Podcast Summary

Podcast: Startup Stories – Mixergy
Host: Andrew Warner
Episode: #2291 - He keeps launching AI businesses
Guest: Joe Apfelbaum (Founder, Ajax Union & evai)
Date: December 30, 2025
Theme: Actionable strategies and insights for launching and monetizing AI-based businesses

Overview

Entrepreneur Joe Apfelbaum joins Andrew Warner to reveal how he repeatedly builds businesses leveraging AI. Joe shares five concrete, practical ways listeners can make money with AI—even without a technical background—and pulls back the curtain on his own processes, automation, and mindset. He illustrates each point with vivid examples, proven results, and specific tools, while maintaining his energetic, improvisational, and motivational style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Monetizing Done-For-You AI Services

[00:42–05:56]

Headshot AI Service: Joe built an "AI photographer" service where customers pay $200 for 10 high-quality, brand-matching AI headshots, delivered in 24 hours with unlimited revisions and a money-back guarantee.
- Uses 30 custom prompts and LinkedIn profile photos, AI-powered generation, and a virtual assistant to operate.
- "We had a hundred people raise their hand and pay and say that they are interested in this." [01:32]
- Key to success: Present the offer as a premium service (people want results, not another software) and showcase an extensive gallery of social-proof images.
- Customer acquisition via simple Facebook lead-gen ads and LinkedIn polls—no complicated funnels.

Tools used:

Nano Banana & Nano Banana Pro (image generation)
gohighlevel (marketing automation)
Facebook Lead Ads, LinkedIn Polls

"All you have to do is give me your photo—it's done for you, fully, for $200. Anybody can do this." (Joe, 02:44)

2. Launching & Selling AI-Generated Courses

[05:56–13:37]

AI-driven AI education: Joe uses AI to build and sell courses about using AI.
- Validates demand with LinkedIn polls, pre-sells with payment links, then creates content after earning his first sales.
- Example: Sold access to "99 LinkedIn Hacks" for $99 to 100+ buyers before building any videos, then used HeyGen and VAs for production.
- Incorporates AI in idea generation, content structuring, and video production.

Tactics:

Extracts and summarizes content ideas via AI from transcripts of his prior talks/webinars.
Human touch is still essential for quality review and customer support.

"I just dumped a bunch of Otters into the AI and I said here, produce me 99 transcripts from all these different webinars... The ones I didn't like, I deleted... I was the editor." (Joe, 11:00)

Ongoing value: Offers monthly cohort classes where he learns AI with the group ($3,000/year upsell), highlighting how teaching AI even while learning is lucrative.

3. AI-Generated, "Instant" Infographics and Design Assets

[13:58–18:08]

Quick, high-margin "done-for-you" products generated with AI (e.g., infographics for industry-specific needs).
- Targeting niches like the restoration industry (fire, water damage franchises like ServPro).
- $100 for 10 custom-branded infographics ready in 24 hours.
- AI handles design, customization, and even landing page creation.
- Upsell: Agencies and freelancers can productize and scale this for other franchises/industries.

"You can pick an industry... create a collection of thousands of infographics... especially if it's a franchise—you just sell those same prompts to everyone in the franchise." (Joe, 15:03)

Tools used:

Claude, Gemini, Nano Banana Pro for content and design
gohighlevel and Stripe for landing pages and payments

4. Full-AI Digital Agency: Reselling & Automating with AI

[20:19–27:13]

Ajax Union 2.0: Now rebranded as an "AI agency," reselling gohighlevel to service franchise clients (especially restoration sector franchises).
- AI powers logos, style guides, lead magnets, landing pages, sales automations ("AI picks up the phone"), etc.
- Hyper-focused industry targeting (restoration franchises only), trained prompt engineers, and documented frameworks for scalable operations.

"Now I could take on 100 customers and I don't have to hire anybody." (Joe, 25:17)

Lead acquisition: Still using creative hacks like leaving voicemails at scale, inbound demos via text, and leveraging previous experience in SEO and digital marketing client-getting hacks.

5. Teaching AI as a Business—Even While Learning Yourself

[28:25–33:56]

There's still massive untapped demand for AI training!
- Even mainstream leaders (Tony Robbins) sell basic AI courses ($1,000 per seat) to unserved audiences.
- Active communities with thousands of members hungry for knowledge—provides opportunity to "add real value" and capture customers.
- Joe demonstrates capturing leads from these communities, adding value, and converting them to paid cohorts or AI products.

