Rage Sheshvel says uh in your recent video you mentioned AI may not be that use a automations may not be that useful in 2026 2027. What skill sets should we master to survive and thrive in the automation and agency space during that time?
To survive and thrive in the automation and agency space in 2026‑2027, master business skills: learn to communicate business needs and requirements, speak in consulting terms, understand core consulting concepts like driver trees and a four‑step framework, grasp foundational business principles (revenue, cost, profit, valuations, risk conceptualization akin to an 80/20 view of a business degree), and then get in front of customers to practice selling and communicating—exactly what Maker School teaches.
He says yes, it's smart to start an automation agency now to capture the lag, but you should focus on delivering strategic outcomes and consulting rather than just selling tools. You can still make money with tools, but the real value is in helping clients achieve business results. He also notes that if you're not making $10k/month yet, focus on reaching that income first, and that many traditional businesses (web design, clay pottery) still thrive, so it's not all black‑and‑white.
Yeah, for sure. I would pivot a bit and brand yourself more as an AI consultant or strategic consultant who uses no-code tools rather than necessarily an AI automation agency. If you think about it, many people don't realize that as a beginner, most of your work as an agency owner is actually just freelancing—being a consultant, sole proprietor, independent contractor. So I would start there, providing services as an individual, and worry about building an agency that provides services later. Because actually doing the thing, getting good at the business, then building the business, hiring, managing, tracking time, payroll—those are two fundamentally different things. Get good at delivering business insights and knowledge, then building systems, and afterwards you can worry about scaling and hiring people.
Start with the "80% Automation Basics" video – it's about 29 minutes and covers the high‑level concepts. Then watch the "How I Made $100,000 a Month as an AI Solopreneur" video for a concrete example. After that, check out the "Build a Profitable AI Business in 2025 for Beginners" video. Once you have the basics, you can dive into the NAND course or the Make.com tutorials to learn how to actually build software and automation solutions, and also watch the "How to Build and Scale an Automation Agency" video for agency‑specific guidance.
I didn't say the AI gold rush would die in a few months; it's a transformation of capital from payroll to cloud‑based machines, with money flowing to infrastructure providers like OpenAI. As a service provider, you can help implement that shift. Realistically, it will take years before it no longer makes sense to pursue this work. I have read the AI 2027 paper, and the reality is there's no guarantee entrepreneurs won't be replaced—machines can do knowledge work thousands of times faster and better, and that gap is widening. Nothing humans do is economically sacred; eventually AI could take over. In the midterm, focus on business skills that let you create value in this transition and get comfortable acting with uncertainty, because AI can't yet take real‑world action. Your ability to act is the edge you have.