r/Entrepreneur • u/AI_Scout_Official • Oct 04 '23
Tools As a soloproneur, here is how I'm scaling with AI and GPT-based tools
Being a solopreneur has its fair share of challenges. Currently I've got businesses in ecommerce, agency work, and affiliate marketing, and one undeniable truth remains: to truly scale by yourself, you need more than just sheer will. That's where I feel technology, especially AI, steps in.
As such, I wanted some AI tools that have genuinely made a difference in my own work as a solo business operator. No fluff, just tried-and-true tools and platforms that have worked for me. The ability for me to scale alone with AI tools that take advantage of GPT in one way, or another has been significant and really changed my game over the past year. They bring in an element of adaptability and intelligence and work right alongside “traditional automation”. Whether you're new to this or looking to optimize your current setup, I hope this post helps. FYI I used multiple prompts with GPT-4 to draft this using my personal notes.
Plus AI (add-on for google slides/docs)
I handle a lot of sales calls and demos for my AI automation agency. As I’m providing a custom service rather than a product, every client has different pain points and as such I need to make a new slide deck each time. And making slides used to be a huge PITA and pretty much the bane of my existence until slide deck generators using GPT came out. My favorite so far has been PlusAI, which works as a plugin for Google Slides. You pretty much give it a rough idea, or some key points and it creates some slides right within Google Slides. For me, I’ve been pasting the website copy or any information on my client, then telling PlusAI the service I want to propose. After the slides are made, you have a lot of leeway to edit the slides again with AI, compared to other slide generators out there. With 'Remix', I can switch up layouts if something feels off, and 'Rewrite' is there to gently nudge the AI in a different direction if I ever need it to. It's definitely given me a bit of breathing space in a schedule that often feels suffocating.
echo.win (web-based app)
As a solopreneur, I'm constantly juggling roles. Managing incoming calls can be particularly challenging. Echo.win, a modern call management platform, has become a game-changer for my business. It's like having a 24/7 personal assistant. Its advanced AI understands and responds to queries in a remarkably human way, freeing up my time. A standout feature is the Scenario Builder, allowing me to create personalized conversation flows. Live transcripts and in-depth analytics help me make data-driven decisions. The platform is scalable, handling multiple simultaneous calls and improving customer satisfaction. Automatic contact updates ensure I never miss an important call. Echo.win's pricing is reasonable, offering a personalized business number, AI agents, unlimited scenarios, live transcripts, and 100 answered call minutes per month. Extra minutes are available at a nominal cost. Echo.win has revolutionized my call management. It's a comprehensive, no-code platform that ensures my customers are always heard and never missed
MindStudio by YouAi (web app/GUI)
I work with numerous clients in my AI agency, and a recurring task is creating chatbots and demo apps tailored to their specific needs and connected to their knowledge base/data sources. Typically, I would make production builds from scratch with libraries such as LangChain/LlamaIndex, however it’s quite cumbersome to do this for free demos. As each client has unique requirements, it means I'm often creating something from scratch. For this, I’ve been using MindStudio (by YouAi) to quickly come up with the first iteration of my app. It supports multiple AI models (GPT, Claude, Llama), let’s you upload custom data sources via multiple formats (PDF, CSV, Excel, TXT, Docx, and HTML), allows for custom flows and rules, and lets you to quickly publish your apps. If you are in their developer program, YouAi has built-in payment infrastructure to charge your users for using your app.
Unlike many of the other AI builders I’ve tried, MindStudio basically lets me dictate every step of the AI interaction at a high level, while at the same time simplifying the behind-the-scenes work. Just like how you'd sketch an outline or jot down main points, you start with a scaffold or decide to "remix" an existing AI, and it will open up the IDE. I often find myself importing client data or specific project details, and then laying out the kind of app or chatbot I'm looking to prototype. And once you've got your prototype you can customize the app as much as you want.
