Educator · Strategist · Builder
Mark
Szymanski
I build AI-powered digital systems for businesses, and teach others how to do it, too.
Trusted by
About
Pittsburgh-based educator, strategist, and lifelong learner.
I help business owners find where they're bleeding time and money, then build the systems to fix it. Websites, automations, AI workflows, and everything in between.
I also make YouTube content about business, technology, AI, and the creator economy. I run Modern Builders Society, a community for people doing the work, and I host the Fueled By Progress podcast.
Read my full story →How I work
I figure out what your business actually needs,
then I build it.
No boilerplate discovery decks. No pretending to be bigger than I am. Just a direct conversation, honest work, and a site or system that actually runs your business.
Success Stories
The work, told straight.
A testimonial tells you what someone thought. A success story tells you what actually happened.
August 2026 PinDrop: he built the platform, I told him what he couldn't see
Three weeks old and signing people up faster than anyone could watch it. He is not a developer and he built all of it himself. I came in from outside, unblocked the part that was about to stop working, and then spent a session on where the product actually goes.
August 2026 Huemor: a named diagnosis, a leaner stack, and AI at the center
A digital agency with a large portfolio of client sites knew their development process was costing them money. They could not say why. Ninety days later they had a named diagnosis, a leaner tooling stack, and AI at the center of how they build.
Since April 2024 
Sheffler & Company: from a Wix page to running their proposals
A 50-year-old engineering and surveying firm hired me for a website. Two years later I am inside the operation, and the process that used to run on a spreadsheet and a whiteboard now runs on software I built for them.
What I Do
Watch it, build it, steal my stack.
Your AI Isn't The Problem. Your Stack Is.
Aug 25, 2026
The exact stack behind everything I build
Every piece, what it's for, and why it's there. Four kinds of build, and the one where my honest answer is to use a platform instead.
95+ tools in my arsenal
See all →Proof
Don't take my word for it.
I'm not a developer. I built this whole platform myself and it took off fast, and then I hit the point where it's literally impossible for one person who doesn't know this stuff to connect all the dots. I was too far inside it to see what a new person sees.
What I needed was somebody to go left to right, unbiased, and tell me where the gaps actually are. That's what Mark did. He went through the infrastructure, the whole customer journey, and where the product goes next.
I came out of it with a much more stable platform and an actual understanding of the pieces I'd been guessing at. Couldn't be more grateful.Read the full story
PinDrop: he built the platform, I told him what he couldn't see
Shawn Markosky
Founder, PinDrop
I really can't express the gratitude I have for you, honestly. I mean it that it's been life changing.
Thank you for everything you put out there for free, and thank you for the transparency. I appreciate your no-bullshit attitude and have an insane amount of respect for you.
It was hard, but I have left everything I was doing before for the last few years in the dust. And I couldn't imagine going back to it either.Aaron Callaway
Developer & Marketer, Business Owner, Dad, Thunderhawk Solutions
This is my first time coming across your video and I love every bit of it. Good job man and I am looking forward to learn more from your videos
In response to
Custom WordPress Client Portal (FREE TUTORIAL SERIES): Introduction
@pythonhero
Mark has managed our website for years, so when we came to him about a refresh we also told him we were pivoting. He dug into the business to re-understand it - who the site was for now, how we're making money, the kind of clients we're going after.
When we started working with him we were a social media agency, and that isn't who we are anymore. We weren't sure the blog was doing anything for us and he confirmed it: generic content wasn't going to move us, and what we should double down on was proof - the events we've actually run and the work we actually do - because our own site is what Google and AI read when someone goes looking for us.
The turnaround was quick, the revision process was easy, and we ended up with a beautiful, much faster site with the visuals we wanted and a brand that finally matches the services we provide now.
Read the full story
Valiant 3: from a website I inherited to the agency it actually describes
Bethany Vietmeier
Founder & CEO, Valiant 3 Communications
We came to Mark about the Blue and Gold Classic, our annual golf outing, which had its own separate website. The event had matured to the point where it didn't need one - it sells out on recurring sponsors now - and running two sites was just confusing. He agreed we should shut it down, and said the right move was to fold it into the foundation's site rather than let all of it disappear.
