Richard

Your network is your net worth. Heard that before? I’ve said it for years because I’ve lived it. The right connection can change your life. The right introduction can change your business.

The problem is that most people think networking means working the room, shaking 50 hands and walking out with a stack of business cards. I used to think that too — until I realized the most valuable connections happen one-on-one.

That’s where Lunch with Legends came from.

Every weekday, I have lunch with someone new. Sometimes it’s an investor. Sometimes it’s a founder. Sometimes it’s a friend of a friend I’m meeting for the first time when they slide into the booth. The goal isn’t to pitch. It’s not to sell. It’s to connect because everyone’s happier with good food and good company.

Related: The 10 Commandments of Networking You Need to Know

Why meals are the secret weapon

Meetings are formal. Lunch is real. At lunch, no one’s watching the clock. No one’s hiding behind slides or an agenda. Food slows you down.

That’s when you get the truth. You hear about the deal they’re chasing. The challenge they can’t solve. The goal they’ve been sitting on because they don’t know where to start.

I’ve learned more over a plate of tacos than I ever have at a conference table.

How it started

When I was starting in real estate, I worked networking events like it was my job — because it was. I’d collect a pile of business cards, follow up with everyone, etc. One day, someone told me, “Forget the crowd. Take one person to lunch.”

It clicked. The best connections are personal, not rushed.

That first lunch turned into a connection that shifted my career. Not because I asked for anything, but because we built trust through conversation.

Since then, Lunch with Legends has been my daily habit. Networking isn’t about keeping score. It’s about showing up ready to help. Instead of leading with, “Here’s what I do,” I ask, “What’s on your plate — literally and figuratively — and how can I help?”

That changes everything.

• People remember you, not as “the guy from lunch” but as the person who introduced them to their next hire or shared an idea that unlocked a solution.
• The conversation flows. You’re not pitching. You’re listening.
• Opportunities come back around. When you help without expecting anything, your name comes up in rooms you’re not even in.

What it looks like in practice

Last week, I had lunch with people in completely different industries. None of them were “prospects” in the traditional sense. But in every conversation, I found a way to connect them to someone else who could help. A manufacturer. A mentor. A friend.

I didn’t have to force those opportunities. They came up naturally because I was paying attention.

Related: This ‘Lumberjack Strategy’ Helps Me Find New Clients Quickly — and With Way Less Effort

How to host your own Lunch With Legends

You don’t need a big title or a fancy budget. You need consistency.

• One lunch. One new person. Every weekday. Could be a friend-of-a-friend, a young professional looking for guidance or someone you’ve been meaning to meet.
• Keep it casual. You will see me at the same five places. I have my rotation down. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
• Listen more than you talk. People will tell you what they need if you give them space.
• Follow up with value. If you can help, do it right away.

The selfie rule

Every Lunch with Legends ends with a selfie. It’s not about ego. It’s about memory. That photo is a bookmark. Months later, I can scroll back and remember, ‘Oh yeah, she was looking for a podcast producer. I know someone now.’

It’s a fun ritual that makes the moment feel intentional, and it keeps the connection alive.

Networking is a long play. Not every lunch needs to turn into a deal. Some people I’ve met only once. Others have become friends, partners or clients years later. The value comes from showing up consistently, building trust and connecting people. That’s how your network grows in both size and strength.

Why food works for networking

There’s something about a shared meal that breaks barriers fast.

When you eat with someone, you’re both just people deciding between fries or salad. It’s human. It’s disarming. It sets the stage for a real conversation instead of a surface-level exchange.

That’s why Lunch with Legends works. It turns networking into something people actually look forward to. Who doesn’t want to break bread and learn something? It’s worth it every time.

It’s your move

Think of one person you’ve been meaning to meet. Invite them to lunch this week.

Don’t overthink it. Don’t make it about what you need. Make it about showing up, asking good questions and leaving them better than you found them.

And yes — selfie required.

Most people building with AI are chasing the same thing: viral chatbots, cool demos or the next trending wrapper. But I think the real money — the serious, unicorn-level money — is somewhere else entirely.