"I just email a thousand people at a time and just say, hey, I know that you're learning, but I created this crazy prompt... There’s no cost. The title is ‘Tony Robbins Community.’" (Joe, 31:18)

6. Building & Selling Simple AI Tools and SaaS Products

[34:10–39:37]

Prompt Generators and other simple AI-powered utilities (e.g., infographic prompt generators, cold email sequence generators) are in high demand.
- Charge monthly or sell lifetime access.
- The market is still mostly unaware and unsophisticated—simple tools solve real problems.
- AI now makes it feasible for non-coders to build and deploy MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) in hours.

Tools/Suggestions:

Use Gemini, Claude, GoHighLevel, or even GoDaddy’s new AI coder for prototyping.
Upsell custom GPTs and niche SaaS features to micro-segments of business users.

"Most people in the world don't even know [AI] exists... You just build a very simple tool for a specific need and sell access." (Joe, 34:21)

7. The Journey & Mindset: From Agency Burnout to AI-Fueled Entrepreneurship

[20:19–23:50], [43:20–49:57]

Openly discusses setbacks: experienced burnout, pandemic pain, business partner exits, divorce, and loss of revenue.
Rebuilt everything on AI, using ChatGPT and other models as "co-pilots" and "therapists" to brainstorm, strategize, and overcome overwhelm.
Hyperfocus and discipline (plus a skilled business partner as "integrator") allowed scaling only when the product/market fit and automation were ready.

"And so I have conversations with all the different AI, sometimes at the same time. And I build relationships with them and they give me these ideas to help me..." (Joe, 22:29)

8. Building More Sophisticated AI Software: Evai

[37:55–46:53]

Evai: An AI LinkedIn manager and sales assistant.
- Automates posting, commenting, prospect research, and messaging.
- Chrome extension and bulk tools simplify sales workflows.
- Joe used AI for MVP prototyping, SRS (software requirements specs), and initial builds—relies on experienced dev team for final security/compliance.

Process:

Brainstorm with AI (Grok, Gemini) for product ideas and software specs.
Use AI to create HTML prototypes and initial front/back-end.
Human dev team polishes, scales, and secures.

"If I had to work with a developer back in the day... he would come back to me three weeks later with an MVP. Now I give the idea to Gemini and within 45 seconds I have my MVP done." (Joe, 43:16)

Notable Quotes & Moments

"People prefer to talk to people and get results. And they also value services more than they value logging into a website." (Andrew, 05:37)
"The ideas that I present to her, she basically says no. Because I'm the idea monkey and she makes sure it's in line... But at least 200 of my ideas, she said yes and she's ready to implement them." (Joe on working with his integrator, 43:38)
"Imagine the brain of a CEO that's been doing digital marketing for 17 years... now I'm dangerous enough to show you how to build a Chrome extension, just myself, in the middle of the night." (Joe, 32:40)
"Every person in their life needs an assistant to do the things they don't need to do... That's the key. You don't have to leave the platform." (Joe, 45:41)

Timestamps & Segment Highlights

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 00:42–05:56 | Building an AI headshot service (done-for-you model) | | 05:56–13:37 | Launching & marketing courses with AI | | 13:58–18:08 | Selling AI-designed infographics & landing pages | | 20:19–27:13 | Scaling an AI-powered agency, lessons from COVID | | 28:25–33:56 | Teaching AI as a business, lead-gen from communities | | 34:10–39:37 | Making money selling simple AI tools/SaaS | | 37:55–46:53 | Developing complex software (evai), MVP with AI | | 43:20–49:57 | Mindset, overcoming setbacks, focusing vision |

Practical Takeaways for Listeners

You don't have to code: Use AI to create MVPs for SaaS, info products, and services.
Validate first, build later: Pre-sell with polls, ads, and DMs before creating offerings.
Niche down: Focus on a single industry, franchise, or service type for scale and efficiency.
Let humans do customer-facing roles; let AI power the backend.
Content recycling: Use AI to extract and remix your existing work into sellable assets.
Community & value: Join crowds of learners; stand out by giving genuine, actionable support.
AI as co-pilot: Lean on AI tools for brainstorming, architecture, building, and even emotional support.

Where to Find Joe

Text “demo” to: 973-841-8868
LinkedIn: joelinkedin.com
99 LinkedIn Hacks: 99hacks.club
Email: joe@ajaxunion.com
EVAI: evai.com
Books on Amazon: Search "Joe Apfelbaum"

Final Thoughts

Joe’s journey is a blueprint for entrepreneurs eager to break into AI business without getting lost in tech. His approach is scrappy, customer-first, and unafraid to validate in public—offering hard-earned wisdom and step-by-step tactics for turning AI into income, whatever your skill level.