That turned into the bigger project, because our own site was on an old tech stack and had gone a few years without a refresh. Mark has looked after that site for a long time, so he knew what was worth carrying over. He kept the domain and pointed every old link at the new event page so nothing we'd built up got lost.
The whole process was easy, and now we have one site as the hub of the foundation instead of two - all the information in one place, better visuals, and much faster. It's exactly what we wanted.
Read the full story
The Bus Stops Here Foundation: I built their second website, then told them to delete it
Jerome Bettis
Founder & NFL Hall of Famer, The Bus Stops Here Foundation
Mark was great to work with. He spent time with our entire technical team and came back with a clear diagnosis of where our development process could improve and be more efficient. We've since restructured our development workflow around it and were able to leverage AI in a more meaningful way.
If you're looking for a high level analysis of where you could improve your development process, Mark is a great resource.
Read the full story
Huemor: a named diagnosis, a leaner stack, and AI at the center
Michael Cleary
Co-Founder & CEO, Huemor
You described my year-long hesitance that held me constantly at zero.
Yesterday I was shaky and stuttered and wasn’t that well prepared - BUT the second candidate has at least my contact info and will discuss it with his wife.
I needed to hear this!Sebastian
Freshly baked entrepreneur seeking confidence
Just want to say thanks for these. Super helpful to take it all in for when I'm ready to sit down and start something similar for myself. Originally found you through the Bricks vids but have enjoyed the new path. Keep it up!
In response to
My Best Month Ever ($26K): Here's How My AIOS Helped Me Do It (LIVE)
@justinveiga
thanks so much for creating this community and being so generous, sharing your ideas, experiences, and knowledge!
Whitney Bateson
I started to build out my AIOS based on what Mark has shared and as a soloprenuer it’s got me excited about building a real foundation I can use to leverage AI to the fullest.
Gibran Garcia
I'm not a developer. I built this whole platform myself and it took off fast, and then I hit the point where it's literally impossible for one person who doesn't know this stuff to connect all the dots. I was too far inside it to see what a new person sees.
What I needed was somebody to go left to right, unbiased, and tell me where the gaps actually are. That's what Mark did. He went through the infrastructure, the whole customer journey, and where the product goes next.
I came out of it with a much more stable platform and an actual understanding of the pieces I'd been guessing at. Couldn't be more grateful.Read the full story
PinDrop: he built the platform, I told him what he couldn't see
Shawn Markosky
Founder, PinDrop
I really can't express the gratitude I have for you, honestly. I mean it that it's been life changing.
Thank you for everything you put out there for free, and thank you for the transparency. I appreciate your no-bullshit attitude and have an insane amount of respect for you.
It was hard, but I have left everything I was doing before for the last few years in the dust. And I couldn't imagine going back to it either.Aaron Callaway
Developer & Marketer, Business Owner, Dad, Thunderhawk Solutions
This is my first time coming across your video and I love every bit of it. Good job man and I am looking forward to learn more from your videos
In response to
Custom WordPress Client Portal (FREE TUTORIAL SERIES): Introduction
@pythonhero
Mark has managed our website for years, so when we came to him about a refresh we also told him we were pivoting. He dug into the business to re-understand it - who the site was for now, how we're making money, the kind of clients we're going after.
When we started working with him we were a social media agency, and that isn't who we are anymore. We weren't sure the blog was doing anything for us and he confirmed it: generic content wasn't going to move us, and what we should double down on was proof - the events we've actually run and the work we actually do - because our own site is what Google and AI read when someone goes looking for us.
The turnaround was quick, the revision process was easy, and we ended up with a beautiful, much faster site with the visuals we wanted and a brand that finally matches the services we provide now.Read the full story
Valiant 3: from a website I inherited to the agency it actually describes
Bethany Vietmeier
Founder & CEO, Valiant 3 Communications
We came to Mark about the Blue and Gold Classic, our annual golf outing, which had its own separate website. The event had matured to the point where it didn't need one - it sells out on recurring sponsors now - and running two sites was just confusing. He agreed we should shut it down, and said the right move was to fold it into the foundation's site rather than let all of it disappear.
That turned into the bigger project, because our own site was on an old tech stack and had gone a few years without a refresh. Mark has looked after that site for a long time, so he knew what was worth carrying over. He kept the domain and pointed every old link at the new event page so nothing we'd built up got lost.
