We're launching Not for Nerds, a new kind of AI community. AI for the rest of us. Real people sharing practical AI implementations within their day-to-day. Everyone helping them get there. Join the launch waitlist at NotForNerds.com Why are we doing this? Because we've been through the struggle many of you face today. You hear about AI, you tinker with AI, but it's rare you get "the thing" over the finish line. That changes soon. Imagine having a community of AI friends fighting the same battle with you... and share what they learn along the way. This is for: For SMB owners who want to copy real use cases. For those grinding and what to get "unstuck." For the operator who wants to build useful workflows without drowning technical jargon. Minimum value: In your first 30 days, build or improve one real AI workflow for your business. Hope to see you on the list!

Watch party at the Chilly Bin! 🇺🇸⚽️ LET’S GOOOOOOOOO!

The Claude Fable hype is real. So is the cost. But holy cow 🤯 it's shockingly good.

23 yrs building the same business. Still here. Truth is there have been times of "burnout," but I've mostly been able to avoid it. How? Because as an operator, your role changes like the seasons of the year. Here are the 11 or so seasons I've been through ⬇️ 1. Proof the concept phase: Designer, developer, sysops, marketing... all me. Biz partner handled sales, copywriting, admin, etc. We made a few bucks while in college. 2. First-hires phase: Still "do everything", just a little less of some with new teammates onboard. We got a dev, then a designer, then an SEO copywriter. (Noteworthy: 2 of the 3 lead departments for us still today). 3. "We have a business!" phase: First office, second dev, culture beginning to take hold. Landing bigger recurring contracts. A slight shift to more managerial role while still taking on higher-end client work myself. Targeting New Orleans now as opposed to just our small Louisiana town. 4. Early growth phase: Local SEO and PPC ads were working well. Lead flow picked up and we hired a few more people. "Roles" starting to become "teams." Still hopping from team to team, in the weeds, to fill in as needed. 5. Learn to delegate phase: This was HARD, but a major unlock. Time to start putting trust in team members (and the training, SOPs that got them there). Zoned in as head of the dev team. Began assisting in sales. Design and SEO teams (mostly) run on their own. 6. Real "SMB" phase: Rebranded. Added a senior dev, customer success rep, in-house ads team. Team at about 14 people. Still leading dev direction (less code), still helping in other areas, but leaning more into sales, admin. Branched out in to Houston & Dallas. 7. COVID "boom" phase: Killed the office, went 100% remote. Unlocks: no rent, hire best ppl from ANYWHERE. Zoom became cool, so virtual meeting became socially acceptable. Allowed us to market anywhere. Hit $1M in revenue for first time. Teams all running on their own now. Trying to clean up ops, etc. and realize we need help. 8. Get an "Advisor" phase: Shoutout to @patrickdichter for crushing it as our advisor for a few years. Helped us find bottlenecks, prioritize efforts, brainstorm on "website as a service" model. Partner and I both shifting into shared hybrid "visionary/integrator" roles. Focus on making team leads successful. Very little "day to day" action. 9. "Grow up" phase: Full-on visionary/integrator/admin role: Clean bookkeeping, get a fCFO, expand the team (now 20 ), add offerings (Meta Ads, etc.), document processes, created scorecard, proper hierarchy, etc. 10. New business model phase: Went from the "$20K web design agency" to the "$399/month custom site unlimited updates forever" model (WaaS). Shift to recurring revenue was huge. Much more predictable. Risky though! Cash crunch was REAL. Added almost $200K to a line of credit during the transition, but believed in the vision. Result: Much stronger business. Less stress. Win-win-win for all involved, especially clients. 11. The "AI" phase (current): Completely in a "work on the business" not "in the business" role. So fun and yet challenging. That said, I do tinker with ai "vibe coding" for side quests because it's too powerful not to. Currently integrating AI in all ways that result in a better product and more efficient team, without sacrificing quality or human touch. Making huge strides! Excited about our shift in vision for the next 12-18 months, where we "reinvent" the website-as-a-service model and take it to far greater heights. Very cool stuff in the works! If you're still here, thanks for reading. I've got plenty more to share (and lots to learn), so let me know if a particular phase or topic interests you. Always appreciate a follow @joebenson if you like this kind of content.