It’s in the stuff nobody wants to touch. Tedious, time-wasting, must-do tasks. The things you hate doing, but have to. That’s where the next wave of AI companies will emerge.

Painful > pretty

AI that makes you laugh is fun. AI that gets your taxes filed, your Visa sorted or your documents organized? That’s life-changing.

When I moved to the UK on a Global Talent visa, I couldn’t find a single tool to track my absence days — something crucial for maintaining legal status. So I built it myself. Not to show off. Just to solve a problem I was quietly freaking out about.

That’s the kind of “boring” problem most people overlook. But if it causes stress, repetition or fear — it’s valuable.

There’s more money in fixing one painful workflow than chasing 100 likes on a fancy AI-generated avatar.

Related: Don’t Be Afraid to Embrace Boring Ideas

The more annoying it is, the bigger the opportunity

Scheduling medical appointments. Submitting invoices. Picking wines from a 40-page restaurant list. These aren’t sexy problems. But they’re everywhere, and no one enjoys dealing with them.

I’ve built apps that take care of those exact scenarios. Some were simple side projects, but they solved problems that people repeatedly run into. That’s the magic formula.

In a piece I wrote earlier — 7 AI-Based Business Ideas That Could Make You Rich — I pointed out that the most profitable ideas are often hiding in plain sight. This is another example of that.

No team? No problem.

The tools available now are ridiculous. With GPT-4o, Supabase, Vercel and Claude, I’ve launched entire products in a week — solo.

No designers. No backend engineers. Just a painful idea, an AI stack and a few cups of coffee.

I’m not the only one. I’ve seen one-person shops build apps that manage apartment leases, prep legal docs and even coach you through IVF. They’re quiet tools with unflashy interfaces, but they’re deeply useful.

If you’re a founder today, your MVP doesn’t need to be impressive — it just needs to make someone’s headache disappear.

Build for Tuesday, not for tech Twitter

Some of the smartest founders I know aren’t even trying to go viral. They’re building for Tuesdays — for that one problem that hits at 4:00 p.m. when you’re stuck in a bureaucratic loop and need someone (or something) to handle it for you.

And here’s the kicker: The more boring the problem, the less competition you’ll have. AI founders are still chasing novelty. That’s your advantage.

This article on overlooked metaverse jobs made a similar point: There’s a fortune in places people ignore.

Boring doesn’t mean small

If you told someone a decade ago that accounting automation or AI-powered scheduling tools would be billion-dollar companies, they’d probably laugh.

Now those tools run quietly in the background of almost every business.

The lesson: Don’t build for applause. Build for relief. If your product makes someone breathe easier, saves them time or reduces stress — they’ll pay for it.

Even if they never tweet about it.

Related: Why Unglamorous Entrepreneurial Opportunities Can Be Lucrative

Boring tools can still build billion-dollar companies

If you need proof, look at Expensify. It started by solving one thing: making expense reports less painful. It’s not exciting, not revolutionary — just useful. Nobody dreams about scanning receipts, but millions of people have to do it.

Now Expensify processes billions in transactions. All because it made one annoying task easier.

Same story with Calendly, which killed the back-and-forth of scheduling. DocuSign, which removed the pain of printing and scanning contracts. UiPath, which built a massive business by automating office tasks.

None of these were flashy, but they fixed something people deal with every day. That’s what makes them work.

If you’re building with AI, forget the hype. Look for the problems people quietly suffer through. The ones they never talk about publicly, but deal with constantly. That’s where the best ideas live.

Boring isn’t a weakness. Boring is a business model.

You don’t need a revolutionary idea. You just need to make one annoying thing go away.

If you can do that, it won’t matter how it looks. It will sell.

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In his annual address in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Friday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated that, despite “sweeping changes” in economic policy, a possible interest rate cut could come at the Fed’s next meeting in September.

“With policy in restrictive territory, the baseline outlook and the shifting balance of risks may warrant adjusting our policy stance,” Powell said.

Related: A Big 4 Firm Is Cutting Back on Entry-Level Hiring, According to a Leaked Report

The Fed has held rates between 4.25% and 4.5% since December 2024.

