Josh Huilar

"If you know Anaplan, you'll pick up Pigment fast."
They lied.

After 10 years writing Anaplan formulas,
I couldn't even guess what my first Pigment formula did.

The syntax is completely different.
The structure is completely different.
The mental model is completely different.

Anaplan: IF THEN ELSE logic
Pigment: Excel-style syntax + Modifiers

Anaplan: Point and click to build formulas
Pigment: Type everything from memory

Anaplan: Modules with line items
Pigment: Hundreds of individual metrics

It took me 10+ hours of training to rewire my brain.

Worth it?
Absolutely.

But if you're migrating from Anaplan,
don't expect plug-and-play.

Expect a learning curve.
Plan for retraining.
Budget the time.

Your Anaplan expertise doesn't transfer.
Your planning logic does.

Anaplan vets switching to Pigment:
What surprised you most?

I just wrote a bad formula in Pigment.
No toaster time.

Just: "Hey, remove the X dimension."
That's it.

In other tools, that same mistake costs me:
→ Vague error messages
→ 5 minutes of waiting
→ Trial and error to fix it

Pigment accepts the formula.
Recommends the fix.
Keeps running.

After a decade of "toaster time" in other tools,
this feels like magic.

Is Pigment perfect?
No.

Is it faster when you mess up?
Absolutely.

Small wins like this add up to hours saved.

What's your biggest frustration with other planning tools?

Now you can build agents without writing a line of code.

OpenAI just launched a no-code agent builder. You define tasks, chains, and logic declaratively.

The system handles the plumbing, APIs, triggers, steps, failovers.

Why this matters for transformation leads, FP&A, and CFO teams:

You can prototype automation in hours, not weeks

No engineering backlog needed for basic workflows

Agents can coordinate data, APIs, browser actions, without you wiring everything

Faster route from idea → test → scale

Use cases that make sense today:

▍ 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁
• Trigger: end-of-period
• Steps: gather data, run checks, compile slides, send for review

▍ 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁
• Parse invoices
• Match to PO & GL codes
• Flag anomalies

▍ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁
• Track renewal dates
• Compare terms to benchmarks
• Alert on suspicious clauses

What to keep in mind:

It’s early technology, complex workflows might still need fallback

Agents involve permissions. Don’t let them have open access to critical systems

Governance and auditability must be part of the rollout

What you should do next:

1. Pick a high-impact but contained process
2. Model an agent roadmap (trigger → steps → outcomes)
3. Build a first version yourself or with a small team
4. Measure hours saved and errors reduced then expand

When non-engineers can build intelligent agents, transformation speeds up. The tech barrier drops.

The winners will be those who prototype, test, and govern smartly.

-----------------------
Looking to future proof your career with AI? Follow me Josh
♻️Repost this to help a coworker with AI

That feeling when you spend 2 hours formatting a deck...
And then realize Gamma can do it in 2 minutes?

That was me last month.

I wasted 2 hours on slides because I didn't think to use AI.
Even though I've been using AI for two years.

Here's what I've learned:
The hard part of AI isn't the technology.
It's remembering when to use it at work.

You get an email.
You start typing a response.
10 minutes later,
You realize you could've had Claude draft it in 30 seconds.

The only way AI actually sticks,
Is if you build it into your workflow.

Not as a "tool to try" but as the first thing you reach for.

That's why my AI course isn't about prompts or features.

It's about replacing the manual work you already do:

Week 1: The emails you write every week
Week 2: The reports you copy/paste/format
Week 3: The analysis you spend hours building
Week 4: The recurring tasks you hate

$49/month.
7-Day Free Trial.
Get instant access here: https://lnkd.in/gAPqt9-v

Most AI news this week was noise.
These 7 updates actually matter.

(Swipe for the full breakdown →)

This is what 6,000+ readers get in my weekly newsletter.
Every Sunday.
Zero fluff.

P.S. Newsletter link in comments.

You're using ChatGPT wrong
Like it's Google but with better manners

The real power isn't in asking better prompts...

