Skip the $49 SaaS: Mid-size businesses will pay $5K-10K for someone who just implements AI
aryanXmahajan · x · 2026-10-16
The author argues most self-styled "AI founders" are playing startup: six months building a $49/month SaaS for an audience of zero, needing 100 churn-free customers just to hit $5K MRR.
Contrast: two LA business owners running a $15M-20M/year portfolio have an "AI strategy" of an intern drafting reel scripts with ChatGPT. They know they're behind and would write a $5,000-10,000 check on the spot — no exec sign-off needed — for anyone who maps their bottlenecks and automates workflows.
The playbook: pick one client acquisition channel, build a working demo of a real workflow fix, pitch owners of $5M-20M businesses, close and collect. The market doesn't need another $49 wrapper; it needs people who can implement.
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