From burnout to systems
For most founders, influencer marketing starts as hustle: DM after DM, spreadsheet after spreadsheet. It works - until it breaks.
As Cal AI, an AI-powered calorie-tracking app, began to grow, founder Zach Yadegari realized the biggest bottleneck wasn’t product or ad spend - it was time.
“We were manually running every campaign,” Zach recalls. “Finding influencers, sending messages, negotiating rates, tracking posts - it was chaos.”
Instead of hiring an in-house marketing team, Cal AI partnered with Founders Arm to systemize influencer marketing with virtual assistants trained to manage sourcing, outreach, contracts, and tracking at scale.
Systemizing influencer growth
Cal AI’s assistants aren’t task doers - they’re process owners. Each manages a defined stage of the influencer funnel.
Core functions handled by VAs:
Sourcing: Finding qualified creators who match Cal AI’s target audience and aesthetic.
Outreach: Sending personalized DMs and emails using pre-approved scripts and cadence rules.
Tracking: Logging every contact, response, and post in shared trackers for real-time visibility.
Contracts & Onboarding: Sending agreements, chasing signatures, and coordinating content delivery.
Analytics: Recording views, clicks, and conversion data for each creator to refine future campaigns.
“Our assistants don’t just support campaigns - they run them,” Zach says. “I wake up to a pipeline of creators already in motion.”
Why Founders Arm
Cal AI needed assistants who could move fast and maintain brand voice across hundreds of DMs and emails. Founders Arm stood out for its structured approach to training and SOP development.
Playbooks for every process — each assistant works from a documented SOP detailing criteria, tone, cadence, and red flags.
Soft and hard skills training — from CRM and tracking systems to communication tone and negotiation.
Outcome ownership — assistants are measured on results (“creators booked”) not tasks (“messages sent”).
“Founders Arm’s team felt like an extension of ours from day one,” Zach notes. “They understood our brand voice and could handle complex negotiations without losing the personal touch.”
The power of SOPs
Every assistant operates on documented SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) — the same playbook used to run Cal AI’s $30 million influencer machine.
SOP pillars:
Sourcing: Define creator fit (size, style, audience alignment) and provide visual examples.
Outreach: Use approved scripts and a four-step follow-up cadence (Day 1 , 4, 7, 10).
Tracking: Log every status change daily in shared sheets or Airtable.
Feedback: Daily reviews in early weeks, then weekly loops to iterate and improve.
Scaling: Add layers gradually — contracts, onboarding, analytics — once each process stabilizes.
The result is a machine that runs smoothly whether there’s one assistant or twenty.
Results that compound
Since partnering with Founders Arm, Cal AI has scaled its influencer operations without increasing founder workload.
$30M+ annual recurring revenue supported by a VA-run growth engine.
20+ virtual assistants running influencer campaigns end-to-end.
150+ active influencers managed simultaneously with consistent tracking.
Millions of downloads driven by authentic, repeatable creator partnerships.
“The Founders Arm team handles the operational complexity so we can focus on what we do best - building product and partnerships,” Zach says.
Lessons for founders
Cal AI’s journey shows how structured assistants become a growth multiplier.
Systemize before you scale. If you’ve explained it twice, it belongs in an SOP.
Define fit and tone. Examples train taste faster than words.
Train for judgment, not just tools. Soft skills make client-facing assistants trustworthy.
Feedback fast. Red/green reviews daily → weekly as autonomy builds.
Grow in layers. Stabilize one process before adding another.
What’s next
Cal AI is now expanding its Founders Arm team to support new growth channels — affiliate marketing, brand partnerships, and international expansion.
With a repeatable engine for influencer operations, the company plans to double its creator network while keeping operations lean and founders focused on innovation.
