Ohio Outdoor Founder Ben Harbaugh was on a growth panel at the spring IBO show. Billboard Insider asked him to amplify some of his comments.
At the IBO show you said: “When you are small and you’re the primary person doing everything there’s a lot in your head that should be somewhere else.” Explain.
A couple years ago, we began working with an outsourced virtual admin team. It was at that point, I realized too much information was stored in my head. We’ve worked intentionally to move that knowledge into systems the company can use. Processes are documented, SOPs are built, and institutional knowledge is captured – and AI is now helping make that information queryable for the team. Instead of hunting through emails or relying on one person to have the answer, people can access shared knowledge quickly. That creates scale, consistency, and frankly a more resilient business. From a plant management perspective, we utilize Apparatix software. We used and tested other software, but felt Apparatix was the best fit for our company.
How are you using AI in your OOH business?
We use AI in a lot of practical ways across the business. On the operational side, it helps with email triage, surfacing priority communications, lead research, content curation, and processing documents. We’re also using AI to create dashboards and analyze company data—from profitability to performance trends and inventory insights—helping us ask better questions and uncover patterns we might otherwise miss. We are currently in the process of migrating things into Claude. We are also excited to start utilizing some of the AI features inside the Apparatix CRM tools. As a small operator without full time sales support, a simple and functional system geared towards developing new business and helping track the sales cycle is extremely beneficial. From the personal side, I also utilize Plaud. It is a great tool to record and organize in person meetings and phone calls – when you are always on the go! My team is always looking for ways to optimize productivity in any way they can.
To receive a free morning newsletter with each day’s Billboard insider articles email info@billboardinsider.com with the word “Subscribe” in the title. Our newsletter is free and we don’t sell our subscriber list.
Paid Advertisement
