I don't care about AI

I make videos about AI every day, but I don't really care about AI. I care about helping you grow your business, and right now AI happens to be the best way to do that.

So every AI engagement I take on starts with one question, and it has nothing to do with tools.

If we met five years from now and you were absolutely ecstatic about your business, what would be true?

Most owners I ask have never answered it for themselves. They've bought the subscriptions and watched the demos, but they couldn't tell you where they're trying to get to.

Answer it in detail. What are you earning? How many hours a week are you working, and how much time off are you taking? What work are you still doing?

And what work have you stopped doing?

That last answer is your AI shortlist. Those are the jobs to start handing over now, so they're long gone before year five.

Then work backwards. Decide what has to be true in three years, then in one year, and put a number on every line.

"Grow the business" is too vague to plan against. "One million in sales, a team of five, and working thirty hours a week" is a target you can build a plan around, and it tells you which jobs AI should take first.

AI is just the vehicle that gets you to that five-year picture. Without the picture, you'll keep buying tools that take you nowhere in particular.

And if growth isn't what you want, that's fine too. A stress-free business that gives you the life you want is worth far more than a big bank balance.

Write your five-year answer on one page this week, before you open another AI tool.