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- Dispatch #017 | From Order Takers to Operators
Dispatch #017 | From Order Takers to Operators
The brutal upgrade every serious agency owner is making: Operators over VAs.
Mike Gorski
September 23, 2025
6 Min Read
“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”
Late last week I jumped on a discovery call with an agency owner who’d been on the hunt for over a year. Not for the perfect funnel. Not for some magic automation.
She was searching for something far harder to find, a competent service provider she could actually trust.
She’d tried them all. The “local” firms that quietly farmed the work offshore. The army of VAs cranking through checklists at cut-rate prices. The parade of freelancers who promised the world but delivered scraps.
Every cycle left her more frustrated, more burned, and closer to giving up.
When she finally found her way to RevForce, she admitted she had almost quit looking entirely. “Maybe this industry just doesn’t have what I need,” she said.
Her comment hit like a left hook straight to the face. Because it’s not just her.
I’ve heard the same story from agency owners across the GHL ecosystem.
They don’t need another assistant. They need Operators. People who don’t just take orders, but take ownership.
And that’s the real fault line in our industry right now.
The VA economy is cracking and a new class of talent is breaking through the surface, Full Stack Operators.
We’re going to strip this down to brass tacks and do a deep dive on the difference between a VA and an Operator and why that line in the sand determines whether an agency scales or stalls.
“Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”
TL;DR | Quick Brief Links
Mission Debrief: From Template to Tactical System
A client to us with a relatively simple request. Build a professional website inside GHL that resembled her old one. Straightforward enough.
But the deeper we went, the more the cracks showed.
She’d already worked with another agency that “set her up” with a prebuilt template. It came with a form and a few files, which sounded good on paper.
Under the hood? A single lonely form sitting on a webpage, dumping cold leads into her CRM. No automation. No nurture. No system. Just a glorified list for her to chase down one awkward call at a time. That wasn’t going to cut it.
The first move is a website rebuild.
Our Operator built her new professional site inside GHL. It was clean, functional, and tailored for her client journey.
Second move was a calendar integration.
Instead of leaving leads stranded, the form now funneled straight into a complimentary call booking. No wasted steps.
Final move was an automated pipeline.
We designed a client pipeline with automation for every stage. Leads didn’t just sit idle; they advanced toward connection.
The result? No more hours of cold-calling or the looming expense of a telemarketing company. The client now spends her time on intentional 30-minute consults with warm, qualified leads.
Here’s the system breakdown:
Build to create a professional website tailored to client needs
Connect link forms directly to calendars for instant bookings
Advance design pipelines and automations to move leads forward
✅ What The Operator Did:
Built a GHL-based professional website
Integrated a client calendar with automated booking flow
Created a full pipeline with stage-based automation
🔥 Tactical Takeaways (For Business Owners Seeking Service Providers)
Templates do not equal systems. Prebuilt without strategy is just busywork.
Every form should connect to a next step don’t leave leads hanging.
Systems create capacity. Without them, you’re just chasing lists.
Technology alone doesn’t solve problems, systems do.
When built with strategy and care, they don’t just make business easier they multiply your capacity to serve.
Like I mentioned before, most agency owners are drowning in task and and their first instinct is to throw a VA at the problem.
But here’s the hard truth, the VA model is collapsing.
Why? Because the bulk of VA work is repetitive, rule-based, and predictable.
Inbox management, scheduling, data entry, lead follow-ups, and customer support. All of these activities are exactly the things AI does better, faster, and cheaper.
AI Assistants don’t sleep. They don’t get sick. They don’t need onboarding. They just execute at scale, 24/7.
That’s why VAs are being quietly replaced by AI across the board. Execution alone is no longer a competitive advantage.
So where does that leave the Operator? Right at the center of the mission.
Assistants are power tools while Operators are the skilled craftsmen.
The tool itself has no value without someone who knows what to build, how to build it, and why it matters.
Operators don’t just complete tasks. They solve problems.
They diagnose bottlenecks, design workflows, deploy automation, and track performance metrics that matter.
They bring strategy and oversight to a landscape littered with disconnected tools and underperforming systems.
Operators aren’t threatened by AI, they command it.
They deploy AI voice agents. They configure automation. They integrate data. They train Assistants to work in concert with business goals.
Here’s the difference:
VAs wait for instructions.
