How to Build an AI Business: I Hit $100k/Month in Under 12 Months (Here’s My Powerful Blueprint)

How to build an AI business?

There are many paths to it, but here’s the thing:

I built a $100k/month AI business in less than 12 months.

No VC funding. No huge team. Just me, two other people, and a laptop.

If you’d told me five years ago that I could build a six-figure monthly business with 98% fewer employees than my first company, I would’ve laughed in your face.

But here we are.

And I’m about to show you exactly how I did it—so you can do it too.

My Story: From 7 Years and 100 Employees to 8 Months and 2 People

Let me take you back.

In 2011, I founded Express Writers. It was a content writing agency that did pretty well. But getting to $100k/month? That took seven grueling years and a team of 100 people.

Seven. Years.

The burnout was real. The overhead was crushing. And honestly? I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to build another business again.

Then AI happened.

Last year, I launched First Movers—an AI implementation and education company. This time, everything was different.

We hit $70k/month in just 8 months with only 2 people. By month 11? We crossed $100k/month.

Same hustle. Same expertise. But completely different leverage.

How did I do it? I figured out how to build an AI business the right way. And now I’m going to give you the exact blueprint I used.

Julia’s Blueprint: How to Build an AI Business and Scale to $100k/Month

Building an AI business isn’t rocket science. But it does require a specific approach that’s different from traditional businesses.

Here’s exactly how to do it.

1. Pick a Niche (Being Generic Will Kill Your AI Business)

This is where most people screw up.

They think, “I’ll use AI to help everyone with everything!”

Wrong.

You need to know exactly who you’re going to help. The more specific, the better.

When I started First Movers, I didn’t say “We help people learn AI.” I said “We teach professionals how to integrate AI into their work so they can multiply their impact without burning out.”

See the difference?

Here’s how to pick your niche:

What industry do you already understand? Use your existing knowledge as leverage.What specific problem keeps your ideal client up at night? Get obsessively specific.Can AI actually solve this problem better than traditional methods? Be honest here.

My niche? Professionals—founders, executives, marketers, creators—who want to stay competitive and scale their output without drowning in overwhelm. Perfect fit for AI education.

Your niche doesn’t have to be professional education. It could be AI-powered bookkeeping for e-commerce brands. Or AI customer service for SaaS companies. Or AI-enhanced design work for real estate agents.

Just pick one thing. Get really, really good at it. Then expand.

2. Make Your Offer (What Problem Are You Actually Solving?)

Once you know your niche, you need to craft an offer that makes people say “hell yes.”

Your offer should solve a specific, painful problem that your niche is desperately trying to fix.

For First Movers, our core offer is: We teach professionals how to integrate AI into their work—so they can stay competitive, save time, and multiply their impact.

That’s it. Simple. Clear. Solves a real problem.

When building your AI business offer, ask yourself:

What’s the transformation? Where are they now, and where will they be after working with you?What’s the timeline? People want to know when they’ll see results.What makes your AI approach better? Why not just hire a traditional service provider?

Here’s the secret: Your offer should make the AI invisible to the customer. They don’t care about the tools you use. They care about the outcome.

I don’t lead with “We use Claude and HeyGen!” I lead with “You’ll learn how to integrate AI into your daily work so you can 10x your productivity and stay ahead of the curve.”

The AI is just how we deliver that promise faster and better.

Check out these example offers for different niches:

3. Automate Your Marketing with AI (This Is How You Scale Without Burning Out)

This is where the magic happens.

In my first business, showing up consistently meant I was chained to my laptop. Writing blog posts. Recording videos. Creating content. Every. Single. Day.

It was exhausting.

Now? AI handles most of the heavy lifting.

Here’s my exact system for automating marketing with AI:

Claude for Writing

I use Claude (yes, the AI you might be using right now) for everything writing-related. Blog posts. Email sequences. Social media content. Course outlines.

But I don’t just dump prompts and copy-paste. I’ve trained Claude on my voice, my style, my expertise. I give it context, examples, and clear instructions.

The result? Content that sounds like me, at a fraction of the time.

Does it work?

YES. In fact, I wrote a Tweet with Claude that got the highest engagement I’ve ever received in my history of social media.

HeyGen for Video

Here’s where it gets wild. I use HeyGen to create AI clones of myself that can deliver my content in video format.

I record myself once, and then the AI clone can deliver scripts I write in my voice and likeness. It’s like having a video production team in my pocket.

This means I can show up on video consistently—even when life gets crazy. Sick kid? No problem. Traveling? Doesn’t matter. The content still goes out.

ElevenLabs for Audio

Same concept with audio. I’ve cloned my voice with ElevenLabs so I can turn written content into podcast episodes or audio updates without recording every single time.

These three tools let me maintain a consistent presence across written, video, and audio content—without the burnout that killed my motivation in my first business.