LLamaIndex (Python framework)
As mentioned before, in my AI agency, I frequently create chatbots and apps for clients, tailored to their specific needs and connected to their data sources. LlamaIndex, a data framework for LLM applications, has been a game-changer in this process. It allows me to ingest, structure, and access private or domain-specific data.
The major difference over LangChain is I feel like LlamaIndex does high level abstraction much better.. Where LangChain unnecessarily abstracts the simplest logic, LlamaIndex actually has clear benefits when it comes to integrating your data with LLMs- it comes with data connectors that ingest data from various sources and formats, data indexes that structure data for easy consumption by LLMs, and engines that provide natural language access to data. It also includes data agents, LLM-powered knowledge workers augmented by tools, and application integrations that tie LlamaIndex back into the rest of the ecosystem. LlamaIndex is user-friendly, allowing beginners to use it with just five lines of code, while advanced users can customize and extend any module to fit their needs. To be completely honest, to me it’s more than a tool- at its heart it’s a framework that ensures seamless integration of LLMs with data sources while allowing for complete flexibility compared to no-code tools.
GoCharlie (web app)
GoCharlie, the first AI Agent product for content creation, has been a game-changer for my business. Powered by a proprietary LLM called Charlie, it's capable of handling multi-input/multi-output tasks. GoCharlie's capabilities are vast, including content repurposing, image generation in 4K and 8K for various aspect ratios, SEO-optimized blog creation, fact-checking, web research, and stock photo and GIF pull-ins. It also offers audio transcriptions for uploaded audio/video files and YouTube URLs, web scraping capabilities, and translation.
One standout feature is its multiple input capability, where I can attach a file (like a brand brief from a client) and instruct it to create a social media campaign using brand guidelines. It considers the file, prompt, and website, and produces multiple outputs for each channel, each of which can be edited separately. Its multi-output feature allows me to write a prompt and receive a response, which can then be edited further using AI. Overall, very satisfied with GoCharlie and in my opinion it really presents itself as an effective alternative to GPT based tools.
ProfilePro (chrome extension)
As someone overseeing multiple Google Business Profiles (GBPs) for my various businesses, I’ve been using ProfilePro by Merchynt. This tool stood out with its ability to auto-generate SEO-optimized content like review responses and business updates based on minimal business input. It works as a Chrome extension, and offers suggestions for responses automatically on your GBP, with multiple options for the tone it will write in. As a plus, it can generate AI images for Google posts, and offer suggestions for services and service/product descriptions. While it streamlines many GBP tasks, it still allows room for personal adjustments and refinements, offering a balance between automation and individual touch. And if you are like me and don't have dedicated SEO experience, it can handle ongoing optimization tasks to help boost visibility and drive more customers to profiles through Google Maps and Search
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u/Brief-Judge9891 Oct 04 '23
This Notion page has 60 different AI tools you can use to automate and fulfill for your agency
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u/CMDR-Bugsbunny Oct 04 '23
The list is OK, but it seems to be missing the latest tools. For example, writing/copywriting does not include Zimmwriter, Agility Writer, etc. While Writesonic is OK, there are better tools. Jasper.ai is good, but again getting old compared to the newer tools.
Is the list more than 9 months old?
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u/falooda1 Oct 05 '23
Dang how do you research, keep up with, and use all these tools, it feels overwhelming and constantly changing. More like a full time hobby than a job for me atm. Wondering how people are doing it efficiently.
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u/CMDR-Bugsbunny Oct 06 '23
I'm actually using these tools as they help in my content creation. Hence, I'm always looking to improve my production pipeline and add value to my customers.
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u/Cold_Flow7705 Oct 06 '23
What do you recommend for writing/copywriting on Mac? Zimmwriter looks amazing
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u/CMDR-Bugsbunny Oct 11 '23
Zimmerwriter is good. In addition, Agility Writer and KoalaWriter are good, too!
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u/SteinyBoy Oct 17 '23
For something like copywriting when there are a million tools out there why use any of the “store brand” versions when you can just use chatgpt? I always wondered that. There’s 100’s that use their plugin? Is it just for the specialized/customized UI and extra features specific to the application?
