The Koe Cast – How I’d Build a One-Person Business (If I Started Over in 2026)
Host: Dan Koe
Date: January 3, 2026
Episode Overview
Dan Koe takes a deep dive into the evolving landscape of the one-person online business in 2026. Rejecting recycled advice and outdated models, he examines why traditional info products are declining, what’s next for education-based business, the impact of AI, and offers actionable strategies for anyone looking to build a resilient solo business in the years ahead.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Need for Evolution in Online Business Models
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The Landscape Shift: Dan stresses that what worked even last year doesn’t apply now; paradigms are shifting fast in business, the internet, and social media.
- “It feels like what worked just last year doesn’t work anymore.” (00:06)
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Tired Advice: Popular business models like agencies, freelancing, info products, and coaching are oversaturated and no longer safe bets for newcomers.
- “I’m not going to tell you to start an agency... or even build an info product.” (00:34)
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Impact of Market Changes: As paradigms shift, clarity disappears and experimentation is required.
2. The Classic One-Person Business Model – What Worked and Why
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Leverage & Uncapped Value: Historically, creators leveraged content and products (like courses, planners) to build businesses single-handedly.
- “One single person could be their own marketing, content, sales, product, and even HR department.” (02:05)
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Simple Formula for Success:
- Pursue a passion and become (somewhat of) an expert.
- Share knowledge through content.
- Iterate, improve, and funnel traffic into a product.
- Products served as solutions (notebooks, templates, courses, etc.).
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Uncapped Value: Success depended on one’s reach and skill, not what an employer decreed their value to be.
3. The Death (and Evolution) of Info Products
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Why Info Products Are Fading:
- AI enables anyone to quickly produce mediocre ebooks, courses, images, and viral content.
- The bar has been raised: “It’s never been easier to start a mediocre one-person business.” (10:13)
- Market saturation has outpaced value; only exceptional products survive, and the average will “do really bad”. (15:54)
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Stages of Market Sophistication:
References Eugene Schwartz’s model, highlighting how we reached the ‘brand matters most’ phase:- “We’ve hit the final stage of market sophistication across the board with info products.” (13:15)
- Authenticity alone isn’t enough to stand out.
- “People crave the sense of belonging they get from joining a tribe with a mission.” (13:49)
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Transcendence is Essential:
- You must evolve past average info products and integrate deeper, more engaging ways of delivering value.
- Speed and adaptability are now crucial, as the next major shift could be only 2-3 years away.
4. The Future of Education Products
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Interest-Based Learning:
- “The creator economy is this interest-based education system that is far more effective than traditional schooling.” (21:31)
- Learning is more rapid, deep, and relevant when you relate to the educator.
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Static Courses Are Over:
- Market fatigue: “A 10-hour video library just isn’t what people want that much anymore.” (24:20)
- AI can now generate most information; static content lacks differentiation.
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The Shift to Learning Experiences:
- Future products will let people interact, not just consume passively.
- “You’re not only selling information anymore, you’re practically selling a second version of your mind.” (28:02)
- Educational AI will create dynamic, customizable, interactive experiences.
5. Actionable Strategies: How to Build in This New Era
a. Embrace AI, but Infuse Your Specific Knowledge
- AI for Utility, Humans for Meaning:
- Use AI to handle repetitive, utility tasks (e.g., Dan’s help center content generation via Claude; (31:20)).
- The value: creating interactive tools (AI chatbots, knowledge bases) that leverage your hard-won frameworks and experience.
- “AI is great for utility-based tasks, but not so much for meaning-based tasks.” (38:30)
b. Build Learning Experiences, Not Just Content
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Micro SaaS & Interactive Apps:
- Convert your knowledge into software tools – chatbots, simulators, interactive learning platforms.
- “Imagine a course, but the course material was actually a knowledge base. The chatbot isn’t for support, but to help people learn, practice, and implement the knowledge.” (37:56)
- Example: A writing course becomes an AI-powered writing coach.
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Return of the Artisan:
- Modern “apprenticeship” through personalized, real-time, AI-guided education at scale.
c. How to Build Your Tool / Micro SaaS
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Technical Approach:
- Use low-code/no-code tools (Replit, Cursor, Claude Code tab); start by tinkering, then deepen learning via tutorials (50:55).
- Start by building small apps; expect to iterate several times before reaching a shippable product.
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The Power of Prompts:
- Your unique system prompts (AI instructions) encapsulate your voice, experience, and process.
- “It’s your specific knowledge, your frameworks, and your voice that can help thousands of people at once.” (57:25)
d. Where Your Advantage Truly Lies
- Specific Knowledge & The Uncopyable Edge:
- “Your advantage isn’t doing what AI can’t do, because that’s a losing game. Your advantage is doing what only you would think to do with AI.” (01:04:05)
- Naval Ravikant’s ‘specific knowledge’: born from genuine curiosity, impossible to mass produce.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Uncapped Value:
- “Your value isn’t determined by an employer. Your value is practically uncapped depending on how many people you reach.” (04:16)
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On Market Saturation:
- “Authenticity in and of itself doesn’t make a difference anymore.” (14:30)
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On the New Learning Paradigm:
- “Static courses don’t cut it anymore... people want something that is more efficient.” (24:39)
- “You’re selling your coaching services, so to say, but you aren’t there. Instead you pass off everything you know to the AI and let people learn at their own speed.” (28:18)
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On Building an AI-Powered Info Product:
- “If I were still a one person business, then this is probably something that I would take seriously.” (43:35)
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On Differentiation and Prompts:
- “The prompt is what makes your AI different from everyone else’s.” (56:55)
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On Why Most Won’t Compete:
- “Most people just don’t do anything. That sounds harsh.” (18:28)
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Summary of Competitive Advantage:
- “AI is making human knowledge more valuable, not less... Very few people are uncopyable.” (01:06:20)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:00 – 02:40: Introduction & Why Most Business Advice Is Outdated
- 02:41 – 07:35: Classic One-Person Business Model Deconstructed
- 10:13 – 16:00: Stages of Market Sophistication & Why Info Products Are Dying
- 21:31 – 25:00: The Future of Education: Interest-Based and Learning Experiences
- 28:00 – 31:20: AI as Teacher—Selling Your ‘Mind’ and Learning Experiences
- 32:30 – 37:56: Case Study: Building a Help Center with AI, Applying to Courses
- 38:00 – 44:00: How to Turn Courses into Interactive AI Apps
- 50:55 – 58:00: Practical Steps for Building a Micro SaaS as a Solo Creator
- 1:04:05 – 1:07:00: Specific Knowledge & Naval Ravikant’s Theory
- 1:06:20 – End: The New Moat: Uncopyable Human Taste and Experience
Final Takeaways
- The info product era is ending—success now requires creating interactive, AI-driven learning experiences that embody your unique expertise and curiosity.
- Stay relentlessly adaptable. Tech and market change are accelerating; nothing will be static for long.
- Your enduring advantage is your hard-won, nuanced, specific knowledge—build what only you can build with the help of AI.
Resources and Links:
Dan references his “Purpose and Profit” book on Substack, newsletter, and “Eden” app (AI canvas and drive). For more details, see his linked materials in the episode description.
This summary is for those seeking to understand what works for solo businesses in 2026, why the old approaches no longer suffice, and how to ride the next educational and technological wave creatively and profitably.