why 95% of people fail when starting AI businesses (simple fix)

Summary

In this video, Liam Moley addresses the common issue of people feeling overwhelmed when starting AI businesses or automation agencies. He emphasizes the importance of starting small, learning the basics, and not trying to do too much too soon. Liam suggests focusing on one area to become a specialist in, and recommends his free community Q&A and school community for support. He also discusses the analogy of 'taking weight off the bar' in entrepreneurship, similar to weightlifting, to avoid biting off more than one can chew. The video provides actionable advice for beginners to build a solid foundation before scaling up their AI ventures.

Takeaways

• 📉 Overwhelm is a common issue for those starting AI businesses or automation agencies, often due to trying to do too much too soon.
• 🗣️ Liam Moley emphasizes the importance of not trying to learn all tools at once but focusing on mastering one to avoid information overload.
• 🏋️‍♂️ The analogy of 'taking weight off the bar' in weightlifting is used to illustrate the need to start small and gradually increase complexity in entrepreneurship.
• 👨‍🏫 Moley suggests starting with a basic skill set and learning the fundamentals of AI automation platforms before scaling up.
• 📚 He recommends dedicating time, possibly 3 to 6 months, to learn technical skills and become proficient in a specific area of AI.
• 🎯 The advice is to specialize in one area initially, such as becoming a Make.com or Zapier ecosystem expert, to build a solid foundation.
• 🔗 Moley provides a link to a video that outlines five different areas to specialize in and a school resource for a step-by-step learning plan.
• 🤝 After gaining proficiency, he advises engaging with the school community to offer services and connect with potential clients.
• 📧 Utilizing 'warm outreach' to pitch services to personal contacts is another strategy Moley suggests for gaining business traction.
• 🚀 The script concludes with an encouragement to start with an 'empty bar', learn the basics, and then progressively take on more complex challenges.

Q & A

What is the most common issue Liam Moley sees in people starting AI businesses?

The most common issue is people becoming overwhelmed and trying to do too much too soon, leading to failure or lack of success.

What advice does Liam give to those feeling overwhelmed with starting an AI business?

Liam advises to start small, focus on learning the basics, and not to try to learn all the tools at once.

What is the gym analogy Liam uses to explain entrepreneurship?

Liam uses the gym analogy where beginners should start with an empty bar (basics) to avoid being overwhelmed, similar to starting an AI business.

What does Liam suggest as a timeframe for beginners to achieve their goals in the AI space?

Liam suggests a timeframe of two years, which allows beginners to take a different approach and start with learning skills first.

What is the main takeaway Liam wants to convey about starting in the AI space?

The main takeaway is to 'take weight off the bar' by starting small, learning the basics, and not trying to do too much at once.

What resources does Liam recommend for learning technical skills in AI automation?

Liam recommends a complete video on learning AI automation platforms and a school community with free resources for learning.

What is the strategy Liam suggests for becoming proficient in AI automation?

Liam suggests focusing on one area, becoming a specialist in that area, and then slowly adding more skills as proficiency increases.

How does Liam recommend promoting one's services after gaining proficiency in AI?

Liam recommends advertising services in the school community, engaging with people, and using warm outreach to pitch services to one's network.

What is the 'school community' Liam mentions and how can it help beginners?

The 'school community' is a free community where beginners can learn, engage with others, and advertise their services to find clients.

What is the significance of the 'empty bar' in Liam's advice for beginners?

The 'empty bar' signifies starting with the basics and mastering them before moving on to more complex tasks, which is crucial for long-term success in entrepreneurship.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Starting AI Businesses: Overcoming Overwhelm

Liam Moley addresses the common struggle of people attempting to start AI businesses or automation agencies, emphasizing the importance of not being overwhelmed by trying to do too much too soon. He discusses the insights gained from his community Q&A sessions and the need for beginners to focus on mastering one tool or area before expanding their knowledge. Liam encourages a gradual approach to learning, comparing it to weightlifting where beginners start with lighter weights to build up their skills and confidence. He also suggests that new entrepreneurs should extend their time horizon and not rush the learning process, focusing on one area to become a specialist before branching out.

05:02

📚 Specializing in AI: The Path to Mastery

In the second paragraph, Liam Moley continues his advice for starting in the AI space by recommending that beginners specialize in one area to become proficient before exploring other aspects. He provides a link to a comprehensive video that outlines five different areas to specialize in and offers a free school resource with step-by-step guides for each area. Liam suggests that once a beginner has gained proficiency in their chosen area, they should advertise their services within the community and reach out to their network. He also mentions a strategy for warm outreach to pitch services to people within one's network, which is detailed in another resource he plans to link. The paragraph concludes with Liam's encouragement for beginners to start with an 'empty bar' in business, akin to starting with light weights in the gym, to build a strong foundation before attempting more complex tasks.

