A Better Lemonade Stand #320

💛 Sponsor

Don’t even pretend — you want to know how LEGO does their email marketing.

Back in 2020, LEGO Colombia’s subscriber base grew so much, it became a challenge to manage it. And if you want new results, you can’t keep playing by the old rules.

To pull this off, they made a power move: switching their ESP from Mailchimp to Omnisend.

The payoff?

• 37% open rates across all automations

• 10% click-through rates

And look, we get how some of the smaller brands may find it hard to relate to the industry giants. But we can all learn a thing or two from them regardless.

📈 Trends

 🌅 2025: The Year of AGI – A New Era of Human Potential

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s knocking on our door, according to Sam Altman. For some, this is thrilling; for others, unsettling.

But one thing is clear: it’s a change we can’t ignore. AGI won’t just tweak the world as we know it—it will rebuild it.

🤔 What Is AGI?

Most of you know AI as a convenient tool—think chatbots, algorithms, or automation. AGI is different.

AGI doesn’t follow the rules or stay confined to just one task. It learns, adapts, and creates in ways humans do autonomously—perhaps even better in some cases. It’s not just about doing things faster. It’s about solving problems in ways we can’t yet imagine.

As Sam Altman continually says, AGI is like a “median human coworker” but with superhuman endurance. It could fundamentally redefine what’s possible, how we live, and what we value.

🌍 How AGI Will Reshape the World

1/ The Economy Will Shift Beneath Your Feet

AGI will automate jobs, yes. But don’t panic—this isn’t the apocalypse. AI Experts predict that jobs as we know them will disappear, but entirely new paths will emerge. The challenge is adaptation.

Imagine a world where Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a necessity. Essential goods would be so cheap that survival would become an afterthought, paving the way for a world focused on innovation and growth. Could this be the post-AGI world?

2/ Creativity Will Skyrocket

AGI will obliterate bottlenecks in research and discovery in many areas:

• Climate change? New models for renewable energy.

• Medicine? Breakthrough drugs and cures for complex diseases.

• Space exploration? Colonizing planets could move from theory to practice.

But AGI won’t stop at science. It’ll become your teammate in creativity—collaborating on art, music, and ways that push human imagination further.

3/ The Rise of the Solo AGI Billionaire

Here’s a thought: you won’t need a massive team or funding to change the world anymore. Even someone from a 3rd world country with limited resources could scale like never before.

A solo entrepreneur could use AGI to solve global problems, turning ideas into million-dollar solutions from the comfort of their home.

🔧 How to Adapt to the Era of AGI

The old way of doing things—rote memorization, fixed career paths, and comfort zones—is about to collapse under exponential progress.

The good news? You can create your blueprint for thriving in the new world.

Here’s how to stay ahead.

1/ Learn How to Work With AI, Not Against It

AGI is not the enemy. It’s a tool, a powerful one. But only if you know how to use it.

Real wealth will come from creativity and problem-solving.

• Automate the Mundane: AGI will handle repetitive ‘VA’ tasks like scheduling or summarizing data. This isn’t “cheating” or “laziness” it’s efficiency.

• Become a Co-Creator: In creative fields, AGI could generate ideas while you refine them. The synergy of logic and emotion creates what neither could alone.

• Decisions Need a Soul: You will use AGI to analyze scenarios and crunch numbers, but remember: the final call is yours. Don’t outsource your ethics.

In the right hands, AGI is a top-class teammate.

2/ Build Businesses That Flex

Standing still isn’t an option. Businesses that fail to adapt will be left behind.

• Hybrid Workforces Are the Future: Teams of humans and AGI working side by side will be a thing. Redefine roles and build spaces where both can thrive.

• Train for Chaos: Teach your team how to navigate change. Adaptability and resilience will be more valuable than any specific skill.

• Reward Innovation: Prioritize creativity and collaboration over just output. The people who work with AGI effectively will become your MVPs.

3/ Fight for Ethical AI

If you don’t help shape AGI, someone else will.

• Demand Transparency: Algorithms shouldn’t be black boxes. Support movements that push for explainable and accountable AI.

• Make It Accessible: Advocate for AGI tools that benefit everyone, not just corporations.

• Be Part of the Conversation: Join forums, write, or speak out. The governance of AGI needs diverse voices to serve humanity as a whole.

4/ Future-Proof Your Finances

AGI will disrupt your industry, but that’s an opportunity, not a death sentence.

• Multiple Income Streams: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Freelance, consult or start your own business with AGI as your silent partner.

• Invest in Versatility: Be a Swiss Army knife of skills, not a specialist. Now, it’s the era of the generalist. Dan Koe argued that “AI is a specialist that needs a generalist. A tool that needs a master..” The more adaptable you are, the harder it will be for AGI—or anyone—to replace you.

2025 is a significant turning point, and your choices throughout the year will define how you will thrive in the AGI era.

