I Let AI Run My Business for 30 Days — Here’s What I’d Do Differently Next Time

By Awais Qarni

Let’s be honest.

We’ve all seen those “get-rich-with-AI” videos on YouTube and Instagram:

• “ChatGPT Built Me a $10,000 Business!”
• “This AI Side Hustle Made Me Quit My Job!”
• “Lazy Way to Make Money in 2025 With AI!”

It sounded too good to be true.

So I decided to do something crazy. I gave AI the reins.

For 30 days, I let ChatGPT, Canva, Gumroad, and a handful of AI tools guide me — from product idea to first sale to automation. No business plan. No paid ads. Just me, a laptop, and prompts.

The result?

✅ $503.72 in revenue

✅ 140+ email subscribers

✅ A real product

✅ And a ton of lessons

But more important than the money is what I learned — especially what I’d do differently if I had to start all over again.

Let me take you behind the scenes.

🛠 Week 1: From Zero to Product (AI-Style)

Day 1–3: Picking the Business Model

I opened ChatGPT and typed:

“I want to start an online business. I have no niche, no audience, no product. What should I do?”

AI responded with a buffet of ideas:

• Sell digital products
• Try affiliate marketing
• Launch a Notion template store
• Create online courses
• Start dropshipping
• I picked digital products because:
• No inventory
• No shipping
• High profit margins
• Fast to build
• AI can help create everything

Bingo.

Day 4–6: Creating the Product

I asked:

“Make a Notion template for freelancers to manage clients and invoices.”

Within seconds, ChatGPT gave me an outline. I refined it in Notion, designed it with Canva and Magic Media, then asked:

“Write a product description for this Notion template.”

“Create a 5-email sequence to promote it.”

“Write a landing page headline.”

Done, done, and done.

It felt like I had a full team of copywriters, marketers, and designers — working in seconds.

But here’s the catch: it was too easy.

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🤯 What I’d Do Differently: Don’t Rush the Product

AI makes it tempting to rush.

Everything happens so fast, it’s easy to forget: just because you can build something quickly doesn’t mean you should .

I launched my first product with minimal validation. No audience feedback. No user testing.

Next time, I’d:

Run polls on Reddit or X to gauge interest

Offer a beta version for free to get feedback

Ask ChatGPT to simulate user objections or pain points

Lesson: AI is fast, but real value takes iteration.

🎯 Week 2: Branding, Storefront, and Going Live

Day 7–10: Making It Look Real

I prompted:

“Generate 10 brand names for a freelancer productivity product.”

“Write a tagline for a digital product store.”

“Create a minimalist logo idea.”

AI gave me solid branding ideas. I used Canva to design the logo and built my store on Gumroad and Carrd.

The site looked clean. The copy was sharp. It felt like a real brand.

But here’s what I missed...

🔥 What I’d Do Differently: Build Before You Brand

I wasted way too much time making everything look perfect instead of making it sell .

In hindsight, I should’ve launched a simple MVP — even a Google Drive link would’ve worked — and tested traffic before polishing design.

Lesson: In the early days, focus on value , not vibes.

📣 Week 3: Marketing with AI

Day 11–15: “Why Isn’t Anyone Buying?”

Once the product was live, I expected some traction.

Instead? Crickets.

I asked:

“Give me a content strategy to promote my product on X, TikTok, and Reddit.”

• AI gave me gold:
• Tweet thread outlines with hooks
• TikTok scripts
• Instagram carousel captions
• Hashtag strategies
• Reddit post formats
• I followed it to a tee.

On Day 13, someone bought the $17.99 template. I celebrated like I’d won the lottery.

🚧 What I’d Do Differently: Start Building Traffic Earlier

This was my biggest mistake. I built the product first, then tried to find the audience.

Next time, I’d reverse it:

Build an audience first (even 100 followers helps) Share the process as I build Offer freebies to get email subscribers. Use ChatGPT to repurpose content across platforms.

Lesson: Don’t build in silence. Build in public — even if no one’s watching yet.

🧠 Week 4: Automation, Funnels & Scale

Day 16–25: AI Becomes My Virtual Assistant

I asked:

“How can I automate this business?”

ChatGPT helped me:

Set up automated email delivery with Gumroad

Connect sales to a Google Sheet with Zapier

Build a basic lead magnet (“10 Productivity Hacks for Freelancers”)

Create a lead funnel: Free download → Email sequence → Paid product

Everything worked like clockwork.

And it was all built without touching a line of code.

🧩 What I’d Do Differently: Own the Audience, Not the Platform

AI helped me grow an email list, but I focused too much on platforms (Gumroad, Carrd, etc.) and not enough on ownership .

Next time, I’d:

Start building my own email list from day one

Use Beehiiv or ConvertKit for long-term control

Create a landing page that offers free value first

Lesson: Your audience is your most valuable asset. Don’t rent it — own it.

📊 Day 26–30: Final Results

• Let’s break it down:
• Total Sales: 28
• Revenue: $503.72
• Subscribers: 143
• Ad Spend: $0
• Time Spent: ~2 hours day
• AI Tools Used: ChatGPT, Canva, Gumroad, Zapier, Magic Media

Not bad for a one-person show and 30 days of testing.

But here’s the truth no one tells you…

🧠 What AI Can and Can’t Do

✅ What AI Does Brilliantly:

Saves time — No more blank pages

Writes fast — From sales copy to tweet threads

Gives direction — Prompts for almost every business task

❌ What AI Can’t Do (Yet):

Make decisions — You still need to choose the path

Take action — AI won’t post for you, record for you, or show up every day

Be original — It’s great at remixing, but not inventing

AI is a superpower — but it’s still a tool . You’re the one driving the ship.

🚀 Final Thoughts: Would I Do It Again?

Absolutely. But next time, I’d:

• Validate the idea earlier
• Build a waitlist
• Share the journey publicly
• Focus more on lead magnets and less on logos
• Automate after sales, not before

The biggest takeaway?

I won’t make you rich. But it can help you build smarter, faster, and cheaper — if you show up.

This wasn’t about getting rich quick. It was about proving that with the right tools and mindset , anyone can start building.

Even if you’re starting from zero. Even if you’ve never built a business before.

Now, I’m aiming for $1,000 month. Same tools. Smarter strategy. Better execution. And this time, AI’s still my assistant —

but I’m the CEO.