🧸 Forget "AI Toys". Try These 12 Business Solutions Instead

I. Introduction: Stop Wasting Time on Toys

I have tested over 500 AI tools and I can tell you the truth: most of them are just shiny toys. They are a complete waste of time.

But there are 12 exceptions.

These aren't just cool demos; they are the actual business solution tools running my companies right now. The insight is simple: "In the new AI era, you won't get rich by working more. You'll get rich by using the tools that help you work less".

Here are the specific tools and workflows that are generating real revenue for me today.

II. Tool 1: Granola.ai - The Meeting Intelligence That Actually Works

If you have ever been in a meeting with one of those AI note-takers that announces "Recording bot has joined the meeting", you understand the problem. They are intrusive, obvious and create weird dynamics.

1. It Doesn't Join Your Meetings

Granola solves this elegantly. It captures audio locally on my computer. Nobody sees a bot. Nobody knows I am recording unless I tell them.

Why this matters: I literally don't let bots in my meetings anymore. People speak more freely when they don't feel monitored by technology. It changes the psychology of the call.

2. AI-Assisted Notes (Not AI-Generated Notes)

This is the killer feature most people miss.

• The workflow: During my meeting, I type notes in Granola in real-time; just key points, important moments, decisions.

• The Magic: After the meeting ends, Granola merges my handwritten notes with the meeting transcript to create comprehensive documentation.

• Why it works: Pure AI transcription misses context and importance. My notes provide the structure and emphasis. The AI fills in the complete details. The result is notes that actually reflect what mattered in the meeting, not just what was said.

3. True Second Brain Functionality

Granola makes my entire meeting history searchable and queryable. I can ask natural language questions like, "Show me all the meetings where we discussed pricing".

The business impact: How many times have I thought, "I know we discussed this but when?" Granola eliminates that problem entirely. My meeting history becomes a searchable knowledge base, a true business solution for information retrieval.

III. Tool 2: n8n - Automation That Scales Without Headcount

n8n is a workflow automation platform that connects everything in my business and uses AI to make routing decisions automatically.

My core principle: Automation is the future and AI is going to transform the business world. And it is a core business solution for scaling without adding headcount.

1. The Complete Onboarding Automation Workflow

I want to share the exact workflow I implement in 90% of my companies. This is the blueprint:

1. Payment Trigger: Once payment happens, information automatically flows to my CRM. This is the foundational event.

2. Personalized Welcome Email: Not a generic template, the AI personalizes the email based on information captured from the sales call. The customer feels individually acknowledged immediately.

3. Intake Form Request (or Voice Call): I send an email requesting they fill out an intake form.

The AI twist: This can be done via voice instead of a form. The customer receives a phone call and speaks with an AI that collects the information conversationally.

4. Community/Support Invitation: Automatically invite them to my Slack channel or support system.

5. Conditional Follow-Up: AI monitors which onboarding steps they have completed and sends personalized follow-ups only for incomplete items.

6. Human Connection: Automatically book them on a call with a team member to walk through how the process works. This happens only after AI handles the initial setup.

7. Personalized Presentation: An automation creates a customized presentation based on the intake form data. When my team member meets with the client, they present a deck showing exactly how the solution is tailored to that specific client's situation.

My emphasis: "That is all done automagically".

2. Alternatives for Different Skill Levels

• n8n: Pro-level, maximum flexibility and power.

• Make.com: Intermediate, good balance of capability and ease.

• Zapier: Entry-level, reliable and simple.

• OpenAI Agent Builder: Watch this space, it could simplify everything dramatically.

IV. Tool 3: Lovable.dev - Build Apps Faster Than Your Competition

This is going to blow your mind. I am not exaggerating. Lovable represents a fundamental shift: I no longer need developers to build functional applications.

1. The Core Capability

I describe what I want in natural language (any language like English, Spanish, Mandarin) and Lovable builds a working application.

The democratization: In the past, I had to hire a developer. Now, I just need to know how to type.

2. The Landing Page Example

Scenario: I built a landing page for my content creation service aimed at real estate agents in Florida who want daily social media videos.

• Old way: Hire a designer, developer, wait days or weeks, pay thousands.

