I'm writing to think, learn, and remember in public. I'll be here everyday.
Shortcuts can feel smart.
You figured it out, or someone gave you a cheat code. Efficient. Easy.
But what did you miss?
What didn’t you experience?
What happens next time?
When things break (they always break), you might realize that the shortcut came with a tax.
By all means, take the shortcut if it makes sense, but do it with your eyes open. Because shortcuts aren’t always progress.
And the interest rate is steep.
Your brain has a limit. It’s 150.
That’s the number of meaningful relationships you can manage at any given time. That includes all of your family, friends, colleagues, community, customers, and followers. It breaks down after that.
If you’re me, you think 150? I can’t properly manage 10, let alone 150.
Exactly.
Meaningful relationships take energy, presence, and attention. You don’t have 150 best friends. Your inner circle isn’t 150. But you’re circle of influence is.
People watching, listening, trusting. Whether you realize it or not.
Kevin Kelly talks about 1000 true fans. But even before that?
You start with 150.
The ones who know your name. Listen and watch. The ones who’ll read the email, take your call, show up when it matters.
You don’t need viral. You need to be valuable.
Earn trust. Keep promises. Show up.
You only get 150.
Use them wisely.
Back to this one.
So are we there with AI Agents? If I build the right agent (still a software development task, not a basic user UI task), could I actually make autobizinabox.ai a reality?
TL;DR — Not yet, but AI Agents get us much closer.
What It Probably Can Do Now
All of that could be possible, but it’s an ambitious software development task (which does make it a good project idea). Plus, I’m very skeptical of the quality of its generative abilities at this time. In fact, there is no way generative AI is up to the task yet.
What It Can’t Do (Yet)
To be honest, there are a host of others as well. Some of these will likely move to the “it’s possible” category over time, but it will require not just better AI (specifically generative AI), but also a cultural transition on the business side. Humans still run business. Especially B2B business.
autoboxinabiz.ai is still in my “business ideas” list, but we’re not yet ready to shop it on Sand Hill Rd.
Until agents, AI interaction was single-task oriented.
You told it who it was (”You’re an expert tech marketing copy writer”) and gave it something to do (”take the provided background material about our company and product and develop a landing page in html for our product. We’re B2B, and the audience for the landing page is leadership.”)
Within that single task, the AI engine may do a few things (read the material, summarize it, find the parts for our audience, do its marketing thingy, and then generate html), but they were all directly related to a single request, and it has been provided with all of the information or told how to get all of the information.
An AI Agent can string a bunch of those requests together, including making decisions and finding the information it needs, like a person.
Here’s a great example:
Prompt: “Look at my Google Calendar and find a time for a 30-minute meeting with Sarah in the next 2 weeks.”
Before agent functionality, you would have to do the following to make it work:
Now, the agent can do all of the following:
It’s now a handoff. Delegation in addition to automation.
This is how we move toward organizational automation.
Remember, the goal is to have AI work for you, or you’ll be working for AI.
A while back, I wrote a little story about you, Mr. Fancy Pants, and how AI can take your innovative fishing rig idea and turn it into a full-blown business.
AI can’t yet do everything in that story, but now the framework is in place. That framework is called an “AI Agent.”
The best way to think of an AI Agent is that it’s the person who orchestrates all of the steps. It’s the conductor of the symphony. In an assembly line manufacturing system, it’s the conveyor belt. In an office, it’s the office manager who runs the ship.
The AI Agent is the glue that pulls it all together — the connector. It can allocate tasks, serialize tasks, make decisions, and solve problems.
By the way, AutoBizInABox.ai is available. I’m thinking about sucking it up.
Maybe you should beat me to it.
Is a $100k car better than a $20k car?
Is a $10k couch better than a $350 couch?
Is a $3 peach better than a $0.50 peach?
First, we get sucked in through marketing and advertising. Next, we see what the neighbor’s got, and that feeds the ruse. The final step is to justify it to ourselves.
We’re told all up and down the chain that if it’s more expensive, it must be better.
But what does better mean?
Make sure you’re the one defining that for yourself.
You can get the degree.
You can get the certificate.
You can get the credentials.
And there’s a manual for how to get those credentials.
The manual tells you what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.
That’s fine. Until it’s not.
Most musicians you know can’t read music. Tons of artists making an impact never took art lessons. Many professional athletes didn’t start in their sport until high school or college. The entrepreneurs they make movies about didn’t start with a business plan. Many best-selling authors have no training beyond high school English class.
Movements that made a difference didn’t start in a strategy session.
Sometimes you gotta burn the manual, dive in, follow your gut.
What are your expectations?
Sometimes you’re looking to get something out. If you put X in, you want Y out. It’s why we exercise, work on SEO, and hire employees. Maybe you’re hoping for an input/output ratio of 50/50, or better yet, 20/80.
But what about the most important commitments in your life? Your relationships, community, and anything or anyone else that you love?
It’s 100/0.
That’s how you make it successful.
Shut the door. Turn on Focus Mode.
Grab your coffee, tea, or sparkling water.
Dig in.
Not just knowledge, though. Learning.
Watch, read, listen — and then do.
End the day ahead of where you started.
Make $10,000 a Week From Your Couch — No Experience Needed!
AI Will Run Your Entire Business So You Don’t Have To!
Lose 20 Pounds in 7 Days — Without Exercise or Dieting!
These are easily dismissed. But the more subtle…
This AI Tool Writes Perfect Emails Without You!
This One Hack Will Make You Instantly Happy!
Buffet’s Secret Investment Formula!
And the possibly clickable…
Automate the Tasks You Hate!
Get Back an Hour Every Day!
Never Doubt Yourself Again!
One point of view says that if it seems too good to be true, it must be. We arrive at that perspective honestly. Our experiences and personal history shape how we perceive the world and those within it. We’ve been burned. We’ve looked stupid. We’ve been disappointed.
It’s why children are generally more gullible than seniors.
But it’s also why children are more open than seniors.
Openness is the cost of possibility. It’s the space where creativity lives and new ideas erupt.
Cynicism protects, but it also closes. Openness risks, but it also receives.
Some things are just as they seem — too good to be true. But some things are better than we could have imagined — too good and true.
You won’t know unless you stay open.
