The $1,000/hour Solo AI business (Full Course)

In this episode I sit down with Corey Ganim to unpack what he calls the simplest way to earn money with AI in 2026: a $999 AI Tools Assessment for small business owners. Corey lays out his entire four-phase system, from a probing discovery call through an AI-assisted analysis in Claude, a stupid-simple client report, and a review call that turns roughly half of clients into implementation buyers. We walk through his full upsell menu, seven client-acquisition methods that run on zero capital and zero audience, and his AI Concierge retainer that earns him about $1,000 an hour. Anyone listening leaves with a copy-and-paste playbook they can adapt to their own city or industry. Checkout Corey’s AI Audit Template: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/ai_audit Timestamps 00:00 – Intro and the episode promise 03:48 – The full playbook preview 06:39 – Phase 1: the discovery call 08:27 – Phase 2: AI Analysis 12:11 – Phase 3: The Report 22:24 – Tool and Model Selection 23:39 – Phase 4: The Review Call 26:15 – The Upsell Services 35:52 – Finding Customers 49:16 – The AI Concierge retainer 58:46 – Final Thoughts Key Points * The core offer is a $999, 45-minute AI Tools Assessment that prescribes 3–7 off-the-shelf tools, backed by a full-refund guarantee tied to finding at least five reclaimed hours per week. * Fulfillment runs in four phases: discovery call, AI analysis in Claude, a templatized report, and a review call that converts about half of clients into implementation work. * The report stays deliberately simple, with an executive summary, an effort-versus-impact matrix, quick wins, a four-day quick-start plan, and a clear ROI slide. * The upsell menu spans process redesign, automation builds, knowledge systems, custom workflows, and full implementation, with lifetime value reaching $3K–$10K or more. * Seven client-acquisition methods run on zero capital and zero audience, from local meetups and door knocking to agency partnerships and office hours. * The AI Concierge retainer ($1,200–$2,000/month for two calls) creates recurring revenue at roughly a $1,000 hourly rate. Numbered Section Summaries 1. The Assessment Offer Corey sells a 45-minute structured interview to small business owners in the $500K–$5M revenue range, then prescribes 3–7 off-the-shelf AI or SaaS tools to reclaim five to ten hours a week. The full-refund guarantee makes the offer feel risk-free, and at $999 it acts as a foot-in-the-door tripwire. 2. The Four-Phase Fulfillment System Phase one records a discovery call with an AI note-taker like Fathom; phase two feeds that transcript to Claude to surface pain points and research fixes; phase three generates the client report; phase four reviews it live. Corey stresses probing on the first call and saving every prescription for later. 3. Building a Stupid-Simple Report Built in Claude Design from a reusable template, the report leads with an executive summary and an effort-versus-impact matrix that spotlights high-impact, low-effort "quick wins." A four-day quick-start plan and a financial-impact slide make the ROI obvious, and Corey iterated on this piece twelve times to keep it clear. 4. The Upsell Menu Roughly half of assessment clients ask for implementation, which opens five to six upsells: process redesign, automation builds, knowledge systems, custom workflows, and full implementation packages. 5. Turning One-Time Sales Into Retainers Corey shows how each upsell can become a monthly retainer, such as building a set number of Claude skills or automations per month. He also shares a favorite close: crediting the paid assessment toward the upsell while marking the upsell up, so the client feels a win and the math stays profitable. 6. Seven Ways to Find Clients The list covers local AI meetups, door knocking, LinkedIn DMs, free audits for your network, agency partnerships, AI office hours at co-working spaces, and posting your wins. 7. The AI Concierge Retainer His favorite upsell is a done-with-you retainer: two 45-minute calls a month spent building Claude skills and teaching Claude Cowork, plus unlimited Voxer access with a 12-business-hour response window. He closed five of his first six prospects, reached $8K MRR in ten days, and prices new clients from $1,200 to $2,000 a month while capping the roster at six. The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/ The Vibe Marketer - Resources for people into vibe marketing/marketing with AI: https://www.thevibemarketer.com/ FIND ME ON SOCIAL X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/ FIND COREY ON SOCIAL Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coreyganim X/Twitter: https://x.com/coreyganim