World Cup starts this week!!! We will be creating a group on this site for my family… fun to add a little drama to every single WC game! And it’s free. Nice one Christoph 🔥

What if... You could have a few hundred everyday people... Working with AI daily in real-life... Available to bounce ideas off of (like a community)... For less than $20/mo? THIS would be an awesome! Well, I'm excited to be building just that with @ShannonJean and @BILLYBENS0N. Join the waitlist for the founding group at NotForNerds.com! Launching later this month.

The new ChatGPT Image gen is sooo friggin good! 🤯 Today should be the LAST day you use standard icon-sets for your marketing and websites. Just crafted 10 *insanely* good on-brand icons for a new AI community we're launching this month (shameless plug: NotForNerds.com). Here's the how-to (full prompt below): - Go to ChatGPT - Upload your existing logo - Explain or list the categories you need icons for - Press Submit Full prompt: I need to create icons for each of these categories to replace the current emojis. Do not feel the need to copy the same symbol or shape of an emoji. Design an icon image that you think is absolutely best for each category. Use the logo supplied simply as a brand style reference guide. Create each file individually please with a white background, or, within a light cream circle surrounded by a white background. whatever makes the most sense to make these amazing!

WOW!!! Make your profile pic come to life. The waves, the reflections in the sunglasses, the realistic parallax of the hills. INSANE! The new Grok Imagine is next-level. Profile pic ⇢ Grok Imagine 1.5 ⇢ 10s realistic video What will the world be like in 10 years from now?

Almost 100 ppl joined our "ai for the rest of us" community waitlist in 24 hrs! Super cool! 🎉 But what do they want us to build? Claude breaks it down into pro-level insights w/ a single prompt tip (see video). Join us and help shape NotForNerds.com!

Play golf. Go on golf trips. Bring your son when he’s old enough. It’s the perfect game. All ages, any season, time to talk, time to compete, and there’s always something good that comes from a day on the course. Learn to play. You’ll thank me later.

Sounds spot on, finally practical AI for everyday folks

Hyped for this! Check out notfornerds.com So much value to be unlocked, together. Work will be more efficient. Lives will be better. Big wins incoming!

Never thought I'd be so happy to lose money. Clients screaming "we're at capacity." A few months ago we launched Eversite "Intelligence Layers" for Google Ads (select clients only, for now). Specialized AI intelligence engines, custom per client, that give us a HUGE advantage running ads (especially in service based industries). Current client verticals with an "Intelligence Layer" include roofers, tree services, a large pool service franchise, and soon a tattoo studio. Can't tell you much more without giving it away. But I can tell you it's working. And I'm pumped! If you're running a service company let me know and I'll tell you if you're a good fit.

This guy is a legendary follow. Authentic, entrepreneur, good fun. He also built a $1M biz in 8 mo.

Can’t explain the power and value of a good business-minded peer group. Ours kind of formed organically after an X competition experiment years ago. We chat daily ever since. We meet up in person this fall for the third year in a row.

They say "it happens fast." Boy does it! 2 yrs apart... my second born is darn near as tall as me. I find myself having an urge to pay more attention, to take more walks, to have more downtime, before they're all out the door. Friends and activities already create a noticeable "pull" as they reach high school age. I remember it well. When I was 18, I was READY TO GO! Not because I had a rough home life. I was blessed with a great home life. A young man, who's been raised well, is ready to take on the world somewhere between 18 and 20. That's only a few short years away now. Two years and change for my oldest. It has FLOWN by. It's a little unsettling, if I'm honest. I share this as a reminder to my friends that are parents: Work hard, yes. But parent harder! In the end your relationships and memories with your children will far outweigh any wealth you've accumulated. I hope you're blessed enough to acquire both.