Ryan Rouse

Growth advisor to consumer businesses with a focus on every line of the P&L | Previously, Co-Founder at Factor Meals (acquired), CEO at Highkey

Growth-minded CPG leader with deep experience across finance, brand building, and operational leadership.

After more than a decade in finance—culminating in an eight-year tenure at Merrill Lynch—I co-founded Factor_, a ready-to-eat meal delivery company that went on to be acquired by HelloFresh for $277M in 2020.

I joined HighKey Snacks as Chief Marketing Officer and later CEO, guiding the low-sugar snack brand through rapid expansion and an acquisition in 2024.

I'm currently the President of MALK Organics, a fast-growing, near nine-figure brand redefining the plant-based milk category with its commitment to clean, organic ingredients and uncompromising quality.

And I write a newsletter about what it really takes to grow—your company, your mindset, your tolerance for chaos:
​
​• The unfiltered truth about building a brand
• Why “strategy” isn’t always strategic
• What to do when everything feels on fire
• Mindset shifts that keep you sane(ish)​
• Founder mistakes, market moves, and lessons I’m still learning​
​
​Part playbook, part perspective shift.
For anyone trying to grow something—and keep their head on straight.

Sign up using the link here (or below my profile pic above): https://ryanrouse.me/

Vice President | Partner

Data driven investors in early stage consumer brands. 

We just launched a line of coconut-based creamers and they absolutely slap.

(Shout out to my kids who would cringe hard at that.)

No gums, no oils, no natural flavors. 

Just real, recognizable ingredients and a texture so creamy it'll make your coffee blush. 
​
🥥 Available in 3 flavors: Vanilla, Sweet Cream, and Unsweetened (for the purists)​
🥥 USDA Organic, non-GMO, glyphosate residue-free​
🥥 Clean label, full flavor: proof you don’t need additives to taste good ​
​
Hitting refrigerated shelves across the US as we speak. 

You should try them. For real.

Being direct is becoming synonymous with being rude. 

Which affects our ability to move things forward faster in business. 

You can be direct and respectful at the same time. 

And if you create an environment where people practice both, it has a big impact on how quickly you make decisions and get things done. 

Because the message being delivered is how things move forward in business.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

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Work-life balance is a lie.

At least the way most people talk about it.

I've done all the "resolutions."

Tried blocking my calendar perfectly. Promised myself I'd be done working at 5:30 every day. Swore I'd never check email after dinner.

All had the same (lack of) success rate that new years resolutions have. 

Because life doesn't care about your color-coded calendar.

Sometimes work demands more. A launch comes up. You're in back-to-back calls, reviewing decks late at night, burning the candle at both ends. 

Other times, family demands more. Gymnastics meet on a Thursday afternoon 4 hours away. Your wife is out of town. The dogs need to go to the vet in the middle of the day. 

The goal isn't equilibrium at all times. 

It's understanding which side needs you more at any given time. And being there when it does.

No guilt. 
No apology. 
No pretending you can split yourself perfectly down the middle.

Entrepreneurs should think in two time frames:

30 years
90 days

I read this in a book by the legendary Dan Sullivan over a decade ago and it hurt my brain.

Because the more common advice is to regularly map out 1/3/5 year plans.

But the older I get and the more time I spend in early stage companies, I've moved more and more towards his away of thinking.

Cast a long term vision.
Execute what's in front of you.

It can be as simple as that.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you might like my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

You might not, but it’s free so WGAF:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Social media will have you believe if you haven't made millions by 30, you're late.

It's bullshit.

Warren Buffett made 99% of his wealth after 50.
Ray Kroc was 52 when he started McDonald's.
Vera Wang was 40 when she entered fashion.
The list goes on and on...

Know what those extra decades give you?

Pattern recognition. You've seen enough cycles to know which ones matter.

Scar tissue. You've failed enough to know it won't kill you.

The pressure to achieve young is manufactured. 

By people selling courses. By media celebrating outliers. By your own impatience.

You're not late. The game is longer than they tell you.

Good thing too. 

Because big moves develop over decades.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you might like my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

You might not, but it’s free so WGAF:

https://ryanrouse.me/

I used to think being intense was the problem.

It's not.

Letting other people control that intensity is.

I'm wired hot. Always have been.

It's helped me build things, push through walls, and get results most people won't.

But I also let it burn bridges I didn't need to burn.

The shift came when I stopped waiting for someone else to tell me to dial it down.

I learned to own the dial myself.

Still intense. Still emotional.

But now I decide when to turn it up and when to pull it back (most of the time, not perfect).

It's been the difference between intensity being an advantage vs. a liability.

Self-awareness isn't about changing who you are.

It's about controlling how you show up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you might like my emails - no BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

You might not, but it’s free so WGAF:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Your mood is not private.

It's broadcasting to everyone around you.

Show up to a meeting stressed, and watch what happens.