Keywords

💡AI businesses

AI businesses refer to entrepreneurial ventures that leverage artificial intelligence technologies to offer innovative solutions or services. In the video, the speaker discusses the common pitfalls people face when starting AI businesses, emphasizing the importance of not being overwhelmed and focusing on mastering foundational skills before scaling up.

💡AI automation agencies

AI automation agencies are organizations that specialize in automating processes and tasks using AI technologies. The video highlights the challenges new entrepreneurs face in this field, such as information overload and the need to start with a focused approach rather than trying to learn everything at once.

💡Overwhelm

Overwhelm in this context refers to the feeling of being excessively burdened or confused by the amount of information or tasks one has to handle. The speaker points out that many beginners in AI businesses feel overwhelmed due to the vast array of tools and technologies they feel they need to master.

💡Technical skills

Technical skills are the practical abilities and knowledge required to perform specific tasks, especially those related to technology. The video underscores the necessity for beginners to invest time in learning technical skills related to AI and automation platforms before venturing into more complex projects.

💡Information overload

Information overload occurs when an individual receives too much information to process, understand, or effectively act upon. The speaker uses this term to describe the state many beginners find themselves in when trying to learn multiple AI tools and platforms simultaneously without a structured approach.

💡Specialization

Specialization is the process of focusing on a specific area of expertise within a broader field. The video encourages beginners to specialize in one area of AI, such as becoming a Make.com or Zapier ecosystem expert, to build proficiency and confidence before expanding their skillset.

💡Time Horizon

Time horizon refers to the period over which a particular goal or plan is expected to be achieved. The speaker suggests extending the time horizon for achieving goals in AI businesses, which allows beginners to learn at a more manageable pace and avoid feeling rushed or overwhelmed.

💡Community Q&A

Community Q&A refers to a session where questions are answered in a community setting, often used for knowledge sharing and problem-solving. The video mentions that the speaker conducts free community Q&A calls, which serve as a platform for discussing common issues and providing guidance to those starting in AI businesses.

💡Buzzwords

Buzzwords are trendy or fashionable terms that are popular in a particular field or context. In the video, the speaker cautions against focusing on buzzwords like 'SaaS' or 'product services' without first having a solid understanding and practical experience in the field of AI automation.

💡Warm Outreach

Warm Outreach is a strategy for contacting people within one's existing network to offer services or products. The video suggests using warm outreach as a strategy for beginners to apply their newly acquired AI skills in the real world and to connect with potential clients who might be interested in their services.

Highlights

The most common reason for failure in starting AI businesses is being overwhelmed and trying to do too much too soon.

Advice from community Q&A sessions suggests focusing on one area of expertise rather than trying to learn all tools at once.

The importance of learning the basics and mastering one tool before attempting to build complex AI solutions.

A comparison to weightlifting is made, emphasizing the need to start with manageable weights and gradually increase them.

The speaker shares personal experiences of starting with an empty bar in weightlifting and the parallel in business.

A recommendation to focus on one area, like becoming a Make.com or Zapier ecosystem expert, to avoid information overload.

The suggestion to extend the time horizon for success and not rush the learning process.

A detailed video on five different ways to start an AI business in 2024 is recommended for further guidance.

The speaker provides a seven-step plan for each of the five areas to specialize in when starting out.

Encouragement to join the school community to advertise services and engage with potential clients.

The advice to use warm outreach strategies to pitch services to people within one's network.

The importance of starting with an 'empty bar' in business, acknowledging one's beginner status, and learning the basics.

A reminder that becoming proficient in a skill takes time and patience, and that success in AI businesses is no different.

The speaker's belief in the audience's potential and the encouragement to follow the advice given to avoid common pitfalls.