The whole process was easy, and now we have one site as the hub of the foundation instead of two - all the information in one place, better visuals, and much faster. It's exactly what we wanted.Read the full story
The Bus Stops Here Foundation: I built their second website, then told them to delete it
Jerome Bettis
Founder & NFL Hall of Famer, The Bus Stops Here Foundation
Mark was great to work with. He spent time with our entire technical team and came back with a clear diagnosis of where our development process could improve and be more efficient. We've since restructured our development workflow around it and were able to leverage AI in a more meaningful way.
If you're looking for a high level analysis of where you could improve your development process, Mark is a great resource.Read the full story
Huemor: a named diagnosis, a leaner stack, and AI at the center
Michael Cleary
Co-Founder & CEO, Huemor
You described my year-long hesitance that held me constantly at zero.
Yesterday I was shaky and stuttered and wasn’t that well prepared - BUT the second candidate has at least my contact info and will discuss it with his wife.
I needed to hear this!Sebastian
Freshly baked entrepreneur seeking confidence
Just want to say thanks for these. Super helpful to take it all in for when I'm ready to sit down and start something similar for myself. Originally found you through the Bricks vids but have enjoyed the new path. Keep it up!
In response to
My Best Month Ever ($26K): Here's How My AIOS Helped Me Do It (LIVE)
@justinveiga
thanks so much for creating this community and being so generous, sharing your ideas, experiences, and knowledge!
Whitney Bateson
I started to build out my AIOS based on what Mark has shared and as a soloprenuer it’s got me excited about building a real foundation I can use to leverage AI to the fullest.
Gibran Garcia
Good shit my dude. Much love to you. I love your content.
In response to
The AI System That Runs (and Now Updates) My Business (LIVE)
@AaronTHS
Love your content. It is so interesting to watch you go through the thought process behind your business. Your authenticity is so refreshing.
In response to
The AI System That Runs (and Now Updates) My Business (LIVE)
@Martsys1
What I've found really exciting and life-changing, as you mentioned, is that all of these processes that I've sort of internalized or built up over the last 30 years of doing web design since 1997 have now coalesced into being able to build out all of these automated SOPs with my agents in my AIOS.
I’m slowly replacing these patchwork pieces of my web design and development workflow with more efficient parts to create the ultimate, unique system for my business.
Things that would have taken me weeks and months to do before now take me days.Mark Moran
Design Engineer
I was going back and forth on what exactly to do with the applications, and whether to focus on reaching out to clients in the area and building a customer base. I was leaning toward the customer base. The apps will come in the next couple weeks, maybe a month, but building a customer base will help me get the ball rolling and give me some more confidence.
Overall, after talking with Mark and hearing where he's at and what he's done, I'm feeling more confident and came up with a loose plan to move forward. But a plan nonetheless lol.
Yes, I would recommend. Mark is genuine and sincere, as far as I can tell from our discussion and the real interaction, and he really helped me affirm the problems I was facing. There aren't a lot of people I can talk to about this, and I really needed to hear it from a real person and not AI. Sometimes the human element of things is a little more important, as he pointed out in the call. Thanks again!Albert LaScola
Owner/Operator, Bulwark Black LLC
Man.... this series is PURE GOLD. I'm learning more from these 1 and half video (still to go to the end) than from all the tons of video speaking about ACF and CPT and used PHP to publish dynamic data.
In response to
WordPress Dynamic Data Fundamentals - Part 2: CPTs, Custom Fields, Taxonomies, Relationships
@IvanC64
Thanks for posting this amazing overview of the AIOS
In response to
You Need An AI Operating System (AIOS). Here's What That Means.
@JasonWeir81
Great walkthrough - I've been thinking about this and sort of building a version of this for my agency. The way you framed this helped!
In response to
You Need An AI Operating System (AIOS). Here's What That Means.
@MaxSher
Founder, The Sher Agency
The call with Mark was definitely worth it! I was a little uncertain on how to handle a couple different things technically, and the experience that Mark has, specifically with AI, was helpful in answering questions and giving me confidence on moving forward.
Reuben Hochstetler
Owner, Touchdown Tech
Thank you so much for taking the time to exchange emails about your community. It was essential to our decision-making process.