People tense up. Conversations get shorter. Ideas stop flowing.

Show up calm, and the opposite happens.

People relax. They think clearer. They bring solutions instead of panic.

I used to think emotions were personal.

Something I could feel without affecting anyone else.

I was wrong.

Every time I showed up frustrated, my team got quieter.
Every time I showed up anxious, my team got nervous.
Every time I showed up scattered, my team got confused.

They weren't reading my words.

They were reading my energy.

And matching it.

As a leader, your emotional state isn't just yours.

It spreads.

Like a cold. Like a yawn. Like panic in a crowded room.

The question isn't whether your emotions are contagious.

They are.

The question is: which ones are you spreading?

Because your team is catching whatever you're carrying.

—

I write emails. Unfiltered takes from 12+ years building brands.

It's free. Subscribe (or don't):

https://ryanrouse.me/

Most CPG leaders think scale comes from distribution.

It doesn't. 

It comes from obsession with the consumer.

Here's a few things to focus on:

- Own one emotional job
↳ Stop trying to be everything. Find the single moment your product owns in someone's life and dominate it completely.

- Build for the shelf, not the deck
↳ Your brand needs to work in 0.3 seconds at eye level. If it doesn't pop in-store, your strategy deck is worthless.

- Let data inform, not decide
↳ Numbers tell you what happened. Instinct tells you what's next. The best leaders use both but trust their gut on the big bets.

And a few to avoid:

- Chasing every retail door
↳ Bad distribution kills brands faster than no distribution. Be selective. Own where you show up.

- Innovation theater
↳ Line extensions aren't innovation. Stop launching SKUs that confuse your consumer and dilute your shelf presence.

- Forgetting you're selling to humans
↳ Your consumer isn't a demographic. They're someone's mom, someone's kid. Build for real people, not personas.

The brands that win don't follow "category playbooks".

They create their own (that everyone else tries to follow for the next decade, unsuccessfully).

So I'll ask directly: what truth about your consumer are you ignoring because everyone else in your category is ignoring it too?

"The consumer isn't a moron. She's your wife." - David Ogilvy


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

5 things founders get wrong about employee motivation:

(From someone who got all 5 wrong)

1. Expecting owner-level commitment from employee-level equity.

You own 40% of the company. They own 0.1%.
You'll make millions if it works. They'll make rent.

Stop acting surprised when they work less hours.

2. Thinking your sacrifice is their baseline.

I worked for no salary for three years. Maxed out credit cards. Emptied my 401k. 

That was my choice. Not theirs.

Your personal bet doesn't become their obligation.

3. Using guilt instead of respect.

I used to send passive-aggressive Slack messages when people left on time. "Must be nice to have work-life balance."

Real asshole moves.

Then one of my best employees quit.

In his exit interview, he said: "Ryan, you chose to mortgage your house for this company. I didn't."

He was right.

4. Believing more equity will change how people work.

I once gave someone more equity expecting it to change their output. It didn't.

That's because everyone has a "work MO." A default gear.

If they're a killer, they'll be a killer.
If they do the bare minimum, they'll do the bare minimum.

Equity won't flip that switch.

(It will help retain the killers, tho.)

5. Confusing presence with productivity.

The person cranking until 9pm isn't always your best performer.

Sometimes they're just slow. Or inefficient. Or avoiding something at home.

Judge output, not hours.


The fix isn't complicated.

Find people who give a shit about doing good work.
Pay them well.
Respect their time.

They won't work until 10pm unless it's truly necessary.

But when it is necessary, they'll be there.

Because you hired people who are wired for it. 

And earned their trust.

—

I write emails. Unfiltered takes from 12+ years building brands.

It's free. Subscribe (or don't):

https://ryanrouse.me/

I've never been the smartest person at any company I've been at.

But I'm always the fastest.

At Merrill Lynch, I was 1 of 75,000 employees. Could've been the best analyst on the floor. Still replaceable.

At a startup? Different game.

My superpower wasn't an MBA or some fancy framework.

It was knowing how to find shit fast.

When my co-founder at Factor_ asked "How do other meal delivery companies handle returns?"

Everyone else: "Let me schedule some calls."

Me: Ordered from 3 competitors. Submitted returns. Pulled their policies. Built a framework. Done.

Couple of hours, tops. 

Founders already know how to find answers. That's how they got this far.

They're not asking you because they're lazy. They're drowning.

The employee who says "I researched this, here are three options, I recommend X because Y" - and did it FAST - becomes indispensable.

The one who says "I don't know, what do you think?" becomes overhead.

At early stage companies, resourcefulness and urgency beat credentials every time.

No waiting. No deferring. No "I was waiting for you to give me the go ahead."

Run. It. Down. 

And do it quickly. 

Leaders will notice. 

Trust me.

—

I write emails. Unfiltered takes from 12+ years building brands.