Transcripts

hey everyone Liam moley here and today I

want to point out the most common reason

that I'm seeing in our community as a

whole are people trying to start AI

businesses or AI automation agencies and

failing and not succeeding and that

comes down to being overwhelmed and

trying to do too much too soon and this

links to this is coming off the back of

my free community Q&A and my school

Community which you can join in the

description if you're not already but I

do free calls every Friday um for an

hour with anyone who wants to come on so

we usually get 100 people on there every

week and some of the most common

question I get is how can I start and

people being overwhelmed with not

knowing where to start or what tools I

know there's so many different tools I

tried to learn all of them now I know a

little bit about all of them but I still

can't really build anything and this is

such a common thing that I'm seeing at

the moment and I I guess I'm to some

degree part of the part of the problem

here by putting out so much content and

different um showing you different

builds and and other people as well in

the space beginners getting into what

think that they need to know everything

all at once and and learn it immediately

so that they can be successful and that

is is what I want to point out in this

video is not the way to go and it links

into one of my favorite homos isms or

his podcast that he's done at one point

which was talking about taking weight

off the bar and linking entrepreneurship

to um the gym and and weightlifting and

training in that there's guys who go

into the gym and um homos says he always

respects the guy who can go in there and

uh maybe he's training with someone a

little bit bigger but he can go on and

maybe doing the bench press and he goes

on and and the guy perform goes and does

a does a a weight that's suitable for

the guy of his size then the smaller guy

comes on and he goes you know what I'm

going to take a little bit of weight off

the bar because I'm self Weare enough to

know what my skill set is and what my

level is so that I'm not biting off more

than I can chew and the same thing

applies to entrepreneurship and that

when you're coming into this you don't

you shouldn't be looking at myself or

looking at at other people in the space

as well and being like that's the point

that I'm trying to start right now I'm

running three different businesses my

morning side AI my agency my education

business trip accelerator and ative and

I had to do entrepreneurship for 6 years

to get to the point where I could and

also get amazing business partners and

people working around me to be able to

do that stuff so while I do want to show

you through the stuff that I do the end

point that you can get to and I mean I'm

always pushing forward trying to do new

stuff and and really map the the way out

for you all but if you're getting

started you need to stop when I started

bench pressing and started squatting

when I was 14 in the gym I was doing it

with a empty bar cuz my my coach my gym

teacher at the time was like you you

need to get the technique right you need

to just start start off light and

eventually you work up and of course

over time I did you have to get the

technique right you have to learn the

basics before you can start to put in

your weight on so I get this a lot

people talking about SAS and product I

services and this the S using all these

bud buzzwords and I'm like mate you

haven't even like got a client yet or

been successfully delivering multiple

for multiple clients you guys need to

just narrow down what you're doing well

firstly these are really the main

takeaways for this video is that when

you are starting in order to take weight

off the bar and not be trying to do more

than you're able to do is come into this

and be like okay I'm going to one slow

down and extend my time Horizon if

you're thinking if I told you you need

to achieve something in the space of 3

months you would have a very different

plan to if I said you have 2 years to

achieve it

now let's assume that you have two years

to achieve what you want to in the AI

space you going to take a much different

approach and that let's start with

learning the skills first if I'm going

to be in the space long term it's going

to be helpful for me to put aside 3

months or so maybe even 6 months of 3

months I think is is a is a good point

for this or two to three depending how

fast you learn to just learn some

technical skills and learn the basics of

how to use various AI automation

platforms and I've done a complete video

on this um that I'm going to link up

here that I highly recommend you watch

after this but when you're starting out

instead of trying to do everything at

once and learn voice flow and learn my

own platform agentive and learn make and

and and relevance and all these

different tools just start off with one

area that you want to become a

specialist in initially and this this is

what I'm seeing the most success of both

in my accelerator and in the free

community you need to narrow it down

otherwise you just get like information

overload and you get stressed if you

have a a small area that you can work on

initially then you you can tick off the

boxes as you go through and you okay I'm

getting I can see the progression in the

smaller area later on you can learn

other stuff but what I want you all to

do is to pick one area uh say AI

automation I want to do become a make

and a table specialist and learn how to

use those two tools and how they work

together or I'm going to work on the

zapia ecosystem and become become a

zappy ecosystem expert or I want to do

voice Bas agents and I want to use vapy

and I want to use Bland and focus on how

I can build all of the the core

deliverables within those spaces or Tech

Bas agents use ative and relevance AI to

build teex Bas agents so I've done the

complete video on this of five different

ways to start an AI business an AI

automation agency in 2024 and that's

going to be the best video If you to

watch after this which will be linked up

here and down below as well and in that

video I lay out five different areas and

that I've just done there

of teex stacks and and solution types