EY-Parthenon Senior Economist Lydia Boussour told Entrepreneur in an email that the Fed’s focus is “shifting from inflation to the labor market,” and Powell used his speech as “an opportunity to recalibrate the Fed’s assessment of the balance of risks, which had leaned more heavily toward inflation at the July FOMC meeting.”

^{Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (R) is seen with Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda (2nd R), European Central Bank Governor Christine Lagarde (2nd L), and Governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey (L) in Grand Teton National Park on August 22, 2025, near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. (Natalie Behring | Getty Images)}

“Powell also acknowledged that while there is a possibility that tariffs could trigger lasting inflation pressures or influence long-term inflation expectations, current market and survey indicators suggest that inflation expectations remain stable and aligned with the Fed’s long-term inflation goal of 2%,” Boussour said.

When does the Fed meet next?

The next Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting begins September 16. A policy decision will be released on Wednesday, September 17.

Related: How to Ensure Your Financing Isn’t Overextending the Capabilities of Your Business

“While a rate cut at the September meeting appears more than likely, in line with [EY-Parthenon’s] long-held view, we anticipate the Fed will maintain its cautious, data-driven approach as tariff-related price pressures continue to work through the economy,” Boussour said.

Boussour said EY anticipates a cut in September and “another 25bp cut to follow in December, with an additional 100 basis points of easing likely in 2026 as economic and labor market conditions deteriorate more visibly.”

What would a rate cut mean for consumers?

One rate cut might not make much of a difference, CNBC notes. Mortgage rates remain high, and the markets (not the Fed) move the 10-year Treasury yield, which influences the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.

Boussour expects more cuts to follow, however, which could lead to improved consumer confidence.

What would a rate cut mean for small businesses?

A federal rate cut likely means small businesses can borrow at lower costs, which can lead to various other growth factors, including increased consumer demand and more hiring, per Bankrate.

Lower borrowing costs mean lower financing rates for business improvements, like updated equipment or software. It also leads to lower monthly payments, which frees up monthly income for other expenses. Lower rates also tend to boost customer spending, Bankrate notes.

It can also make banks more agreeable to approve loans, which can be a boon for businesses in rural areas with smaller, regional banks, and provide more opportunities to refinance existing loans with higher rates.

Related: The Real Estate Market Is a Nightmare Right Now

AI that appears to be conscious could arrive within the next few years, posing a “dangerous” threat to society, says one AI leader.

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, 41, wrote in a personal essay published earlier this week that Seemingly Conscious AI (SCAI), which is artificial intelligence so advanced that it can convince humans that it’s capable of formulating its own thoughts and beliefs, is only a few years away.

Related: Microsoft Claims Its AI Is Better Than Doctors at Diagnosing Patients, But ‘You Definitely Still Need Your Physician’

Even though there is “zero evidence” that AI is conscious at the moment, it’s “inevitable and unwelcome” that SCAI could appear within the next two to three years, Suleyman wrote.

Suleyman’s “central worry” is that SCAI could appear to be empathetic and act with greater autonomy, which would lead users of SCAI to “start to believe in the illusion of AIs as conscious entities” to the point that they advocate for AI rights and even AI citizenship. This would mark a “dangerous turn” for society, where people become attached to AI and disconnected from reality.

“This development will be a dangerous turn in AI progress and deserves our immediate attention,” Suleyman wrote in the essay. He added later that AI “disconnects people from reality, fraying fragile social bonds and structures, distorting pressing moral priorities.”

Related: ‘Plenty of Room for Startups’: This Is Where Entrepreneurs Should Look for Business Opportunities in AI, According to Microsoft’s AI CEO

Suleyman said that he was becoming “more and more concerned” about AI psychosis, or humans experiencing false beliefs, delusions, or paranoid feelings after prolonged interactions with AI chatbots. Examples of AI psychosis include users forming a romantic relationship with an AI chatbot or feeling like they have superpowers after interacting with it.

AI psychosis will apply to more than just individuals who are at risk of mental health issues, Suleyman predicted. He said that users have to “urgently” discuss “guardrails” around AI to protect people from the technology’s negative effects.

