“I make $4.5 million implementing AI”

Presented by Zapier: https://zapier.com/👉 Link to resources: https://thenextnewthing.ai/l/jon-45million-ai-playbook⏱ Timestamps00:00 From $400 to $4.5M ARR00:18 Hitting $1M solo with AI01:57 The $105K dev quote that changed everything02:15 Discovering Replit03:18 From app idea to business opportunity05:33 Having AI interview you to refine a business07:21 The first business model10:03 The first real customer and first $15K contract13:12 Teaching practical AI, not just theory16:48 Jon’s playbook for starting an AI business19:03 How Zapier fits into the stack21:18 Why the .org brand worked23:15 Using GEO to get found in search and ChatGPT27:27 Building recurring revenue with a fractional CAIO model31:39 The move from services to software33:54 What Jenna does for client businesses36:18 Why this could become a billion-dollar business39:00 How Jon thinks about pricing41:33 Brand, trust, and distribution43:39 Favorite tools: Grok, Replit, Midjourney, NemoClaw47:51 Margins, growth, and reaching $4.5M ARR49:12 How long this opportunity will lastHe started with $400, built the business himself with AI, hit $1M solo, and is now at $4.5M ARR.In this episode of The Next New Thing, Andrew Warner talks with Jon Cheney about the exact playbook he used to turn AI tools into a high-ticket recurring-revenue business.