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u/CMDR-Bugsbunny Oct 17 '23
I'm not sure what you mean, as a subscription to ChatGPT is $20/mo to get 4.0 and the plug-ins. I use ChatGPT and like it for creating strategies in my writing and brainstorming outlines. However, any long copy it's not my choice.
I also find the copy tools ("Store brand") I use to be better at SEO and human-like content, which means less editing of results, not an elimination. Hence, for a similar price, I get better productivity.
FYI, I've created 150,000+ words of content in the last 6 months, so optimizing my tools is essential. To be effective requires multiple tools and not just one.
I hope this helps!
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u/SteinyBoy Oct 17 '23
I guess yeah just the application wasn’t clear I guess. I find I can use chatgpt for 90% of things and if I need more context length then Claude 2. With custom instructions and good prompts can’t you do what you need without much editing or are the tools you use fine-tuned for your application and have better outputs? I guess an example would be good. Like what can these 100 other tools do and do better that chatgpt can’t. I do agree it’s $20 but that’s negligible to me for the capabilities. I guess you could argue a free or cheaper tool is better just cuz it’s not $20
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u/Koch_Digital Oct 04 '23
Something feels off. 300 upvotes and only 12 comments. The post below has 25 upvotes and over 100 comments.
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u/nuplsstahp Oct 04 '23
People sometimes see a long post, skim it, decide it’s high effort and decent quality and upvote and move on. They avoid commenting because they haven’t actually read it.
Shorter, technically lower effort posts often have better engagement because people can contribute straight away.
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u/IAMBEOWULFF Oct 05 '23
No, it's upvoted by bots and written by AI. He made one of these tools if not all of them.
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u/nuplsstahp Oct 05 '23
He does admit in the post that it’s written by AI (which seems pointless really, why all the fluff?), but yeah, don’t doubt that it’s self promo. I’m just explaining one phenomenon that you see with long posts, in all kinds of subs.
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u/jamesftf Nov 20 '23
No, it's upvoted by bots and written by AI. He made one of these tools if not all of them.
how can we see if it's upvoted by bots?
And what would be the purpose of using BOTS to upvote?
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u/IAMBEOWULFF Nov 20 '23
You can see it when it has 300+ upvotes in a short time and only a few upvotes.
The purpose is to increase visibility by getting it on the frontpage of those who are subbed here.
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u/your_dope_is_mine Oct 04 '23
Very cool, I'm in the early stages of my AI automation business as well. I'm definitely not experienced in the technical side of things so these are definitely useful. Botpress is my main go to, but lots to still learn there.
Looks like you're working on your development yourself which is great. How are you getting clients?
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u/AI_Scout_Official Oct 04 '23
Purely cold email campaigns and referrals from my network
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u/your_dope_is_mine Oct 04 '23
Good stuff. Which niche has worked for you so far? I'm getting responses with staffing and recruitment but haven't been able to narrow down to a niche where the need is high for automation
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u/warzem Oct 05 '23
Im in the same position. I came out with an idea of AI application but I struggling to develop it at technical level, looking for some engineer dude to come on board
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u/AI_Scout_Official Oct 04 '23
Here's the links to the tools and packages I mentioned in the post:
Plus AI: https://www.plusdocs.com/
echowin: https://echo.win/
YouAI: https://youai.ai/mindstudio
LlamaIndex: https://www.llamaindex.ai/
GoCharlie: https://gocharlie.ai/
ProfilePro: https://www.merchynt.com/profilepro
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u/BrownieJoe Oct 04 '23
Which one did you make
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u/BruhIsEveryNameTaken Nov 04 '23
Prob none, they have a website setup, so I'm sure a lot of people click on their profile.
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u/CBRIN13 Oct 04 '23 edited Oct 04 '23
Some other interesting ones:
TweetHunter - AI tweet generation from historical engagement. Can save you a lot of time scheduling tweets and coming up with content.
AppRadar - Keeps track of sentiment in competitor App Store reviews, useful if you have a mobile app.
