The Most Exciting Work I’ve Done Since 2008 (And It Involves AI)
What happens when you stop performing and start building—on your terms, with the help of the right tools
I’ve spent a lot of time over the past couple of weeks on calls with friends, showing them what I’ve been working on.
That wasn’t necessarily the objective of the call, but it’s a little hard to contain my excitement right now, and inevitably, my friends asked to see what I was talking about.
I can honestly say that I haven’t been this excited about what I’m doing since I first started online in 2008, when I realized it was 100% possible to earn a living online (keep in mind that I barely knew how to attach a file to an email at the time).
In some ways, this feels a little odd to say what I’m about to say, considering the state of the world right now, but, if you have a business (or want to start one), I truly believe that AI is the most incredible opportunity that I’ve seen in my lifetime.
That’s not to say that there aren’t concerns around AI (impact on the environment, humanity, etc.), but there have always been concerns around new technology. We’ve just never seen the pace of development that we’re witnessing today.
The Freedom We Were Promised
Let’s zoom out for a moment.
Most of us started our businesses in pursuit of some version of freedom. Time freedom (that was my primary goal) to set our own schedules. Creative freedom to bring our ideas to life. Financial freedom to build a life on our terms.
But if you’re anything like me (and most of the incredible entrepreneurs I work with), the path to that freedom somehow got cluttered. The open road of possibility filled up with… stuff.
It was the pressure to build the perfect funnel and launch the next big course. The feeling that you have to be on every platform, network with all the "right" people, and give away your best work for free just to be seen (I’m honestly thrilled that it feels like there’s a decline in social… but maybe that’s just me).
Suddenly, all your creative energy was spent performing online, not practicing your craft. And the business that promised freedom becomes a cage, built not from tiny tasks, but from the crushing weight of what everyone else says you should be doing.
Last week, I discussed “building” with AI, rather than just writing, ideating, planning, etc. All of which are fantastic use cases, so no judgment (and are things I use it for).
However, I think you might be missing out on an incredible opportunity to stand out and differentiate yourself.
Try to start thinking about the nuances in your business that only you understand, because you’ve done the work, had the conversations with your customers and subscribers, and really understand where they need help.
I have an incredible client I’m working with right now who had no clue what AI was capable of.
Don’t assume that because you know and understand something, everyone else does too.
Many of us in the marketing and creator space likely have a knowledge bias and assume that everyone else knows how to use these tools in a way that serves them.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Naturally, there’s a learning curve with understanding how to use the tools, but that’s also what makes this so fun.
There are zero rulebooks and playbooks right now… no matter how many marketers might tell you otherwise. It’s moving way too fast.
I literally hop between ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, depending on what I’m doing (and sometimes I pit them against each other, lol). I use the tools (because that’s all they are) to not only create, but to learn as I’m creating.
BUT… this is not for the faint of heart.
I’ve had a few evenings where my eyes were burning but I was determined to get something fixed, and after the 5th try (with the help of Claude, which is phenomenal at coding) and the issue still not being resolved (after being told it was fixed), accept that it was time to call it a night.
I’ve found that when I use any of these tools (LLMs, Vibe Coding, etc.) for an extended period, they all start to ‘lose the plot’ a bit, lol.
It’s frustrating when you want to keep going, but it is what it is.
So, I’ve learned to create the appropriate ‘guardrails’ (kind of like custom instructions in the LLMs - e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) thanks to a friend who is a developer and uses Cursor to develop his app (I’m using Lovable).
Once I learned about one guardrail, I started asking how I could create them for other aspects of the app (there’s nothing like having something working and looking the way you want, only to have a prompt for something else make the thing that was working break).
I’m incredibly close to having TypeQuiz ready and will host a webinar sharing it (my goal is mid-July). Here are some more screenshots. I’ve made numerous edits since I initially shared them.
When I think back to the days when I had a WordPress developer create a custom plugin, it took months, not to mention the countless hours I spent testing and taking screenshots with annotations, sending directions, only to have one of us misunderstand something (they were awesome though, incredibly grateful for them).
I’m creating this because I wanted it.
It solves a problem I had, and I know it will help other people.
That’s where you start.
Select one problem for your audience and identify the opportunity.
It’s a lot easier than you think. 😉
Noteworthy 🔥
Who says you can’t schedule notes in Substack? Introducing…
I truly love Substack and all the new friendships I’m making here, but it’s a dangerous time suck for me. It’s too easy to get sucked in and before I know it an hour (or more) has gone by. Being able to schedule Notes is everything.
A Little Brainpower 🧠
To ‘em dash’ or not to ‘em dash.’ A great post from my friend
For the Love of Language, Stop with the Em Dashes 😩.Well, check out this duo! “Google’s Veo 3 comes to Canva: Introducing Create a Video Clip.”
I couldn’t agree more. Great post from
. When did "value" start meaning “Exhaust Yourself for Free”?Tool Time 🛠️
AI Search: Optimize for AI search before your competitors do. Welcome to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Use Geneo free here.
AI SEO: This tool allows you to view what needs fixing on your site. It’s pretty cool. Enter your URL, and then it’s like you’re dragging a magnifying glass over your site, and it calls out what’s missing. Try AI Page Read free here.
AI Learning: Learn to collaborate with AI systems effectively, efficiently, ethically, and safely - free from Anthropic (Claude). Take the free course here.
NEW WordPress Cart: I’ve always hated WooCommerce, so I was thrilled to see this is launching SOON! Introducing FluentCart. Selling with WordPress just got faster, lighter, and simpler. Join the waitlist here.
A cute animal pic goes a long way 😊
Whew!
This was pretty meaty this week, so I’ll wrap this up with this. Join me this Friday as I go live with
to talk all about my vibe coding projects and how you can create your own apps!
Hope to see you tomorrow!
With coffee & kindness,
Kim
These are exciting times, Kim! And I'm excited to see what & how you continue to create with AI. I love techology!!
Thanks for the shoutout, Kim. Really appreciate it. I completely agree, there’s so much potential with this technology. I used it when I was building my Obsidian setup to help me organize and look up instructions. It cut my time dramatically. Can’t wait to see your final app products.