Assistants follow programmed rules.
Operators create direction, engineer systems, and deliver outcomes.
The VA model is fading because businesses are no longer willing to pay for mere execution. They want leverage. They want results. They want Operators.
And that’s why agency owners who are fed up with half-baked snapshots and offshore bait-and-switches tactics are turning to Operators. They not a bunch of ‘yes men’ who just check boxes.
So here’s the challenge, if you’ve ever wondered whether you’ve got what it takes to step out of the VA economy and into the Operator class, this is your shot.
On September 28th, from 2-4PM (EST) we’re hosting a live virtual event where we’ll break down exactly what it means to become a RevForce Full Stack Operator. The mindset, the systems, the training, and the mission.
You can learn more about the event and register by clicking on the link below.
906 Workforce Revolution
If you’re ready to stop following instructions and start owning the mission, then don’t just watch from the sidelines. Suit up and join us.
Time for your recon drop.
This is Actionable Intelligence that matters, globally and inside the HighLevel war room.
OpenAI Raids Apple for Hardware Talent
OpenAI is gearing up to move beyond software and it’s raiding Apple’s bench to do it.
At least 25 former Apple employees have jumped ship to join OpenAI’s new hardware division, led by ex-Apple executive Tang Tan.
The company has signed a manufacturing deal with Luxshare and is reportedly targeting a 2026 launch for its first consumer device, a screen less smart speaker that insiders describe as “Alexa-adjacent.”
The poaching spree includes Siri interface veterans, Apple Watch engineers, and senior manufacturing leads.
Suppliers like Goertek, who also build AirPods and HomePods have been approached to join the effort.
Why it matters:
Apple and OpenAI are supposed to be partners. Siri’s recent upgrade runs on OpenAI’s models. This talent raid could strain that alliance.
A “voice-first” AI device is a direct shot at Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s own HomePod ecosystem.
Hardware plays cement consumer lock-in. If OpenAI controls not just the model, but the microphone in your living room, the moat deepens.
Tactical Implications:
Expect a turf war. Apple doesn’t take kindly to losing staff and supply chain partners in one swoop.
Agencies and Operators should be tracking this shift. If OpenAI launches an AI-native device ecosystem, it could rewrite how customers interact with businesses (think voice-first funnels instead of web-first funnels).
Hardware integration means OpenAI won’t just power Assistants. It will own the channel they run through.
The software wars are bleeding into hardware, and OpenAI is planting its flag.
If you thought the AI arms race was crowded, wait until it’s sitting on your kitchen counter.
Resource: OpenAI Raids Apple for Hardware Talent
HighLevel | Weekly Feature Updates
Here are my top three choices from this week’s HighLevel Feature drop.
Voice AI: Internationalization Support
Internationalization support to Voice AI, allowing users to access the platform in their preferred language.
This feature enhances usability and provides a better overall experience for users who speak languages other than English.
Workflows: Clickup Integration
Users can now connect CRM events directly to ClickUp or vice versa automatically creating tasks, updating projects, and even generating AI-powered documents.
We use Clickup as our internal PM software so this a big deal for us
Prospecting: Detect Website Hosting Type in Marketing Audit Reports
Marketing Audit Reports detect and display website hosting providers. Agencies now have more control, flexibility, and accuracy when showcasing hosting insights to prospects.
📺 Want the Full Feature Breakdown?
Upcoming HighLevel & RevForce Events
#1. HighLevel Hangout | SAN DIEGO, CA | September 24th, 2025
#2. RevForce - 906 Workforce Revolution | Virtual Event | September 28th, 2025
#3. LEVEL UP 2025 | DALLAS, TX | October 13–16, 2025
Jazmin, myself, and the rest of the RevForce team look forward to seeing and meeting you in Dallas, TX, USA.
Alright Be Honest, How’d I Do?
Your opinion matters to me.
Seriously. I don’t write this newsletter because I’ve got nothing better to do.
I do it because I am hell bent on building REAL value for you.
Did this Dispatch deliver? Or should I call in an airstrike and start fresh?
Drop a comment or leave some stars
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Mission Accomplished – Tactical, tight, and ready for deployment
⭐️ ⭐️ Needs Reinforcements – Some hits, but it’s limping
⭐️ Mission Failure – Absolute FUBAR
Until next week,
Stay Frosty!
Michael
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