Ep. 4: $1M Revenue with 27 Agents and a Lean Team. Here's How. | Todd Balwin

Todd Baldwin, CEO of Crafted, breaks down how his lean startup built a data bridge between social media marketing and in-store retail sales — and how AI agents are helping them punch way above their weight.Crafted works with brands selling into Walmart, Target, and regional grocery stores, solving one of the hardest problems in retail marketing: if you run a $100K TikTok or Instagram campaign, how do you know if it drove actual purchases in a physical store? Todd walks through how they built a receipt-based rebate tool that closes that loop — and how the data they're collecting is now fueling an AI-powered insights engine.Todd also shares his "Maslow's Hierarchy of AI" framework — why most startups skip the foundational steps (descriptive → predictive → prescriptive → autonomous) and jump straight to agents before they've earned the right to. Plus: how Crafted is rolling out 27 internal AI agents to keep their team lean while scaling.If you're a Builder thinking about how to use AI strategically — not just as a shiny object — this episode is for you.****************************Get The New Builder Newsletter: https://thenewbuilder.substack.com/Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhecht/Website: thenewbuilder.ai