Remote First Podcast

Azhar Siddiqui

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Marketing
Biweekly

Hosted by Azhar Siddiqui, the co-founder at RepStack. Uncover the secrets of hiring, onboarding and training your Virtual Assistant as we share tips, tricks and success stories. Discover how to unlock massive growth in your Digital Marketing Agency by hiring for these key roles. Our Website: https://repstack.co/Book a quick call here: https://calendly.com/repstack-discovery-call/15min

6d ago

AI Is Making Us Dumber | Hamza Baig, Hamza Automates

Hamza Baig, known as Hamza Automates, joins Athar Siddiqui for episode 9 of the HighLevel Speaker Series on The Remote First Podcast. Hamza found HighLevel on a random viral TikTok in 2021. Before that he was in a call center making 300 dials a day, which taught him objection handling and how to get a point across fast. He white labeled HighLevel as his own software, went door to door when nobody wanted a CRM, and built one of the first ChatGPT chatbots on HighLevel in 2022. Today he has about 250,000 followers, has helped more than 1,500 businesses and 40,000 students, and won HighLevel's Platinum award in 2024 and Diamond the year after. He explains why talking to your customer is the new moat, what an AI automation agency actually is, and why businesses don't buy AI, they buy outcomes (plus the rise of "AI fatigue"). He shares his niche method: ticket size, lead flow and how reachable the decision maker is, and why you should play the field before you commit to one niche. Then the twist: why he says AI is making us dumber, why he feels "kind of like Oppenheimer", and how to keep your own thinking as your edge. Athar shares RepStack's rule, use AI but don't trust the AI, and how roles are being redesigned. Hamza closes with a preview of his HighLevel Summit talk: how he runs a Diamond SaaS with one full-time employee and AI agents. Chapters 0:00 Highlights 0:27 Intro 0:37 Welcome to the Remote First Podcast 2:05 Finding HighLevel on a viral TikTok 3:28 From 300 dials a day to his own software company 4:52 One of the first AI chatbots on HighLevel 6:19 How HighLevel changed since 2021 7:46 Talk to your customer: the new moat 9:38 What is an AI automation agency? 10:50 Businesses don't buy AI, they buy outcomes 13:40 Which businesses are ready for AI 16:13 How to pick your niche 20:49 Is AI making us dumber? 23:19 Use AI, but don't trust the AI 25:45 New AI roles at RepStack 28:00 Hamza at the Summit: a SaaS run by AI agents Hire pre-vetted remote talent: https://repstack.co #RemoteFirst #RepStack #HighLevel #GoHighLevel #HamzaAutomates #AIAutomation #AIAgency #RemoteWork #AgencyGrowth
Oct 22

AI Won't Replace Good Employees, It Replaces Lazy Ones | Dakota Routh, Agency Support for HighLevel

Dakota Routh, the team behind Agency Support for HighLevel and White Label Suite, joins Athar Siddiqui for episode 7 of the HighLevel Speaker Series on The Remote First Podcast. Dakota started with a HighLevel SaaS in 2020, did his own client onboarding, and was asked by another agency owner to white label it. A few clients later someone asked for support too, and a team of four or five people taking night shifts turned into 24/7 white label support for HighLevel agencies, now about 70 people across several countries. He explains where onboarding ends and support begins, the 10 to 14 week onboarding program, how they train clients without breaking the white label, and how Wally, their AI agent, handles 67% of support chats before handing off to a human. On culture: "one team, one dream", an eight-week internship that grows their own talent (30 to 40% of interns get an offer), trusting people first and then verifying, and why you often hire 8 to 10 VAs to find one good one. His view on AI: it won't replace a good employee, it will enhance one, and it is replacing the lazy ones. Plus the biggest mistake new agency owners make, why in-person events still matter, and a preview of his HighLevel Summit talk: the nine steps to closing any deal. Chapters 0:00 Highlights 0:21 Intro 0:31 Welcome to the Remote First Podcast 1:25 From SaaS founder to HighLevel support 2:28 How onboarding turned into 24/7 support 3:50 Where onboarding ends and support begins 4:53 A 10 to 14 week onboarding program 5:54 Training clients without breaking white label 6:51 Wally, the AI that handles support chats 9:07 When the AI hands off to a human 9:55 One team, one dream 11:40 Growing talent with an eight-week internship 15:00 Trust first, then verify 17:05 AI won't replace good employees 20:07 The biggest mistake new agency owners make 23:08 Why in-person events still matter 25:52 His Summit talk: nine steps to close any deal 27:54 See you at the Summit Hire pre-vetted remote talent: https://repstack.co #RemoteFirst #RepStack #HighLevel #GoHighLevel #DakotaRouth #AgencySupport #WhiteLabel #RemoteWork #AgencyGrowth
Oct 22

