15 Years of Startup Lessons: Jason Turnquist on AI, Cash Flow & Building Resilient Business
In this episode of What Keeps You Awake.TV, host David Hooser sits down with Jason Turnquist, CEO & co-founder of Firesite, an award-winning web & app development studio in Tempe, Arizona. From bootstrapping out of an apartment in 2009 to shipping Shopify builds and custom apps, Jason shares 15 years of lessons on product, people, and staying cash-flow positive—plus why his team still answers the phone with a human.
🎯 Inside This Episode:
Cash is king: how Q2 tariffs froze B2B deals and what he did to manage cash flow
From HTML to CMS to SaaS: the evolution (WordPress → Shopify) and why UX still makes or breaks you
Omni-channel done right: POS + e-com + marketplaces + loyalty under one Shopify roof
App story: building the first Wi-Fi–connected pellet grill app—and what it taught them about IoT UX
Practical AI: launching proplaintiff.ai to turn hours of legal grunt work into minutes
Human - bot (sometimes): where AI fits, and where real people must stay in the loop (sales & support)
AZ advantage: data centers, manufacturing, and why Phoenix is primed for the next tech wave
Founder takeaway: focus on profit, not just revenue—and how AI can empower leaner, stronger small teams
📌 Learn more: firesite.dev
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📣 Drop a comment: What’s one UX fail that cost you time or money—and how did you fix it?
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#Firesite #JasonTurnquist #Shopify #WebDevelopment #AppDevelopment #Ecommerce #UserExperience #AIforBusiness #Entrepreneurship #TempeAZ #WhatKeepsYouAwakeTV
