343: From the Navy to Tech: The Story of Central Standard and Metova

Summary On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Jeff Amerine and Caleb Talley sit down with Josh Duntz and Tyler Dunbar of Metova and Central Standard Talent, respectively. With their Naval backgrounds, Josh and Tyler have a unique perspective on the business world. Throughout the episode, the crew discusses Central Standard and Metova’s expertise in identifying customer needs and developing digital products that align with business goals. They highlight the importance of tailoring technology solutions to meet the specific needs of each customer, and how this approach sets Central Standard and Metova apart from other tech agencies. They also comment on artificial intelligence, exploring whether these emerging technologies pose a threat to Central Standard and Metova, and whether AI can be as effective as humans.   Show Notes (1:33) Introducing Josh and Tyler (6:08) Josh’s Transition from the Military to the Civilian World (9:20) Key Takeaways from Military Service (15:42) Central Standard and Metova’s Connection (21:01) Finding Talent without Paying Silicon Valley Prices (23:35) The Threat of AI (27:51) Looking at the Landscape of the Current Economy (32:52) Advice to Their Younger Selves (35:38) Tyler and Josh’s Naval Background (39:23) Closing Thoughts   Links Jeff Amerine Caleb Talley Josh Duntz Tyler Dunbar Metova Central Standard Talent       Quotes “I approach leadership the same way in business now, where it’s like, I don’t care if you’re the lowest man on the totem pole or the CEO of the company. I believe that before decisions should be made, everyone should be able to voice their opinion.” - Josh Duntz, (13:19) “Rule of thumb is we’ll save you 30-50% in cost. And for somebody who’s in any sort of startup, there’s another critical element to this. You also don’t have to give any of your company away to get really high-quality talent.” - Tyler Dunbar, (21:24) “You have a certain mindset of what outsourcing looks like, right? And typically, for most people, it’s not high quality. So that’s a piece that looks really different for us. We focus on hiring people long-term—custom solution building for a team just for you. And [that allows] us to really focus on high-quality technical talent that is retained over time. So rather than fill fifty really low-level positions, we really try to focus on those senior and mid-level positions that establish and create value for years and years to come.” - Tyler Dunbar, (22:34) “I think you still need humans to be effective, right? And there’s a difference between being effective and being efficient. I think that AI is probably really efficient, but like Josh was talking about, how effective is it without those little human elements of nuance in between?” - Tyler Dunbar, (26:34)