How I'm Building a Zero-Employee Business with AI
Want to Automate your work with AI? Get the playbook here: https://clickhubspot.com/wgk
Episode 66: Can you really build a zero-employee business with AI? Nathan Lands (https://x.com/NathanLands) sits down with John Rush (https://x.com/johnrushx), founder and self-proclaimed builder of “the most automated org on earth,” to unpack what it takes to launch and run a company where 80% of the work (and soon, 100%) is done by AI agents.
John shares his journey from managing large VC-backed teams to going fully solo and using AI to automate nearly every task in his startups, from prototyping and front-end design to sales outreach and SEO content creation. The conversation covers unique agent workflows, how to rapidly test business ideas, how specialized vs. generalist AI agents can supercharge productivity, and practical insights for solopreneurs and founders curious about leveraging automation for scale.
Check out The Next Wave YouTube Channel if you want to see Matt and Nathan on screen: https://lnk.to/thenextwavepd
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Show Notes:
(00:00) Transitioning from Teamwork to AI Entrepreneurship
(04:01) Rapid AI Prototyping Strategy
(08:40) Specialized vs. General AI Agents
(10:25) Automating Marketing with Limited Coding
(13:38) Embrace AI Agents' Autonomy
(19:09) AI Directories Enhance Contextual Accuracy
(22:36) LLMs Prefer Directories Over Blog Posts
(23:31) LLMs and Directory Discovery
(28:36) Reddit Manipulation Exploits Google's Search Algorithm
(30:42) Elon Musk Boosts X Account
(34:36) AI Progress Hindered by Infrastructure Constraints
(39:11) Limit Screen Time for Balance
(42:11) Leveraging AI for Business Innovation
(43:07) Weekly Idea Generation Strategy
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Mentions:
John Rush: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrushx/
Unicorn Platform: https://unicornplatform.com/
Grok: https://x.ai/
Replit: https://replit.com/
Cursor: https://cursor.com/en
Lindy: https://www.lindy.ai/
Get the guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/tnw
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Check Out Matt’s Stuff:
• Future Tools - https://futuretools.beehiiv.com/
• Blog - https://www.mattwolfe.com/
• YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@mreflow
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Check Out Nathan's Stuff:
Newsletter: https://news.lore.com/
Blog - https://lore.com/
The Next Wave is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Production by Darren Clarke // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano
The Next Wave - AI and The Future of Technology
The Next Wave is your personal Chief AI Officer, bringing fresh takes, industry insights and a trustworthy perspective on how to implement AI to grow your business.
Join Matt Wolfe and Nathan Lands, as they democratize the expertise often reserved for the boardrooms of the biggest corporations. From groundbreaking technologies to practical applications, Matt and Nathan will cover everything you need to stay informed and prepared. Whether you're seeking to adapt your company to the AI era or simply curious about the future, this podcast will equip you with the knowledge to thrive in the forthcoming wave of change.
- No. of episodes: 71
- Latest episode: 2025-07-22
- Business Technology
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