This article has 3 parts:
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A behind-the-scenes look at how I built an AI-powered MVP in just 5 days—and what it would’ve taken in 2020
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A sobering reflection on the impact of AI on creative and tech jobs
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Actionable steps anyone can take to adapt, re-skill, and thrive in this new era
💥 Part 1: What Took 5 People in 2020 Took Me 5 Days in 2025
In under a week, I built and launched the first version of the Gotta Win It Pathfinder—a free AI tool that generates personalized career and entrepreneurship guidance in minutes.
Here’s what it does:
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Takes in a user’s background, passions, and goals
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Uses AI to generate a 4-part custom action plan
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Sends a beautifully formatted email response
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Logs the data in a central dashboard
All seamlessly integrated and branded.
🛠️ I built it using:
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OpenAI for intelligent content generation
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Make.com for all the automation
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Softr for the front end
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Airtable to structure the data
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A sprinkle of custom HTML/CSS for polish
⏱️ Time invested: ~40 hours
💵 Cost: $100 month for AI & Tools subscriptions & web hosting
👤 Team size: Just me
🕰️ Rewind to 2020…
To launch this same product in 2020, it would’ve required:
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A frontend developer to hand-code the form
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A backend developer to handle data, APIs, and email logic
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A copywriter/strategist to write the personalized responses manually
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A designer to build templates and assets
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A QA tester to verify email formatting, bugs, and usability
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Possibly a project manager to tie it all together
📆 Estimated time: 8–12 weeks
💰 Estimated cost: $12K–$20K
👥 Team: 4–5 people
In 2025, I built the whole thing solo in 5 days.
It’s not just a win—it’s a transformation.
⚖️ Part 2: On the Other Hand… A Word of Caution
Yes, I’m thrilled about what I accomplished.
But I’m also deeply aware of what it means.
The very project that once employed 5 people now needs none of them.
That’s both empowering and terrifying.
We’re seeing this across every field:
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AI writing better (and faster) than most marketers
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AI generating polished designs in seconds
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AI fixing bugs and writing code
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AI replacing support roles, paralegals, and even medical research assistants
🧠 The tools are smart. The impact is seismic.
And while I may be thriving, many others are being left behind.
A startup that once hired 6 people can now hire 1 person who knows how to use the tools.
That’s a revolution—and a reckoning.
💡 Part 3: What Can We Do About It?
This isn’t about fear. It’s about focus.
If you’re reading this, you still have time to adapt. But not by doing more of what you’ve always done.
Here’s what actually matters now:
1. Re-Skill with Intention
Focus on what AI can’t do well (yet):
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Leadership
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Storytelling
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Emotional intelligence
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Complex strategy
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Human trust and judgment
2. Partner with AI, Don’t Compete Against It
Learn how to use tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Notion AI, Make.com, and Zapier.
Your new superpower isn’t your output—it’s your orchestration.
3. Think Like a Creator or Entrepreneur
You don’t need to start a company.
But you do need to start thinking about your ideas as assets.
You are no longer just an employee.
You are a brand. A product. A force.
4. Join (or Build) Human-First Communities
Isolation is the enemy.
In a world flooded with automation, the people who help each other adapt will be the ones who win.
🙌 A Final Word
I launched this MVP in 5 days.
But it took decades of failing, learning, pivoting, and pushing to be ready for that moment.
If you’re not there yet, that’s okay.
But don’t wait.
The world is changing fast—and it’s not slowing down for any of us.
Let’s use these tools not just to build faster…
…let’s use them to build better, together.
📖 Want to go deeper?
My book Gotta Win It is about exactly this: resilience, reinvention, and what it really takes to thrive in a changing world.
Or skip the read for now and try the tool I built: 🔗 Gotta Win It Pathfinder (It’s free!)