Words are the singular most powerful force available to humanity. The usage of words, be it positive or negative, has its impact, sometimes not so serious and sometimes life-changing. The influencing strength of words can be measured by the creation of books. They were made to impart knowledge, and if it wasn’t so, books would never have existed. Because of the usage of words, the human race has touched the sky and continues to do so. Had no language or words been invented, the people of the world would still be rubbing stones to light fire.
The written word is how people capture the most important thoughts and breakthroughs that can carry on forever. The spoken word is influential, but the written word is what has changed the world. The ability to transfer a message around the world, be printed infinitely, and influence all who read it is the greatest power on earth.
No one preaches this more than Shane Mac, an entrepreneur, CEO, and tech investor, who uses the written word to find and connect with people. He is an entrepreneur who wants to share the treasure of his knowledge and expertise that he has gathered over the years working in the industry. Shane is also an author and podcaster and influences people through these mediums.
Shane Mac was always asking why in school. As a curious child, he never shied away from asking questions and interacting with people. This habit helped him discover what he loved and what he didn’t, which cultivated his love for learning about the ever-evolving technology.
Work. Achieve. Preach.
Born on May 31st, 1986, in Peoria, a city located in Central Illinois, Shane Mac was a tech- geek. During his college days at Western Illinois University, he began working in the tech industry, where he spent time building tools to connect to Facebook and other social networks. His very first project was Gist.com, funded by Paul Allen, the founder of Microsoft and the Foundry Group. It became one of the first social CRM companies that garnered the attention of more than 100 million-plus people. It was acquired by Blackberry for $44 million in 2010.
Shane Mac’s next venture was Assist, one of his most successful inventions. Started in 2013, the AI-based company created chatbots that helped brands serve their customers. Assist was the first to launch on Facebook Messenger, Apple Business Chat, Google Assistant, Alexa, and more. It took more than seven years for Shane and their team to standardize AI in the market. He then collaborated with leading tech companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Apple. This chatbot-operated business was acquired in 2019 by Conversocial. As of now, Assist is running significant companies, including Sephora, T-Mobile, 1-800-Flowers, BestBuy, Fandango, MGM Hotels, and many more.
Being immersed in technology completely, Shane had predicted the future of apps and chatbots. He was not impressed with predictive texts’ operation in dating apps and felt the need to revolutionize them. So, he built a downloadable keyboard that people could install on their iPhone and could use as an assistant for replying to people on dating apps.
At an early age, Shane had gathered plenty of experience playing with technology and trying his hand at running several businesses. He felt the need to share his experiences as an entrepreneur and his various technology ventures with the world. Mac began with writing blogs. Initially, he would write about his first experiences exploring the IT and business industry, his ideas, thoughts, and question-related to them. But slowly transitioned to writing blogs that actually helped people get a clear view of both the industries through his eyes. Today, he has almost 45,000 readers that read his blogs daily.
‘It Does Not Matter How Slow You Go as Long as You Do Not Stop‘ – Confucius
Being true to the quote, Shane did not deviate from his path of educating people and gradually shifted to becoming an author. He wrote a business book, Stop With the BS, and received appreciation from NY Times best-selling authors Tony Hsieh and Julien Smith.
Starting a blog before blogs were cool helped Shane built a connection with the audience. He could see the effect his words had on the people. So, he decided to streamline his speaking talent and start a podcast named ‘ask.’ The idea behind this podcast was to ask people questions they would not normally get asked. Even though he had begun on a small scale, his podcast has now covered over a hundred people’s interviews. He has interviewed honorable guests such as Simon Sinek, Gary Vaynerchuk, Steve Huffman, Chase Jarvis, Amanda Bradford, Jason Fried, Michelle Broderick, Grant Imahara, Ryan Carson, Brad Feld, Lewis Howes, Robert Stephens, and many more. It is based on the motto, “If we can make the world more curious, could everything be better?”
Shane’s life revolves around a cycle of learning, implementing, and sharing. He has made it a point to help and educate the upcoming generations with his experiences and mistakes. Such energetic and generous personalities are proof that there is still some good left in the world.
