March 14, 2026
How do you compete with AI?
When people contact me about the possibility of working together, one of the things I want to understand is why they’re looking for assistance in the first place.
I mean... they often have a decade or more of experience working for themselves and have never hired outside help of any kind.
Now, all of a sudden, they are shopping around for a business coach?
Why? What changed?
One of the most common responses has always been:
“I’m losing jobs to youngsters who are half my price!”
It makes sense when you think about it.
As you get older, the cost of your lifestyle tends to increase. You accumulate mortgages, pets, kids, and health expenses. You have to charge more to afford everything.
Meanwhile, competent competitors who are just starting out (and maybe live in a lower-cost-of-living area) can work for much less and still be quite profitable.
Here’s the thing...
Cheaper options have always been a problem for commoditized businesses.
And the solution has always been to de-commoditize yourself to justify premium fees.
It’s the same with AI.
AI is just a newer, cheaper competitor.
So how do you compete with AI?
The same way you compete with youngsters who are half your price.
Be meaningfully different to your ideal buyers.
Ask yourself:
“What can’t AI do that really matters to my ideal buyers?”
(NOTE: Not what SHOULD matter to your ideal buyers. What REALLY ACTUALLY matters to them right now.)
Yours,
—J