Should I continue with my agency to earn money to invest in other businesses, and if not, what should I learn (AI, machine learning, Python)?
Keep going with your agency; the industry isn’t dead. At 15 you already have a five‑year head start on me (I started at 20), so you’re ahead of the curve. Focus on building business skills rather than technical skills, since technical skills are decreasing in value. Continue with your cold‑email outreach—you’re doing great—and don’t worry that a single tactical implementation will make or break your future.
He says you first need to anchor what a lot of money means. AI automation agencies have the lowest barrier to entry and lowest capital cost—comparable to website design agencies in the late 1990s or social-media marketing agencies in the early 2010s. In this space, a lot of money is probably just a few hundred dollars. Any business outside this vertical will cost significantly more than a few hundred to get up and running over a three-month period, so you should expect to spend money to make money. Regarding your specific situation—bidding for email-setup projects on Upwork—lack of experience isn't a time issue; it takes only a couple of weeks to become proficient with any tool well enough that someone will pay you to save them time. So you should combine learning and prospecting. He recommends doing Maker School's introductory automation agency tutorials to gain foundational knowledge and learn to read the language of the tools. Once you understand the language, you can communicate with AI, use Google to find answers to specific questions, and you don't need to know how to do everything right away. The key question is whether a future version of you could solve this problem in the next couple of weeks—and the answer is almost always yes.
Honestly, I can't hold your hand through everything, but here's a roadmap. Start with the Make.com playlist I created—Make for People Who Want to Make Real Money. Watch the first 12‑13 videos to get the basics, then move on to live builds. Join Maker School, my day‑by‑day accountability program, for hands‑on guidance. After that, create an Upwork profile. Upwork lets you see what clients are actually paying for and gives you simple connector projects rather than academic builds. Apply to jobs you have at least a 50 % chance of completing; you may need to send 20‑30 proposals before you land a client. Your first gigs will likely pay $30‑$50 an hour, especially if you're in a lower‑cost‑of‑living country, but they'll give you real customer problems to solve. Consistent Upwork work will transition you from an academic mindset to a real business mindset. If you struggle with Make.com, check out their Academy for day‑by‑day lessons.
First, keep your current income streams (barbering, ATV repair) while you allocate a small portion—maybe $300 a month—to learning one automation tool, such as Make.com or Zapier. Focus on mastering a single tool rather than juggling many; think of it as a pickaxe you can use for everything. Spend a few days watching a comprehensive course (e.g., my 6‑hour Make.com course) until you’re comfortable. Then take three concrete steps: 1) Choose a niche you want to serve. 2) Build an Upwork profile targeting that niche. 3) Start cold‑email outreach using the formula I described earlier. 4) Join relevant communities to network and share content. Keep the niche practical—look for markets where people are already spending money. Follow this five‑step plan, reinvest earnings into tools and education, and you’ll gradually shift from time‑for‑money work to a remote, AI‑enhanced business.
There is no ‘after Maker School.’ The program will continue indefinitely, essentially becoming part of our daily accountability system. We’ll eventually upload Maker School to your cortex and turn it into an AI that slowly dominates the economy. I’ve been thinking about what I’ll do once the AI boom fades. I’ve been capitalizing on the AI boom, and when market opportunities shift, you have to pivot. I don’t suffer from shiny‑object syndrome; my partner and I chose an industry that matched our skill set and stuck with it for years. We take a measured, sniper‑rifle approach and pre‑commit to getting really good at it. As for my personal finances, I’m mostly investing the money I’ve earned in money‑market funds and ETFs. Ultimately, I want to use my resources to have a positive impact on people’s lives, perhaps through a small, close‑knit community with in‑person events rather than chasing the biggest revenue‑optimizing solutions.