Ever feel like you're trapped in your own business success? In this solo episode, Mike shares his recent automation disaster in a St. Louis medical center waiting room and reveals why that frustration led to a breakthrough framework for building an AI Co-Founder that actually works.
Discover the three "missing partners" every solopreneur needs, learn from Mike's Zapier experiment gone wrong, and get the exact 4-step process for building your first AI assistant that saves you 20+ hours per month.
Key Takeaways
The Three Missing Partners Every Solopreneur Needs:
- The Strategic Sounding Board (who asks the tough questions you avoid)
- The Brainstorming Buddy (who breaks through creative blocks)
- The Diligent Assistant (who handles the "admin avalanche")
Why Mike's Zapier AI Agent Failed (And What It Teaches Us):
- Tried to make one AI wear too many hats
- Gave vague instructions instead of specific constraints
- Forgot that AI amplifies systems, it doesn't create them
The 4-Step Process to Build Your First AI Assistant:
- The Brutally Honest Time Audit
- Pick Your First Victory (one specific, repetitive task)
- Deconstruct Like You're Training an Intern
- Build and Test Your AI Agent v1.0
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to AI for Solopreneurs
00:05 The Solopreneur Struggle with AI
04:04 The Three Missing Partners
06:56 Lessons from a Failed AI Experiment
08:08 Building Your AI Co-Founder
11:29 Practical Steps to Implement AI
19:38 The Solopreneur Scalability Audit
21:42 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Resources Mentioned
đź”— Take the Solopreneur Scalability Audit: theaihat.com/scalability
Stop guessing where your time goes - get your real numbers in 15 minutes
đź“– Mike's AI Agent Reality Check: When AI Agents Meet Reality: My Hour-and-a-Half Wake-Up Call
🎯 Work With Mike: theaihat.com/work-with-me
Full Transcript: https://theaihat.com/tired-of-flying-solo-how-to-build-your-ai-co-founder/
Questions for Reflection
- What's your biggest "time vampire" - the repetitive task that drains your energy daily?
- If you could clone yourself for just one business function, what would it be?
- What automation project have you started but never finished?
Connect & Continue the Conversation
đź’¬ Let's discuss: Drop a comment on Spotify or YouTube - what do you think your biggest time drain is right now?
📱 DM Mike on Instagram: @mike.allton for specific AI assistant guidance
đź”” Subscribe for more: The AI Hat Podcast
📧 Weekly AI insights: The AI Hat Newsletter
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