It's free. Subscribe (or don't):

https://ryanrouse.me/

I used to think winning arguments made me smart.

It didn't.

It made me insufferable.

Healthy debate has respect and curiosity.

Ego-driven arguing has neither.

One sharpens you.

The other isolates you.

In healthy debate, you ask questions to understand.
In ego-driven arguing, you ask questions to trap.

In healthy debate, you say "I hadn't thought of that."
In ego-driven arguing, you say "Yeah, but..."

In healthy debate, you admit when you're wrong.
In ego-driven arguing, you double down.

In healthy debate, you want to learn something.
In ego-driven arguing, you want to be right.

Here are some things that helped me:

1. Pause before responding. Ask myself if I'm trying to understand or trying to win.

2. Repeat back what I heard. "So what you're saying is..." Forces me to actually listen.

3. Find one thing I agree with first. Even in disagreement, there's common ground.

4. Ask "What am I missing?" Instead of explaining why I'm right.

5. End conversations with "That gave me something to think about." And mean it.

The shift won't be immediate.

But people will start engaging with you differently.

Conversations get richer.

Ideas get better.

Relationships get stronger.

If you catch yourself needing to have the last word, you're probably arguing from ego.

If you walk away from a conversation thinking differently, you're probably debating with curiosity.

Took me way too long to learn the difference.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you might like my emails - no BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

You might not, but it’s free so WGAF:

https://ryanrouse.me/

"Ryan - I LOVE your newsletter. 

Thanks for being real and authentic man! I'm sending your recent email on brand marketing to my whole team its spot on!"

Got this message the other day from the CEO and co-founder of a multi-hundred million dollar brand that I have a tremendous amount of respect for. 

I don't have the largest audience or newsletter subscriber base. And it's easy to get caught in the cycle of chasing numbers. 

But that's not the point. Not for me. 

I just wanna to talk about real shit in a way that's relatable and authentic to who I am. 

And hope it's useful and thought provoking to other people. 

So when I get messages like that it helps ground me in that truth. 

Sign up for free below. 

Or don't. 

https://ryanrouse.me/

In consumer, your customers don't care how smart you are.

They care that their order arrives on time.

That you're in stock when they need you.

That your quality doesn't fluctuate batch to batch.

They're not buying your IQ score.

They're buying your ability to deliver on expectations - some general to the market and some specific to your product and promise.

That's all execution.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you might like my emails - no BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

You might not, but it’s free so WGAF:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.

This Picasso quote gets twisted constantly.

People think it's about tactics. 

But it actually means master the fundamentals so deeply that innovation becomes instinct.

In business, I see this constantly:

The CMO who never ran a P&L trying to "disrupt" pricing strategy.

The founder who skips unit economics to chase viral growth.

The exec who wants to "break the mold" before understanding why the mold exists.

The best leaders I know spent years in the trenches.

Learning why things work before reimagining how they could work better.

They got creative because they got good first.

Master the boring stuff first.

Then go be an artist.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you might like my emails - no BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

You might not, but it’s free so WGAF:

https://ryanrouse.me/

The most frequent question I get from entrepreneurs is "What advice would you give your former self?"

My answer: Pace myself.

They blow me off.

Not to my face, but I can tell.

I get it though.

I did the same thing when I was in their shoes.

Thought I was different.

That I could outwork the system.

That entrepreneurial fire made me feel invincible.

Until it didn't.

If you're putting in 80 hours a week consistently, it's not a matter of if you're gonna burn out, it's a matter of when.

Because you can't sustain that for the time required to play the long game. 

(Which is the only game in town.) 

Find your sustainable pace now before you're forced to. 

You're running a marathon, not a 100-yard dash.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you might like my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

You might not, but it’s free so WGAF:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Hard work is table stakes, not a flex. 

Your competitors work hard. 

It's necessary, but not sufficient. 

You also need to think in ways others don't. 

Most people default to putting in more hours because thinking hurts. 

It's easier to stay busy than to sit with a problem until you crack it.

I wish success in business was just about working harder. That would be simple. 

But the world doesn't give a shit about your hours.

It rewards people who create the most value. 

Value comes from seeing what others miss. 

From connecting dots in ways that seem obvious after but weren't before.

From working hard *and* smart.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you might like my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

You might not, but it's free so WGAF:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Most people think they're either risk-takers or they're not.

But that's not really how it work.

Risk isn't something you have a fixed capacity for.

It's something you build tolerance to.

Like lifting weights.

You don't walk into a gym and deadlift 400 pounds because you "have it in you."

You start small. 

Then add weight over time. 

Each rep expands what you can handle next time.

Risk works the same way.

The person who quit their corporate job to start a company didn't wake up one day with superhuman courage.

They made a series of smaller bets first.

A side project. A conversation. A decision to stop playing it safe in one area of their life.

Each one stretched the muscle.

So if you think you're not a risk-taker, you're probably right.

But it's not because you can't be.