From $5K to $200K: How Whitney Bonds Built a YouTube Business With a Tiny Remote Team

Whitney Bonds, YouTuber, top 10 HighLevel affiliate and founder of SiteMaster Pro, joins Athar Siddiqui for episode 6 of the LevelUp speaker series on The Remote First Podcast. Whitney shares how HighLevel found her by accident after one AI video, how she runs a big affiliate business with a small part-time remote team (including her mom, who edits her reels), and why she still reads every video off a teleprompter. She is honest about working with family, and Athar explains how the three RepStack brothers keep a one-hour call every Monday so nothing builds up. Then the story: a 9 to 5, a second baby on the way, a blog for moms that made $5,000 in its first year and over $200,000 the next. Her rule through all of it: trust the process, not the progress. She also explains how a $30,000 January from one YouTuber got her on camera, how an interview with Andy Audate turned into a coaching relationship, and why a four-year-old video about dog treats still ranks first. Both Athar and Whitney will be at HighLevel's LevelUp summit in Dallas. Whitney will be on stage talking about YouTube content that lasts for years. Chapters 0:00 Highlights 0:23 Intro 1:18 Welcome to the Remote First Podcast 2:35 How HighLevel found Whitney by accident 5:05 A small, part-time remote team 6:48 Still reading off a teleprompter 8:00 Working with family: I don't recommend it 9:54 Remote culture runs on flexibility 12:40 Kids, plaques and the YouTube life 13:58 From a 9 to 5 to a blog for moms 17:37 Losing Pinterest and finding YouTube 19:09 Small targets, then scale slowly 20:23 Interviewing Andy Audate, then hiring him as a coach 21:50 AI receptionists and a $997 client 23:25 Why sharing your wins helps others 24:05 Her Summit talk: YouTube content that lasts 25:20 Workshops and final words Hire pre-vetted remote talent: https://repstack.co #RemoteFirst #RepStack #HighLevel #WhitneyBonds #YouTubeTips #RemoteWork #AgencyGrowth
Oct 21

How Andy Audate's Remote Team Closes $40K Deals From Around the World

Andy Audate, founder of GHL Engine and Progreda, joins Athar Siddiqui for episode 5 of the LevelUp speaker series on The Remote First Podcast. They talk about how one training webinar brought in 150 job applications, how Andy's team turned 40 recorded onboarding calls into a 10-step checklist that any team member can run, why a small vision loses you your best people, and why "remote first" no longer means anything now that the playing field has leveled. Andy also shares how his remote team sells $20K to $40K deals on their own, how an accountant from a nine-figure company rebuilt his finances from the Philippines, and why he flies out every year to give back with his team. Both Athar and Andy will be at HighLevel's LevelUp summit in Dallas. Andy will be on stage talking about selling one to many with webinars. Chapters 0:00 Highlights 0:33 Intro 1:28 Welcome to the Remote First Podcast 2:32 Meet Andy Audate and GHL Engine 3:56 Why webinars, and why live 5:11 150 job applications from one training 8:30 Getting new hires up to speed 10:32 340 buyers and a 10-step onboarding 14:55 Confidence comes from a clipboard 16:11 A vision big enough for your team 19:42 Remote first doesn't mean anything today 21:52 The $120K hire vs. the $40K hire 23:28 What I wish I knew about remote teams 25:36 A nine-figure accountant, hired remotely 29:22 Why we give back in the Philippines 33:33 LevelUp 2026 and final words Hire pre-vetted remote talent: https://repstack.co #RemoteFirst #RepStack #HighLevel #GHLEngine #RemoteWork #AgencyGrowth
Oct 21