The key to automating your marketing with AI: Consistency over perfection.

It’s better to show up regularly with good content than to disappear for weeks trying to make everything perfect.

Want to learn how to build your own digital twin? Check out my complete guide here.

Scaling Your AI Business: Repeat and Polish Until You Hit $100k

Here’s what nobody tells you about scaling an AI business: It’s not about doing more things. It’s about doing the same things better.

When I was building First Movers, I didn’t chase shiny objects. I didn’t launch ten new products. I didn’t pivot every month.

I repeated. And I polished. Over and over again.

My first AI video? Decent enough. My second? Better. My AI videos now? My followers love them.

This is how you scale an AI business to $100k/month:

You find what works. Then you do it again. And again. And again. Each time, you make it a little bit better.

You polish your messaging until it’s crystal clear. You refine your delivery until it converts like crazy. You optimize your systems until they run like clockwork.

Most people fail because they get bored. They want to try something new before they’ve mastered what they’re already doing.

Don’t be that person.

Take your offer and run it until you’ve squeezed every ounce of potential out of it. Get your marketing so tight that you could do it in your sleep. Make your process so smooth that clients rave about working with you.

Then, and only then, do you add something new.

The path to $100k/month isn’t paved with constant innovation. It’s paved with relentless repetition and continuous improvement.

Master the fundamentals. Repeat them consistently. Polish them obsessively. That’s the formula.

AI Isn’t About Replacing You—It’s About Freeing You

Let me clear something up once and for all.

AI is not here to replace you. It’s here to free you.

I see so many people paralyzed by fear. They think AI is going to take their job. Steal their creativity. Make them obsolete.

That’s backwards thinking.

AI doesn’t replace your expertise. It amplifies it. AI doesn’t steal your voice. It helps you share it more widely. AI doesn’t make you obsolete. It makes you unstoppable.

Think about it this way: Before AI, I spent 80% of my time on execution and 20% on strategy and creativity. Writing the actual words. Recording the actual videos. Doing the actual grunt work.

Now? It’s flipped. I spend 80% of my time on strategy, creativity, and high-level thinking. AI handles the execution.

I’m not working less. I’m working smarter. And I’m having way more impact.

AI frees you from the mundane so you can focus on the meaningful. It handles the repetitive tasks so you can do the work only you can do. The strategic thinking. The creative vision. The human connection.

When I use Claude to help me write, I’m not outsourcing my expertise. I’m scaling it. The ideas are mine. The strategy is mine. The expertise is mine. Claude just helps me get it out of my head and into the world faster.

When I use my HeyGen clone to deliver content, I’m not replacing myself. I’m freeing myself from the technical burden of video production so I can focus on what matters—helping more people.

This is the mindset shift you need to build a successful AI business.

Stop thinking about what AI is taking away. Start thinking about what it’s giving you back. Your time. Your energy. Your sanity. Your ability to focus on the work that actually moves the needle.

AI is not the enemy. It’s the ultimate leverage tool. And if you learn to use it right? It will set you free.

FAQs on How to Build an AI BusinessHow much money do I need to start an AI business?

Way less than you think. I started First Movers with less than $5,000. Most of that went to AI tool subscriptions and basic website setup. You don’t need fancy offices or expensive equipment. You need a laptop, the right AI tools, and expertise in your niche. The barrier to entry is lower than it’s ever been.

Do I need to know how to code to build an AI business?

Nope. Not even a little bit. I can’t code to save my life. The AI tools available today are designed for non-technical users. If you can write clear instructions and learn how to use software tools, you can build an AI business. The coding is already done for you—you just need to know how to apply it to solve real problems.

How long does it take to build a profitable AI business?

It varies, but here’s the truth: If you have an existing audience or network, you can be profitable in 1-3 months. Starting from zero? Give yourself 6-12 months to build momentum. I hit $70k/month in 8 months because I already had an audience and reputation from Express Writers. If you’re starting cold, focus on getting your first 3-5 clients, then scale from there. The key is consistent action, not perfection.

What’s the biggest mistake people make when building an AI business?

They focus on the AI instead of the problem they’re solving. Nobody cares that you use ChatGPT or Claude or whatever fancy AI tool. They care about whether you can solve their problem better, faster, or cheaper than the alternatives. Lead with the transformation, not the technology. Make the AI invisible and the results obvious.

How to Build an AI Business that Scales to $100k/month: Now, It’s Your Turn

Yes, you.

It’s your turn to build an AI business that explodes to $100k/month.

It’s totally possible.

It’s within your reach.

And this blog is just the beginning of what we can do to help you.

Want to know more?

Want customized consulting on what to do with your specific ideas?

Step-by-step guides, courses, and consulting, on how you can start your AI business from the ground up?

You’ll want to join our AI implementation community.

Check out the complete details here.