Podcast Summary: The Startup Ideas Podcast Episode: Making $$$ with OpenClaw Host: Greg Isenberg Guest: Nick (OpenClaw Expert, Orgo Founder) Date: February 18, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into monetizing OpenClaw—an agentic AI designed to operate computers, automate workflows, and function as a digital employee. Greg Isenberg and guest Nick discuss not only the opportunities but also tactical, step-by-step strategies for setting up OpenClaw instances, deploying subagents, and building real, revenue-generating automations for businesses. The conversation blends visionary thinking (“agents are the new SaaS”) with practical advice, live demos, and reflections on the future of digital entrepreneurship.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Opportunity with OpenClaw (00:00–05:00)

• OpenClaw can be more than a personal assistant; it can be deployed in business contexts to drive real revenue and productivity.
• People are already making thousands by setting up and managing OpenClaw for busy executives. (01:22)

“You can actually deploy this into businesses. You could drive actual business outcomes, generate revenue off of OpenClaw as an opportunity.” — Nick [01:22]

2. Getting Started: Setting Up and Scaling OpenClaw (05:00–08:00)

• Demonstration of spinning up several OpenClaw “machines” in Orgo, Nick’s startup, though other platforms or local machines can be used.
• Importance of identifying high-value business tasks to automate—look beyond viral demo use cases.
• Parallelization: running multiple OpenClaw or subagents at once for efficiency.

“What people don’t realize is OpenClaw can spawn subagents... You’re going to want 10 OpenClaws, you know, 100 OpenClaws.” — Nick [06:45]

3. Real-World Example: Automating a Distributorship (05:00–10:00)

• Automation of repetitive legacy tasks—scraping product data, parsing info, uploading to Zoho CRM.
• OpenClaw enables a true end-to-end automation, even interfacing with systems lacking APIs.

4. Finding Monetizable Automation Opportunities (08:00–12:00)

• Use Upwork and similar platforms to find businesses willing to pay for AI-powered automation.
• OpenClaw (and its subagents) can scan freelance platforms, prepare proposals, and even submit demos en masse.

“Upwork... is designed for human beings to complete work. Right. It’s not designed for machines... as long as the quality is good, the customer is going to be happy.” — Greg [08:22]

5. Vertical Use Cases & The Computer Use Agent Concept (12:00–16:00)

• Andreessen Horowitz’s framework: agents that actually “use” computers and operate legacy GUIs will unlock huge vertical startup opportunities.
• Setting up workspace environments (inviting execs, spinning up computers) is itself a business.

6. Automation Design Thinking: Identifying and Mapping Tasks (16:00–19:00)

• Use design thinking: map business processes by value vs. implementation effort, then automate low-hanging fruit first.
• Start process mapping (Figma, Mermaid, etc.)—could even use OpenClaw itself to analyze transcripts and recommend automation priorities.

“Always ask it to ask you questions. So, what do you need from me to be able to build this out?” — Nick [25:51]

7. Subagents vs. Tasks: Clarifying Agent Hierarchies (19:33–24:00)

• Subagents can parallelize or specialize—think of them as employees with defined skills.
• Main OpenClaw agent acts as orchestrator, maintaining throughput by delegating tasks to subagents.

“You want your main agent to be freed up... What if the general agent can just call a sub agent like worker number four to do a given skill that you have created?” — Nick [19:46]

8. From Bad Employee to Good Employee: Context & Management Tips (24:54–27:00)

• Success depends on managing the “agent” properly—clear context, good instructions, leveraging subagents.
• Trick is to specify roles, triggers, and monitor for quality.

“You don't want your agent to hold a hot coffee... So what subagents do is it creates leverage for your OpenClaw.” — Greg [22:05]

9. Live Demo: Building a TikTok Trend Hunter Skill (27:00–37:00)

• Nick live-demos using OpenClaw to open a browser, navigate TikTok, and build a specialized agent for trend discovery.
• Steps: test idea manually, then formalize as a reusable “skill” using Orgo’s docs/APIs.
• Discusses iterative approach—start with an MVP, refine.

