Thanks to everyone who responded to last week’s email. Keeping with the theme here we go…
A lot of people are freaking out about AI. I get it. It’s moving fast and seems complicated to “keep up.”
Here’s some good news… you are going to thrive… and…
You don't have to be a tech or AI genius.
You don't have to know what's working right now.
To thrive, it's not about what you don't have—instead, it's about what you already do have.
Last week, I told you about the agentic team I’ve been building. Today, I want to shift the focus from what I've built to what YOU should create based on who you are. I also filmed a YouTube video on this (coming soon).
Before we dive into the details, let’s establish the foundation for the mindset required in this new economy.
The Four Mindsets That Determine AI Success
The implications of AI are all around us, and it's only growing. But before we dive into your specific advantage, let me give you four mindsets that will determine whether you win or lose in this AI economy:
1. Everybody is a student - The playing field is somewhat level at the moment. The AI expert and the beginner are closer than they've ever been.
2. Resilience is essential - The rate of change and disruption will accelerate. Your ability to adapt matters more than your current knowledge.
3. Pivoting is good - Let go of old ways. What worked before may not work tomorrow, and that's okay.
4. Abundance is everywhere - Operate not from a place of lack, but from one of opportunity. There's enough for all of us to win.
Now, here's how you're going to thrive in the future economy.
The Core Strategy: Identify Your Uniqueness and Build From That
Your uniqueness has two dimensions:
Your uniqueness as a person
Your uniqueness in your current business
This requires having self-awareness. Here's the fact of the matter: You're fantastic at things I'm not. And that's a great thing, and that's why you have the ability to uniquely "win" the future. Same for me. There is enough to go around for all of us (hence the mindsets above).
How Do You Identify Your Uniqueness?
Here are frameworks to consider:
The Simple Assessment
Do you resonate more as someone who is:
The Visionary (Strategy/Ideas) - You see what others miss ««« this is me
You're naturally good at: Pattern recognition, strategic thinking, connecting dots
AI Leverage Strategy: Use AI to process massive data sets and identify patterns you can connect into breakthrough insights
Winning Application: AI research agents that feed you market intelligence while you focus on strategy and vision
Gap You Fill: Most businesses are drowning in data but starving for insights
The Connector (Relationships/People) - You build through relationships
You're naturally good at: Building trust, understanding people, creating loyalty and authentic connections
AI Leverage Strategy: Use AI to scale personal relationships and human connections without losing the personal touch
Winning Application: AI that personalizes communication, tracks relationships, and suggests perfect touchpoints
Gap You Fill: Most businesses struggle with authentic relationship building at scale
The Organizer (Systems/Structure) - You bring order to chaos
You're naturally good at: Systems, structure, creating predictability
AI Leverage Strategy: Build AI systems that create structure and predictability for chaotic businesses
Winning Application: AI workflow architects who design and manage complex business operations
Gap You Fill: Most entrepreneurs are creatives who hate operations—you solve this with AI-powered systems
The Optimizer (Efficiency/Improvement) - You make things work better
You're naturally good at: Efficiency, improvement, and maximizing performance
AI Leverage Strategy: Use AI to continuously analyze and improve processes across businesses
Winning Application: AI optimization engines that constantly refine performance
Gap You Fill: Every business has inefficiencies they can't see—you find and fix them with AI
The More In-Depth Process: StrengthsFinder Assessment
Take the CliftonStrengths Finder Assessment (not free, but worth it).
Let me show you exactly how this works using my own strengths as an example:
My Top 3: Ideation + Intellection + Learner
Ideation (Fascinated by Ideas)
The Gap: Most people implement AI tactically, not strategically
My Advantage: I see connections between AI capabilities and business opportunities others miss
AI Application: Use AI to generate and test business model variations at scale
Intellection (Love Deep Thinking)
The Gap: Most AI implementations are surface-level
My Advantage: I think through the second and third-order effects others ignore
AI Application: AI systems that model complex scenarios and long-term implications
Learner (Continuous Improvement)
The Gap: Most people want AI to be "set and forget."
My Advantage: I understand AI needs continuous learning and adaptation
AI Application: Adaptive AI systems that improve faster than static competitors
My Combined Unfair Advantage: I build AI systems that are strategically sound, deeply thoughtful, and continuously evolving, while others build one-trick tools or gimmicky templates.
The Two-Level Opportunity Framework
Once you've identified your strengths, look at the gaps in:
Level 1: Your Current Business
See what gaps you can fill using your natural strengths amplified by AI. Start here because you understand these problems deeply.
Level 2: Other People's Businesses
This is where you'll find your most significant opportunities. Examine other businesses and identify problems that align with your unique strengths. This becomes your service or product offering.
Here's the thing about the future: There will always be problems, which means there will always be opportunities. So, how do we win the future? We find problems and fix them.
»»» Most of my effort is on my current consulting business. I aim to have the majority of my business run on the back of AI.
Your Action Plan
Step 1: Strengths Clarity
Take the StrengthsFinder assessment
Identify your top 5 themes
Map them to business capabilities
Step 2: Gap Identification
Audit your current business for strength-matching problems
Research market gaps that align with your strengths
Prioritize based on impact and natural fit
Step 3: AI Alignment Strategy
Choose AI tools that amplify your strengths (don't fight them)
Build AI systems that solve problems you naturally understand
Create learning loops that make your AI advantage compound over time
Step 4: Market Positioning
Become known for solving specific problems with AI
Build a reputation around your unique AI + strengths combination
Scale by teaching others your approach
The Bottom Line
The future economy rewards those who:
Know themselves deeply
Use AI to amplify their natural gifts
Solve problems others can't see or solve
Continuously adapt and improve
Your uniqueness isn't a nice-to-have—it's your competitive moat in an AI world. It separates you from the goorooos. 😉
The businesses that thrive in the next 5 years will be those that intentionally integrate AI to amplify their natural strengths while maintaining human oversight and values.
This isn't about replacing humans—it's about amplifying human potential and creating margin for what matters most.
What's Next?
I'm working on a detailed StrengthsFinder + AI implementation guide that shows you exactly how to map your top 5 strengths to specific AI strategies.
If you'd like early access, please reply and let me know your top strength from the assessment (or your best guess if you haven't taken it yet).
The best is yet to come,
Chris
P.S. I'm curious—which of the three types resonated most with you? Visionary, Organizer, or Optimizer? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response.