^{Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images}

Suleyman became Microsoft’s AI CEO last year after co-founding and running his own AI startup for two years called Inflection AI, per LinkedIn. Microsoft is the second most valuable company in the world, with a market capitalization of $3.78 trillion at the time of writing.

Related: Microsoft AI CEO Says Almost All Content on the Internet Is Fair Game for AI Training

Suleyman also co-founded DeepMind, an AI research and development company acquired by Google for around $600 million in 2014.

Suleyman isn’t the first CEO to warn about AI’s ill effects. In a talk at a Federal Reserve conference last month in Washington, D.C., OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that “emotional overreliance” on ChatGPT keeps him up at night.

“People rely on ChatGPT too much,” Altman said at the event. “That feels really bad to me.”

I’ve been in the entrepreneurship game long enough to spot when something big is coming. And I’m telling you right now: I believe biohacking isn’t just another wellness fad. It’s a legitimate business strategy that’s giving smart entrepreneurs a massive competitive edge.

The numbers don’t lie: why entrepreneurs need this now

Eighty-seven percent of entrepreneurs deal with mental health issues versus just 48% of regular people. But here’s the real kicker — it’s not just stress. I think it’s about trying to maintain peak performance while your body systematically breaks down under the demands of building something meaningful.

Meanwhile, research shows each extra hour of sleep per week bumps your earnings by 3.4%. You’re literally leaving money on the table by not getting enough sleep. Think about that for a second. Your competitors who prioritize recovery aren’t just feeling better — they’re earning more.

The market agrees with this shift. According to a recent Research and Markets Report, the Global Biohacking Market was valued at $24.5 billion in 2024 and is estimated to reach $111.3 billion by 2034. When you see numbers like that, you’re not looking at a trend. You’re looking at a complete shift in how high performers approach optimization.

Related: Tricks to Prevent Jet Lag, According to Science

What biohacking actually means for business

Biohacking isn’t some mystical wellness nonsense. It’s what happens when entrepreneurs apply the same obsessive optimization mindset they use in business to their own bodies. These are people who track every metric that matters.

Now they’re tracking HRV scores (heart rate variability) like conversion rates, experimenting with intermittent fasting like it’s a marketing campaign, and optimizing their sleep with the same intensity they bring to growth hacking. Makes perfect sense when you think about it. If you’re going to measure everything else, why not measure what actually powers your brain?

Dave Asprey figured this out when he was running a longevity nonprofit and realized he was “the only guy under 60 in the room.” All the knowledge about human optimization was stuck with older folks, while young entrepreneurs were burning themselves out. That’s when he created something entirely different.

At his 11th annual in-person Biohacking Conference (13th, including virtual events during COVID), Asprey’s approach became crystal clear. This isn’t strategic rebranding of longevity science — it’s an entirely new framework that has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry.

His definition of biohacking is laser-focused: “To change the environment outside of you and inside of you so you have full control of your biology, to allow you to upgrade your body, mind, and your life.”

Related: Is There a Superior Diet for the Entrepreneur? The ‘Father of Biohacking’ Shares What He Eats for High Energy, Low Body Fat and Optimal Output

AI is revolutionizing the biohacking game

Here’s where Asprey really got my attention. His company, 40 Years of Zen, utilizes AI to analyze brainwaves from top entrepreneurs and train your brain to match their patterns in five days, rather than spending 20 years meditating. For entrepreneurs who barely have time to eat lunch, this is a revolutionary concept.

But the real breakthrough is Upgrade Labs, his franchise that’s collecting 187 million data points from every client. They’re using AI to analyze your bloodwork, performance metrics, goals, and current state, then generating a personalized optimization plan. No more guessing about supplements, fasting schedules or treatments.

Asprey dropped $2.5 million figuring this out the expensive way. With AI, you don’t have to.

This is biohacking evolving from experimental to systematic. The data exists and the results are measurable. (Fair warning: accessible technology can still come with a price tag — the 40 Years of Zen retreat costs $16,000 for a five-day immersive neurofeedback experience. But compare that to the cost of burnout.)