It's because you haven't trained that muscle yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you might like my emails - no BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

You might not, but it’s free so WGAF:

https://ryanrouse.me/

90% of the dietary ideologies are the same.

• Avoid processed foods 
• Reduce sugar
• High quality protein
• Healthy fats

Yet we still have tribal wars amongst the different groups on which philosophy is "best".

It'd be really cool (and powerful) if they joined forces to get as many people as possible to follow the 90% that they agree on rather than argue (with each other) about the 10% that they don't.

The Standard American Diet is still the most widely followed "diet". 

That's the enemy.

Has “Head of” as a title created more clarity or confusion?

I think the latter.

Because it’s used as an analogue/replacement to another, more commonly used, title.

Director in most cases. But not always. 

Some companies use it to replace VP. 

Which begs the question - why not just use the tried and true titles?

This is about the person in the role for me. 

People can look at their background and understand their trajectory. 

I realize Director or VP is not the same everywhere, but it’s more uniform across companies because they’ve been in existence for so long. 

“Head of” is new, and I’m just not sure what the benefits are that outweigh the added ambiguity. 

But what do I know.

You think everyone knows what you do.

They don't.

When you're deep in your business every day, the solution feels obvious. 

You live it. You breathe it. You can't imagine how anyone wouldn't get it.

But your target audience? 

Assume they're seeing it for the first time.

So you have to be clear, not clever.

Clear about what you do.
Clear about who it's for.
Clear about why it matters.

Assume the first time someone sees your message, they're distracted. 

The second time, they scroll past. 

The third time, maybe they pause. Maybe. 

So repetition is necessary.

Most brands don't say it enough.

Different ways. Different angles. Different stories.

If you're sitting on something great but struggling to get traction, ask yourself:

Am I explaining this clearly enough? 

Am I saying it often enough?

I help companies unlock the real ROI of AI.

As Founder of Boom Automations, I work with small, mid-market businesses, and investment firms to streamline operations, build AI agents, and implement automations that reduce costs, increase efficiency, and create a single source of truth across teams.

Alongside implementation, I run AiAllstars-a hands-on bootcamp and community where business leaders and operators learn how to apply AI and automation frameworks directly inside their organizations. In just 7 days, participants go from ideas to building live automations that save hours each week, with the confidence and skills to keep scaling their impact.

If you’re looking to implement AI systems in your business or to train your team to do it themselves-you’re in the right place.

Luke Pierce

I replaced my $847,000 legal team, my CFO, my car mechanic, AND my dentist with one Ai Agent.

It crashed 47 times yesterday.

But here's the thing…

Those crashes? They taught my team RESILIENCE.

(We don't have a team anymore. I fired them. But you get the point.)

Let me show you what this agent is capable of:

→ Reads contracts (sometimes the right ones) 
→ Calculates revenue (off by 600% but it's LEARNING) 
→ Provides emotional support (told my COO to "simply be happier") 
→ Handles customer complaints (by deleting them)

This isn't just automation.

It's a $4.2M/year salary replacement that costs $0.003 per API call.

That's $4.2 MILLION saved.

(Please don't ask about the $380k in errors we had to fix manually.)

The workflow is simple:

1⃣ Webhook fires 
2⃣ 47 IF nodes you'll never understand 
3⃣ An LLM hallucinates aggressively 
4⃣ Data goes somewhere (unclear where) 
5⃣ Screenshot for LinkedIn

Want the workflow + the blueprint?

Comment "DELUSIONAL" and I'll DM you a JSON file that won't import correctly.

Make sure we're connected so I can add you to my newsletter you didn't ask for.

The future of work is satisfying.

Follow me for more automation content that sounds better than it performs.

I just cancelled $7,500/year in subscriptions.

Not manually or one by one.

I built a Claude skill that: 

→ Reads my credit card statements (securely)
→ Finds every recurring charge 
→ Asks which ones I actually use 
→ Opens Chrome and cancels them FOR me

I was paying for:

ChatGPT Pro ($200/mo) — switched to Claude
Jasper AI ($59/mo) — haven't used in 6 months
Opus Clips ($39/mo) — used it twice
Zapier ($69/mo) — rebuilt everything in N8N

7 other tools I completely forgot about...

$625/month. Gone.

I do this every year, and usually it takes me hours to get through it.

This took 20 minutes.

Claude literally opened each website, navigated to the cancel page, clicked the buttons, and confirmed the cancellations.

I watched it happen in real-time.

I wrote a complete beginner's guide so anyone can set this up even if you've never touched code.

All you need is a $20/month Claude Pro subscription.

Like this post and drop "CANCEL" in the comments and I'll send it to you.

Make sure we're connected so I can DM you.

P.S. Credit to Frank (@frankdegods on X)

One tab.

That's all I need to run my entire day.

You might remember my 6am AI email from a few weeks back.

I turned that into a full operating system.