It's in building your own Custom GPT that knows:
Your tone
Your systems
Your business

This Saturday at 12:00PM US Central, Jay Yousef is hosting a live Custom ChatGPT Workshop where you'll learn:

• How to create your own branded GPT (no coding)
• How to train it on your business content
• How to use it to save 5-10 hours a week
  
You'll walk away with your very own AI assistant trained on your business and ready to work for you

Comment "GPT" below if you want the invite

PS Spots are limited to provide 1on1 help

Most AI courses teach you "prompt engineering",
That's the problem.

You don't need to think like a prompt engineer.
You need to stop thinking and get your work done faster.

Here's the difference:

𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲: "Learn advanced prompting techniques, chain-of-thought reasoning, and multi-step workflows."

𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲: "Here's the exact prompt I use to write my weekly report. Copy it. Change 3 words. Done."

You don't need to master AI.
You need to eliminate the work you hate.

That's why my course is built around your actual job:
The analysis you already do
The emails you already send
The reports you already write

No theory.
No "prompt engineering."

Just: "Here's the thing you do every week. Here's how AI does it in 3 minutes."

$49/month.
7-Day Free Trial.
Get instant access here: https://lnkd.in/gAPqt9-v

Feeling behind on AI?
Read this:

Relevant links in my newsletter.

Read by 6,000+ readers from Amazon, Big 4, and more!

Get my newsletter in the comments 👇

-----------------------

Ready to futureproof your career with AI?
Follow me Josh for more.

ChatGPT 5.1 just dropped
And it is another step in how we work, learn, and think.

OpenAI released GPT 5.1 with two new modes
Instant for quick answers
Thinking for deeper reasoning and harder problems

Here is what stands out

Faster and more helpful responses on everyday tasks

Better step by step reasoning that feels more human

More control over tone so you can choose the vibe

Longer memory so you do not need to repeat yourself

Why this matters for you
AI is not just a tool anymore
It is now an actual thinking partner
You can move faster without feeling rushed
You can learn without feeling dumb
You can explore ideas without fear of judgment

What you can try right now

Use Instant for daily tasks like planning, summarizing, drafting

Use Thinking for creative work, problem solving, and big decisions

Treat it like a co pilot not a genie

Keep the final judgment human

The real story here
AI is not replacing people
It is replacing the gap between idea and execution

Those who learn to think with it
not against it
will feel like they unlocked a second brain

-----------------------
Looking to future proof your career with AI?
Follow me Josh
♻️Repost this to help a coworker with AI

ChatGPT just turned three.
The world looks different because of it.

When it launched in late 2022, most people saw it as a cool toy.

Three years later, it has nearly 800 million weekly users.

And its impact is showing up in ways that are impossible to ignore.

Here is what actually changed.

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀:
• In some countries, freelancers in writing, design, translation, and basic coding saw demand fall.
• In others, people used ChatGPT to level up their skills and reach new markets.
• Professionals who learned how to integrate it into their workflow moved faster than those who waited.
  
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽:
• Students, teachers, and self learners started using AI to break down complex topics, translate concepts, and get unstuck.
• Some institutions pulled back because of accuracy or policy concerns, but the momentum never stopped.
• People who once felt shut out of certain subjects now had a way in.
  
𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆:
• Planning trips.
• Understanding contracts.
• Drafting emails.
• Exploring ideas.

ChatGPT went from novelty to utility.

Something people open the same way they open a browser.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗼𝘄:
• If your work depends on tasks that can be structured, repeated, or systemized, AI has already touched it.
• If your value comes from judgment, creativity, interpretation, or trust, you still have room to grow.
• Your edge is not in typing faster. It is in thinking better.
  
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱:
• Use AI to accelerate the work, not define the work.
• Build a habit of reviewing and improving what AI produces.
• Invest in the skills that compound with AI rather than compete with it.
• Treat ChatGPT as a tool that expands your capacity, not a shortcut around effort.

ChatGPT’s third year is not a milestone for the model.

It is a milestone for us.

We are entering a world where people who learn to work with AI will move further, faster, and more confidently than those who wait.