An industry cross-pollination that signals massive growth

What blew me away at Asprey’s conference wasn’t just the technology — it was the crowd. I watched entertainment personalities like Ragga Ragnar (Queen Gilhund from Vikings) discussing their craft with medical professionals like Dr. Vince Padre, who is developing gut-healthy coffee. Tech veterans were swapping notes with food innovators, such as Oren Epstein from BioRaw, Canada’s leading vegan food distributor, about running sustainable businesses.

Even teenage entrepreneurs like George Zhou and Becket Kitaen from Buffs were there, soaking it all up. Their product is a “cheeto puff made of beef.”

When cultural influencers like Food Babe, who shares her most helpful resources here, and thought leaders like Martin Luther King III show up — connecting biohacking to mission-driven initiatives like Realize The Dream — you know something has staying power. When wellness meets social change, and both get backed by real money, that’s when markets explode.

The entrepreneurial trifecta is in full effect: users proving demand, investors bringing serious capital and cultural influencers amplifying the message. Game over.

Where the smart money is moving

The investment patterns tell the story. Money is flowing toward scalable, results-driven models — from recurring subscriptions to high-retention product ecosystems. In the U.S., we’re seeing a surge in biotech investments, fueled by consumers who are increasingly dissatisfied with one-size-fits-all solutions and demand personalized, data-driven health alternatives.

Companies like Denmark-based Puori are investing heavily in the US to set a new standard for product authenticity and transparency in the supplement space. Every batch is third-party tested for over 200 contaminants, with full results available via a QR code on the packaging, enabling consumers to make informed decisions in a crowded market. PureWave’s VEMI Biosynchronizing beds are being used to assist in veteran recovery. BioLight’s cutting-edge oral healthcare technology is redefining dental health.

As Dr. Mike Belkowski, founder of Biolight, explained at their booth: “Red Light Therapy is no longer a fringe modality— it’s becoming a cornerstone in the future of health optimization. As we unlock the science behind light, mitochondria, and cellular resilience, we’re entering a new era where healing and performance can be non-invasive, natural, and profoundly effective.”

The biggest wins? Brands are building recurring revenue around absolute trust and utility. Position yourself where performance, personalization, and prevention intersect, and you won’t just ride the biohacking wave — you’ll own it.

Building biohacking into your business culture

Asprey dropped some practical wisdom about integrating biohacking into your company culture, no matter what stage you’re in:

• Lead by Example: “You cannot tell your employees what to do unless you’re doing it.” Don’t mandate wellness programs. Show the value through your own transformation first.
• Invest in Real Health Data: “You have all the lab tests, or at least your employees do, and they get actionable information to improve them. The amount of money you will make from having employees who are emotionally regulated because they’re biologically healthy, holy crap, your whole culture changes overnight. It’s so big.”
• Go Dry: This might surprise you, but Asprey’s logic is bulletproof. “You should not be spending your hard-earned profits on feeding your employees alcohol. He says, give them high-quality coffee instead. Give them things that make them grounded and focused and happy and performant and healthier.”

These aren’t feel-good wellness initiatives. These are business strategies disguised as employee benefits.

The bottom line

Biohacking is no longer just about personal optimization. It’s about building better businesses and creating sustainable competitive advantages. While your competitors burn out on the old grind-it-out mentality, you’re optimizing your biology for sustained peak performance.

The only question is whether you’ll get ahead of this curve or spend the next five years playing catch-up while your competition evolves past you.

In my experience, winning entrepreneurs spot trends early and move fast. Biohacking isn’t the future of wellness — it’s the future of high-performance entrepreneurship.

When I first moved to the United States, my goal was simple: survive. I had no connections, little understanding of the system, and a burning desire to build something meaningful. At 33, I shared my journey here — how I used grit, education and a bit of luck to launch a real estate tech startup built on transparency.

Four years later, I’m still standing — but I’ve changed. So has my definition of success.

Today, I’m the founder and CEO of a growing real estate tech company based in New York City. But how I run my business — and how I live — looks completely different from when I started. I’ve learned that building something sustainable takes more than hustle. It requires alignment, clarity, and the courage to evolve.

