Builder · Strategist · Educator
Mark
Szymanski
I find the expensive, repetitive work inside a business and build the system that does it instead.
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, signing people up faster than anyone could watch, and custom domains, the thing his customers needed to go live, would not work. He is not a developer and he built all of it himself. I came in from outside, fixed it in a day, and then spent a session on where the product actually goes.
Since April 2024 
Sheffler & Company: from a Wix page to running their proposals
Before they could price a job, somebody had to dig through county and state websites, and every proposal was put together by hand in Word. A 50-year-old engineering and surveying firm hired me for a website. Two years later their leads, their site research, and their proposals have a home in software I built for them.
Since July 2022 The Bus Stops Here Foundation: I built their second website, then told them to delete it
Their site was built by a developer who was gone, and nobody at the foundation could change it. I moved Jerome Bettis's foundation onto something its own people could run, built its golf tournament a site of its own, ran both for four years, and then told them the tournament site should stop existing.
What I Do
Watch it, build it, steal my stack.
Nobody Actually Wants Off-The-Shelf Software
Oct 13, 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.
91+ tools in my arsenal
See all →Proof
Don't take my word for it.
Thank you for explaining the whole path that took you to a certain point. I really appreciate that about your videos. Nowadays AI can answer most technical questions (as you often remind) and I don't consume much content, but you manage to provide the value of an actual human experience.
In response to
Cheaper, Better Web Analytics (And ALL The Data Lives In My AIOS)
@bartkowalskii
Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice. Mark doesn't do that.
I came to him skeptical. I've been burned by developers who didn't deliver, and I wanted someone to pressure-test my plan so I could build it myself. Instead of jumping straight to the tech, he asked whether the website was really the problem, or just the one I could see.
That question put me into some real self-reflection. His feedback on our messaging hit a lot of things spot on, even without the full picture. He's no-BS and talks matter-of-factly, and he has the emotional intelligence and empathy that are rare these days. He caught me off guard in a good way.
I spent a lot of hours looking for signal in the noise from the hype masters on YouTube. Mark's content is the first place I found it.Michael Morris
Retirement Specialist, American Gold & Silver Plans
Mind blown. I’m currently working on migrating all of my WP clients to this model, except for my ecommerce clients that I may not have the brain power of being able to effectively manage. Great video Mark!
In response to
Why My Websites Don't Have a CMS Anymore
@GregHyatt26
Finally heeded Mark's words from a private DM where I was debating whether to stay in this group, and it finally clicked…
Long story short, I've started implementing Mark's AIOS skeleton, but before I implemented it I wanted even more context… I asked Claude to install https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp and specifically focus on extracting transcripts. Once I ran some terminal commands it gave me, I asked it to scan Mark's YouTube channel (including his live streams), and after about 10 minutes it had downloaded and organized nearly 300K words from his videos specifically about his AIOS setup…
Let's just say I'm not leavin' anytime soon. Thanks for the push @Mark Szymanski 🤙CJ
I came in feeling pulled in four different directions. Building my own AIOS, rebuilding my website, restructuring my whole business. What I really wanted to know was whether I was on the right path and making good choices.
It was like watching one of Mark's videos, except personalized to me. I came away feeling validated, and satisfied with some of the things I'd been unsure about. Absolutely invaluable.
I resonate with him more than anybody else I've watched in a long time. Honestly, felt like I could have talked with him for hours.Aaron Callaway
Developer & Marketer, Business Owner, Dad, Thunderhawk Solutions
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
Thank you for explaining the whole path that took you to a certain point. I really appreciate that about your videos. Nowadays AI can answer most technical questions (as you often remind) and I don't consume much content, but you manage to provide the value of an actual human experience.
In response to
Cheaper, Better Web Analytics (And ALL The Data Lives In My AIOS)
@bartkowalskii
Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice. Mark doesn't do that.
I came to him skeptical. I've been burned by developers who didn't deliver, and I wanted someone to pressure-test my plan so I could build it myself. Instead of jumping straight to the tech, he asked whether the website was really the problem, or just the one I could see.
That question put me into some real self-reflection. His feedback on our messaging hit a lot of things spot on, even without the full picture. He's no-BS and talks matter-of-factly, and he has the emotional intelligence and empathy that are rare these days. He caught me off guard in a good way.
I spent a lot of hours looking for signal in the noise from the hype masters on YouTube. Mark's content is the first place I found it.Michael Morris
Retirement Specialist, American Gold & Silver Plans
Mind blown. I’m currently working on migrating all of my WP clients to this model, except for my ecommerce clients that I may not have the brain power of being able to effectively manage. Great video Mark!
In response to
Why My Websites Don't Have a CMS Anymore
@GregHyatt26
Finally heeded Mark's words from a private DM where I was debating whether to stay in this group, and it finally clicked…
Long story short, I've started implementing Mark's AIOS skeleton, but before I implemented it I wanted even more context… I asked Claude to install https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp and specifically focus on extracting transcripts. Once I ran some terminal commands it gave me, I asked it to scan Mark's YouTube channel (including his live streams), and after about 10 minutes it had downloaded and organized nearly 300K words from his videos specifically about his AIOS setup…
Let's just say I'm not leavin' anytime soon. Thanks for the push @Mark Szymanski 🤙CJ
I came in feeling pulled in four different directions. Building my own AIOS, rebuilding my website, restructuring my whole business. What I really wanted to know was whether I was on the right path and making good choices.
It was like watching one of Mark's videos, except personalized to me. I came away feeling validated, and satisfied with some of the things I'd been unsure about. Absolutely invaluable.
I resonate with him more than anybody else I've watched in a long time. Honestly, felt like I could have talked with him for hours.Aaron Callaway
Developer & Marketer, Business Owner, Dad, Thunderhawk Solutions
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.Michael Cleary
Co-Founder & CEO, Huemor
Love the system, I am finally at the beginning stages of engineering my own AIOS right now. SO excited. Makes me fall in love with my business again, honestly.
In response to
My Best Month Ever ($26K): Here's How My AIOS Helped Me Do It (LIVE)
Aaron Callaway
Developer & Marketer, Business Owner, Dad, Thunderhawk Solutions
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)
Aaron Callaway
Developer & Marketer, Business Owner, Dad, Thunderhawk Solutions
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
Im very new to all this and on a 💩Vram gpu but i believe im onto something and you are clarifying what i was in belief of. You are also the first youtuber about this stuff that keeps shit real love that. im not a coder but im a guy with a vision and AI is helping me build the tool pipeline to achieve my goals.
In response to
My AIOS is actually useful (LIVE)
@Brice-e4r
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
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.Michael Cleary
Co-Founder & CEO, Huemor
Love the system, I am finally at the beginning stages of engineering my own AIOS right now. SO excited. Makes me fall in love with my business again, honestly.
In response to
My Best Month Ever ($26K): Here's How My AIOS Helped Me Do It (LIVE)
Aaron Callaway
Developer & Marketer, Business Owner, Dad, Thunderhawk Solutions
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)
Aaron Callaway
Developer & Marketer, Business Owner, Dad, Thunderhawk Solutions
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
Im very new to all this and on a 💩Vram gpu but i believe im onto something and you are clarifying what i was in belief of. You are also the first youtuber about this stuff that keeps shit real love that. im not a coder but im a guy with a vision and AI is helping me build the tool pipeline to achieve my goals.
In response to
My AIOS is actually useful (LIVE)
@Brice-e4r
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
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.