Automation and AI Come Last | Declan O'Reilly, the GHL Wizard

Declan O'Reilly, the GHL Wizard, joins Athar Siddiqui for episode 4 of the LevelUp speaker series on The Remote First Podcast. Declan started out recording GoHighLevel training videos for his own team. Those videos grew into a 42,000 subscriber YouTube channel, a community of 5,000 affiliates and the number one spot as a GoHighLevel affiliate. They talk about turning a team from mercenary to missionary, why he still shows up live for his students every week, how he keeps every training up to date, and why automation and AI should come last, not first. Both Athar and Declan will be at HighLevel's Level Up summit in Dallas, October 26 to 29. Chapters 0:00 Highlights 0:17 Intro 1:12 Welcome to the Remote First Podcast 1:53 Meet Declan O'Reilly, the GHL Wizard 2:39 From mercenary to missionary 3:51 One team, one time zone 4:56 Incentives that keep a team driven 6:55 Becoming the #1 HighLevel affiliate 8:28 The one thing: student results 10:32 Who earns the free clients 12:10 Why he still shows up live 15:06 Keeping trainings up to date 18:05 Workshops and the daily cycle 20:04 A community of 5,000 affiliates 21:44 AI vs. humans 24:18 Automation and AI come last 27:00 The robe and final words Hire pre-vetted remote talent: https://repstack.co #RemoteFirst #RepStack #GoHighLevel #GHLWizard #AIAutomation
Oct 20

You Can't Outcompete Someone Who's Obsessed | Yesenia Nelson

Yesenia Nelson, co-founder of 7 Figure Agency and Plumbing HVAC SEO, joins Athar Siddiqui for the second episode of the HighLevel speaker series on The Remote First Podcast. They talk about running two multi-million dollar businesses with her husband Josh, moving a whole company from an office to fully remote, hiring people who are obsessed with what they do, what agency owners really worry about when hiring overseas, and why AI is empowering teams rather than replacing them. Both Athar and Yesenia will be at HighLevel's Level Up summit in Dallas, October 26 to 29. Chapters 0:00 Highlights 0:25 Intro 1:19 Welcome to the Remote First Podcast 2:13 Meet Yesenia Nelson 3:42 Working with family 7:48 From office to remote 11:21 Culture across the globe 15:34 Trust and tracking remote teams 17:29 Hire people who are obsessed 21:05 What agency owners worry about 23:20 Growth paths for global teams 24:59 Why in-person events matter 26:50 English, drive and A players 28:51 AI vs. humans 33:32 AI has to tie to profit 34:28 Level Up Dallas 36:05 Final words Hire pre-vetted remote talent: https://repstack.co #RemoteFirst #RepStack #7FigureAgency #DigitalMarketingAgency #RemoteWork
Oct 20

