Stop Building SaaS. Build This Instead

Special Xero Offer: Get 90% off Xero for 6 months using this link. Terms & Conditions apply https://referrals.xero.com/buildgreatproducts_XeroCollabTwo 🚀 Join my community to build and launch real apps with AI @ https://www.skool.com/aiapps/about 🛠️ Work with me to make $5-50k+ with your app @ https://calendly.com/chris-ashby/appstudio 💡 Get 250+ validated app ideas and the prompts to build FREE @ https://readytobuild.app/ AI is changing software faster than anyone can imagine. This means that the old way of building software won't always work, and a lot of apps that people are vibe coding, are already dead before even launching. So what should you build with AI instead? In this video I break down the type of apps that you can still build with AI and be successful with, AND another type of business you can build that might work even better for you, especially if you already run an agency or sell services. Prompt: I want to identify a profitable AI-enabled service business I can start based on my existing skills and experience. This business should use custom-built AI tools (built with Claude Code, Cursor, or similar) to handle 70-90% of the delivery, with me providing expertise, quality control, and client relationships. Here's my background: - Professional experience: [list your jobs, roles, industries] - Skills I'm confident in: [list hard and soft skills] - Industries I understand well: [list industries you've worked in or around] - Things people ask me for help with: [what do friends/colleagues come to you for?] - Topics I could talk about for 30 minutes without prep: [list them] - Tools and software I'm comfortable with: [list them] Based on this, suggest 10 AI-enabled service business ideas that meet ALL of these criteria: 1. The service addresses a painful, recurring problem businesses actually pay to solve today (not a nice-to-have) 2. I could build a simple app or tool (using Claude Code or Cursor) that automates 70-90% of the delivery work — not a full SaaS product, just an internal tool that powers my service 3. My existing knowledge is enough to quality-check and improve the tool's outputs — I don't need a new degree or certification 4. Each client could realistically pay $500-5,000/month 5. I could land my first paying client within 30 days 6. The work is repeatable — similar process for each client, not completely custom every time For each idea, tell me: - The service in one sentence - Who the ideal client is (be specific — industry, company size, role) - What tool I'd build to power the delivery (describe it simply) - What the tool handles vs. what I handle personally - Realistic monthly pricing - How I'd find my first 3 clients - Why this is better than the client just using ChatGPT themselves Chapters: 00:00 Why you're building the wrong thing with AI. 02:27 Introducing a better model: The AI service business. 08:13 The core principle: Sell outcomes, not features or time. 13:36 Examples of AI-enabled service businesses you can build. 15:26 A detailed prompt to generate your own AI business idea. 22:53 A step-by-step guide to building and launching your AI service. 26:55 Why a custom tool is your unique competitive advantage. Follow on social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashbychris/ https://x.com/chris_bgp