August 28, 2025
Here's the uncomfortable truth: while everyone is rushing to automate everything with AI, they're creating a massive opportunity for founders who are willing to do the opposite.
Don't get me wrong - I'm a huge believer in AI. I use it daily, my product leverages it, and I'm convinced it makes us better at our jobs. But there's one thing AI will never replace: the human connection that people are desperately craving in a world drowning in automated responses and generic content.
While your competitors are sending AI-generated emails and hiding behind chatbots, you can win by doing the one thing that doesn't scale: being genuinely, authentically human. Here's how to turn that "inefficiency" into your biggest competitive advantage.
We're living through an explosion of what I call "AI slop" - that generic, templated, obviously automated content that's flooding every channel. Founders think they're being efficient by letting AI handle their customer outreach, content creation, and communication. But here's what's actually happening: they're creating friction between themselves and the people they need to connect with.
When someone receives your AI-generated email, they can tell. When they interact with your automated customer service, they feel it. When they consume your AI-scripted content, something feels off. That friction compounds over time, making it harder and harder for your authentic message to break through.
The irony is that while AI makes many tasks easier, it's making the most important task - building genuine relationships - infinitely harder.
"Do the unscalable before you scale" isn't just a catchy phrase - it's a strategic approach that separates successful founders from those who get lost in the noise. These are the activities that make you think "this will never scale, but I need to do this work."
Instead of sending 1,000 AI-generated emails, write 20 completely personalized ones. Research each person, understand their specific challenges, and craft messaging that speaks directly to their situation. Yes, it takes longer. Yes, it's "inefficient." But your response rates will be dramatically higher because recipients can feel the difference.
Stop letting AI script your thoughts and opinions. Your voice, your perspective, your authentic reactions to industry trends - that's what people connect with. When you share your genuine insights instead of polished AI content, you build trust and recognition that no algorithm can replicate.
Skip the automation flows and chatbots for your most important customer interactions. Handle customer service personally. Conduct onboarding calls yourself. Reply to support emails with your actual thoughts and solutions. This direct connection creates loyal customers who become advocates for your brand.
In a world where everyone is trying to automate their way to efficiency, being personally present becomes a massive differentiator. People don't just buy products - they buy from people they trust, respect, and feel connected to.
Your customers need to know who you are, what you stand for, and what your values are. They need to see that there's a real person behind the company who cares about solving their problems. When you consistently show up as yourself - imperfect, authentic, and genuinely invested - you create something that no AI can replicate: trust.
Here's the business case for doing unscalable work: it creates the most scalable outcome of all - word of mouth marketing. When someone receives a genuinely personalized email from you, they remember it. When they have a real conversation with you during onboarding, they tell their colleagues about it. When your customer service actually solves their problem with human care, they become advocates.
This human-first approach doesn't just improve individual interactions - it improves your entire distribution strategy. People share experiences that made them feel valued and understood. They don't share interactions with chatbots or AI-generated responses.
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The opportunity is massive right now. While everyone else is hiding behind AI automation, you can win by being courageously human. Yes, it takes more time. Yes, it doesn't scale in the traditional sense. But it creates something infinitely more valuable: genuine connections with the people who matter most to your business.
The founders who will thrive in the AI era aren't the ones who automate everything - they're the ones who know what never to automate. They understand that in a world full of AI slop, authentic human connection becomes the ultimate competitive advantage.
Start small. Pick one area where you've been relying on automation and commit to handling it personally for the next 30 days. The results will convince you that sometimes the most inefficient path is actually the most effective one.
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