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Hey, Josh here. We did some digging and found some AI companies you could start this weekend. Let’s get into it:

7 AI Business Ideas You Can Start This Week

Most people think AI businesses require massive teams and million-dollar budgets. They're wrong. Here are 7 proven business models you can launch with nothing more than a laptop and the right tools.

1. AI-Powered Lead Generation Service

Every company needs more customers. Most are terrible at finding them. You can fix this with AI agents that do the heavy lifting.

Here's how it works: You build workflows that research companies, find decision makers, craft personalized outreach emails, and handle follow-ups. The AI does everything except close the deal.

The system: AI agents "inspect the domain" of new signups, "look up the person," decide which product to offer, and craft personalized messages without human input for each step.

Why this works: Companies already pay $50-200 per qualified lead. Your AI can generate leads 24/7 at a fraction of the cost.

Getting started: Use tools like Leap.ai to build visual workflows. Connect triggers (new signup in Slack) to AI blocks that perform data lookup, summarization, and email sending.

Real opportunity: Small businesses waste hours on manual prospecting. You're selling them time back. Charge $5-10 per qualified lead or $2,000-5,000 monthly retainers.

2. No-Code AI Automation Consultant

Small businesses know they need automation but don't know where to start. You become their guide using platforms that let you "drag-and-drop" or "tell" the system what needs to be done.

Most companies have 10-20 repetitive tasks eating up their team's time. Customer onboarding, invoice processing, social media posting, data entry. All perfect for automation.

The system: Use Zapier, Make, or n8n to connect different business tools. Example workflow: "on new signup → scrape website → draft email → send" without writing code.

Why this works: Research shows employees using AI complete tasks 66% faster on average. You're selling productivity gains that are already proven.

Getting started: Learn one no-code platform really well. Offer free audits to local businesses. Show them exactly how much time they're wasting on repetitive tasks.

Real opportunity: Charge $3,000-10,000 per automation project. Most businesses will pay that to get 10 hours per week back to their team.

3. VR Experience Studio

Everyone wrote off VR as a fad. Meanwhile, Meta sold 20 million Quest headsets. That's more than most gaming consoles sell in their entire lifecycle.

You don't need to build the next big VR game. Simple experiences work. Virtual showrooms, training simulations, branded experiences for events.

The proof: Gorilla Tag, a simple VR game where players chase each other as gorillas, made over $100 million with a tiny team. Kids and teens love movement-based multiplayer gameplay, even if graphically primitive.

Why this works: Companies want VR content but don't want to hire full-time VR developers. Quest 3 costs $499 - less than most phones. Apple's Vision Pro entry will catalyze broader adoption.

Getting started: Learn Unity or Unreal Engine. Build a few demo experiences. Target real estate agents, training companies, or event planners first.

Real opportunity: VR development projects start at $10,000. Corporate training simulations can go for $50,000+. The market is there - millions of headsets are already sold.

4. AI-Powered Smart Device Business

Hardware is easier than ever. A Raspberry Pi costs $50. Add sensors, AI software, and you've got a smart product. Over 60 million Pi units have been sold worldwide.

Think beyond the obvious. AI-powered pet feeders, smart garden monitors, voice-controlled workshop tools. The components are cheap. The margins are huge.

The system: Engineers are building AI-powered toys by embedding a Pi and microphone into teddy bears. The toy "listens" and responds to children's questions using GPT-4. Total component cost: under $100.

Why this works: People pay premium prices for "smart" versions of everyday items. Your AI makes ordinary products extraordinary.

Getting started: Pick a simple device you use daily. Figure out how AI could make it better. Build a prototype with a Pi and off-the-shelf sensors.

Real opportunity: Hardware margins are 3-5x higher than software. A $50 device can sell for $200-300. The barrier to entry dropped through the floor.

5. Custom AI Content Generator

Every business needs content. Blog posts, social media, email campaigns, product descriptions. Most hire expensive agencies or struggle to keep up.

You build AI systems that create content in their brand voice. Not generic AI writing - personalized systems trained on their specific style and industry.

The evolution: We're moving from humans creating fixed content to AI creating content per request. Instead of waiting for nightly sports highlights, viewers could ask for custom highlights and AI would compose clips on the fly.

Why this works: Generic AI content is obvious. Custom-trained models sound like the actual company. That's worth paying for.

Getting started: Use tools like Copy.ai or Jasper as your base. Layer in custom prompts and brand guidelines. Charge monthly subscriptions.

Real opportunity: Content agencies charge $5,000-20,000 monthly. You can offer similar results for $1,000-3,000 by automating the production process.

6. AI-Powered Inventory Management

Walmart uses AI forklifts in their warehouses. Startups like Gather.ai use drones with computer vision to scan inventory 10x faster and 60% cheaper than human teams.

Small businesses still use clipboards and guesswork. You can build simple AI systems that track inventory, predict demand, and automate reordering.

The system: Use computer vision and AI to count products automatically. Gather's clients reported inventory counting went from hours to minutes with drones.

Why this works: Inventory mistakes cost businesses 20-30% of their profits. Your AI prevents those mistakes with automation.

Getting started: Partner with local retailers. Use computer vision to count products. Build dashboards that show what's selling fast.

Real opportunity: Inventory software sells for $200-500 per month per location. Retailers with multiple locations pay even more. The technology exists - most just haven't implemented it.

7. Personalized AI Media Service

Netflix personalizes recommendations. YouTube personalizes videos. But most businesses send the same content to everyone.

You build AI systems that create personalized videos, emails, and experiences for each customer. Not templates - actual custom content generated in real time.

The technology: Games like Oasis AI generate entire worlds in real-time using AI at 20 frames per second. If AI can create infinite game worlds, it can create personalized business content.

Why this works: Personalized content gets 10x better engagement than generic content. Companies will pay premium prices for those results.

Getting started: Use AI video tools like Synthesia or Runway. Build workflows that pull customer data and generate personalized content automatically.

Real opportunity: Marketing agencies charge $10,000-50,000 for personalized campaigns. You can deliver similar results with 90% less manual work using AI automation.

The Real Secret

Notice what all these businesses have in common? They solve problems companies already pay money to fix. You're not creating new demand - you're offering better solutions.

The AI isn't the product. It's the tool that makes your solution 10x better than what exists today. As one analysis noted, businesses using AI agents and automation "feel supercharged" - they can serve more customers, process more data, and innovate faster without proportionally more hires.

Getting Started This Week

Pick one idea that matches your background. If you understand sales, go with lead generation. If you know marketing, try content creation. If you're technical, consider hardware or VR.

Start with one client. Charge them a fraction of what they'd pay elsewhere. Deliver amazing results. Use that success to land the next client.

The companies that move fast on AI will own their markets. The ones that wait will be playing catch-up forever. Remember the maxim: "impatience in action, patience with results."

What You Need to Begin

A laptop, internet connection, and willingness to learn. Most of these businesses can be started for under $1,000. Some for under $100.

The barriers are lower than they've ever been. The opportunities are bigger than most people realize. As the notes mentioned, advances in perception, cheap compute, and cloud AI make it feasible for a two-person team to prototype solutions that once required big budgets.

Your competitors are probably still figuring out what AI even means. While they're debating, you could be building.

The Bottom Line

Technology is changing how small teams compete. These aren't pie-in-the-sky ideas - they're based on real trends happening right now. VR has millions of users. AI productivity gains are measured and proven. Hardware components are cheaper than ever.

The question isn't whether these opportunities exist. It's whether you'll be early or late to the party. The "sleeping giants" are waking up. The founders who recognize the opportunities now will be the ones who benefit when the markets fully mature.