The 2026 eCom Trends Report
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Podcast | Episode 574
How a Non-Programmer Cut $150K in SaaS Fees by Building Custom Software with AI
Have you ever thought about building your own AI tool to boost your business? In this episode, I’m thrilled to share the incredible story of Zac Plansky, owner of AT3Tactical.com. Zac transformed his business by developing a custom AI tool for inventory management, saving substantial costs and enhancing operational efficiency—all without prior programming experience.
Listen in as we dive into Zac’s journey from identifying the need for better inventory management to the creation and implementation of his AI-driven solution. We also explore the practical steps he took, the technologies he used, and the significant impact this project has had on his business.
You’ll learn:
- The catalyst for Zac creating his custom program. (2:35)
- The process of building Stock Planner and the benefits it had in inventory management. (7:15)
- How Zac fit building a custom tool into his personal and professional life. (9:50)
- The tech stack he used to build Stock Planner. (11:30)
- The challenges of working with data and the importance of logging errors. (24:00)
- The potential future uses of AI in business. (32:40)
- The importance of staying up to date with new AI tools and models. (47:35)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music
(With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Zac Plansky of AT3Tactical.com)
What Was Mentioned
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“Probably the most satisfying thing would just be the beginning of it, because you're taking an idea and turning it into something that starts to have a little bit of promise.” - @zacplansky Tweet this “What you're dealing with is a very intelligent tool, but it doesn't know anything about your company, and it doesn't know anything about what you're trying to get done. It only knows if you tell it.” - @zacplansky Tweet this “What’s great about using an AI tool is you can run some code, and if it gives you an error message, you can literally just paste the error message into the chat box and say ‘fix this.’” - @zacplansky Tweet this
Post by Andrew Youderian
Founder and Chief Instigator, eComFuel
Andrew quit an early finance job to sell CB radios online — an admittedly unorthodox career path. It set him on a course to found and sell multiple businesses, host a decade-running podcast, lecture at Harvard Business School and create eComFuel, the leading community for 7- and 8-figure online business owners. Andrew is fascinated with branding, AI, building community, investing and growing meaningful businesses that don't require sacrificing what truly matters.
