How I’m Using AI to Scale My Business to $100KMonth And How You Can Too

What if I told you most people are using AI completely wrong? Yep, painfully wrong.

While some are using AI like it’s a shiny toy, others are quietly using it to print money, save hundreds of hours, and scale businesses faster than ever before. I’m one of them—and today, I’m going to show you how you can be too.

From Zero to $80K/Month—Then Came AI

Hey, I’m Deric. I’ve been bootstrapping tech businesses for over 5 years now—no investors, just building, marketing, and selling. One of my startups, Sigma School, helps people break into tech.

Another, Jobier, helps users land their dream jobs 10x faster using AI. And recently, AI has taken my business game to an entirely new level.

I’ll show you the exact AI systems I use, the tools behind them, and how I’d build a lean, AI-powered business from scratch if I had to start over today.

1. The AI Gold Rush Is Real—But Most People Are Digging in the Wrong Place

A year ago, everyone was hyped about AI. People were posting ChatGPT screenshots like they’d found gold. Honestly, I didn’t care at first—I was too busy running my dev agency, Sigma Studios.

But two recurring problems kept getting in the way: repetitive client onboarding and endless back-and-forths that didn’t need human input. So I built a simple AI agent to qualify leads, check project fit, and schedule calls. It wasn’t fancy, but it worked—and saved 12 hours a week.

That’s over 600 hours a year. Not just “time saved”—but actual payroll margin. That’s the real win.

2. Speed to Lead = Revenue Multiplier

Harvard Business Review says if you don’t respond to a lead within 5 minutes, your chance of converting them drops by 400%. And yet, the average response time? 42 hours. That’s wild.

I use AI to eliminate the delay. With custom GPTs tied to webhooks, Zapier, OpenAI, and our CRM, I ensure leads get an instant reply—any time, any day. I’ve even used platforms like Levity and Chatbase depending on the project.

The result? Better engagement. More conversions. Less stress.

3. Not All Leads Deserve Your Time

I used to think my problem was traffic. It wasn’t. It was qualification. Out of 30–40 weekly calls, 80% were with people who weren’t serious.

So I created an AI agent that asks dynamic pre-call questions. Not a boring form, but a smart chat that adapts in real time. If they qualify, they get a booking link. If not, they’re gently redirected with resources.

The outcome? We slashed unqualified calls by 70% and tripled our close rate.

4. Dead Leads Aren’t Dead—You Just Ghosted Them First

Here’s a brutal truth: most of your “dead leads” didn’t ghost you. You ghosted them.

One of our companies had over 120,000 cold leads. After spinning up an AI-powered re-engagement sequence—using email and smart contextual chat—leads started coming back, even 8 months later.

“Hey, thanks for following up—I’m still interested.” That changed everything. AI isn’t just for new leads. It’s a long-term engine to keep your pipeline warm forever.

5. Scaling Isn’t About Adding—It’s About Subtracting

When we crossed the $80K/month mark, things didn’t magically get easier. In fact, it became harder. The problem wasn’t leads anymore—it was complexity.

Every new hire, new system, and new process added more friction. I realized I didn’t need to keep stacking things.

I needed to start subtracting. Instead of hiring more support agents, I focused on reducing the number of support tickets altogether by automating the most common issues.

Rather than chasing more leads, I built smarter filters to qualify the right ones faster. The real turning point was when I started giving AI just one job at a time.

Whether it was writing email replies, summarizing meetings, or responding to common questions, each agent had a clear purpose. That clarity made it easier to scale without adding more chaos.

6. My Favorite AI Stack (Right Now)

There are so many AI tools out there, but only a few have become core to how I operate. OpenAI remains my go-to for natural language generation—whether that’s in chatbots, email sequences, or internal tools.

Zapier connects the dots between all my platforms, automating workflows that used to take hours. Pinecone helps give my AI agents memory and retrieval, which is essential when you want consistent conversations.

For collecting input and triggering workflows, I use Tally, which integrates perfectly with webhooks. When I need to build more advanced automations, Make.com (formerly Integromat) gives me the flexibility that Zapier sometimes lacks.

To present data or create internal tools fast, I lean on platforms like Retool and Softr. And Notion AI is fantastic for turning scattered notes into structured SOPs or product documentation. One underrated gem is Voiceflow—it’s the easiest way I’ve found to build conversational AI flows without touching a single line of code.

7. What I’d Do If I Had to Start From Scratch

If I were starting from zero—no money, no team, no followers—AI would still be my edge. I’d begin by identifying a specific business problem that’s expensive or frustrating for a lot of people.

Something like slow response times for leads or poor customer service turnaround. Then, I’d build a simple AI solution to fix it—not a fancy app, just a tool that works. I’d reach out to 20 businesses and offer it for free in exchange for feedback.

After getting some solid success stories and measurable results, I’d package the solution into a productized service. This means I’d turn it into something repeatable and systemized, so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel for each client.

And I’d use AI on the backend to automate most of the delivery process—emails, onboarding, follow-ups—so I can focus on growth, not grunt work. I wouldn’t even worry about a polished website.

A Notion page, a Calendly link, and a Stripe checkout are enough to start. AI gives you leverage. You don’t need a massive audience or tons of funding—you just need precision and execution.

Final Thoughts: Use AI to Remove the Drag

AI isn’t here to replace you. It’s here to remove what’s draining your time and energy—so you can focus on growing your business.

Still spending hours on low-value tasks? That’s not productivity. That’s procrastination in disguise. Start small. Build one agent. Test it. Then scale.

And if you want to see the exact templates I use, drop a comment and let me know what stood out to you.