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#164 · Self-hosting n8n sucks (true story)

youtube ↗Mindset

I'm 17, just found your channel, and have never done any type of business. I'm disciplined and considering getting your course, but worried I'm behind on the knowledge needed and might be too young to start an AI business. Am I doing myself a financial favor by getting the course now, even working a part-time job as a 17-year-old?

I'm not going to talk you out of buying my course, to be clear — but honestly, you'd probably be better served consuming more of my free content first. You could likely get your knowledge to a sufficient level using just the free content, so that by the time you do join the paid program, you're not lost on basic terms like ROI or AOV. I don't gatekeep knowledge — everything conceptual is free. What is paid-only is resources: copy-paste templates, proposals, daily accountability/task lists organized to get you a specific result, a network of other people to help break limiting beliefs, and coaching from me directly. So to be honest, I probably wouldn't recommend it yet at your stage — though if you want to pay, I'm obviously not going to refuse.

starting youngfree vs paid contentmaker schoolbeginner

Related answers

youtube ↗Client Acquisition

Is it still beneficial to join your school if I'm halfway through your AI business video and taking action?

If you're asking a man who sells a paid product specifically helping you build an AI business whether you should join his paid product, most people will probably say yes. I am of the mind that my product is valuable enough to warrant you paying the money to get in. But I will say, if you are the sort of person that doesn't require a daily accountability structure, if you're the sort of person that has historically been able to get up and running with this stuff, comparatively there is less value in that community because that's the whole point. The whole point is daily accountability. I just check in with you several times every 24 hours, give you QA, and then give you some live facetime with me. Not everybody needs that to the same degree. So if you are not one of those people, then absolutely just get up and going, make some money, and then when you make some money, then you can join.

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youtube ↗Marketing

You give away automation tutorials for free on YouTube, yet you also sell the same automations to businesses. Aren't you worried that businesses will just use your free tutorials to build their own solutions instead of hiring you? How does this seemingly contradictory approach work for your business? I'm curious about your strategy.

Well, logically I get what you're saying, but you're assuming it's a zero‑sum game—that if I give away my secrets they benefit and I gain nothing. Actually, it's not a zero‑sum game at all. Putting this content out there has significantly increased market demand for these services, creating a positive feedback loop where the demand growth outpaces whatever I've given away in knowledge. We live in a knowledge economy, and knowledge is the main thing. By giving what feels like very little knowledge—because I've already done all the work—I can provide overwhelming, ridiculous amounts of value, and you see that as a ton of value. That makes you far more likely to join my paid community, my programs, hire my agency, or work with me in a consulting context. In reality, I lose very little: people already know how to put together a proposal generator; I'm not exactly reinventing the wheel, and when I first started sharing, a lot of copycats appeared, but I'm fine with that. I firmly believe knowledge should not be gatekept. What I do gatekeep and charge for is the accountability—the one‑on‑one time with me. That's why this approach has worked well for me. Sam Ovens, the literal king of consulting, featured me in a video saying I make about $269,000 a month with my school (an information product). And giving this free YouTube content, despite not selling anything directly, has worked exceptionally well.

free contentbusiness modelknowledge economyone-on-one
youtube ↗Client Acquisition

As a beginner with $5,000 to invest, which community should I join to learn the basics from scratch and stay highly connected to you?

I am the most active member in both Maker School and Make Money with Make, so you’ll get direct access to me through text‑based support (no one‑on‑one video calls). Maker School is purpose‑built for beginners, teaching foundations by doing—not just templates—and I plan to add exclusive automation tutorials soon. The paid tier covers business, accountability, networking, and higher‑level templates, while the free YouTube content handles automation basics. I’m also integrating automation into Maker School to make it a one‑stop shop. Beyond the community, I advise focusing on learning core business concepts rather than a specific business model, because those fundamentals let you succeed in any model, from waste management to junk removal.

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youtube ↗Client Acquisition

Dylan asks: As a software engineer with 4 years of experience expecting to be a father, I want to earn extra income on the side. Should I get a job doing AI implementation for agencies or start my own freelancing AI implementation business? What would you advise for the next 6 months?

Great question, and congratulations on the upcoming baby. If you're asking whether to take a job doing AI implementation for agencies or start your own freelancing AI implementation business, I'd recommend the freelancing route. You'll have far more freedom and flexibility over your schedule, even though you may need to outwork the alternative in the short term. In the long run, owning your time is a major part of what I enjoy discussing. Acting on knowledge is more important than just learning it. In Maker School, many people in your situation—working a stable job but wanting something more—find success through daily consistency: build an outreach habit where you connect with business owners who might need your services, and repeat that effort virtually every day. Over six months, that's about 180 days. Doing 10 unique, high‑quality custom outreach pieces per day yields roughly 1,850 touches. If those pieces are truly high quality and unique, the chance of not getting at least a 2‑3 % booking rate is very low—2 % of 1,850 is about 36 meetings. It's also unlikely you'd fail to turn at least one of those meetings into a paying client. If you really want to get started, just throw the kitchen sink at it: use every tool and tactic you can to generate leads and demonstrate value.

freelancingai implementationoutreachdaily consistency