Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business 1194: AI cold calling agents!? Personalized outreach!? Here's how to grow FAST with AI w/ Mike Ali
Mike Ali, founder of OnPath Marketing, shares how he’s revolutionizing the cold outreach game with AI-powered voice agents and personalized email systems. Starting with zero capital and a background in finance, Mike bootstrapped his business into a cutting-edge AI automation agency that helps companies scale their marketing without adding headcount.
This episode is a masterclass in how to use AI to drive real-world results, build systems that sell, and focus on strategic growth. If you're an entrepreneur looking to work smarter (not just harder), this one’s a game-changer.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
- 🤖 How AI voice agents are replacing traditional cold calling with scalable, human-sounding automation
- 🚀 Why marketing agencies must evolve from service providers to solution engineers
- 📈 How Mike sends 2,000+ personalized emails daily without getting flagged as spam
- 🎯 Why prompt engineering is a competitive edge—and how to get better at it
- 💼 How to integrate AI into your CRM and booking system for seamless client acquisition
- 🔁 The simple shift from feature-selling to benefit-selling (and how it changes everything)
- ⚒️ A low-cost, high-impact growth model you can implement even if you're just starting out
📝 About the Guest
Mike Ali is the founder of OnPath Marketing, an AI automation agency that helps businesses save time and win more clients through AI-powered solutions. Originally a lead-generation firm for small businesses, OnPath now builds AI voice agents for restaurants and automates cold calling for service-based companies. It also creates high-volume, personalized email outreach systems.
A valedictorian once headed for a finance career, Mike pivoted to entrepreneurship, driven by a passion for building scalable businesses. Along the way, he’s learned—through experience—what truly works in growth and automation.
🎯 Guest’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"The hardest part of entrepreneurship is figuring out what to do next—so force your brain to come up with 20 ways to make money every single day."
💡 Key Takeaways from Mike's Advice:
✔ Clarity comes from focused thinking—not just busywork
✔ The best ideas come after your brain wants to quit—push past that point
✔ Consistency matters, but reflection and iteration are what drive growth
📢 Memorable Quotes
- “Your AI voice agent never stops following up—it doesn’t get tired, it doesn’t get rejected, it just gets results.” – Mike Ali
- “Saturation is just a sign that something works—if no one’s doing it, that might be a red flag.” – Mike Ali
- “The real work starts after your campaign is running—what you choose to do next makes all the difference.” – Mike Ali
💡 Actionable Takeaways
✅ Test a voice-cloned AI agent to cold call or follow up with leads you’re too busy to reach
✅ Improve your email outreach by using AI to research and write custom icebreakers for each contact
✅ Don’t just automate—integrate: connect AI tools directly to your CRM and calendar
✅ Run the “20 Ideas” exercise every week to push creative momentum in your business
🔗 Links & Resources