The Productivity DJ is a website and podcast created by Greg Brown that collects the best of productivity programs, processes, people, and ideas. The goal is to help people identify the most important thing to do in the present moment so they can be more efficient in their jobs and personal lives. Productivity DJ Podcast host, Greg Brown, has been using Daylite as his business and personal productivity tool for over 10 years. Greg interviewed our CEO, AJ, to learn the history behind Marketcircle, how Daylite was born, and the challenges faced by AJ when starting his own business.
During the podcast, AJ shares the story of how Marketcircle evolved as a company from a .com to a consulting business and how Daylite was instrumental in keeping that consulting business organized. AJ explains how his contacts at Apple encouraged him to sell Daylite as a product in order to help other business on the Mac. The foundation that Daylite was built on (bringing in new business and helping to deliver on your promises) extends to almost all businesses today.
Greg and AJ discuss the differences between Daylite and most Mac CRMs. “We focus first on productivity and second on CRM” says AJ. “That’s how the feature of Daylite Mail Assistant came to be.” Greg and AJ list the many distractions that people in business are faced with on a daily basis, with email being at the top of the list. AJ explains how easy it is to lose context of your emails when viewing them in Mail. He explains how Daylite Mail Assistant was created to help people see the big picture and be able to take action from their emails accordingly, making more efficient use of their time spent in their inbox.
Curious about the variety of industries using Daylite, Greg asks AJ about “wild card” instances where companies are integrating Daylite into what may be considered unconventional workflows. AJ explains how the help of Marketcircle Experts and plugins developed by these companies are key in making it possible to integrate Daylite into other systems to help solve problems for various businesses. AJ touches briefly on the Rockefeller Habits and how some Marketcircle Experts have developed plugins to allow businesses to implement that kind of business system with Daylite. AJ expresses his excitement when seeing the creativity of partners (Marketcircle Experts). “It’s amazing to see what they’re able to do once they get into our API, it’s just astounding!”
Greg and AJ go on to discuss the changes in behaviour in business today and how devices can get in the way of people’s priorities and objectives. They talk about the importance of eliminating distractions and focussing on the most significant thing to do at any given moment that can make the biggest impact. “It’s great to use tools but it’s also about organizing your focus and thinking ‘what’s the biggest bang for your time? What can make the most impact?'” Says Greg.
As a father of two, AJ discusses the challenge of balancing business and personal life. He mentioned the importance of saying “no” in order to maintain a healthy work, life balance. “Your influence on your kids is so important because after that they’ll be gone and you don’t have that time back.” says AJ.
Finally, AJ shares some insight about the direction of Marketcircle and how the needs of people determine the directions of companies today. He talks about “The Wall Street Journal Exercise” and how on a regular basis he views the snippets from the Wall Street Journal and asks himself how it is going to change his business. AJ explains how this habit helps him to always be thinking about the future and how Marketcircle can adapt to fit the needs of future customers.
Click here to listen to the full podcast.