💡 Insights

🔮 2025 Mega AI Predictions: What’s Coming

As mentioned earlier, 2025 could be the year AI goes from being a "cool tech" to being woven into how we work, create, and live our daily lives.

Here’s some interesting things on the horizon based on insights from some of the sharpest minds in tech:

• Generative AI Everywhere: From Hollywood-quality AI videos to AI-generated social media hits, content creation will hit new levels. But with all this, expect significant trust issues as deepfakes become even more undetectable.

• Education Gets Smart: AI is entering classrooms to create hyper-personalized learning paths, virtual STEM labs, and even AI assistants that take on admin tasks so teachers can focus on teaching.

• Outcome Arbitrage: Why hire expensive human labor when AI can deliver cheaper, faster results in industries like content creation, customer support, and analytics based on results only?

• The Human Touch: Brands will capitalize on the nostalgia of people craving authentic, imperfect, human-created goods by flexing their “made by humans” label.

• AI’s Dark Side: As mentioned earlier, cybercriminals will supercharge scams with deepfakes, and there will be more AI phishing campaigns. Some companies might experience AI disasters and scramble for AI safeguards, and regulators will face a steep learning curve.

Sources: Inspired by insights from Mark Sullivan, Greg Isenberg, Laura Ascione, and The AI Valley.

💼 Why You Should Start A Hyper-Local Newsletter

Hyperlocal newsletters like Naptown Scoop are redefining trust-based advertising for local businesses. They are turning small audiences into big revenue. Starting with just 70 subscribers in 2020, they now have 21,000 readers and $300K in ad revenue.

What’s Driving the $$$:

• Advertisers Crave Trust: Real estate agents, healthcare providers, and financial planners thrive on authentic relationships. These aren’t cold Facebook ads. They’re paying a premium for local attention.

• Focus Beats Noise: 50% of its ad revenue comes from 5 advertisers, which tells you that their content delivers results.

• Community-Focused Content: Instead of politics or polarizing nonsense, Naptown doubled down on community: local news, events, memes, and even historical photos that hit that nostalgic sweet spot.

🔗 See How You Can Replicate Naptown’s Growth

🚀 Build Your First Backend in 21 Minutes Using AI

Most creators only talk about front-end AI tutorials with Lovable or Bolt, but here's the truth: front-end alone doesn’t build an app. If your app will function, you must also know how to make the backend (Even if you’ve never written a line of code).

This Episode Highlights:

• Real-World Tools: Learn backend development using tools like Firebase and GitHub.

• Get Free Resources: Corbin gives you access to all the code and Google Docs to follow.

• Complete Series: Upcoming episodes cover hosting, payment integration, and advanced API logic.

🎥 Watch Episode 1 Here

🧰 Apps & Tools

🕵️‍♂️ SEO Bot: Get your SEO blog posts automated completely with AI. Works with your CMS no-code platforms like Webflow or WordPress.

🖼️ Infographic Generator: Transform data into shareable infographics for presentations, reports, and social media.

🛠️ Ply: A no-code tool that lets you build smart forms and workflows for customers and teams into the apps you’re already using.

🧑 Otto: Your AI research sidekick that automates manual tasks like enriching lists, researching companies, or analyzing documents.

🤖 Product Updates

✍️ Google's Gemini 2.0 Is Now in Notebook LM

Here’s how these updates can supercharge your workflow as an entrepreneur, content creator, or lifelong learner:

• AI Insights: Gemini 2.0’s language model improves NotebookLM's ability to generate accurate, context-aware answers, acting as a personalized AI expert for your notes.

• Magic Draft Tool: With Gemini's 2.0’s capabilities, the drafting process becomes smoother and more intuitive, as it can now better analyze and utilize your sources to create high-quality text through AI-guided workflows.

🔗 Examples of NotebookLM's Improved Features

👁️ Google Can Now See Your Screen

Google’s Stream Real-Time feature (part of Gemini 2.0) lets you interact with your screen in real time, allowing you to analyze information without sharing screenshots.

What it Does:

• Instant Insights: From breaking down dense data to analyzing YouTube videos, Stream Real-Time speeds up decision-making.

• Enhanced Testing: You can get instant feedback on design tweaks or changes to your apps or AI tools.

🔗 Get Real-World Examples Here

🖇️ Everything Else

👨‍💻 AI Tools Are the New No-Code: John Rush shares his experience with 21+ AI coding tools. (👉 See His Full Breakdown)

🤖 AI & Automation Skills for 2025: AI and automation will be the biggest game-changers in 2025. (👉 Get a Quickstart Checklist Here)

💡 Kickstart Your Next Venture: 1084 ideas to research demand and market fit for specific business models. (👉 Explore the Ideas)

🚀 Creators Redefining Success: Follow these 50 creators to analyze how they execute storytelling, community building, and making the creator economy work. (👉 Discover Their Stories Here)