Your Company Doesn't Need AI Subscriptions. It Needs an Agent Portal | LYZR X AWESTRUCK

What happens when a services company turns its own AI consulting playbook on itself? Ryan, co-founder and CEO of Awestruck, grew a destination marketing agency from $106,000 in sales in 2019 to over $31 million in 2025 — with nearly 100 employees across 13 countries and zero dollars spent on paid marketing. Awestruck made the Inc. 5000 list four years running, debuting at #25. Then he did something most agency owners avoid: he audited every single department to find the labor hours that shouldn't exist. In this episode of How We Agent, Ani sits down with Ryan to break down what that audit actually found, how it turned into 12 internal products, and why he thinks the real opportunity for the next 24–36 months isn't selling AI subscriptions to executives — it's building role-based agent portals inside organizations that have an AI budget and no idea what to do with it. Whether you're running an agency, leading services delivery, or trying to turn internal automation into a product line, this one is unusually concrete. ⏱ Chapters 00:00 The 98% Nobody Talks About 00:24 Meet Ryan and Awestruck 00:53 Four Years on the Inc. 5000 01:39 Building a 13-Country Nearshore Team 02:11 From Instagram Side Hustle to Agency 04:23 $106K to $31M With Zero Ad Spend 07:01 Auditing Every Department for AI 10:00 360 Wasted Hours a Month 10:49 Replacing a Vendor Tool In-House 13:28 Why AI Isn't a 1-to-1 Time Saving 14:51 Why Most Executives Are Still Confused 16:53 The AI Agent Portal, Explained 18:36 Becoming Your Client's AI Consultant 21:06 Niche Down or Stay a Mile Wide 23:09 AI Reputation Management in Hospitality 25:28 Building Knowledge Bases Per Property 27:30 Why Awestruck Picked Its Tech Stack 🔗 Important Links: Build with Architect: https://hubs.ly/Q043pWTs0 Build your own AI agent → https://hubs.ly/Q03wb5Md0 Explore our website → https://hubs.ly/Q03wbGVt0 Build agents for your company (Book a demo) → https://hubs.ly/Q03wbH0k0 Learn how to build agents with Lyzr Academy → https://hubs.ly/Q03wqxFR0