I started my AI automation agency a month and a half ago, making $15-20k/month solving business problems via self-hosted flow. I'm considering whether to stay focused or pivot into AI auditing/infrastructure with dashboards. Would joining Maker School or Make Money With Maker support that transition? My goal is to scale to $300-400k/month in 6-7 months. What's your honest advice?
I'll be honest: AI auditing and infrastructure is just a repackaging of what we already do—same service, different packaging to look and sound new. It's a smart move for content creators because audiences get fatigued with the same offering over time, but there's no real fundamental difference in the deliverable; only the packaging changes slightly. There's no special support needed to make that transition; we continue with the same business model under the hood and may rebrand later when the market tires of the 'AI automation' keyword.
Regarding earning $30–$40k/month with an AI automation business: it's entirely possible and up to you, but it's uncommon and not necessarily realistic for everyone—it depends on your skill level, consistency, and ambition. I can't give a precise success rate, but the model is working now and should continue for at least a few months; I'll evolve Maker School with the business model, though I don't plan to make it solely an AI automation community. On automation saturation in tier‑1 countries by 2026: it will make things harder but not a zero‑to‑one shift; agencies targeting $50–$150k/month will feel the impact, while larger businesses ($10M–$100M revenue) will be affected less. I'm not familiar with the EI audit; it sounds like a business model being sold, and while it could be added to the curriculum if it's cool, it seems more like someone trying to sell you a framework.
Yeah, it's a great question. For those who don't know, I run Maker School community, and I'm currently number three on the revenue leaderboard with about $292k. My success comes from how I package the community. I position it as a B2B offer where members pay $184 a month to learn how to get their first paying customer for an AI or automation service. In 90 days they earn back the money they spent (not counting tool costs), effectively getting a customer that pays around $1,000, which feels like a five‑to‑six‑times ROI. While Jack's community and other AI automation groups were first movers just by being the go‑to place for AI talk, I took a sniper‑rifle approach: I niche down to teaching how to build a business, not just how to use AI. Now I'm integrating AI and automation curriculum directly into Maker School—I've finished a make.com and an NAN accelerator and just need to record the videos. We also still do Q&A and similar offerings. Most other automation communities stay broad and less differentiated; I solve the specific problem of wanting to sell something with AI/automation and then actually doing it.
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.
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.