How To REALLY Leverage AI In Your Business
How To REALLY Leverage AI In Your Business
Why is focusing on intrinsic growth more important than just financial success?
Many people measure success solely by the amount of money in their bank account. When their balance dips below a certain point, they often become uncomfortable and give up, deciding to get a job because they think their business isn’t working. What I tell people is to think of it like having two bank accounts—one for checking and one for savings. Both are your accounts, so you're not losing anything. Now, consider your intrinsic value as your primary account. Even when your financial net worth is low or even negative, your journey as an entrepreneur is filled with ups and downs, like a yo-yo. Each setback teaches you important lessons, and that’s the deposit you're making into yourself as intrinsic value.
The key is to ask: am I more valuable today than I was yesterday? Generating wealth is possible given the right circumstances, time, and strategy, but recognizing and capitalizing on opportunities is what matters. If you’re not growing in that way, you're no different from a factory worker earning a set wage without exploring what else is possible. The real focus should be on gaining knowledge and increasing your worth beyond just material possessions.
Why is effective communication essential for success?
Learn communication. I grew up as an introvert and later got an education in engineering and computer science, fields where many people are also introverts. What I’ve found is that in industrial society, we often hide behind our talents, skills, or titles. We think having a PhD in computer science or another qualification should automatically get us noticed or open up opportunities. But we forget that everything in life comes through a conversation with someone else—whether it’s getting a job, making a business deal, or negotiating. Even our very existence is the result of a conversation our parents had.
As an introvert, I used to be an unpleasant person to talk to. I was very black-and-white in my thinking, and if something didn’t make sense to me, I’d dismiss it and insult people without realizing it. This caused problems, and I eventually understood the importance of communication. What’s ironic is that so many of these issues in life could be avoided if we were taught communication skills early on. We learn math and science, but we’re never given a manual on how to communicate with the other 30 people in the classroom. I think that’s a big oversight in our education system.
How can leveraging technology help businesses grow with minimal staff?
Any organization, and its leaders, aim to grow the business. The number one factor for that growth is the team. If you have a strong, dedicated, and skilled team, the business will thrive. Now imagine you hire someone with a PhD in sales, operations, marketing, psychology, and more. This person never sleeps, is available 24/7, and costs almost nothing.
You tell them you want to launch a product aimed at 35-year-old single mothers living in the suburbs. This expert gives you 15 product ideas, and you choose one. Then, they provide a marketing strategy to get it off the ground, followed by a plan for what you can do today to make immediate progress. They can even write the landing page copy, draft an NDA and contract for new customers, and handle other tasks instantly.
In the near future, I predict we will see companies going public with just one employee, as technology will handle almost everything else.
What changes will AI bring to costs, work, and healthcare?
Industrialization and capitalism have concentrated resources in the hands of a few, those who can take the risks. The cost of living is rising, but with automation and AI, the cost of goods we consume will decrease. Around 60 to 70 percent of the cost of goods comes from the services tied to infrastructure, like banking and insurance. If you think about it, a bank is just a way for us to manage trust because we can't trust each other directly, so we pay hefty fees for that trust. The same goes for insurance. For example, if you buy a phone for $1,000, more than 60 percent of that cost comes from services, not the product itself.
With AI taking over, the cost of goods will drop, making things more affordable for more people. We'll also see a dispersion of the population. During COVID, we learned that people can work from anywhere, not just crowded mega-cities. In the future, we’ll see a more spread-out population across the globe.
Another big shift will be in personalized medicine. Today, medicines may cure an issue, but there's always a chance of side effects because the drug isn't matched to our unique DNA. However, now there are ways to analyze your DNA and create custom medications tailored just for you, eliminating side effects. I also believe that in the next 15 years, human driving will become illegal, eliminating road rage and accidents as AI takes over driving.
What skills do children need to adapt to rapid global changes?
I see my sons as both fortunate and a bit intimidated by the rapid changes in human evolution. Our minds are designed to adapt to slow changes over decades or centuries, but in the last 20 years, the world has shifted so quickly. That’s why we’re seeing more anxiety and mental health issues—it’s the sheer amount of stimulus we’re taking in, which we aren’t built to handle.
With my kids, I focus on teaching them the importance of communication and self-awareness. The solutions lie within, not outside. When you start valuing your inner self, you gain the confidence to handle anything the outside world throws at you. Another key aspect is giving them more international exposure, because we're entering a world where boundaries and borders are becoming invisible. Virtual reality and real reality are merging, and soon, we won’t be able to tell them apart. In that environment, they need to understand how the world operates globally because we won’t be limited by geography anymore. We all will need to become global citizens by default.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