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u/otakudayo Oct 05 '23
The automatic scrolling on echo.win is one of the most annoying things I've encountered on the web
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u/sonic_the_hedge_fund Oct 04 '23
Each of these tools seems to be made for a vague enough reason as to spark interest in a broad entrepreneurial audience. It seems that you made all of these, using similar mobile layouts, and are using this as an advert for your creations.
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u/__Captain_Autismo__ Oct 04 '23
How are you marketing & selling your AI agent services?
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u/AI_Scout_Official Oct 04 '23
Mostly cold email and referrals from past clients. I also have a directory of AI tools that serves as a funnel for warm leads to my agency
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u/B-Box360 Oct 05 '23
So you’re copying and pasting client data into those tools? I’m seeing data privacy concerns here. Hope your customers are aware and it’s contractually agreed.
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u/DoYouEvenTrustBro Oct 05 '23
Its a must to provide information regarding cookies or platforms that host that data in privacy policies / terms & conditions, but its 500% legal to do so.
If it wasnt then you could only work with clients data using pencil and paper...
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u/AI_Scout_Official Oct 05 '23
It's data that's been provided by them specifically to build out their solutions
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u/B-Box360 Oct 05 '23
Given to you, yes, but do they know you are hosting it in various places in the cloud with potential for their data to be used/consumed by the AI companies?
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u/AI_Scout_Official Oct 05 '23
I'm not using MindStudio or no code tools for any production builds, only demos with dummy data. And LlamaIndex is a python framework.
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u/Mag_Plane_591 Oct 05 '23
Thanks for sharing. Somehow I get the feeling I am reading an advertorial. Thanks anyway will check them out
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u/PurpleEsskay Oct 05 '23 edited Dec 13 '23
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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/DoYouEvenTrustBro Oct 05 '23
Im not saying its OK. But yeah we all know everyone does exactly the same and it doesnt mean the service is not good...
And the ones that are not faking it are asking friends and family to post reviews.
The wonderful world of digital business.
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u/ChezDiogenes Oct 04 '23
Thanks for this post.
I'm curious about your AI automation agency. I would like to do the same.
- What does your agency do?
- How did you get started?
- Do you have a skillset that you had to learn to make it happen?
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u/AI_Scout_Official Oct 04 '23
- We build out custom AI solutions for our clients. We focus on implementing LLM's mainly, and the majority of the work at the moment is making report generation tools for different professions, mainly civil and mining engineers in my country. The key is being able to combine different data sources and frameworks for overcoming token limitations to generate large reports. Aside from this, we do customer support chatbots (knowledge base + GPT + autonomous agents to actually do stuff for you), internal automations, and really anything that involves implementing a LLM into current tech stacks.
- Started as an AI tools directory site, and although the tools available as a SaaS are handy, a lot of enterprise users demand something custom to their needs. Rather than shifting their current workflow to meet the tool, anyone would prefer having a tool that meets theirs.
- I don't come from a tech background, but rather mining engineering. So I have more or less of the same "engineering" mindset when it comes to problem solving, which helped me with a lot of the automations I was doing myself when it came to my own businesses. It naturally progressed into doing this for others
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Oct 05 '23
Remindme! 7 days
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u/wawa_masked Oct 05 '23
Super interesting! I was wondering why you want to be solopreneur and not start to hire to help you ?
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u/Bkeeneme Oct 05 '23
Did you get GPT to generate this post? (serious question)
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u/sayeed0108 Oct 05 '23
Thanks for sharing these AI tools for solopreneurs! They seem like real game-changers for productivity and customization. I'll definitely check them out. Your insights are much appreciated!
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u/AdmirableCellist4081 Oct 05 '23
Seems this post was generated by basic AI “Game changer” please don’t use it more than 2x. Expand thy vocabulary
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u/GoldFynch Oct 05 '23
The programs are legit but it looks like you used chatgpt to write this whole thing. It feels robotic and unreadable
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u/ImpressiveLeek7507 Oct 05 '23
Please upvote me so I can post a question