Empire Flippers Podcast Building an 8-Figure Autonomous Business Using AI Agents With Amos Bar Joseph [Ep.185]
Traditionally, headcount equals scale. But in the age of AI, is this still true?
In this episode, we're joined by Amos Bar Joseph, the co-founder of Swan AI, the first autonomous business. Their goal? Reaching $30 million in ARR with just three founders and a powerful fleet of AI agents.
Amos explains how he is building an enterprise-level business with just three employees, and how Swan AI's autonomous business model is different from traditional AI-powered businesses.
While most companies simply bolt AI onto existing workflows to automate repetitive processes, Swan AI is designed around agentic workflows, where AI agents operate with memory, goals, and decision-making capabilities. It's not just automation; it's intelligent delegation.
Amos is quick to clarify: this isn't about replacing humans, it's about giving small teams superpowers. He explained how each agent is purpose-built to make their founders 100x more effective, by designing agents around them, rather than 1:1 replacing a hire.
Amos explains how to ensure your agents stay accurate and aligned with business objectives, avoiding 'hallucinations' and maintaining customer trust. He also shares when to stick with classic workflows and when to switch to agents for higher-level tasks.
We also tackle the provocative question: Is a one-person unicorn possible?
If you're interested in building a smarter, leaner business using AI, this episode will challenge how you think about scale. Enjoy!
Topics Discussed in this episode:- What is an agentic workflow? (03:48)
- Amos's background and the origins of Swan AI (04:48)
- How an autonomous business is different from an AI-powered business (08:45)
- Why adding AI agents helps enhance employees, not replace them (13:43)
- How Amos is building an enterprise-level business with just 3 employees (18:26)
- How to control the AI agents' context and accuracy (23:33)
- The difference between AI automation and AI agents (28:44)
- When to use automations and workflows vs AI agents (35:12)
- The best resources for building your own AI agent (42:36)
- Is a one-person unicorn possible? (45:08)
Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to scale your business without bloat, using AI agents.