he made $140k with AI in 6 months - here’s how

Summary

In this insightful interview, Terrell, a successful agency owner, shares his remarkable journey from zero to earning over $140,000 in six months. He discusses strategies for acquiring top talent, leveraging referral partners, and scaling his business with minimal marketing. Terrell emphasizes the importance of community involvement, networking, and providing value to succeed in the AI space. His agency, 6.aai, now focuses on custom development solutions, and he encourages others to find their niche in the growing market.

Takeaways

• 😀 Terrell has achieved significant success in his agency, generating over $140,000 in the past 6 months.
• 🚀 Terrell's journey began with an early passion for AI, sparked by his experience with chat GPT3 in 2020.
• 💡 He was inspired by the potential of AI to automate content creation and enhance business operations.
• 🔍 Terrell found success by focusing on custom development and leveraging partnerships within the AI community.
• 💼 He initially helped e-commerce companies by connecting them with top talent, which evolved into his agency's custom development services.
• 🤝 Terrell emphasizes the importance of building relationships and trust within the community to secure partnerships and leads.
• 💡 He highlights the value of hiring top talent and creating irresistible offers to attract and retain skilled individuals.
• 💼 Terrell's strategy involves focusing on delivering high-quality services and partnering with those who can bring in leads, rather than doing all the marketing himself.
• 💡 He suggests that starting with no-code solutions and gradually incorporating custom code can be an effective way to build a portfolio and gain clients.
• 📈 Terrell is now focusing on scaling his business by growing his YouTube channel, offering in-depth tutorials on AI automation and voice AI.
• 🤝 Community involvement has been crucial for Terrell, providing motivation, learning opportunities, and connections that have contributed to his success.

Q & A

What was the main topic of the interview with Terrell?

The main topic of the interview was to discuss Terrell's success with his agency, how he managed to generate over $140,000 in the past 6 months, and the strategies he used to acquire top talent and use referral partners for consistent income without heavy marketing.

How did Terrell's journey with AI start?

Terrell's journey with AI started in 2020 when he became passionate about the AI space after getting early access to chat GPT-3, which allowed him to automate a lot of content creation.

What inspired Terrell to start his own agency?

Terrell was inspired to start his own agency after coming across videos of the interviewee doing custom development, which resonated with him since he had a background in programming.

How did Terrell initially get involved in the community?

Terrell got involved in the community by joining Discord, participating in the accelerator, and networking with people within the community, particularly those who were sharing success stories and doing well.

What was Terrell's first major project that led him to start his agency?

Terrell's first major project was a $20K project for an e-commerce company, which led to more work and the realization that he could help them by providing access to top talent.

How did Terrell transition from doing custom development projects to partnering with community members?

Terrell noticed a gap in the market for custom development help within the community and started assisting with custom projects to build his portfolio. After completing a few projects, he began partnering with community members to scale the projects.

What strategies did Terrell use to build partnerships and find leads?

Terrell built partnerships by nurturing relationships with top students in the community over time, following up weekly, and building trust, which eventually led to a consistent flow of leads.

What key roles did Terrell hire to help scale his business?

Terrell hired a key lead developer to help scale the services and brought on his business partner Josh to handle operations and sales.

How does Terrell approach hiring and retaining top talent?

Terrell approaches hiring and retaining top talent by creating an irresistible offer that includes understanding what the talent is lacking and what their bigger vision is, often negotiating with custom revenue share or equity agreements.

What is the current focus of Terrell's business in terms of growth?

The current focus of Terrell's business is growing their YouTube channel, which is centered on AI automation, primarily around voice AI, and providing hour-long mega tutorials.

How important has community been for Terrell in his entrepreneurial journey?

Community has been very important for Terrell as it provided him with a network of like-minded individuals, held him accountable, and provided motivation and excitement about new technologies and tools, which helped him get through the challenging parts of business.