{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Tech, Ethics, and Empowerment with Amanda Wilson","description":"Brian chats with Amanda Wilson, the co-founder of #open, a dating app for ethically non-monogamous relationships. On the episode, Amanda opens up about the fear she faced pivoting from running political campaigns to launching a sex-positive tech business with her business and life partner. She also shares essential strategies and tactics for navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship and how she utilizes AI to fuel growth and innovation at #open. Episode Highlights Mission-driven businesses balance making money with benefiting society. Amanda defines a mission-driven business as one that doesn\u2019t just focus on finances as the number one goal. As part of making #open a mission-driven business, Amanda is setting up the company to become a\u200b\u200b Certified B Corporation, which requires balancing making money with the responsibility to benefit society. \u201cOur mission is to create safer spaces for marginalized and at-risk communities to form authentic connections,\u201d Amanda said. \u201cThat\u2019s exceptionally important to us because we are a dating app for people that are in ethically non-monogamous relationships, which is still a hard road for people who are doing that.\u201d Keep your customers safe. One of the goals of #open is to build a safe space for the sex-positive community. To do that, the company makes it a point to listen to its user base, including by talking to customers through the #open support team and by reading app store reviews. Amanda also says the company prioritizes safety through data privacy. \u201cYour data is just an extension of you, so your data needs to be treated as respectfully as we would treat another person standing right here in front of us,\u201d Amanda said. \u201c#Open can always strive to be a safer place.\u201d Use AI to improve your human touch. Amanda sees the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a way to improve the personal touch of businesses and marketing strategies. For instance, #open reviews every picture that goes inside its app, and AI can help flag images that may break the company's content policies. Also, Amanda uses an AI transcription tool to review her podcast interviews and find points she can improve upon for next time. \u201cAI definitely helps us to be able to have that personal touch,\u201d she said. \u201cBuilding our community is one of the strategies and tactics we use.\u201d Hire your potential customers. #Open emphasizes hiring people within the community they\u2019re serving, so that the people creating the tools can better understand the dynamics around the software\u2019s real-world use. \u201cWe try and hire as many women and other marginalized people as we can,\u201d Amanda said. \u201cMy one request is if we can get more women in tech, life would be so much better for so many people.\u201d Resources + Links B Corp Certification Otter.AI Amanda Wilson: LinkedIn #open: Website, Instagram, Facebook, X, Tumblr, YouTube Brian Thompson Financial: Website, Newsletter, Podcast Follow Brian Thompson Online: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Forbes About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast Brian Thompson, JD\/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too. ","author_name":"Mission Driven Business","author_url":"https:\/\/btfinancial.com\/podcast","html":"