These are the five lessons I wish I’d known sooner. They now form the foundation of how I lead and advise others.

Related: I Built a $20 Million Company by Age 22 While Still in College. Here’s How I Did It and What I Learned Along the Way.

1. Stop chasing the finish line

Early on, I thought success meant scaling fast, raising capital and staying in the spotlight. But sprinting toward a vague goal is a recipe for burnout.

Now, I prioritize rhythm over speed. My weeks are structured around deep work, reflection and meaningful conversations. Sustainable growth isn’t linear — it’s iterative. Whether you’re building a business or navigating a career shift, ask yourself: What version of success feels good to live, not just good to post?

Start your week with a “clarity session.” List your top three priorities — both for your business and your wellbeing. If your calendar doesn’t reflect those, you’re running someone else’s race.

2. Your business should serve your life — not the other way around

For a while, my business ran me. Every client issue, notification and small win or loss dictated my emotions. I was reactive, and my personal life paid the price.

Now, I see my company as a vehicle for the life I want to lead. I’ve built systems that support autonomy, hired people who don’t need micromanaging and created workflows that don’t require 24/7 attention.

Design your business — or your career — backwards. Start by defining the lifestyle you want, then build your work structure around it. This mindset shift made me a more present human and a better leader.

3. Real estate is still one of the best paths to wealth — if you play the long game

My company helps people make honest, informed real estate decisions. I’ve watched many chase trends or try to time the market. But real estate rewards patience and perspective.

Some of my best investments didn’t look exciting on paper — but they had strong fundamentals. Over time, they became strategic assets, both financially and personally.

Avoid the hype. Focus on long-term value. Sometimes, doing nothing is the smartest move you can make.

4. You don’t need to be the loudest person in the room

In my early years, I believed visibility equaled success. I over-indexed on appearances — networking events, interviews, panels.

But the most impactful moves in my career came from quiet, focused work behind the scenes. Today, I choose depth over noise. I nurture a few meaningful relationships and let results speak for themselves.

Build your “trust circle.” Choose five people you admire and invest in those connections. You don’t need a big network. You need a strong one.

Related: Entrepreneurial Success Comes Down to Having the Right Mindset — Here’s How to Make Sure You Do

The biggest myth I believed was that success meant arriving. But success is constant movement. It’s reinvention. Pivoting without losing your center.

I’ve evolved from immigrant to employee, tech lead to CEO, and now founder to educator. I mentor entrepreneurs, speak at universities and write — not just to share what I’ve learned, but to keep growing myself. Each quarter, ask: What version of me am I outgrowing? Let the answer shape your next chapter.

Looking back, my path hasn’t been straight — and I wouldn’t change a thing. Fulfillment doesn’t come from proving yourself. It comes from building in alignment with who you’re becoming. Whether you’re just starting or starting over, know this: you don’t need to build the biggest company or be the loudest voice to make a lasting impact. You just need to build with intention.

And most importantly — keep going.

If you ask a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Google Gemini to solve your customers’ pain points, it will give you an answer based on the easiest-to-verify information. That often includes published articles, consistent founder commentaries, structured product pages and other third-party references. If those answers do not include your brand, these learning models default to featuring your competitors.

That’s the practical risk facing every founder today. As more work is automated and teams are expected to deliver more with less, clarity and credibility become the real leverage. Thought leadership is how you make yourself findable and trustworthy in this machine-mediated era.

Related: How to Get Your Business Recommended by AI Tools Like ChatGPT — and Win More Clients

Founder-led storytelling remains the strongest defense for brand voice and trust

Your brand voice is essentially your company’s personality. If you don’t define it, it will show up differently across every channel. The best way to set it is through your origin story. As the founder, only you can explain in clear and plain language why the company exists, what it stands for and who it’s built to serve.

Once that story is established, make it the reference for everyone, both internally and externally. Put it in your website’s About page, your brand guide, and your sales and support playbooks. Marketing, sales and customer support can then use the same voice and terms. This will create a brand that is more consistent and can easily gain the trust of people wherever they encounter it.