“Now I have the tools and the ingredients to be able to truly grow something magical...” (Joe, 49:57)

[End of summary]

Podcast Summary

Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Monetizing Done-For-You AI Services

[00:42–05:56]

Headshot AI Service: Joe built an "AI photographer" service where customers pay $200 for 10 high-quality, brand-matching AI headshots, delivered in 24 hours with unlimited revisions and a money-back guarantee.
- Uses 30 custom prompts and LinkedIn profile photos, AI-powered generation, and a virtual assistant to operate.
- "We had a hundred people raise their hand and pay and say that they are interested in this." [01:32]
- Key to success: Present the offer as a premium service (people want results, not another software) and showcase an extensive gallery of social-proof images.
- Customer acquisition via simple Facebook lead-gen ads and LinkedIn polls—no complicated funnels.

Tools used:

Nano Banana & Nano Banana Pro (image generation)
gohighlevel (marketing automation)
Facebook Lead Ads, LinkedIn Polls

"All you have to do is give me your photo—it's done for you, fully, for $200. Anybody can do this." (Joe, 02:44)

2. Launching & Selling AI-Generated Courses

[05:56–13:37]

AI-driven AI education: Joe uses AI to build and sell courses about using AI.
- Validates demand with LinkedIn polls, pre-sells with payment links, then creates content after earning his first sales.
- Example: Sold access to "99 LinkedIn Hacks" for $99 to 100+ buyers before building any videos, then used HeyGen and VAs for production.
- Incorporates AI in idea generation, content structuring, and video production.

Tactics:

Extracts and summarizes content ideas via AI from transcripts of his prior talks/webinars.
Human touch is still essential for quality review and customer support.

"I just dumped a bunch of Otters into the AI and I said here, produce me 99 transcripts from all these different webinars... The ones I didn't like, I deleted... I was the editor." (Joe, 11:00)

Ongoing value: Offers monthly cohort classes where he learns AI with the group ($3,000/year upsell), highlighting how teaching AI even while learning is lucrative.

3. AI-Generated, "Instant" Infographics and Design Assets

[13:58–18:08]

Quick, high-margin "done-for-you" products generated with AI (e.g., infographics for industry-specific needs).
- Targeting niches like the restoration industry (fire, water damage franchises like ServPro).
- $100 for 10 custom-branded infographics ready in 24 hours.
- AI handles design, customization, and even landing page creation.
- Upsell: Agencies and freelancers can productize and scale this for other franchises/industries.

"You can pick an industry... create a collection of thousands of infographics... especially if it's a franchise—you just sell those same prompts to everyone in the franchise." (Joe, 15:03)

Tools used:

Claude, Gemini, Nano Banana Pro for content and design
gohighlevel and Stripe for landing pages and payments

4. Full-AI Digital Agency: Reselling & Automating with AI

[20:19–27:13]

Ajax Union 2.0: Now rebranded as an "AI agency," reselling gohighlevel to service franchise clients (especially restoration sector franchises).
- AI powers logos, style guides, lead magnets, landing pages, sales automations ("AI picks up the phone"), etc.
- Hyper-focused industry targeting (restoration franchises only), trained prompt engineers, and documented frameworks for scalable operations.

"Now I could take on 100 customers and I don't have to hire anybody." (Joe, 25:17)

Lead acquisition: Still using creative hacks like leaving voicemails at scale, inbound demos via text, and leveraging previous experience in SEO and digital marketing client-getting hacks.

5. Teaching AI as a Business—Even While Learning Yourself

[28:25–33:56]

There's still massive untapped demand for AI training!
- Even mainstream leaders (Tony Robbins) sell basic AI courses ($1,000 per seat) to unserved audiences.
- Active communities with thousands of members hungry for knowledge—provides opportunity to "add real value" and capture customers.
- Joe demonstrates capturing leads from these communities, adding value, and converting them to paid cohorts or AI products.

"I just email a thousand people at a time and just say, hey, I know that you're learning, but I created this crazy prompt... There’s no cost. The title is ‘Tony Robbins Community.’" (Joe, 31:18)

6. Building & Selling Simple AI Tools and SaaS Products

[34:10–39:37]

Prompt Generators and other simple AI-powered utilities (e.g., infographic prompt generators, cold email sequence generators) are in high demand.
- Charge monthly or sell lifetime access.
- The market is still mostly unaware and unsophisticated—simple tools solve real problems.
- AI now makes it feasible for non-coders to build and deploy MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) in hours.

Tools/Suggestions:

Use Gemini, Claude, GoHighLevel, or even GoDaddy’s new AI coder for prototyping.
Upsell custom GPTs and niche SaaS features to micro-segments of business users.