Clovis Ferreira da Silva Neto
Mark and I have known each other for a while, so when my firm was going through a rebrand, new name, new partner, new domain, new everything, he was the person I called. He understood what we needed the website to do, and he was flexible with the timeline while we got the partnership side of things finalized. When that all came together, we were able to launch right on schedule.
What we had before was a website built with GoDaddy's website builder that did not represent our firm at all. What we have now actually looks like the kind of firm we want to be. He has been a steady presence since launch, managing the site, pushing updates, and giving me his honest read whenever I ask him about next steps. That's exactly what I need.
Read the full story
Polverini & Wiater: a new firm, a new site, a new start
Jake Polverini
Partner, Polverini & Wiater, PLLC
Good shit my dude. Much love to you. I love your content.
In response to
The AI System That Runs (and Now Updates) My Business (LIVE)
@AaronTHS
Love your content. It is so interesting to watch you go through the thought process behind your business. Your authenticity is so refreshing.
In response to
The AI System That Runs (and Now Updates) My Business (LIVE)
@Martsys1
What I've found really exciting and life-changing, as you mentioned, is that all of these processes that I've sort of internalized or built up over the last 30 years of doing web design since 1997 have now coalesced into being able to build out all of these automated SOPs with my agents in my AIOS.
I’m slowly replacing these patchwork pieces of my web design and development workflow with more efficient parts to create the ultimate, unique system for my business.
Things that would have taken me weeks and months to do before now take me days.Mark Moran
Design Engineer
I was going back and forth on what exactly to do with the applications, and whether to focus on reaching out to clients in the area and building a customer base. I was leaning toward the customer base. The apps will come in the next couple weeks, maybe a month, but building a customer base will help me get the ball rolling and give me some more confidence.
Overall, after talking with Mark and hearing where he's at and what he's done, I'm feeling more confident and came up with a loose plan to move forward. But a plan nonetheless lol.
Yes, I would recommend. Mark is genuine and sincere, as far as I can tell from our discussion and the real interaction, and he really helped me affirm the problems I was facing. There aren't a lot of people I can talk to about this, and I really needed to hear it from a real person and not AI. Sometimes the human element of things is a little more important, as he pointed out in the call. Thanks again!Albert LaScola
Owner/Operator, Bulwark Black LLC
Man.... this series is PURE GOLD. I'm learning more from these 1 and half video (still to go to the end) than from all the tons of video speaking about ACF and CPT and used PHP to publish dynamic data.
In response to
WordPress Dynamic Data Fundamentals - Part 2: CPTs, Custom Fields, Taxonomies, Relationships
@IvanC64
Thanks for posting this amazing overview of the AIOS
In response to
You Need An AI Operating System (AIOS). Here's What That Means.
@JasonWeir81
Great walkthrough - I've been thinking about this and sort of building a version of this for my agency. The way you framed this helped!
In response to
You Need An AI Operating System (AIOS). Here's What That Means.
@MaxSher
Founder, The Sher Agency
The call with Mark was definitely worth it! I was a little uncertain on how to handle a couple different things technically, and the experience that Mark has, specifically with AI, was helpful in answering questions and giving me confidence on moving forward.
Reuben Hochstetler
Owner, Touchdown Tech
Thank you so much for taking the time to exchange emails about your community. It was essential to our decision-making process.
Clovis Ferreira da Silva Neto
Mark and I have known each other for a while, so when my firm was going through a rebrand, new name, new partner, new domain, new everything, he was the person I called. He understood what we needed the website to do, and he was flexible with the timeline while we got the partnership side of things finalized. When that all came together, we were able to launch right on schedule.
What we had before was a website built with GoDaddy's website builder that did not represent our firm at all. What we have now actually looks like the kind of firm we want to be. He has been a steady presence since launch, managing the site, pushing updates, and giving me his honest read whenever I ask him about next steps. That's exactly what I need.Read the full story
Polverini & Wiater: a new firm, a new site, a new start
Jake Polverini
Partner, Polverini & Wiater, PLLC
What's next?
Tell me what you need.
I have a lot of value I can provide. What's most useful to you depends on who you are and why you came. Pick the one that fits and I will point you at the right thing.
Not sure? Just send me a note.