Wired to Build Systems — Andre Ankri on ADHD, AI, and scaling without headcount

Andre Ankri built a trades business from the ground up, and then rebuilt how it runs with AI. As CEO of UTS Group, he's automated everything from tender reviews to project manager matching, cut a process that used to take days down to under 30 minutes, and built a system that gets smarter on its own. But the real story is how he got there: through ADHD, hard lessons, and a wartime CEO mindset that keeps him out of the day-to-day and in the rooms where it actually matters.In this episode we get into what it means to scale with systems instead of headcount, why exit readiness starts long before you plan to sell, and how Andre uses AI not just to run his businesses, but to manage his own brain.If you're building something and you're tired of throwing people at problems, this one's for you.In this episode:Why ADHD is a systems-building superpower, not a liabilityHow UTS automated nearly every repeatable process in a trades businessWhat the wartime CEO mindset actually looks like inside an orgThe difference between a business built to grow and one built to sellWhy small and medium businesses have a massive AI advantage right nowAbout the GuestAndre Ankri is the CEO and founder of UTS Group Inc., a security integration and design consultancy based in Ontario, Canada. He also founded Metador, a business automation consultancy, and co-owns Vitrion Building Systems. A neurodivergent leader with ADHD, OCPD, and dyslexia, Andre builds openly around cognitive difference — and the systems he's created to work with his brain have become the blueprint for how he runs everything else.Find Andre on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andre-ankri-7a4090311/Check out his recent favorite book, Greenlights: https://a.co/d/0bLBrdqBFollow the show and subscribe so you never miss an episode!Growth Department slows the conversation down so founders and business leaders can go further, faster.If this episode helped you think differently, follow the show and share it with someone building alongside you.