Here's what I see every single morning:

→ AI-generated priorities (refreshes daily based on my calendar + tasks) 
→ Today's schedule pulled in automatically 
→ Pipeline with live revenue numbers 
→ Health data synced from my Garmin 
→ Weekly reports generated with one click 
→ Notes, content ideas, client docs — all in one place

This is how I set mine up. Yours can look completely different.

No more bouncing between 6 different apps. 
No more "what should I focus on today?" 
No more chaos before 9am.

One tab, everything connected, with a two-way sync with all my tools.

Built the whole thing in a weekend with Claude Code.

I put together a free guide showing how to build your own.

Like this post and drop "COMMAND" below and I'll send it over. (IMPORTANT: make sure we are connected so I can message you)

First 100 people also get my full integration playbook: the exact prompts and workflows to connect your calendar, CRM, and health data into one system.

3 years ago, I had no playbook running my automation agency.

I was quoting $5K for projects worth $40K. 
Saying yes to every client. 
Building everything from scratch every single time.

I remember one night at 2am, debugging an automation that should have taken 2 hours. It took 12. The client paid me $800.

That was the moment I realized that instead of building myself an agency, I had built myself a full time, underpaid job.

So I started documenting everything.

Every mistake that cost me money. 
Every sales call that went nowhere. 
Every client who became a case study.

80 teams later, I finally wrote it all down.

What's inside:

→ The 2026 automation landscape and where it's heading through 2028 
→ Positioning that gets you past "we already have an IT guy" 
→ Marketing engine: authority, content, and lead magnets 
→ Sales system: discovery, diagnosis, and ROI-driven closing 
→ Fulfillment: onboarding, mapping, build cycles, and handoff 
→ Developer hiring and building a high-performance tech bench 
→ Delivery standards: QA, architecture, and long-term stability 
→ Expansion revenue: upsells, retainers, and multi-department scaling 
→ The agency flywheel that makes each system compound

I'm posting this because I keep seeing people who've never run an AI automation agency teaching others how to run one.

This is the actual playbook I use to run mine.

Want access?

1. Like this post and comment "PLAYBOOK"
2. Make sure we're connected so I can message you

BONUS for the first 100 people: My full detailed pricing guide: exactly how to price yourself so you stop leaving money on the table.

I tested all 4 major LLMs across 100 real-world tasks.

The results weren't what I expected.

ChatGPT: 35/100 tasks 
Claude: 40/100 tasks 
Gemini 3.0: 23/100 tasks 
Grok: 2/100 tasks

Even with those results, there's one thing that matters more than the numbers:

Each model has specific strengths.

ChatGPT excels at: 

→ Creative writing & storytelling 
→ Marketing copy & ad content 
→ Social media posts 
→ Brainstorming & ideation

Claude excels at: 

→ Code generation & debugging 
→ Complex reasoning & analysis 
→ Technical documentation 
→ Detailed instructions

Gemini 3.0 excels at: 

→ Data analysis & interpretation 
→ Spreadsheet formulas 
→ Mathematical calculations 
→ Structured data tasks

Grok excels at: 

→ Real-time news & current events 
→ Breaking developments

The insight: using the wrong model for a task can triple your completion time.

I tested 100 tasks across 10 categories: 

• Content creation 
• Code development 
• Data analysis 
• Business strategy 
• Technical documentation 
• Customer service 
• Research 
• Education 
• And more...

Every task ranked with explanations of why certain models perform better.

No bias and just practical guidance.

Want the complete 100 tasks report?

1️⃣ Like + comment "GUIDE" below 
2️⃣ Connect with me (need to be connected to DM)
3️⃣ I'll DM you the full rankings

BONUS: First 100 people also get my LLM Quick Decision Framework - a one-page cheat sheet showing exactly which model to use for any task in under 10 seconds.

I built this tool in 10 minutes with no coding.

Just one prompt to an AI.

It ingests any CSV file and turns it into a readable, organized dashboard.

This would have taken a month in 2023.

And I didn't write a single line of code.

I just knew what to ask for and how to ask for it.

Want the exact prompts and full setup guide?

1. Like this post and comment "dashboard"
2. Make sure we are connected so I can DM you

I'll send you:

✓ The complete prompt library (copy-paste ready) 
✓ Step-by-step build guide (15 minutes start to finish) 
✓ How to handle messy data (missing values, bad formatting, etc.) 
✓ Deploy in 3 clicks (free hosting included) 
✓ 2 sample CSV files to test with 
✓ Customization for your industry

BONUS: First 100 people get the advanced features prompt (save dashboards, PDF export, email alerts)

Hot take from someone who literally implements AI for businesses:

Local attorneys and small businesses using voice AI are going to lose customers over the next 2 years to competitors who aren't using it.

I stay away from anything voice AI. Has anyone actually seen a real case study of this stuff working?

