(these 3 minutes will change your company’s growth)

No company is thinking this way.
Why is it that startups are the visionaries?
Startups are collecting leads that you should be collecting yourself.

Your company is paying $5-$20 per anonymized click on Google (depending on your vertical). Some of you are paying more (financial services, banking, legal).
After the click, you still know nothing about the visitor, unless you convince them to

A: become a customer
or
B: sign up for some outdated resource (often a report or a top 10 list etc.)

It’s not 2005 anymore. Ditch the reports and clickbait articles.
Let’s jump into 2025 and beyond.

Your customers EXPECT to interact with AI before they interact with you at all. It’s just the way the world is moving. They want personalized advice, help, resources… they want momentum in their journey. And they want it immediately.

Taking everything we’ve learned over the past 2.5 years building this user base to 250,000 people passionate about ideas and startups…

Here’s how I’d turn this corner for your company and implement a lead generation machine with AI. It’s simple, actually… but companies are asleep at the wheel, content to pay 6 and 7-figure monthly budgets for Google traffic that comes and goes.

The first step is to treat this new channel like a startup.
Hire a startup founder to spearhead this entire campaign.
People love dealing with authentic founders… quirky progressive startups with fresh ideas.

I’d hire a founder to create this new venture and have them run it like a lean startup.

The second step, and this is the one that everyone seems to miss:
Determine what point in the journey your customers were at RIGHT BEFORE they reached you.
Act as if you’re buying leads from someone else… who do you buy them from?
Answer: Companies that have warmed up your customers — they’ve assisted them in the step that occurs right before they need you.
So, venture backwards in your customer journey - and be the go-to resource for solving that last needed step before you enter their lives.
This is your lead generation machine. Build it yourself instead of buying leads.

Example: At ValidatorAI.com we have multiple companies that are paying us for leads. There are (literally) 100+ companies that are on the hunt for people that want to launch ideas. These range from website building companies, domain registration firms, startup banking firms, companies that help with mapping out a startup plan, accelerators, startup education companies, startup software companies etc. You get it. We’re the step BEFORE the customer discovers them.

So, you could say, we own the funnel that these companies need. They aren’t the first step in the journey of their own customer profile, we are. You should do the exact same thing.

Build the funnel, that if it existed, you’d pay for those customer leads. It’s about what the customer needs help with RIGHT BEFORE they need to meet you. It’s brilliant, and no one is doing it. And, if they are, they are doing the same stale playbook: trying to exchange an email for a report.

People are over reports. Especially reports that don’t adjust to their own specific circumstances. And every customer’s circumstances are different from the next. There is no one size fits all. Their individual needs and journey are markedly different from the next person. And AI can accommodate them. Your report can’t.

Next, have your progress-obsessed founder build THE AI tool that helps your customer solve that exact step they are on, before they reach you.

Example: The companies that are in the categories listed above — they need customers that are ready to take their next steps when it comes to their entrepreneurial journey. So, our job here is to prepare those customers — making them business-ready for those partner companies.

Does an AI site builder need people that are ready to build a new venture? Great — the job of our AI tool is to get people confident to take that next step.
Does an education company need customers that are ready to sign up for an education course package? Perfect — we’re here to encourage our members and help them realize they are ready to jump into this journey.

Build the tool that solves this exact problem and prepares them for you.  
Require OAuth with Google for customers to retrieve their results. Have people verify their email.

Now you have generated your own warm lead that has:
Searched for a solution to a problem.
Clicked through to you.
Described what they need help with.
Registered and confirmed their email.

That’s real intent - and if you help them well enough, they are ready for your products and services.

I’d brand the new site with your company as well, so people understand when they join, they will be added to your marketing and CRM. All newsletters and follow up are cobranded with your company as well - to keep it consistent and transparent.

ValidatorAI.com x (company name)

March.com x Brex

Napkin.com x Mercury

Axie.com x Notion

Poppi.com x AppSumo

March.com x HubSpot

When they join, they are added to your marketing flow, and you can further educate them on how you can help them. Setup a separate segment in your existing CRM for these new leads. Create messaging, advice, resources for this segment alone. Stay engaged with them, stay top of mind and you’ll be the next move they make.