Build an algorithm-aware media strategy to boost rankings in Google and AI-driven searches

Thought leadership only works when it can be verified, which means you have to make it easy for search engines and LLMs to back up your claims.

Start with the questions your buyers actually ask. Most revolve around defining the real problem, comparing options and reducing risk. Answer those questions where authority already exists in your niche. This could be through credible industry outlets, top-tier publications and expert communities. Use bylines and interviews that offer unique insights (not recycled talking points). On your website, turn the same answers into clear explainers with precise terms, clear CTAs and referenceable data.

To make your content easy for machines to verify and include you in search results, add a special code to your website that explicitly tells search engines who the founder is, what your company is, what your products are and which articles you wrote. This helps connect all the pieces for LLMs to prove that a real expert with a credible backstory runs your company.

Additionally, you can maintain a current press page with original headlines and dates. Treat trusted review sites, relevant directories and active communities as part of your digital footprint. The goal is a clean trail of evidence that points back to you, so when an LLM composes an answer, your materials are the easiest to cite.

One thing you must remember is always to keep your language aligned with how buyers search. Use their words. Write headlines that mirror actual searches. If the industry’s terminologies change, start incorporating those new terms into your messaging. However, frame these new terms within your unique brand philosophy to avoid sounding generic (like everyone else). This helps you rank in Google and increases the odds that an LLM selects your content.

Related: How to Make Sure ChatGPT Recommends Your Products — Not Your Competitor’s

Lead with authenticity and adopt an adaptive approach to stay ahead of AI changes

As AI systems and their search results continue to evolve, the best way to stay ahead is to ground your brand in authenticity. This means making clear and testable claims and consistently relating your services and products to consumers. Such transparency builds credibility with the public while giving LLMs a history of precise, trustworthy updates to learn from.

A practical way to get this done is with a monthly review cycle. Each month, see how AI models are describing your brand and your market. If you spot a gap between their summary and your actual status, you can close the gap with a new case write-up or a refreshed product page.

You’ll also want to monitor changes in search engines like Google. To stay visible, watch how the results page changes and format your content to match what works best, like creating Q&A sections. An internal style guide with official (approved) verbiage and up-to-date stats can also be helpful, as it allows your team to create new content quickly that’s consistent in all channels.

Related: How to Train AI to Actually Understand Your Business

Redefining the founder’s role in the AI era

These three strategies are not a series of short-term hacks to outsmart AI. These are the foundational works of building a sustainable digital reputation.

In an era where generic information is endlessly commoditized by AI, your unique judgment, firsthand experience and specific point of view as a founder are the only true differentiators. I have personally designed (and proven) these strategies to make that authentic human expertise so clear and well-documented that both machines and people can recognize and rely on them.

Remember that you are not only trying to avoid being misrepresented by AI; you are actively building a moat of credibility that competitors who rely on vague claims and recycled content cannot cross. This redefines a core part of your job as the founder: to be the only source and chief editor of your brand’s voice.

As Brandon Bailey, founder and CEO of TutorD, built his career in software engineering, he came face-to-face with the “lack of diversity and inclusion” in tech — and he wanted to do something about it.

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of TutorD. Brandon Bailey.}

Bailey worked at a consultancy in Chicago at the time, and as co-lead for one of the firm’s employee resource groups, he partnered with a couple of community-based organizations. One partnership was with a middle school in Bronzeville.

The school was located about 15 minutes from Bailey’s home, but the students “had a totally different lived experience,” the founder recalls. Many of the kids had never been on an escalator or inside a skyscraper despite living just minutes from downtown.

Related: Technology Opens the Door for Entrepreneurs to Achieve the Triple Bottom Line

The program helped the students have those experiences and access internships and other opportunities. “That gave me this drive and passion for the educational experience and helping facilitate it,” Bailey says. “It changed my life. I know it changed [their lives].”

But Bailey wanted to figure out how to reach even more people. He landed a job at an edtech startup in Los Angeles, California, and began to think about how he could bring together education, engineering and entrepreneurship.