Automation Shouldn't Replace Humans | Chris Dillon

Chris Dillon wrote HighLevel's official WhatsApp course, has spoken for HighLevel in India and the Philippines, and is back on stage at Level Up in Dallas (October 26-29). On The Remote First Podcast, Athar Siddiqui sits down with Chris to talk about what 20 years as a football referee taught him about people, why automation should support humans rather than replace them, the detail most people miss in Alex Hormozi's speed-to-lead story, and why you should sell the outcome, not the software. The Remote First Podcast is RepStack's LevelUp Speaker Series: conversations with the people speaking at Level Up about culture, building teams, client relationships and honest sales. Chapters 0:00 Highlights 0:24 Intro 1:20 Welcome to the Remote First Podcast 2:41 Chris Dillon, HighLevel & WhatsApp 4:58 A lifelong QPR fan 7:51 What refereeing taught Chris about people 10:47 Leads are real people 12:32 You're one conversation away 14:26 Business is person to person 16:11 Automation should support humans 17:21 The London Underground lesson 19:54 Be detached from the outcome 23:15 The 5 or 10 minute train 23:47 The flaw in the speed-to-lead story 26:28 Chris's book: No One Gives a Sh*t About Your Business 29:03 What hospitals get right 31:29 Open the floodgates 32:55 Airport toilets & honest feedback 34:58 Desire paths 36:29 GaryVee's wine shop 37:48 Where attention lives: WhatsApp 39:34 Sell the outcome, not HighLevel 40:47 Believe in your product 41:51 Chris's Level Up Dallas talk 44:22 Networking without the sales pitch 46:44 Three days of sales pitches 48:28 Ethical sales & the 5 W's 51:56 Final words ABOUT THE GUEST Chris Dillon: author of HighLevel's official WhatsApp course, of Marketing Autopilots, and author of "No One Gives a Sh*t About Your Business". ABOUT REPSTACK RepStack (Inc. 5000, 2025 and 2026) builds remote teams for agencies. https://repstack.co #RemoteFirstPodcast #RepStack #HighLevel #GoHighLevel #WhatsAppMarketing #LevelUp2026 #AtharSiddiqui #ChrisDillon #SalesTips #AgencyGrowth
Oct 19

Don't Scale Chaos, Scale Clarity | Lisa Catto, The Business Catalyst

Lisa Catto, CEO of The Business Catalyst and known as the Queen of Automations, joins Athar Siddiqui for the HighLevel Speaker Series on The Remote First Podcast. Lisa's first tech business in the mid 1990s put brands inside computer games: Coca-Cola over the Olympic stadium, Adidas stripes in FIFA and Gran Turismo, and a role-playing game for Unilever's Peperami. She retired to the south of France in her mid-30s, came back in 2011, trained on Infusionsoft and moved to HighLevel in 2022. She walks through her ideal customer journey: three phases (prospecting, conversion, fulfilment), nine steps and 54 checkpoints, and why "prescription without diagnosis is malpractice". Her advice: start simple, build in Lego blocks, and fix the broken sales process before you push new leads into it. On team and culture: a team of seven, a daily 9 a.m. drop-in so she is never the bottleneck, two hours of training every Monday, and a hiring process built on Geoff Smart's book "Who" that tests how people think, not which software they know. Athar shares why the number one reason new hires leave RepStack in the first 90 days is overwhelm, and how clarity fixes it. Both Lisa and Athar will be at the HighLevel Summit in Dallas, October 26 to 29. Chapters 0:00 Highlight: fix the broken sales process first 0:28 Intro 0:38 Welcome to the Remote First Podcast 1:34 Putting brands inside 90s video games 3:17 Retiring in her mid-30s, then automation 4:25 Digital marketing before the internet 5:58 The Lara Croft pitch Adidas turned down 7:31 What The Business Catalyst does 8:24 Be a specialist, not a generalist 9:52 The ideal customer journey: 54 checkpoints 13:33 Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice 15:14 Don't scale chaos, scale clarity 16:50 Corporate brands vs small business: know the outcome 17:43 Snapshots, Lego blocks and documentation 18:50 Start simple: fix the broken sales process first 20:05 Why new hires quit in the first 90 days 21:06 Hiring for how people think, not skills 22:34 The "Who" hiring method and AI in applications 24:34 Daily drop-ins: culture is a routine 26:24 Training the team so she can step back 28:13 An autonomous team with clear rules 29:02 American vs British clients 31:10 Thanks, and see you in Dallas Hire pre-vetted remote talent: https://repstack.co #RemoteFirst #RepStack #HighLevel #LisaCatto #Automation #CustomerJourney #AgencyGrowth

Hosted by Azhar Siddiqui, the co-founder at RepStack. Uncover the secrets of hiring, onboarding and training your Virtual Assistant as we share tips, tricks and success stories. Discover how to unlock massive growth in your Digital Marketing Agency by hiring for these key roles. Our Website: https://repstack.co/Book a quick call here: https://calendly.com/repstack-discovery-call/15min

Creator

Azhar Siddiqui
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

86
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2026 Remote First Podcast
Show Website

Remote First Podcast