you can specialize in initially and sure

enough you can explore other things

later on but in that video I there's a

free school resource attached to it that

I put a lot of work into into it for you

all which is walking you through okay if

you want to do AI Automation and that's

the area that you want to learn

initially and you're taking weight off

the bar you're being smarter to just say

I'm going to start in one area and I'm

going to slowly add weight within that

area and I'm going to become an expert

and have some kind of proficiency and

confidence in the in that video I link

to a school resource on my on my

community where I've gone through and

put I think seven steps for each of

those different strategies so there's

five different areas that I said you can

specialize in when you're starting off

as a beginner and I've gone through and

put like course YouTube material and

like articles and and and courses that I

recommend you take on things like udemy

and even like it's mainly YouTube videos

really but there's seven seven or more

different things for each of those to

start in so if you're looking for the

place to start in you want to be

sensible about not putting too much

weight on the bar and you're complete

beginner then that video is what I want

what I want you all to watch and it's

going to give you those stepbystep

things on the school community so it's

very important that you start off with

just one area learning that stuff until

you get good enough to be able to build

your own and and Tin around with your

own ideas and then go look okay what's

the next step I need to start applying

this into the real world and Building

Things for other people so then what you

then what can you do well I'd recommend

you go and drop a post in the school

community and advertise your services

say hey look I can do these DCS or or

maybe show some of the cool things

you've done just putting your skills out

there in a form like my free school

community where there's tons of people

who are non- techsavvy and they've come

in with a decade of business experience

and a ton of contact they looking for

people like you who are coming up who

are hungry who are willing to put in the

work to learn these things and you can

give them the the help that they need to

be able to get a feasibility assessment

of what they want to build in their

industry so go into this free school

Community after you put in some work and

learning one small specific area and

becoming capable then you can go into

the school community and you can drop a

post and say hey I do this or you can be

commenting and say hey I can help you

this let me know I I'll up just shot you

with the m and then beyond that going to

your warm connections as well this is a

another uh it's not a hzi strategy but

he has a very good video on it um using

warm Outreach to then pitch your

services and offer them to people within

your network that you know so I will

leave a link to this below but homi has

an excellent uh podcast and part of his

actually it's part of his uh $100

million leads book um that's going to be

showing you how to do his warm Outreach

strategy which is basically getting all

your email contacts getting all your

phone contacts and getting all your

Instagram Etc and then just reaching out

to them a way that's natural and saying

hey this is what I do would you know

anyone who's who's interested in it and

if you combine that strategy that

approach of look I don't want to put too

much weight on the bar I'm going to keep

it narrow and just be I'm I want to get

good at text based agents or I'm going

to become a voice AI specialist and I'm

going to just learn all the key

deliverables within that space that is

something that any of you can do there's

so much stuff on YouTube I've given you

a seven-step plan for either one that

you want to do and then once you've got

a bit of proficiency make a bit make a

little bit of noise about it go into the

school Community post the stuff that

you're doing engage with people try to

hop on calls you can go on to reaching

out to your your warm connection as well

and say hey I'd love to get some more

ideas so that I can apply my new skills

into the real world and get like make a

big leap from just knowing the the

theory and knowing enough to get by to

actually wow I've seen how this can

actually change or make a difference in

the real world so that's my little

weekend it's a it's a rainy R Saturday

here in in Romania for me um and I

thought after the free community call I

had yesterday this was a good topic that

I think I should address is that you

guys can all do it but you need to have

you need to be self-aware enough to know

that you need to start with an empty bar

which when you're in the gym that's a

pretty embarrassing thing to be doing um

it's just LIF an it's just lifting an

empty bar but same in business you have

to be able to swallow your pride swallow

your ego and admit that I'm a beginner

and I need to do what the beginner steps

before I can start to put more weight on

and try to shoot for SASS and all of

these other buzzwords that people like

to throw around you need to know the

thing and then do the thing before you

can even start thinking about running a

sass or something all right so forget

about that stuff you need to learn

skills start an agency successfully and

then you can go into education then you

can go into SASS and you can go into all

of these things but you need to be like

a much higher level entrepreneur or or

weightlifter to be able to tackle those

kind of vehicles because they're a lot

more difficult so that's all for me um I

believe in you all you know I'm rooting

for you all um this is the number one

thing that I'm seeing stopping people is

getting overwhelmed and trying to do too

much at once so take my advice and this

is the aggregate advice of all of the

stuff I'm seeing across thousands of

people in our community is that this is

the most important thing if you are

completely new in getting started is to

not try to take on too much at once so

that's all for the video guys I'll put

another one up here if you want to learn

how to build some AI Solutions sorry

from that I will see you in the next one