As an 18‑year‑old passionate about tech and AI, I’m stuck in self‑doubt about whether automation is real, if people will pay, and if this path is worth betting everything on; how did you push through doubt and lock in your path?

#180 · the new 2026 ai automation service you can sell today

As an 18‑year‑old passionate about tech and AI, I’m stuck in self‑doubt about whether automation is real, if people will pay, and if this path is worth betting everything on; how did you push through doubt and lock in your path?

I don’t have everything figured out, and neither do the most successful people. At 18, committing to a path might only mean a few months of your life, not your whole adult life. Treat it as a season—give it an honest go, make something happen, or decide it’s not for you; that’s totally okay. The people who succeed see business as enjoyable play. You just need to push through until you get a positive result, which will dissolve the self‑doubt.

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What advice would you give to someone that wants to grow a school community and also run an automation business? Should I focus on one at a time?

Well, this is pretty funny because you probably didn't just wake up one day wanting to run a school community and an automation agency. You're likely looking for a means to an end, so ask yourself what end you think running a school community and automation business would help you achieve. In my case, I make a ton of money with this stuff, so the end I see is money. But consider that a 17‑year‑old might say they want to make $100 million in 10 years—you need to clarify whether that's revenue, profit, bank account, etc. More importantly, recognize that your values and goals will shift over time; you won't want the same things in 10 years that you want today. So you have to be mature about that and accept that you're a changing organism whose goals evolve.

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What is the lowest age to enter the automation business?

I'd say around 17, because then you can start on platforms like freelancer.com, which are low‑hanging fruit. It will be tougher if you're younger, but you can still do it—I'd encourage you to go out there, find success, and come back and tell me. Just know there are more important things to focus on at that age.

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Sunset Cliff asks: Should I drop out of college to focus on AI automation and entrepreneurship? I’m a business student with no interest in finance/banking, have grandparents covering tuition, make ~$10k from AI automation, and want to know how to decide if leaving school makes sense for my insurance‑niche venture.

I finished my degree and looking back I don’t think I really needed it—I did it mostly to satisfy my family and friends. I was basically just treading water, lacking the conviction to make a real bet in life. As you get older and more successful, you realize you need to take bets and be ready if they don’t work out; it’s better to have tried and failed than never tried at all. In my case, a bet would have been dropping out to run a business full‑time; for you, it might look the same—leaving school to focus on your AI automation and entrepreneurship venture. Beyond personal experience, remember that colleges were originally designed to train you for a specific job, but today they’ve become mostly marketing machines that promise a future without delivering the skills or ROI. Most of the value you get is the social experience—being forced to interact with peers and learn soft skills. You can get that social side elsewhere, and there are many other ways to meet people without spending years and tuition money. So, weigh the social benefit against the cost and your own goals; if the credential isn’t essential for what you want to do, dropping out to pursue your business may be the smarter bet.

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Nick, I'm 18 and live in a country where small and medium‑sized businesses are far behind with AI and automation; they don't know Zapier or Make. Is it smart to build an automation agency here now to make money during the lag period and level up systems thinking before the window closes?

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.

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