Here's why I'm skeptical:

I was talking to a friend yesterday. He called a local attorney and got three different callbacks over the next few hours.

Every. Single. One. Was a different person with a different accent.

He could immediately tell it was AI.

Guess which attorney he's NOT going with?

The whole point of a local business is the local part. The human connection. The trust.

When someone calls an attorney, they're usually stressed. They need reassurance. They need to feel like a real person gives a damn about their situation.

Instead they get... uncanny valley robot callbacks that feel like a scam?

If you're selling voice AI..  respect. Entrepreneurs gotta entrepreneur.

But I'm genuinely asking: has anyone actually seen this convert well for local service businesses?

Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like a trust destroyer.

What do you think?

BREAKING: Meta just spent $2 billion on an AI startup that's 8 months old. And it might be the smartest move Zuck has made all year.

Manus went from launch to $100M ARR faster than any startup in history. Their AI agents don't just chat, they actually execute. We're talking screening job candidates from zip files, building complete research reports, and handling multi-step tasks autonomously. 

Meta closed this deal in 10 days. That's not normal. That's desperation meets opportunity.

Here's the backstory most people missed. Six months ago, Meta built what they called their "AI dream team." They poached 50+ researchers from OpenAI and Google, offered $100M+ signing bonuses, and created the "Superintelligence Labs." 

Then in August? Complete hiring freeze. October? 600 AI employees laid off.

What happened? Llama 4 flopped. The response was "lukewarm." All that talent. All that money. And the product didn't move the needle.

So now they're taking a different approach. Instead of building, they're buying. And Manus is the perfect target because they already have paying customers, they're already processing 147 trillion tokens, and they're already serving millions of users.

This is Meta admitting something important. The AI race isn't about who has the best researchers anymore. It's about who has products that people will actually pay for.

2025 was about hype. 2026 will be about execution. And Meta just bought itself a head start.

The AI landscape is about to look completely different. Buckle up.

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Happy New Year. Here's where the real AI opportunity is in 2026.


I've had dozens of conversations with founders and ops leaders over the past few months, and the pattern is clear.

The businesses pulling ahead are focused on one thing: removing friction from how work already gets done.

Every high-leverage AI investment I'm seeing shares one trait. It eliminates human time spent on repeatable decisions, data movement, and coordination. That's it.

Now... here's what that actually looks like in practice.

Custom internal software is replacing the 5-10 SaaS tools most teams juggle daily. One system built around how they actually work. Fewer logins, fewer handoffs, faster onboarding. Full control.

Data entry is finally becoming optional. If your team is still copying information between your CRM, project tool, and spreadsheet, there's a massive opportunity sitting right there. Teams that automate this are getting hours back every week.

AI agents are moving inside the workflow. Not in a chat window. Not as a side tool. Embedded directly where the work happens. Drafting reports from structured data. Flagging risks. Generating first-pass analysis for humans to approve. AI handles the first 80%. Humans handle judgment.

And here's the shift most people haven't caught yet: the real value isn't content generation. It's decision support. Comparing options against criteria, surfacing gaps, standardizing how decisions get evaluated. Better decisions, made faster, by more people.

The 2026 rule is simple. If a task is repeatable, rule-based, and dependent on existing data, it probably doesn't need a human anymore.

This is the year to fix broken processes and build systems around how work actually flows.

AI isn't a feature anymore. It's infrastructure.

I put together a mind map breaking down all of this. Save it, download it, print it out. Keep it somewhere you can revisit throughout the year.

Where do you think the biggest opportunity is with AI in 2026? Drop it in the comments blow. 

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These are the only 5 tools I use to 100x my output as an AI automation consultant.

There's so much noise right now...

New AI tools launching every day. 
Everyone has a different "must-have" stack. 
It's overwhelming.

But after 3+ years of building automation solutions for 80+ teams, I've narrowed it down to just 5.

These aren't trendy picks. These are the tools I actually use every single day to run my business:

Claude – my AI thinking partner
Claude Code – ships real code from my terminal
Gamma – presentations in minutes
Lovable – full web apps with prompts
n8n – connects everything

I break down exactly how I use each one in the carousel ↑

Save this post for later 🔖

And drop a comment – what's your #1 tool right now?

—
P.S. I teach all 5 of these in my AI All Stars 7-day bootcamp.

If you want to become an AI power user and learn how to 100x your output with these tools, early access to enrollment is open now.

This gets you first come, first serve access when enrollment opens this Sunday.

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eVXGENy6

2026 Stack

My prediction for 2026: the traditional SaaS model is under real pressure.

Not because software is going away, but because the way it is built and delivered is changing fast.

Software development is being commoditized at an unprecedented rate. Tools like Lovable, Bolt, and Cursor are collapsing timelines that once took months into days. What used to require long implementations and heavy onboarding can now be delivered with similar speed to adopting a new SaaS product.

That shift is forcing companies to rethink how they buy software.

