Do AI‑built automation templates affect the power and profitability of an AI agency business model, and is it worth the effort for a beginner?
AI‑generated automation templates will undercut builders who lack business skills, turning them into mere API endpoints and increasing competition while lowering the barrier to entry. My agency model remains profitable, and for someone just starting, it’s definitely worth the effort to learn and use these tools.
I think marketing agencies are great; I niche down with them and make more money than most with an equivalent service. Whether you need to differentiate depends on your goals—if you aim to be the Uber of automation agencies selling to marketing agencies at $100M/year, you'll need more differentiation than just 'marketing agency'; if you want a tiny niche, you can target whatever you want, especially if you have experience to stand out. As for assets to send to marketing or creative agencies that aren't just AI‑generated: you can build them whole HTML websites (customized with context) and host them; generate newsletters from templates; create PPC ad creatives based on trending ad‑library content; produce high‑quality proposal templates; make slide decks; essentially any day‑to‑day marketing agency deliverable can be generated with AI, but the biggest impact is the customized HTML template because clients are impressed by receiving a full website.
I don’t think every agency model will disappear, but AI is changing things rapidly. The people who will be most insulated over the next two to three years are those who are already implementing AI and automation in other businesses. If you’re actively using these tools, you’ll have a better chance of staying relevant. The next five to ten years are uncertain, but the field of AI‑driven automation will remain valuable.
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.
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.