AI Will Make You Rich!
“AI Will Make You Rich!” – And Other Social Media Bedtime Stories
I couldn’t help myself.
Every day, I’m getting bombarded — emails, posts, shorts, videos, and even phone calls — all shouting the same thing:
“AI is the secret to unlimited leads!”
“Don’t miss the AI revolution!”
“Start your own AI business from your sofa!”
Honestly, it’s like being stuck in a group chat with every loud-mouthed cousin who just discovered ChatGPT and now thinks they’ve reinvented capitalism.
So I had to write this — a simple blog about the current AI boom hitting small businesses around the globe like a glittery tornado of hype, PDFs and questionable promises.
Let’s pull back the curtain on the most common acts in the AI circus.
1. Marketing Agencies in Fancy Dress
These are your classic digital marketers — now rebranded as AI consultants.
Same Facebook ads, same recycled funnels, but now with phrases like “machine learning pipeline” and “AI optimisation framework” slapped on like cheap cologne.
“We use AI to scale your business!”
Translation: “We added a chatbot to your landing page and now we want £3,000 a month.”
The tech might be shiny, but the tactics? Still 2016.
2. Coaches, Gurus & Course-Selling “Visionaries”
These ones are everywhere. And somehow, they’re always “launching something”, “opening spots”, or offering you a “limited-time access” to the same course 800 other people already bought.
Their pitch?
“Learn how to use AI to build a 6-figure agency — just like I did!”
Reality?
They made six figures selling the course, not from the business model itself.
It’s a pyramid with better branding and no refund policy.
3. Lead Gen Services with “AI Tools” and No Receipts
“We use AI to get you 500 hot leads a week!”
Sounds good… until you realise:
- The leads were scraped from a dodgy directory.
- Half are duplicates.
- One of them is a vet in New Zealand who has never heard of you.
- And now your inbox is flagged as spam.
They often overcharge, underdeliver, and use the word “automated” as code for “we gave this job to a robot and hoped for the best.”
4. Shiny Object Sellers (a.k.a. The Hype Dealers)
These ones aren’t selling tools — they’re selling FOMO.
They post glamorous lifestyle content, talk about “unlocking potential” and “harnessing exponential trends,” but they can’t show a single real-world result.
“This AI tool will revolutionise your life!”
“Don’t get left behind!”
Left behind what, exactly? A Google Sheet with three macros and a catchy logo?
If it truly worked, they wouldn’t be spending 8 hours a day making reels. They’d be running a business. Quietly. And profitably.
The Daily Digital Assault
I don’t know about you, but I can’t open my phone without being hit by:
- AI emails promising magic
- Cringey YouTube Shorts with stock music and exaggerated stats
- “DM me ‘INFO’” posts that look like a cult promo
- Cold calls from “digital consultants” based in a call centre reading from a script
- And reels of someone whispering into their mic while typing on a fake laptop
It’s exhausting. And frankly, it’s turning small business owners into sceptics, when AI (used properly) can actually help.
Final Word: Real Business Still Needs Real Work
AI is a tool, not a miracle. If you’re a business owner, the best thing you can do is use it to enhance what already works— not chase shiny nonsense promising you a laptop-on-the-beach lifestyle.
The best leads still come from trust. The best growth still comes from hard work.
The best business advice? Usually not sold in a reel with a Ferrari in the background.
Let’s laugh together — and then get back to running real businesses that don’t rely on unicorn emojis and 3am email spam.