“It's literally any idea you have, you can just build it.” — Nick [36:03]

10. Monetization Advice: Narrow Focus and Exec Enablement (37:53–40:00)

• Don’t be generic; focus on a vertical where you have background or connection.
• Avoid verticals with heavy regulation (healthcare, finance) for quick wins.
• Opportunity to package pre-built agents/workflows as “digital teams” for businesses.

“Don't help every business. Help real estate agents, for example. Or pick a vertical that you have some unfair advantage for.” — Greg [37:53]

11. The Vision: Agents are the New SaaS (40:30–43:00)

• Paradigm shift: Instead of selling software, sell the agent(s) that do the work.
• “Agents are the new SaaS” is quickly spreading, with businesses soon expected to “hire” agents rather than use tools.

“Now you're not going to create software and invite them to the software. You're going to create agents and you're going to invite them to the agents, and then the agents are going to do work that creates value.” — Greg [40:30]

12. Asset Creation & The Golden Age of Solopreneurship (44:12–45:38)

• Automation and digital assets (agents, workflows) will lead to a wave of new, one-person businesses.
• Bigger companies may shrink, but entrepreneurship opportunities are multiplying.

“There's going to be a renaissance, the golden age of entrepreneurship and people creating products like this.” — Greg [45:09]

13. Practical Tactics: Getting Your First Client (48:04–50:22)

• Go to Upwork, search for Robotic Process Automation (RPA), find posted jobs, hand requirements to OpenClaw/Claude Code, prototype, and pitch the solution.
• The bottleneck is just putting in the effort to package, propose, and deliver—tools are ready.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the opportunity:
  “If this doesn't get your creative juices flowing for the future of SaaS, how people are going to make money and how to actually use Open Claw from not just a cute little use case, but actually money making opportunities, then I don't know what will.” — Greg [00:00]

• On agent proliferation:
  “It's gonna happen quickly... You're already seeing memes about, like, what if you have 10 Mac minis... right now you can have one OpenClaw and just have it spawn up to, I think, eight subagents. Each subagent could have its own computer.” — Nick [06:45]

• On verticalization and future of agencies:
  “Can you create a vertical use case for OpenClaw for a business and actually assist that company in adopting it? I think that's the huge opportunity here.” — Nick [11:28]

• Live demo joy:
  “This is always such a magical experience, just watching a computer navigate the web like a human being.” — Greg [29:20]

• Agents as SaaS:
  “Agents are the new SaaS.” — Greg [40:30]

Key Timestamps & Segments

• 00:00–01:22: Framing the episode—the promise of real money-making with OpenClaw.
• 06:16: Aha moment—benefits of seeing multiple OpenClaw instances at a glance.
• 08:22: Monetizing by automating Upwork tasks and exploiting freelancing platforms.
• 19:46–22:03: Defining subagents, their purpose, and orchestration model.
• 27:00–37:53: Live build of TikTok agent—from idea to prototype.
• 37:53–40:30: Picking a vertical & the importance of focus.
• 40:30–43:14: Agents as the next iteration of SaaS; shifting business models.
• 45:09–47:55: Asset-generation, solopreneur trends, and entrepreneurship boom.
• 48:04–50:22: Finding & landing first automation clients on Upwork.

Takeaways & Best Practices

• Start with what you know: Focus on verticals you have access to or understand.
• Utilize leverage: Spin up subagents for parallelization, specialization, and increased throughput.
• Prototype rapidly: Test simple skills/MVPs, refine, and build iteratively.
• Map before you build: Use design thinking—prioritize high-value/low-effort automations.
• Go to where the demand is: Look for posted gigs (like Upwork) asking explicitly for automation and computer use agents.
• Monetize executive enablement: Simply educating/setting up agents for execs/law firms/SMBs is itself valuable.
• Agents as assets: Every workflow and “employee” built with OpenClaw is a reusable, salable digital asset.

Final Thoughts

Greg and Nick’s conversation is an actionable blueprint for anyone curious about agent-based businesses. If you’re tech-savvy, there’s a real arbitrage in deploying these tools—and for those bold enough to specialize, the chance to build the next generation of SaaS-by-agent ventures is now.

“I think this is the best time to be a builder, tinkerer, to get creative... I'm excited to see what people build with OpenClaw and computer use agents in general.” — Nick [45:38]