Why Experienced Entrepreneurs Are Perfectly Suited to Leverage AI

Early in my career, when we were growing ARIS from a basement operation to a NASDAQ-listed company (ARSC), I had a lot of support. I had an assistant who scheduled my meetings and handled travel logistics. I had in-house legal support to help with basic questions, and I even relied on an MBA graduate to organize management meetings. Despite all this support, I still worked 15-hour days.

Fast forward a few decades. I’m now working on my seventh startup, producing far more than I ever did back at ARIS, and here’s the kicker—I’m working fewer hours. What’s changed? Well, I’ve certainly gained more experience, but there’s another game-changer: the power of AI.

As a generalist, like many experienced entrepreneurs, I’ve found that AI is the perfect tool to leverage that wealth of problem-solving skills we’ve spent decades honing. We know how to get things done across many domains, and now, with AI, we don’t have to train new people or wait on outside experts. AI is our new business partner.

The Power of Experience

If there’s one thing serial entrepreneurs know, it’s how to wear many hats. We’ve built business plans, crafted pitch decks, launched marketing campaigns, and even handled some basic accounting and finance tasks. This broad, foundational knowledge is exactly what makes us the perfect candidates to take advantage of AI’s capabilities.

For years, we’ve worked alongside human experts to grow our companies. Now, instead of spending time training new people, we can “train” AI models to take on some of that work for us. AI doesn’t replace expertise—it augments it.

Take this simple example: I no longer have to spend hours explaining concepts to a designer for a PowerPoint deck, only to wait days for the first draft to provide feedback. With AI, I can collaborate instantly, iterating in real-time. AI handles the heavy lifting, while I shape the content to match my vision.

Another bottleneck AI helps me overcome is staying up to date with industry trends. AI can summarize complex information and give me diverse perspectives quickly, saving me hours of research every day.

AI as an Advisor, Not a Replacement

Let me be clear—AI doesn’t replace elite expertise. Instead, it acts as a trusted advisor, helping with decision-making, content creation, and strategic planning. It’s a tool that enhances what I already know. For instance, I don’t ask AI to generate entirely new ideas out of thin air. I use it to refine and improve concepts that I’ve already started developing. The AI brings speed, efficiency, and even creativity to the table, but the real value comes from combining its capabilities with my own experience.

David Autor, a leading economist, has pointed out that while AI can assist with tasks like diagnosing medical conditions, human oversight and interpretation remain essential. It’s the same with any business task—AI can enhance the process, but it still needs a human touch to deliver optimal & accurate results.

Why Generalists Will Win with AI

All of this applies not just to entrepreneurs but to seasoned executives and generalists in any field. In fact, generalists may adopt AI even faster than specialists. For example, a data engineer might rely on AI to write code, leveraging AI to bridge gaps in their expertise, while a software engineer—who’s an expert coder—might initially be more hesitant to let AI handle the task.

It’s the same story in healthcare: nurses, who handle a wide range of tasks, could benefit more from AI than highly specialized doctors in certain aspects of patient care. Generalists see how AI fills the gaps and boosts productivity in a way that may not be immediately obvious to specialists.

Conclusion: Embrace AI, Remove Bottlenecks

So, if you’re an experienced entrepreneur or business generalist, I encourage you to explore AI tools. You’ll unlock new levels of productivity and eliminate bottlenecks that have slowed you down for years.

AI is already penetrating every aspect of modern jobs, and the sooner we embrace it, the better equipped we’ll be to thrive in the future of work. The key is adaptability and continuous learning. With the right mindset, we can use AI to do what we do best—build, grow, and lead.

Photo by Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash