How to be an entrepreneur in the age of AI
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The AI gold rush is here. Business leaders are scrambling, trying to figure out where they fit in this new world. Some entrepreneurs are going all in, working around the clock to master every tool. Others are paralyzed by analysis, waiting for the perfect moment to start. Neither approach wins. The game has changed but the rules of business success haven’t.
Since launching an AI company, doubling down on AI for coaches and writing about AI for Forbes, I’ve identified what really works when it comes to building a business in this space.
Here’s your playbook for entrepreneurship in 2025 and beyond.
Being an AI-powered entrepreneur: what to do in 2025
Many business owners chase every new AI tool that launches. They sign up for trials, test features, and add complexity to their stack. But they’re missing the point. Building a successful business goes beyond fancy tools; you need the right strategy.
Build your business the smart way
Get in the game
A super smart friend wants to start an AI company but something is stopping him. He’s too clever. He’s over-analyzing. He thinks whatever he starts will eventually be swallowed up by the big companies investing heavily in AI. Maybe he’s right. But really, who cares? You can’t pivot from the sidelines.
You don’t know what you don’t know until you get your hands dirty. Find an application of AI that could supercharge your business or even be its own venture. Start experimenting and experience the power of AI first hand. Then you can choose what to do next. By the time you this comes, you have knowledge, experience, and a bigger network. You just have to get started.
Pick your strategy and stick to it
AI tools have the potential to save you time and make you money. But don’t straddle strategies. You have two options. Option one: outproduce everyone. Share your impact, make your message go further. Work just as much but quadruple your output. Option two: do less. Get AI to automate your work so you can relax. Knowing your plan from the start makes other decisions easy.
Apply healthy skepticism
Software landing pages promise miracles to get you to sign up. Take the landing page copy with a pinch of salt. The founders are likely still figuring it out. Don’t expect one tool to solve all your problems. Don’t blame the technology when something doesn’t match up. Get good at using it. Find out its purpose. Understand what’s possible before you set unreasonable expectations.
Double down on what works
AI tools promise to make your social videos in a fraction of the time. But your main source of leads is SEO. Your friend is writing reams of content but your thing is podcast interviews. Don’t fall for shiny object syndrome. Instead, look at your superpowers. Only delegate, automate and eliminate the things you don’t love or aren’t very good at. That’s how you should use AI.
AI is not there to replace you doing the work you love. It can replace you doing the work you don’t like. But your superpowers are different to everyone else’s, so you need a different plan.
Build a team that innovates
Push your team to use the tools. The plan is not to replace your team members. The plan is that your team members empower themselves with technology. They start a revolution inside your company, with AI as the tool. The lazy ones will use AI in secret, to get away with doing less. The awesome ones will take pride in how much they can now get done. Your only job is telling the difference so you can push forward with A-players only.
Stay honest about methods
I just hired someone to write an email series and the emails were really good. Did she use AI to write them? Absolutely. And she told me. But I don’t care, because the results are as promised. She learned how to prompt, she poured her wisdom into the structure, and she scrutinized what came out before she declared it client ready. Ask people their methods. Tell them yours.
Keep quality high
Only share content you’re proud to put your name to. Only automate processes you’d happily do in real life. Don’t abuse AI tools to send out spam. Don’t abuse content creation to contribute to the noise. Your audience isn’t stupid. Use AI to serve them, not deceive them. Get this right, build your impact, build your empire, make work a game.
Make AI work for your business: succeed as an AI-powered entrepreneur
Get in the arena, and step forward with your best shot. Figure it out along the way. Stay curious, stay learning, but don’t overthink it. Pick your strategy, get in the game, take action, and keep your standards high.
The company you’re running right now might not be the one you’ll be running in five years. It could grow, decline or transform completely. Keep momentum going to make new contacts along the route. Be set up for whatever the future brings. The path becomes clear when you start walking it. What are you waiting for?