Every week I hear another story about the economy that bothers me. Someone with twenty years at a pharmaceutical company is “restructured.”
A guy at a car parts manufacturer says automation is moving in faster than management admits. A woman in government tells me her team is using AI, and now everyone fears getting replaced.
These aren’t the early adopters of AI. Not designers, not marketers. These are steady jobs that used to feel safe. That’s what changed. AI isn’t a niche topic anymore. It is quietly rewriting how work gets done across the board.
Waiting is a dangerous strategy.
If you use a computer for your job, you are already in danger. That’s also true for me.
I’m an AI doomsday thinker. I’m challenging you to take action and capitalize on the opportunities of the AI age. Too many smart people are waiting to see how things play out. By the time things are clear, it is often too late.
My challenge to you: Launch something of your own
The best thing you can do now is to build something of your own. Not a tiny hack. Not a single task that saves ten minutes.
I challenge you to launch a real project that puts your name on the map and forces you to learn. For example:
- Personal brand and website: Claim a domain, write a clear one-liner, set up email capture, and publish one offer.
- Simple app or micro-SaaS: Wrap an AI model or API around a narrow problem and ship a working demo.
- Service or agency: Use AI to deliver a clear result for a specific client type. Get three paying clients.
- Niche productized service: Fixed scope, fixed price, fast turnaround powered by AI tools.
- Physical product: Use AI for design, packaging, copy, instructions, and marketing. Start with a small batch or a pre-order.
The point isn’t to make a bunch of money or to replace your current income. The point is ownership. Launch something you can point to and say, “I built this.”
“First say to yourself what you would be; then do what you have to do.” — Epictetus
The skills you collect by building
When I moved toward self-employment in 2015, I tested a bunch of ideas. I looked at dropshipping and even a line of men’s care products like shampoos and beard oil. By a simple process of elimination, I ended up writing books, because I was journaling and writing a lot for myself.
That journey gave me the skill stack I still use today. I learned design well enough to make clean assets. I learned basic HTML so I could fix my own site. I learned writing by showing up daily. I learned accounting so I could run a real business.
None of that came from thinking. It came from reading relevant books about the stuff I was learning, and then, doing.
That is the hidden benefit of this challenge. Whatever you launch, you collect durable skills.
You learn to pick a buyer, frame a promise, scope a version one, ship publicly, talk to users, price with confidence, and improve without bloat. Those skills make you valuable in any market.
A simple 90-day launch plan
- Weeks 1–2: Choose a buyer and a painful use case. Write a one-line promise. Pick your AI stack and supporting tools.
- Weeks 3–4: Prototype the core. Build the smallest version that proves the promise. No extra features.
- Weeks 5–6: Get first users. Show it to five real people. Charge something. Watch them use it.
- Weeks 7–8: Tighten the loop. Fix the top two issues. Improve onboarding. Write the clearest “how it works” page you can.
- Weeks 9–10: Launch publicly. Publish a demo video, a landing page, and a way to pay or pre-order.
- Weeks 11–12: Iterate and document. Ship one upgrade, one testimonial, and one case study.
It really doesn’t have to be so hard. Break down your project into weekly goals and then get going.
How AI fits into this
AI is not the product. It is your leverage. Use ChatGPT or Claude to think, plan, and draft, then refine with your own judgment.
For market research, use Perplexity to map competitors and capture the exact words buyers use. Keep a short doc of phrases and problems, then write your promise in that language.
For design, generate logo directions, packaging ideas, and simple illustrations with your preferred tools, then tidy them up in Figma or Canva. Aim for clean and clear rather than clever.
If you are building software, pair your editor with an AI coding assistant to get unstuck faster. Host quick prototypes on Replit or Vercel and use a simple database like Supabase so you can ship without heavy setup.
For websites, set them up fast with Kit, Framer, or Webflow. Connect payments through Stripe or Lemon Squeezy so you can charge from day one and learn from real customers.
For operations, draft support replies, FAQs, and summaries of user feedback with AI so you spend more time improving the product. Review everything before it goes out. Let AI shorten the distance between idea and launch, not replace your decisions.
Guardrails for the challenge
- Ship something people can use. A site, an app, a service, or a product they can buy.
- Pick one buyer. Specific beats general.
- Price from day one. Money is feedback.
- Show your work. Publish updates and demos. Momentum attracts help.
- Cut scope weekly. If it is not essential to the promise, it waits.
- Keep receipts. Track what you learned. That becomes your advantage.
The invitation
This is not about chasing hype or pretending everyone should be a founder. It is about taking ownership of your future. In the past, security came from belonging to an institution.
Today, security comes from your ability to create value on your own, learn fast, and adapt.
Before this year ends, launch one thing with your name on it. Build a brand, ship an app, offer a service, set up a website, or even create a physical product. Use AI tools to make it happen. Along the way you will learn skills that keep paying you back.
The world is changing fast. You can sit on the sidelines and watch, or you can get in the game. You have three months. Build something real. Ship it. Learn. Then do it again.
What you build today might be what saves you tomorrow.