More teams are questioning why they pay recurring fees for tools that only partially fit their workflows. They are asking why their processes must adapt to rigid platforms, why they are locked into feature roadmaps they do not control, and why changes take weeks instead of days.

As these questions become more common, the value proposition of traditional SaaS starts to weaken.

In 2026, more companies will move toward custom-built systems designed around how their business actually operates. These systems are tailored to specific workflows, evolve as requirements change, and give teams far more control over how software is developed and improved over time, without the friction of generic tools.

This does not mean the skill barrier disappears, but it shifts.

The advantage is no longer knowing how to write code. It is knowing what should be built, how it should function, and how it fits into a larger operating model. The most valuable professionals will be those who understand business operations, process design, and system architecture. Not just tools.

SaaS was built for a world where software was expensive, slow, and difficult to change.

That world is ending.

The next phase is faster, more flexible, and far more intentional.

Follow me Luke Pierce for insights on AI, automation, and the future of business systems.

Just when you thought the biggest AI news of the week was going to be Apple partnering with Google to power the next generation of Siri, Anthropic drops Claude Cowork. 

The AI race isn't just speeding up anymore... it's accelerating at a pace that's hard to keep up with unless you're in the trenches every day.

I spent a couple of hours with Cowork last night, and I genuinely believe this has the potential to be the same kind of inflection point that ChatGPT was when it first launched. That's not hyperbole. What Anthropic has done is take the power of Claude Code, the tool developers have been using for months to automate complex workflows, and made it accessible to everyone. No terminal or coding experience required. Just give Claude access to a folder on your computer and tell it what you need done. Organize messy files, turn receipt screenshots into expense reports, draft reports from scattered notes. It handles it.

Here's my advice: don't overwhelm yourself trying to "learn" it before you start using it. Just download the Claude Desktop app, try it on a real task you've been putting off, and see what happens. Get your hands dirty. That's always been the fastest way to actually understand what these tools can do, and more importantly, what they can do for you.

What do you think of this rollout? Let's discuss in the comments.


----------------
P.S. These are exactly the types of developments I teach in AiAllstars, my 7-day bootcamp. I'm adding Cowork into the curriculum for our upcoming cohorts. 

If you want to join us, early enrollment access opens this Sunday.

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eVXGENy6

Things change every week in AI.

Our process for delivering results hasn’t changed in years.

New tools drop constantly.

Everyone’s chasing the next breakthrough.

But after 200+ conversations with operators and founders, here’s what’s actually true:

The businesses getting real results aren’t chasing tools.

They’re nailing the fundamentals.

Our process hasn’t changed:

1️⃣ Map the current workflow
→ Every step written down
→ Every handoff made explicit
→ Every bottleneck visible

2️⃣ Find the friction
→ Where does work slow down?
→ Where does information get duplicated?
→ Where does the team lose time or context?

3️⃣ Focus on the highest-impact fixes
→ Not everything needs to be “automated”
→ Some problems just need a clearer process
→ Impact > optics

4️⃣ Start small and test in the real world
→ One workflow at a time
→ Real users, real usage
→ No big bets without proof

5️⃣ Iterate based on reality
→ How your team actually works
→ The edge cases no one planned for
→ Results that show up on the P&L

No tool fixes a broken process.
No system works without clarity.
No shortcut replaces fundamentals.

While everyone argues about what’s “best” this month…

The teams making progress are doing the boring work.

Map.
Simplify.
Systemize.
Repeat.

That’s the whole game.

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BREAKING: Apple just tapped Google’s Gemini to power its next generation of AI.

Super interesting move and honestly, a massive signal about where the industry is heading.

Apple rarely relies on outside tech… and choosing Gemini over every other model says a lot.

Google is quietly becoming the default AI layer for the biggest players.

This is how monopolies start: one “strategic partnership” at a time.

Big moment in AI. The consolidation is happening faster than people think.

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2026 is the year every SaaS project management tool starts going to zero.


Had a call yesterday with a potential client.

Pretty big growth marketing firm. 
Some major name clients. 
Very successful business.

They told me they're thinking about switching from Motion to ClickUp.

Why?

Because Motion doesn't do one specific thing they need for their workflow.

So I told them... if you switch to ClickUp, you're going to run into the same problem. 

Other stuff you can't do. 
Other gaps you have to work around.

That's just how these platforms go.

Here's the problem with every off-the-shelf tool:

You're always bending YOUR business to fit THEIR software.

You create workarounds. 
You skip steps. 
You build shadow systems in spreadsheets. 
You accept "close enough."

And those workarounds compound, they create friction, and they cost you money you never see leaving.

The answer isn't switching from one rigid system to another rigid system.

It's building your OWN.

We're creating a demo for them: a custom AI-native operating system built exactly how their business actually runs.

