Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelley Armato.
Hi Shelley, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
🛠️ **How I Started MySmartPlans.ai — and Why I’ll Never Go Back**
For years, I walked onto construction sites and saw the same chaos:
Confused crews. Conflicting plans. Stacks of outdated paper drawings…
And *nobody* was sure who had the latest version.
💭 One day I asked a superintendent, “What happens if you’re wrong?”
He said, “*We just tear it out and try again.*”
That moment hit me like a freight train.
**We were building our world by breaking it first.**
And the cost wasn’t just money — it was time, trust, morale, and opportunity.
—
I didn’t come from Silicon Valley.
I didn’t have a background in AI or machine learning.
But I *knew construction* — deeply.
I understood its pain, its pace, its people.
And I knew this much:
📍 **Version control shouldn’t be a luxury.**
📍 **The field shouldn’t guess — it should *know*.**
📍 **We needed a brain behind the build.**
—
That’s why I founded **MySmartPlans.ai**.
Not just to digitize blueprints.
But to give teams **clarity** — in real time.
To make sure **everyone is building from the same playbook** — every minute, every day.
To let AI do what humans shouldn’t have to: track, flag, and protect against rework.
—
🔧 Today, MySmartPlans.ai isn’t just software.
It’s a movement to **build without breakdown.**
To move from guesswork to *smart work*.
And we’re just getting started.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the hardest parts of building MySmartPlans.ai was standing at the intersection of two industries that aren’t always welcoming to women: tech and construction.
I’ve walked into meetings where people assumed I was the assistant — not the founder. I’ve pitched my company to rooms full of men who looked past me, only to later realize I knew more about what was happening on real job sites than anyone else at the table.
But the struggle wasn’t just external.
**There were moments I questioned myself** — not because I didn’t believe in the product, but because I didn’t fit the mold of a “typical tech founder.” I didn’t come from Silicon Valley. I wasn’t technical by training. I was a woman from the construction world with a bold idea and the conviction to build it anyway.
Another challenge was **building trust in a space that resists change**. Construction is fast-moving but slow to adopt new tools. I had to prove — again and again — that MySmartPlans.ai wasn’t just another shiny piece of software. It was a tool built from lived experience, designed to solve the problems I had seen firsthand.
But every time I faced doubt, I leaned into something deeper than credentials or code: **I knew the pain we were solving.**
And I knew that if I didn’t build it, no one else would.
Being underestimated has been one of my greatest motivators.
It forced me to build smarter. To lead with clarity.
And to show that women don’t just belong in these spaces — we transform them.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Mysmartplans.ai?
## **About MySmartPlans.ai**
**What we do | What we stand for | What sets us apart**
At **MySmartPlans.ai**, we are reimagining how construction teams communicate, collaborate, and build. We specialize in **AI-powered plan management** that ensures every stakeholder — from project manager to field crew — is working from the **right version** of the right information, every single time.
In a world where construction mistakes cost billions and rework slows everything down, we solve one deceptively simple but critical problem: **version confusion.**
We’re known for creating a **single source of truth** on every project — a living, breathing system that updates in real time, flags inconsistencies, and removes the chaos from construction documents.
No more paper stacks. No more guesswork. No more “we didn’t know.”
—
## **What sets us apart?**
* **We come from the field, not the lab.**
MySmartPlans.ai wasn’t dreamed up in a tech incubator — it was born out of real pain seen on real job sites. That gives us an edge in how we design, speak, and support.
* **Our AI is smart enough to spot risks — and simple enough to use day one.**
You don’t need a tech degree to use our platform. We speak “construction,” not jargon.
* **We’re built on trust.**
We know that in construction, reputation is everything. That’s why we prioritize clarity, security, and simplicity in every feature.
—
## **What we’re most proud of, brand-wise**
We’re proud to stand for something bold: **build without breakdown.**
Our brand represents intelligence with grit. Elegance with urgency.
We’re not just digitizing plans — we’re protecting livelihoods.
—
## **What we want readers to know**
If you work in construction, you’ve probably experienced the stress of building from the wrong plans.
We built MySmartPlans.ai to make sure that never happens again.
Our offerings include:
* Intelligent plan version control
* Real-time updates across teams and devices
* Risk flagging, permission control, and audit trails
* Seamless integration with existing workflows
We’re trusted by builders who don’t have time to waste and can’t afford to guess.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about documents —
**It’s about delivering projects with confidence, clarity, and zero surprises.**
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
## **Lessons Learned: Realizing I’m a Badass (and Other Truths That Took Time)**
It took me longer than I care to admit to realize this simple truth:
**I’m a badass at most things.**
Not because everything came easy — but because I refused to quit when it didn’t.
Building **MySmartPlans.ai** didn’t just require vision. It demanded courage, resilience, and the kind of self-belief that doesn’t always show up when you need it. But over time, I learned how to summon it — even when I was scared, outnumbered, or underestimated.
Here are the lessons that taught me who I really am:
—
### 💥 1. Confidence isn’t loud — it’s earned.
I stopped waiting for permission. I stopped asking if I belonged.
I learned to trust my experience, my instincts, and the years I’ve spent solving real problems in the real world.
—
### 🧱 2. If the space doesn’t fit you — redesign it.
Tech didn’t see me coming. Construction didn’t expect me to lead.
So I stopped trying to squeeze into broken systems and started building better ones.
If you don’t fit the mold, you’re probably meant to break it.
—
### 🤐 3. People will doubt you — don’t join them.
I’ve been overlooked, second-guessed, and flat-out dismissed.
At first, it rattled me.
Now, it fuels me. I’ve learned that silence is a strategy. Let your work do the talking.
—
### 🛠 4. Clarity is a gift — give it generously.
Whether on a job site or in a boardroom, the people around you crave clear leadership.
I’ve learned that showing up with clarity — of vision, of expectations, of purpose — is one of the most powerful things a woman can do.
—
### 🧭 5. You can’t lead if you’re afraid to lose.
I’ve risked money, time, energy, and ego — and I’ve failed plenty.
But every loss taught me how to lead with more depth, more heart, and more edge.
Being brave doesn’t mean being fearless. It means doing it anyway.
—
### 🎯 The takeaway?
I’m a badass because I earned it.
And the best part? I’m just getting started.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mysmartplans.ai
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyarmato/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/mysmartplanskc
- Other: https://www.shelleyarmato.com