Now, you’re not paying $5 - $30 (or more) for a cold click.
You’re not trying to convince someone to give up their email for a report that you wrote.
You’re offering personalized help, advice, research, tools — MOMENTUM instead of static information. And people are tired of static information. They expect site visits and experiences to be tailored to their exact needs.

And, let’s be honest, you don’t want to retool your existing site to accommodate people in this way… at least, not for lead-generation-type customers. You need a stand-alone site to do this, and you need to operate it like a startup.

Then, I’d continue the startup modeling and submit this new startup to ProductHunt.com, IndieHackers.com, BetaList.com, HackerNews.com, Futurepedia.io, Reddit Entrepreneur Ride Along and dozens of other places where you can announce a new venture, connect with other founders and let others give feedback + ride along the journey.

There are DOZENS of these sites, and I would not let AI do any of the posting and engagement. This new venture is about authenticity and showing you care for people even before they are your customers. Don’t let AI take that relationship from you. Give these people something real. Let AI bring them in, but let your humanity make them fall in love with your company.

I’d start X, Tik Tok, YouTube and Instagram channels. I’d post insights you’re gathering all day every day. Let people know there are others that are struggling with the same thing and show how you are helping. Drive all of this engagement to your startup site.

The new reality:

Instead of $5-$30 for a cold click - you’ve created a lead generation machine where people organically find you. They are truly interested in what you are working on. They are happy to give up their email for personalized help. And, depending on your AI creation, your customer acquisition costs are now $.10 - $2. Your CLV is probably $100. $500 or even $1000+. This is going to be the best growth engine you could possibly create — and 1 or 2 people can run the whole thing. Turn them loose to create videos and other content that point people to your AI machine.

The amazing thing:

Now you have a wealth of data you are collecting on the person, their needs, how you can help them… any data nerd in your organization would geek out over the ways to put these customers into buckets based on everything you’re learning about them:

Your data team will start to produce reports (for internal use or to share) on customer needs, motivations, problems, solutions, success rates. Ask your data team if they’d flip out over owning this source of data. All of this goes on your site and your social channels. You’re being transparent and helpful, and your customers will love it.

An anonymous Google click comes and goes.
Your own lead generation machine lasts forever - and you ‘own’ this new relationship.
You own the machine. And you can grow the machine.

As far as how to build this, any competent startup founder can build an incredible tool once you determine the problem it needs to solve. The cost to capture each customer will likely range from $.10 for a basic single use tool, to $2-$4 for something more complex with a massive prompt and other features (voice, video, phone calls, email follow ups etc.)



It’s all technically possible — easy actually.

And this is what the AI does for you: The AI will be creating assets for the user that launch them on the first steps of their journey with your company. The AI is not just producing advice or help; it’s building what they need to continue on with you. That’s a magical experience.

Remember: This is you. This is me. This is us from here forward. 👇

PS: If your company wants a real-time AI advisor to talk through ideas you’re exploring, Val is what you’re looking for. We’re seeing that people are wanting to call Val multiple times because they have multiple ideas they want to analyze.

We’re adding new features and resources daily: coming soon is an idea-readiness score where Val analyzes everything in your conversation and scores how market-ready the idea is based on the discussion. She’s also going to simulate a customer conversation to uncover any objections and feedback your customer might bring up.

Talk to Val here: ValidatorAI.com 

In a fast pasted, focused call, Val will cover the opportunity, customer, UVP, competition, messaging and more. Then she’ll email you key next steps, a business analysis report, your ready-to-go landing page and ideas to capture early users.

Val is the future of business advisory - and we’re just getting started around here.

In my queue to share with you:


How I’d Rig the NBA Using a Single Employee
How Companies Make Decisions Based on Avoiding Pain
Why I Thought About a Random Football Box Score for a Week Straight
How to Establish Trust on Day One and Resolve Future Conflicts
Every Pitch Starts the Same Old Way — One Opening Line to Draw Them in
The Insane World of Domain Investing

Take care,

Remember: Your life is valuable, and you’ve been uniquely gifted with talents and insights that no one else on earth has. You are a true 1 of 1 and there will never be another person with your exact experiences, skills and personality.  

Aron Meystedt

Aron’s LinkedIn
ValidatorAI.com
Symbolics.com