Same process we use every time:

→ Sit down and learn the business inside and out 
→ Map every workflow before writing a line of code 
→ Daily demos for 8-12 weeks straight

We move fast enough that they see something new built and working every single day. Real feedback loops and iteration.

By the end, they have a system that fits like a glove.

No workarounds. No "close enough." No switching platforms every 18 months.

This is where business operations is heading.

Custom-built, AI-native, and YOURS.

Follow me, Luke Pierce, for more content like this.

Tired of the guesswork with AI?

You've watched the tutorials. 
Downloaded the tools. 
Maybe even built a few custom GPTs.

But if you're being honest...

You still don't know what to actually DO with it.

You're not alone.

That's exactly where 84 people were before they joined the AI AllStars 7-Day Bootcamp.

Now they're automating workflows, saving hours every week, and finally seeing real results.

Here's my guarantee:

You won't just learn about AI.

You'll walk away with something you've actually implemented into your business, your team, or your daily routine.

AND you'll have the fundamentals to keep building long after the bootcamp ends.

There's nothing else like this on the market.

This round I'm only letting in 45 people.

Last cohort filled in 4 days.

Early access link is in the comments.

(If you're one of the 205 who already signed up for early access, you're set. No need to sign up again.)

2026 is the year AI stops being a buzzword and starts being a process.

Not a tool you bolt on, or a feature you add, but a deliberate, repeatable system that transforms how work gets done.

After 80+ implementations, here's the framework that makes AI actually stick:

5 Phases (In order and built to last). 

𝟭. 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 
↳ Stakeholder interviews 
↳ Pain point identification
↳ Tool & software audit 
↳ Data source inventory 
↳ Success metrics definition 
↳ Quick win identification

𝟮. 𝗠𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗚
↳ Current state documentation 
↳ Workflow visualization 
↳ Bottleneck identification 
↳ Data flow mapping 
↳ Decision point analysis 
↳ Handoff documentation

𝟯. 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 
↳ Eliminate redundant steps 
↳ Standardize variations 
↳ Automation candidate scoring 
↳ New workflow design 
↳ KPI framework development 
↳ Change management planning

𝟰. 𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗣𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 
↳ Tool selection 
↳ Integration architecture 
↳ Automation building 
↳ Database design 
↳ Dashboard & UI development 
↳ Testing & documentation

𝟱. 𝗢𝗣𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗜𝗭𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 
↳ Performance monitoring 
↳ User feedback collection 
↳ Iterative refinement 
↳ Scaling successful patterns 
↳ Team training 
↳ Continuous improvement cycles

Here's what I've learned:

The teams winning with AI are mastering the fundamentals: Discovery, Mapping, Process Improvement... before they write a single line of code.

That's where the magic happens.

Get phases 1-3 right, and phase 4 almost builds itself.

Make sure to save this post and the mind map below to refer back to.

What phase does your team spend the most time on?

Follow me Luke Pierce for more content like this.

I keep seeing this YouTube ad: "Learn these 5 AI skills or you won't have a job in 5 years."

Here's my problem with that.

(Even though, objectively speaking, it's a great marketing hook)

Nobody knows what AI skills will be "required" in 5 years. Not the YouTuber running that ad. Not the gurus selling fear. Not me. The technology is evolving so fast that anyone claiming to have a definitive list is guessing at best and manipulating you at worst.

So stop stressing about some checklist you saw in a 60-second ad.

Here's what I've learned from spending the last 3+ years helping teams actually implement automations, and now AI into their operations. The people who succeed aren't the ones frantically trying to master every new tool that drops. They're the ones who built simple habits early and stuck with them.

Get into the tools yourself. Pick one. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, it doesn't matter. Commit to 30 minutes a day of actually using it. Not watching tutorials about it. Not reading articles about it. Using it. Hands on keyboard, throwing real tasks at it, learning what it's good at and where it falls short.

Start asking yourself one question constantly: "Is this something AI can assist me with?" Every task you do. Every email you write. Every report you pull together. Every piece of content you create. Just pause and ask. You'll be surprised how often the answer is yes, and you'll be equally surprised how often the answer is no, but now you know.

If you're running a team or a business, take it a step further. Map out your workflows. Look at where your people are spending time on repetitive, predictable tasks. Analyze where AI can realistically plug in versus where it's just a shiny distraction. Go through a real process instead of guessing.

The fundamentals haven't changed. Curiosity. Experimentation. Applying new tools to real work and seeing what sticks. That's how people adapted to spreadsheets, to email, to the internet, and that's how people will adapt to AI.

The people who thrive five years from now won't be the ones who panicked and chased every trend. They'll be the ones who started building the habit today.

Follow me Luke Pierce for more content like this.

This is a little off-topic for me, but I have to ask... does anyone else get random calendar invites for webinars they never signed up for?

Do people actually drive new business this way?

After nearly 4 years in business, I can't think of a worse way to build pipeline.

Asking for a friend.

(Two screenshots attached as examples)

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