Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Ijah.
Hi Ben, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story is defined by the convergence of distinct worlds: high-performance athletics, engineering, and AI-driven technology.
It started at Texas State University, where I served as Team Captain for the Division I football team and competed in Track & Field. But while I was leading on the field, I was also earning my degree in Manufacturing Engineering. That unique balance—the grit of a Captain and the analytical logic of an engineer—led the NCAA to feature me as a ‘Renaissance Man.’
That title became the blueprint for my career. I realized I didn’t fit into a single corporate box. During my time in high-ticket B2B sales and eventually as the Creative Director for NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I found myself wearing multiple hats simultaneously. I wasn’t just a creative; I was one part marketer/designer, one part salesman, and one part software developer.
I realized that the future of business belonged to those who could merge these disciplines—combining the art of selling with the science of code.
That realization catapulted me to found ReachSmart.ai, a premier SaaS and software development company. We specialize in providing AI-driven marketing technology and building custom software solutions that help businesses automate growth. Today, I use my engineering background to architect scalable systems and my creative background to tell stories. It’s the ultimate expression of being a ‘Renaissance Man’—using intelligent automation to solve complex business problems.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has definitely not been smooth. In fact, the journey to building ReachSmart.ai was a masterclass in resilience.
One of the biggest hurdles was the decision to bootstrap. While I had my CTO, David—who has been instrumental on the development side from day one—funding the vision myself created immense pressure. When you are building complex SaaS platforms and AI marketing technology without outside capital, every dollar matters, and the margin for error is razor-thin.
We faced a major blow early on when we lost a massive custom software development deal that we were banking on. It was incredibly deflating at the time; it felt like the runway had disappeared beneath us. But that failure forced a critical shift in my mindset.
I realized that everything is happening for you, rather than to you.
That loss forced us to become leaner and more strategic. Instead of relying on a single large contract, we doubled down on refining our own automated marketing infrastructure. We found lessons in the loss, which ultimately helped us build a more robust, scalable product. Today, when we build custom software for our clients, we bring that battle-tested resilience to the table. We know exactly what it takes to scale because we had to claw our way there ourselves.
As you know, we’re big fans of ReachSmart.ai. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
ReachSmart.ai sits at the intersection of intelligent automation and human creativity. We are a SaaS and software development company, but what truly defines us is our ability to leverage AI and Big Data at a global scale.
We differentiate ourselves because we are a data-first company. We don’t just offer the engine; we provide the fuel. We have access to data on over 3 billion people globally, with up to 100+ unique data points per person. This depth of intelligence allows us to take companies to the next level because we aren’t guessing—we know exactly who your customers are and how to reach them.
We channel this power into two core platforms:
First is ‘Outbound’. This allows businesses to communicate 1-on-1 with their entire target market (B2B and B2C). By leveraging our 3-billion-person database, we run automated email campaigns that include hyper-personalized outreach, intelligent follow-ups, and responses. It even handles meeting scheduling automatically.
Second is ‘Inbound’. This allows businesses to handle customer needs at scale, 24/7. We combine an SEO-optimized website with advanced AI agents that live on-site to vet prospects and schedule meetings via message, voice, and video chat.
Beyond our platforms, we are also a premier build partner. We have developed custom AI technology for clients in high-complexity sectors like Social Media, the Financial Services space, and more. Whether it’s marketing automation or fintech software, we engineer the systems that allow businesses to dominate their industries.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that you cannot scale manual effort; you can only scale systems.
Coming from a background as a football player, I was conditioned to believe that success was purely about working harder than everyone else. But as I transitioned into sales and eventually became a tech founder, I realized that brute force has a ceiling. To truly break through, you need leverage.
I learned that innovation isn’t about doing more of the same thing; it’s about using data and technology to do things differently.
This lesson is the heartbeat of ReachSmart.ai. We built our entire company around the philosophy that businesses shouldn’t be guessing or grinding blindly. By utilizing AI agents, accessing 3 billion global data points, and deploying automated marketing workflows, we allow our clients to stop trading time for money. The lesson was simple but profound: Don’t just work in your business—engineer a system that works for you.
Pricing:
- Inbound Bronze – Free
- Inbound Silver – $99/mo
- Inbound Gold – $299/mo
- Outbound (Volume Based Pricing) – Start for as low as $10/mo
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reachsmart.ai/
- Other: https://inbound.reachsmart.ai/
