivalent to 15 full-time employees
Achieving 3-5 new client acquisitions monthly
The Journey to AI Education
Justin's path wasn't straightforward. After serving in the Marine Corps and pursuing his dream of becoming a helicopter pilot, he recognized automation was the future and shifted to drone operations. This led him to start his first business - an Amazon consulting agency that he successfully grew and sold.
The ChatGPT moment in November 2022 marked a turning point. While working at an agency with 30 copywriters, Justin discovered he could accomplish in minutes what typically took weeks. This revelation led him to dive deep into AI, spending all of 2023 mastering the technology and developing his educational methodology.
Core Services and Innovation
Justin's company specializes in three key areas:
Education & Integration
Three-part foundational series with customized AI profiles, increasing efficiency by 40%
Hands-on implementation with real business projects
Executive coaching for mindset shifts and human-centered transformation
Process analysis and AI strategy development
Digital Teammate Development
Role-specific AI assistants for Sales, Marketing, and Operations
Custom GPTs integrated with existing business workflows
Advanced tool integration (HeyGen, 11Labs, Retel)
Future Vision
Justin sees enormous potential for AI adoption across industries:
Market Opportunity:
Less than 1-2% global penetration for enterprise AI
Significant opportunity in small and medium-sized businesses
Growing demand for practical AI implementation guidance
Need for human-centered approach to AI adoption
Evolution of Services:
Expanding digital teammate capabilities
Development of more sophisticated AI agents
Focus on industry-specific solutions
Continued emphasis on human-AI collaboration
Interview Deep Dive
- On Building an AI Education Business
What made you pivot from Amazon consulting to AI education?
When ChatGPT launched in November 2022, I saw firsthand how it could do the work of 30 copywriters in minutes. I realized this was a transformative technology that businesses would need help understanding and implementing. I spent all of 2023 diving deep into AI, learning everything I could, and developing our methodology.
How do you approach pricing and service delivery?
We have two main paths. The education path is a one-off service priced by headcount, perfect for businesses wanting to test the waters. Our integration plan includes education plus implementation support, with pricing based on organization size and implementation scope. Some companies with 1,000 employees might start with a pilot program of just 10 people, while others want to go company-wide immediately.
Who is your ideal customer?
This has been one of our biggest challenges because AI is truly ubiquitous. We've worked across legal, finance, health, nonprofits, construction, product companies, and government municipalities. Everyone is asking the same fundamental questions: "What is AI?" and "How do we use it?" While conventional wisdom says to niche down, we're finding value in serving diverse industries as the technology is so broadly applicable.
- On Technology and Implementation
What makes your AI training approach unique?
We start by customizing each user's AI profile, something most people miss. This means every conversation with AI comes from a perspective tailored to their role and business. Even power users who've used ChatGPT since launch are often surprised by how much this improves their results.
How do you handle the human side of AI implementation?
We bring in high-performance executive coaches, mindset coaches, and business coaches as our integrators. They're trained in both our AI methodology and human development. When we take away 80% of someone's regular tasks, we need to help them think differently about their role and focus on higher-value work.
Can you share a concrete example of AI implementation results?
We worked with a marketing agency where, within the first session, their team was already doubling their productivity. By the end of our week-and-a-half training period, they were saving 4-5 hours daily just on social media content creation. We've also helped nonprofit CEOs gain back four hours per week through AI automation.
- On AI Tools and Future Trends
What AI tools are you most excited about?
We're seeing great results with tools like HeyGen for video creation, 11Labs for voice synthesis, and Retel for automated sales calls. When these are combined with custom GPTs and proper integration, you can create powerful "digital teammates" that handle specific business functions.
How do you see AI implementation evolving?
We're still very early - probably less than 1-2% global penetration for enterprise AI. Many businesses are sitting on the sidelines, especially in the small and medium-sized business segment. There's some hesitation because AI implementation isn't just about plugging in new software - it creates emotional reactions and requires cultural change. That's why our human-centered approach is so important.
What advice do you have for businesses hesitating to adopt AI?
Even if AI development stopped today, the current technology can already give businesses massive advantages. I personally have a digital workforce of 15 "employees" handling various tasks. The key is starting small, understanding the technology, and implementing it in ways that enhance rather than replace human workers.
“With tools like HeyGen for video creation, 11Labs for voice synthesis, and direct API access, we're already seeing incredible results. What used to take me an entire day - like researching and drafting 16 press releases - now takes 10 minutes. That's where we are today, and we're just getting started.”
Looking Ahead
Justin's company is expanding its digital teammate capabilities while maintaining its human-centered approach. With major corporations beginning to replace mid-level positions with AI, his methodology of enhancing rather than replacing human workers is becoming increasingly vital.
Interview with
Justin Coats
Co-Founder & CEO @ Neesh.AI
Reply