-----------------------
Looking to future proof your career with AI?
Follow me Josh
♻️Repost this to help a coworker with AI

Google just dropped Gemini 3 and the message is simple.
AI is getting smarter in ways that actually matter.

Gemini 3 is now testing at the top of global benchmarks in math, science, reasoning, and multimodal tasks.

It can read, listen, watch, interpret, and solve across different formats at once.

Here is what stands out:

It handles complex thinking
Better at multi step problems
Better at logic
Better at understanding structure and context

It sees more than text
Images
Audio
Video
Code
Everything becomes input, not noise

It can work across huge context windows

Meaning it can hold much more of your conversation or project in its mind without losing the thread

Why this matters to you:

You do not need to be a developer or researcher to benefit from this.

Better reasoning means better help on everyday problems

Better multimodal means you can feed in screenshots, photos, sketches, notes

Better memory means smoother collaboration and fewer resets

What you can try right now:

Give it a real problem you are stuck on

Upload a screenshot or photo instead of typing everything out

Ask it to walk through the thinking, not just give you a result

Use it to learn faster, not just get answers faster

The real shift:

AI is no longer about tricks or shortcuts.
It is becoming a system that can think alongside you.

Not perfectly, not magically, but powerfully enough to change how you work and learn.

If you learn how to use these tools now you build an advantage that compounds for years

-----------------------
Looking to future proof your career with AI?
Follow me Josh
♻️Repost this to help a coworker with AI

Most AI news this week was noise.
These 7 updates actually matter.

(Swipe through for the full breakdown →)

Here's what I filter for:

Not "AI can do X."
But "Here's what changes at your company."

Not research papers.
But tools you'll use Monday morning.

This is what 6,000+ readers get in my weekly newsletter.
Every Sunday.
Zero fluff.

P.S. Newsletter link in comments.
Or DM me "NEWS" and I'll send it.

I showed a Pigment board to a CFO.
She asked: "Is this a website or our planning tool?"

That's the Pigment UX difference.

After 10 years in other planning tools,
I forgot planning tools could look modern.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲
Other tools: Functional, dated, "Excel on steroids"
Pigment: Clean, visual, "actually want to use this"

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲
Other tools: FP&A uses it, business partners resist
Pigment: Sales, HR, Ops teams actually engage

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
Your planning tool is only as good as the data your business partners input.

If they hate the UX, they'll avoid it.
If they love it, they'll use it.

Pigment's boards feel like a BI tool.
Not a planning model.

That's not superficial.
That's the difference between:
→ 40% adoption
→ 90% adoption

Beautiful UX isn't a luxury.
It's a business requirement.

What's stopping adoption of your planning tool?

Most AI news this week was noise.
These 7 updates actually matter.

(Swipe for the full breakdown →)

This is what 6,000+ readers get in my weekly newsletter.
Every Sunday.
Zero fluff.

P.S. Newsletter link in comments.

Most companies say they want AI.
Then they wonder why nothing changes.

Here's the gap...

Your team doesn't need more AI tools.

They need to know how to use them.

That's why I built my own AI training for corporate teams.

After 10+ years implementing enterprise solutions
(And teaching finance teams AI workflows)
I noticed the same problem everywhere:

→ Managers don't know how to prompt effectively
→ Teams waste hours on tasks AI could handle
→ Companies buy licenses but see zero ROI
→ No one owns the AI strategy internally

So I created the playbook I wish existed.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲:

• Prompting 101 (the foundation everyone skips)
• ChatGPT Deep Research, Canvas, Data Analysis
• AI image/video creation for business use
• Real use cases across functions
• How to build an AI Center of Excellence

Not theory.
Not hype.
Practical workflows your team uses Monday morning.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿:
→ Mid-level managers tired of manual work
→ Companies upskilling 5-500 employees
→ Anyone who knows AI matters...
But doesn't know where to start.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿:
$49/month
7-day free trial
Access all modules immediately

I've kept this intentionally affordable because every company (not just Fortune 500) needs this foundation.

Access it here: https://lnkd.in/gAPqt9-v

Questions? Drop them below.

P.S. If you're training 10+ people, DM me for team pricing.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Director Advisory Services at Embark!