Let’s be honest. Starting a business sounds exciting until you’re staring at a blinking cursor, wondering what on earth you’re even supposed to sell. AI might help with that, but not quite in the “sit back and let the robots do everything” way you sometimes hear about. It’s more like having a super fast, slightly overeager assistant who works 24/7 and occasionally gives strange advice.
If you’ve got a small budget, a bit of curiosity, and a willingness to experiment, here’s how to use AI to build something of your own.
1. Find a Niche That’s Small (But Not Too Small)
You’re not trying to compete with Amazon. You’re trying to find a little corner of the internet where people actually want help. Ideally something like:
- “AI tools for content writers who hate editing”
- “AI powered meal planners for people with IBS”
- “Best chatbot for small law firms UK”
These are called long tail keywords, and they’re where most low competition business ideas hide. Use tools like:
You can even ask ChatGPT to give you 50 long tail keywords related to your interest. They won’t all be perfect, but you’ll start seeing patterns.
2. Use AI to Test Ideas Without Spending a Fortune
You don’t need to code. In fact, please don’t unless you enjoy that sort of thing.
Let’s say your idea is a simple resume builder for people re entering the workforce. You could:
- Use https://durable.co/ or https://www.framer.com/ to create a one page website
- Generate headlines and sales copy with https://www.copy.ai/
- Ask ChatGPT to write a few blog posts around your niche (for example “how to write a resume after 10 years away from work”)
Honestly, at this stage, done is better than perfect.
