Nick, I want to start working in the AI sector and I'm thinking of beginning with AI automation. The problem is that everything changes so fast. New tools keep coming out, so I'm confused about where to start. At first, I planned to learn NA. Then I started seeing agentic workflows everywhere. Now there's AIOS as well. Over the last 3 to 4 months, I watched videos on different topics, but instead of getting clarity, I'm just become more confused. Since you work on advanced AI project yourself, I'd appreciate your guidance to hit $10,000 per month. If you starting from scratch today, what would you learn first? When would you start offering services? And how do you get your first few clients?
First, I’d join a community like Maker School—not just to use my own products but because membership gives you deep discounts (often a 10x return) on AI platform credits and payment‑processing fees. With those savings I’d start by learning a visual drag‑and‑drop automation builder (such as the n platform) for about four to six hours; that teaches you the fundamentals of systems, workflows, JSON, HTTP requests, etc., which accelerates everything else. Next I’d spend another four hours on a Claude‑code course that covers the technical setup, agent communication, model selection, and so on—roughly ten hours total. After that foundation, I’d devote virtually all remaining time to acquiring customers; the first 90 days would be less than 1% spent on learning and the rest on outreach. You need a customer to actually enter the arena, so I’d use Maker School’s day‑by‑day accountability to hit call and outreach targets, then loop back to upsell from any lower tier to higher ones as the relationship grows.
This is basically the whole point of my channel — watching almost any video here for 5+ minutes probably answers this. When would I start offering services? Before I even know how to fulfill them — I don't consider it a real business until someone is interested and, ideally, has already paid or I have an account receivable with them. If starting from scratch today, I'd spend 4-6 hours learning n8n, because that alone gets you access to a big jobs network on bootstrappable freelancing platforms, then another 4-6 hours learning Claude Code and how to talk to Claude. I'd also join a community like Maker School — not just as a pitch, but because you get an immediate ROI from day one: discounts on the platforms I'm telling you about, reduced payment processing fees, and around $1,000 in API credits for things like Claude — that alone is worth it when you're broke starting out. Plus there's a 90-day client guarantee, so if it doesn't work you get your money back. It's a low-risk way to skip a lot of the confusion.
I started with Harvard CS50, then taught myself computer science from the ground up, excluding languages and compilers, distributed systems, and operating systems. I completed nanotech to Tetris, building a computer from scratch. After that, I learned AI from scratch via a course that just listed introductory material, then I began training models—first a TensorFlow model called Stalan 2 that generated faces, then Gwarn's 'This Wu Does Not Exist' which I turned into an anime face generator, which I found hilarious and turned into a business called One Second Painting. I scaled that to about $3,500 per month by selling AI-generated art, but Midjourney's release destroyed that business. I had been selling NFTs, which gave me hands‑on AI experience. I then used that experience to freelance write while aiming for $10k/month, employing GPT‑3 for content. I also spent six months to a year locked in my room learning make.com and Zapier, building automations for my One Second Painting business and later for a second venture with a business partner. Eventually the money came from disproportionate time invested, leading to a compressed business model: get your first customer quickly, then worry about everything later. I realized most of the low‑level AI skills I learned aren’t used today, but the practical experience with automation platforms like make.com and Zapier, plus building info products, allowed me to scale to $100k/month through a blend of an AI automation agency and information products.
Maker School is designed to throw you into the deep end of AI automation and get you interacting with customers within the first few days. It isn’t a slow, gradual ramp‑up for total beginners. You could spend a few months learning basic AI concepts on your own, but you can also dive straight into Maker School and start doing lead generation right away. The program includes education, QA, bug fixes, and automation help as part of daily fulfillment, but it’s not a full end‑to‑end AI curriculum covering webhooks, APIs, etc. Instead, you get everything needed to reach the lead‑generation side of the business, daily actionables, and the resources to figure things out. This fast‑track approach is chosen because it offers the highest ROI and the shortest path from zero to one.
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.