"Most people in the world don't even know [AI] exists... You just build a very simple tool for a specific need and sell access." (Joe, 34:21)

7. The Journey & Mindset: From Agency Burnout to AI-Fueled Entrepreneurship

[20:19–23:50], [43:20–49:57]

Openly discusses setbacks: experienced burnout, pandemic pain, business partner exits, divorce, and loss of revenue.
Rebuilt everything on AI, using ChatGPT and other models as "co-pilots" and "therapists" to brainstorm, strategize, and overcome overwhelm.
Hyperfocus and discipline (plus a skilled business partner as "integrator") allowed scaling only when the product/market fit and automation were ready.

"And so I have conversations with all the different AI, sometimes at the same time. And I build relationships with them and they give me these ideas to help me..." (Joe, 22:29)

8. Building More Sophisticated AI Software: Evai

[37:55–46:53]

Evai: An AI LinkedIn manager and sales assistant.
- Automates posting, commenting, prospect research, and messaging.
- Chrome extension and bulk tools simplify sales workflows.
- Joe used AI for MVP prototyping, SRS (software requirements specs), and initial builds—relies on experienced dev team for final security/compliance.

Process:

Brainstorm with AI (Grok, Gemini) for product ideas and software specs.
Use AI to create HTML prototypes and initial front/back-end.
Human dev team polishes, scales, and secures.

"If I had to work with a developer back in the day... he would come back to me three weeks later with an MVP. Now I give the idea to Gemini and within 45 seconds I have my MVP done." (Joe, 43:16)

Notable Quotes & Moments

"People prefer to talk to people and get results. And they also value services more than they value logging into a website." (Andrew, 05:37)
"The ideas that I present to her, she basically says no. Because I'm the idea monkey and she makes sure it's in line... But at least 200 of my ideas, she said yes and she's ready to implement them." (Joe on working with his integrator, 43:38)
"Imagine the brain of a CEO that's been doing digital marketing for 17 years... now I'm dangerous enough to show you how to build a Chrome extension, just myself, in the middle of the night." (Joe, 32:40)
"Every person in their life needs an assistant to do the things they don't need to do... That's the key. You don't have to leave the platform." (Joe, 45:41)

Timestamps & Segment Highlights

Practical Takeaways for Listeners

You don't have to code: Use AI to create MVPs for SaaS, info products, and services.
Validate first, build later: Pre-sell with polls, ads, and DMs before creating offerings.
Niche down: Focus on a single industry, franchise, or service type for scale and efficiency.
Let humans do customer-facing roles; let AI power the backend.
Content recycling: Use AI to extract and remix your existing work into sellable assets.
Community & value: Join crowds of learners; stand out by giving genuine, actionable support.
AI as co-pilot: Lean on AI tools for brainstorming, architecture, building, and even emotional support.

Where to Find Joe

Text “demo” to: 973-841-8868
LinkedIn: joelinkedin.com
99 LinkedIn Hacks: 99hacks.club
Email: joe@ajaxunion.com
EVAI: evai.com
Books on Amazon: Search "Joe Apfelbaum"

Final Thoughts

“Now I have the tools and the ingredients to be able to truly grow something magical...” (Joe, 49:57)

[End of summary]

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#2291 He keeps launching AI businesses

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Summary

Podcast Summary

Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Monetizing Done-For-You AI Services

2. Launching & Selling AI-Generated Courses

3. AI-Generated, "Instant" Infographics and Design Assets

4. Full-AI Digital Agency: Reselling & Automating with AI

5. Teaching AI as a Business—Even While Learning Yourself

6. Building & Selling Simple AI Tools and SaaS Products

7. The Journey & Mindset: From Agency Burnout to AI-Fueled Entrepreneurship

8. Building More Sophisticated AI Software: Evai

Notable Quotes & Moments

Timestamps & Segment Highlights

Practical Takeaways for Listeners

Where to Find Joe

Final Thoughts

Summary

Podcast Summary

Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Monetizing Done-For-You AI Services

2. Launching & Selling AI-Generated Courses

3. AI-Generated, "Instant" Infographics and Design Assets

4. Full-AI Digital Agency: Reselling & Automating with AI

5. Teaching AI as a Business—Even While Learning Yourself

6. Building & Selling Simple AI Tools and SaaS Products

7. The Journey & Mindset: From Agency Burnout to AI-Fueled Entrepreneurship

8. Building More Sophisticated AI Software: Evai

Notable Quotes & Moments

Timestamps & Segment Highlights

Practical Takeaways for Listeners

Where to Find Joe

Final Thoughts