He keeps launching AI businesses
TL;DR: Joe Apfelbaum, founder of Ajax Union (digital marketing agency) and EvyAI (AI sales assistant), describes how he rebuilt after losing 75% of recurring revenue during COVID and going through a personal crisis. When ChatGPT launched in November 2022, he used AI as a co-pilot to finally build the software product he had always wanted. His approach centers on five AI money-making models: (1) AI-powered done-for-you services like AI headshots ($200, $5 cost), (2) AI courses pre-sold via LinkedIn polls ($500-3000/year), (3) productized AI services like infographics sold to franchise verticals ($100 each), (4) teaching AI skills to communities, and (5) building basic software tools like prompt generators. Key tactics include pre-selling via LinkedIn polls before building anything, targeting a single franchise industry (restoration) to reuse templates across all franchisees, using Go High Level as scalable backend, hiring VAs at minimal cost to execute AI workflows, and using AI tools to build MVPs himself before handing to developers for production quality.
Key Insights
- Pre-sell via LinkedIn polls before building anything to validate demand and collect cash upfront
- AI-powered done-for-you services (headshots at $200 with $5 cost) achieve massive margins by wrapping AI in human delivery
- Target a single franchise vertical to build templates once and resell to every franchisee without reinventing
- Hire an integrator partner who says no to most ideas to prevent founder idea-sprawl from killing execution
- Build MVPs yourself with AI tools (Gemini, Claude), then hand to developers for production quality and security
Actionable Takeaways
- Run LinkedIn polls offering your product/service at a specific price before building to validate willingness to pay
- Wrap AI capabilities in done-for-you services rather than giving customers software to use themselves
- Pick one franchise industry, build templates for their specific needs, then approach the mothership to become an official vendor
- Use AI to build HTML MVPs yourself before investing in developer resources for production code
- Mine existing AI communities for customers by adding genuine value and converting members one at a time