The Biggest Regret of My Career

I don’t dwell on regrets. But every now and then, I look back at a decision that cost me millions—maybe even hundreds of millions—and I can’t help but shake my head.

Let me take you back to the early 2000s.

I was running a tech startup. Broadband internet was exploding, and I could feel that the internet was going to be massive.

I knew I needed to move my business to Silicon Valley—the epicenter of tech innovation. There, I’d have access to the right investors, the right talent, and the right opportunities.

But I hesitated.

I had so many logical reasons not to go:

• It was expensive.
• The stock market wasn’t looking great.
• I’d be leaving my family behind.

So I stayed put.And while I still exited that business for a great sum, I watched startup after startup—companies almost identical to mine—go public or sell for billions.That hesitation cost me a fortune.

History Is Repeating Itself (And This Time, I’m Not Waiting)

‍Fast forward to today.

That same gut feeling I had about the internet in the 2000s?

I feel it again—this time about AI.

‍And I can tell you this with 100% certainty:

‍AI is going to reshape business, marketing, and entrepreneurship in ways we haven’t even begun to comprehend.

‍This isn’t just about ChatGPT and writing better prompts.

‍AI is fundamentally shifting how businesses operate. The companies that integrate AI will dominate their industries. The ones that don’t? They’ll struggle to compete.

‍It’s not a question of if AI will change your industry. It’s a question of how fast you’ll adapt before it’s too late.

AI Is No Longer Just a Tool—It’s a Competitive Advantage

The conversation around AI is no longer about whether it’s useful—it’s about how fast you can implement it before your competitors do.

Here’s what’s happening in AI right now that you need to pay attention to:

1. AI Is Moving Beyond Basic Chatbots

Forget simple chat models—AI can now generate complex reports, content strategies, and business insights.

• Reasoning models like OpenAI O1 and DeepSeek R1 go beyond answering questions—they can help craft detailed marketing campaigns, product strategies, and business analysis.
• The key to getting valuable AI output? Quality input. (Garbage in, garbage out.)
• Business owners need to ask better questions, define goals clearly, and structure prompts for the best AI-driven insights.

‍2. AI Is Automating Repetitive Tasks (So You Can Focus on Strategy)

‍Most entrepreneurs waste hours every week on tasks AI can now handle automatically.🚀 Scheduled Tasks in GPT-4 let you automate:

• Daily marketing briefings (Get a full summary of news, social trends, and competitor updates).
• Email responses and follow-ups (AI can draft and schedule emails based on specific triggers).
• Project tracking and reminders (Automate routine check-ins without needing human intervention).

This means less time spent on admin work and more time focusing on growth.‍

‍3. AI Is Killing Stock Content—Custom Marketing at Scale

‍Remember when businesses had to rely on generic stock images and videos? Those days are almost over.

• AI tools like Flux and Replicate can generate custom, photorealistic images and videos in minutes—tailored to your brand, audience, and message.
  
  
• Descript and Opus Pro make video editing ridiculously easy—turning hours of work into minutes with AI-powered features.

This is a game-changer for marketing—no more wasting money on overpriced stock visuals that look like everyone else’s content.

‍4. AI Can Extract Business-Changing Insights (That You’re Ignoring)

‍How many customer interactions, sales calls, and emails contain valuable insights that you never analyze?

‍AI knowledge tools like Fathom and Notebook LM can:

• Scan meeting transcripts and customer feedback to find recurring pain points.
• Analyze marketing performance data to suggest better content strategies.
• Organize thousands of data points into actionable insights.