How I’d Rebuild My Fortune With AI in 2026
If I woke up tomorrow morning with zero followers, zero reputation, and exactly $1,000 in my bank account (and I was sleeping on the floor again, been there, done that, the back pain is real) I wouldn’t try to build a software company.
I wouldn’t try to invent the next "wrapper" for ChatGPT. And I definitely wouldn’t waste my time trying to create an AI influencer.
I would go all-in on AI Automation.
I’d be in the library until they kicked me out, eating cheap ribs, learning how to connect Thing A to Thing B. Why? Because while everyone is looking for gold, the smart money is selling shovels. Or, in this case, teaching people how to hold the shovel so they don’t hurt themselves.
Here is the brutal truth about the AI economy in 2026: You don’t need to be a genius coder to get rich. You just need to be the person who connects the dots for the people who have money but lack time.
Let’s break down exactly how I’d do it.
The "Unsexy" Gap in the Market
Here is a statistic that should make your mouth water.
There are over 1.7 million businesses in the US alone making between $500,000 and $10 million a year. These companies provide 62% of all new jobs. They are the backbone of the economy.
And they are terrified.
They know AI is coming. They know they need to "get on board" to stay competitive. But they have no idea how. They’ve played with ChatGPT for five minutes, wrote a funny poem about their cat, and then went back to manually copying and pasting data into Excel for six hours.
The big consulting firms (the McKinseys and Deloittes of the world) won’t touch these guys. They’re too "small."
That is your gap.
For every person offering AI automation services right now, there are roughly 1,100 businesses that need help. The supply and demand curve is broken in your favor.
Step 1: Pick a Niche (and stop being a generalist)
If I see one more bio that says "AI Enthusiast & Generalist," I’m going to scream.
Business owners don’t trust generalists. If you have a heart problem, you don’t go to a GP; you go to a cardiologist.
Don't walk into a business saying, "I can automate anything!" That sounds risky. It sounds like you’re going to break their database.
Instead, pick a specific target:
Real Estate Agents (Automating property descriptions)
E-commerce Store Owners (Automating customer support)
High-Ticket Coaches (Automating lead qualification)
Marketing Agencies (Automating ad creative generation)
Then, pick one expensive problem to solve. For example, if you choose Marketing Agencies, you can solve their creative bottleneck by setting up an automation that uses OpenArt to instantly generate high-quality ad visuals for their clients.
The prompt:
"I help [Target Niche] solve [Specific Painful Problem] using AI."
Example: "I help Dental Offices automate patient follow-ups so they stop losing $5,000/month in missed appointments."
When you specialize, you learn the language of that industry. You learn that Dentists hate "no-shows" and Realtors hate "tire-kickers." When you speak their language, trust skyrockets.
Step 2: Build a "Loom" Demo
Nobody believes the hype anymore. You can’t just promise "efficiency." You have to show it.
But you don’t need a complex website. You need a Loom video.
Build a simple automation (use Make.com or Zapier). Record your screen.
Show the Before: "Here is the coach manually messaging every lead on Instagram. It takes 5 hours a week."
Show the After: "Here is my bot qualifying the lead, checking their budget, and booking the call automatically. It takes 0 minutes."
Sell the destination, not the plane ride. They don’t care about the API calls; they care that they get their Sunday afternoons back.
Step 3: The "No-Brainer" Offer
You are new. You have no track record. Why should they trust you?
You have to remove the risk.
Talk in terms of Time and Money.
"Mr. Client, this manual data entry takes you 5 hours a week. That’s 20 hours a month. At your hourly rate, you’re burning $2,000 a month on busy work. I can fix this forever for a one-time fee of $1,500."
Suddenly, saying "no" sounds financially irresponsible.
The Risk Reversal:
If you really want to close the deal, look them in the eye and say:
"You don’t have to trust me. If I don’t deliver this exact result, you get 100% of your money back."
Now, you’re not selling a service; you’re selling a guarantee.
Step 4: Where to Actually Find These People (Lead Gen)
Okay, you have the skill. You have the niche. Now, how do you get paid?
Most people fail here because they treat lead generation like a lottery ticket. They send three emails and give up.
Here are the only three channels I would focus on if I were starting from scratch today.
1. Cold Email (Volume Beats Luck)
Cold email isn't dead; your emails just suck.
Stop sending generic spam. "Hi, I provide AI services." Delete.
Use the sniper approach.
"Hey [Name], I built an automated workflow specifically for [Niche] that saves about 40 hours a month on lead qualification. I made a 2-minute video showing exactly how it works. Mind if I send it over?"
It’s personal. It offers value upfront. It’s hard to ignore.
2. Upwork (The Contrarian Play)
I know, I know. "Upwork is a race to the bottom!" "It’s too competitive!"
Good. Let everyone else think that.
While they are complaining on Twitter, real businesses are on Upwork right now posting jobs with titles like:
"Need Zapier Expert for Lead Gen"
"Automate my Instagram DMs"
These people have high intent. They are holding their credit card in their hand, looking for someone to take their money.
The Secret Sauce: Send a personalized Loom video with your proposal. Nobody does this. If you show your face and walk through their specific problem in a video, you will close 5x more deals than the faceless avatars copy-pasting generic cover letters.
3. Inbound Content (The Long Game)
This is high ROI, but slow. Start a YouTube channel or a Medium blog (hey, like this one).
Document your journey. "How I saved a realtor 10 hours this week using Make.com."
You don't need to be a guru. You just need to be one chapter ahead of your audience. The best way to learn is to teach. Eventually, leads will come to you.
The Hard Truth: You Will Want to Quit
I’m not going to sugarcoat this.
You will send 50 emails and get 0 replies. You will build an automation that breaks five minutes before the client demo. You will feel like an imposter.
Naval Ravikant said it best:
"Entrepreneurs bleed every day."
You bleed money, time, and stress. But when you win, you win big.
The difference between the guy making $30k/month and the guy making $0 isn't IQ. It’s not "talent." It’s the ability to eat glass and stare into the abyss without blinking.
It’s consistency.
If you are willing to look stupid for six months, you can live like a king for the rest of your life.
Final Thoughts
The AI revolution isn't about robots taking over the world. It’s about small business owners trying to get home to their kids before dinner.
If you can use technology to give them that time back, they will pay you. Handsomely.
So, shut down the "Next Big SaaS" idea board. Close the ChatGPT tab writing poetry.
Pick a niche. Build a demo. Send the email.
And if you get rejected? Eat some ribs, sleep on the floor if you have to, and do it again tomorrow.
Want a Head Start?
I’ve compiled a list of the exact cold email templates, automation checklists, and niche ideas I’d use to get my first client this week. You can grab them all for free right here: Get the Agency Launch Kit