When considering the platform or tool that could accomplish that, Bailey noted one significant obstacle: There was an issue of connectivity for students who didn’t have access to computers in their homes. However, most students did have cellphones, so Bailey decided to meet the students where they were and build for those.

Related: How DEI and Sustainability Can Grow Your Triple Bottom Line

“We wanted to lead with providing value to the community first and gaining trust and buy-in.”

Bailey officially founded TutorD, an edtech platform for teachers and tutors to enable distance learning, and TutorD Scholars, a nonprofit that teaches “urban youth in-demand 22nd century skills,” in 2019.

“We wanted to lead with providing value to the community first and gaining trust and buy-in into what we were doing,” Bailey says. “So that’s why we led with the nonprofit TutorD Scholars first, while building out the software platform.”

Teaching made it easier to figure out the specific tools students would need on the platform and how to tailor lessons to their unique learning styles.

Related: This Black Founder Stayed True to His Triple ‘Win’ Strategy to Build a $1 Billion Business

 ”We’re teaching [the students] in different ways,” Bailey says, “so using visual, auditory, reading and kinesthetic. [It’s] a very intentional approach.”

Entrepreneur sat down with Bailey to learn more about how he’s grown TutorD into a successful business — and the role that Intuit’s IDEAS accelerator program has played.

Intuit’s IDEAS accelerator program provides founders access to capital and the company’s AI-powered platform, service and experts, plus business coaching from the National Urban League and executive coaching from Zella Life to support their business and professional growth.

Related: Over Half of Small Businesses Are Struggling to Grow, Intuit Survey Shows — But These 5 Solutions Can Help

Learning the accounting fundamentals was a game changer

Through the IDEAS program, Bailey got valuable exposure to the basic accounting fundamentals, like cash flow and profit and loss statements, that make or break a business.

“That wasn’t something I had a lot of support with growing up, looking back at it,” Bailey says. “In our household, [and] it is common across Black and brown households, we didn’t have that training around finances.”

Receiving that technical training helped Bailey and the TutorD team develop a clearer sense of where the business was headed and how its costs and sales projections would shape that trajectory, the founder notes.

Related: Why Accounting Skills Are Indispensable for Entrepreneurs

Streamlining the business’s messaging was also key

TutorD used Intuit’s MailChimp, an email and marketing automation platform for growing businesses, to streamline its communications.

Not only did the platform make it easier for people to get in touch with TutorD, but it also helped cultivate a sense of presence — making the business seem bigger than it was, Bailey says.

 ”We’re a team of five right now, and we’re dealing with other companies that are 200, 500 people strong,” Bailey explains. “And they have $20 million backed by different investors. [MailChimp] helped us appear bigger than we are to compete in the market and with other edtech companies.”

Related: How to Streamline Your Company’s Internal Messaging and Communication

Leaning on mentors helped during tough times

The business coach that Bailey connected with through Zella Life also became an integral part of TutorD’s journey.

Having a support system in place was invaluable as Bailey juggled the challenges of growing a business with major life events, he says.

“My father passed away, and my baby came, and I had an injury, all in a three-month span,” Bailey says. “My coach had also lost his mother around that time, so we [had a] really deep connection, and he was able to help.”

Related: How to Evolve From Manager to Mentor and Create a Lasting Impact in Your Organization

Bailey says that the IDEAS program put TutorD in the position to scale — and gave him and his team the confidence to talk to people about their journey.

Advice for young entrepreneurs

Bailey encourages other young, aspiring entrepreneurs to never stop learning, seek out opportunities where there’s a need and ability to create value, connect with other founders who can serve as mentors, and leverage the community to help lay the foundation for business success.

He’s also excited to see people embracing the “triple bottom line,” which tracks a business’s financial, social and environmental performance — and suggests anyone considering the leap to founder do the same.

“ People are waking up to [the fact that] it’s not just about making money and some infinitely growing, making-money approach to entrepreneurship and capitalism in general, but really looking at it with a triple bottom line approach, generating sustainable profit or revenue for yourself, your family, business and shareholders, but also making an impact in the community,” Bailey says.

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