• New way with Lovable:

  1. Prompt 1: "Build a landing page for my content creation service aimed at real estate agents in Florida who want daily social media videos". (Page generated).

  2. Prompt 2: "Add Stripe payment so I can collect a deposit". (Payment integration added).

  3. Prompt 3: "Add a form to collect information about the customer and the ability to get a deposit so I can get a commitment from the person buying". (Form and deposit functionality integrated).

• The workflow: Generate → Test → Deploy. It is that simple.

The new reality: The bottleneck shifts from technical implementation to idea clarity. If I can describe what I want clearly, I can build it immediately.

V. Tool 4: Atlas - AI That Closes Deals 24/7

Atlas is a business solution I use across all my businesses. Its core function is simple but powerful: Call leads instantly, qualify them, sell and book meetings; all automatically, 24/7.

1. The Consistency Factor

No bad days, no going off script, no taking a vacation. This thing runs automatically in real time.

2. The Father-in-Law Story

I demonstrated this to my father-in-law and it captures how convincing AI calling has become.

• Father-in-law: "Who's Victoria?"

• Me: "Victoria's the AI".

• Father-in-law: "Where does she live?"

• Me: "Victoria's not real".

• Father-in-law: "What do you mean she's not real? She just called you".

3. Speed to Lead: The Conversion Secret

The principle: The faster I can contact or call anybody who fills out a form, the faster I will stop them from searching for other solutions and they will become my customer.

The workflow: When somebody fills out a form on any of my websites, Atlas calls them immediately, not in 5 minutes, not in an hour, immediately.

4. The Objection Handling Test

I challenge you to test it yourself. Go to the site, fill in the form and have it call you.

• Try this: Say "All right, let's talk. Are you free at 4:00 Eastern time next Friday?"

• What happens: It will pause. And you can hear it typing, checking the calendar. And it waits.

• Try this: Hang up before the confirmation. Guess what it is going to do? Call you back and try to get you to book that call.

VI. Tool 5: ElevenLabs - Voice Cloning That Actually Works

ElevenLabs enables voice cloning that is production-ready today.

1. The Personal Example

I demonstrated this with my own speech. I showed a clip where I mispronounced a word ("regularlessly"). Then I showed the AI-corrected version where I say it perfectly ("rigorously").

The use case: My video editors can now do all the pickup recordings using my AI voice clone. I no longer need to come into the studio to re-record small mistakes.

2. The Real Estate Example

Here is the three-step implementation I recommend:

1. Create the Voice Clone: Use ElevenLabs to create your AI voice clone from a clean audio sample.

2. Fix Existing Content: Find videos where the energy is off or you misspoke. Have your editor use your voice clone to fix those sections. You can repost corrected content on Facebook or TikTok and see how it performs.

3. Scale Content Production: A real estate agent I know uses this. His video editor and copywriter can write scripts for different properties, use the AI voice clone to read them and publish different ads without requiring his time.

The scaling principle: When I can clone my voice to deliver incredible customer experiences at scale, that is a powerful business solution.

VII. Tool 6: HeyGen - AI Video Avatars (When Used Right)

I admit it: I was anti-AI avatars.

1. The Mindset Shift

My original position was that people want organic, human communication. What changed my mind was a call with seven AI experts. One expert revealed that all the content I had seen from him was actually his AI avatar.

My realization: Oh, my personal opinion of this had to change. Those are moments in life where you have to make sure that something you believe is not holding you back.

2. The Current Reality

The honest assessment: Today, it does look a little weird and clunky but it won't in the future.

The philosophical shift: The future is how good the content is, not whether the person actually shoots their own content.

The practical position: If you don't want or don't feel comfortable speaking on camera, guess what? The second best thing is an AI avatar.

3. How to Actually Use It for Business

1. Use ChatGPT to write a script saying something powerful that can help somebody.

2. Go into HeyGen, choose your avatar and language (your own cloned voice from ElevenLabs).

3. Export a ready-to-post video.

The efficiency gain: It is still you talking to the camera but it didn't take you time to shoot that because your editors could do it on your behalf.

VIII. Tool 7: ChatGPT Voice Mode - Your AI Thinking Partner

I call this one of my favorites. The use case is hands-free ideation and problem-solving. Essentially, using it as a therapist, thinking out loud and getting out of my head and into words is so powerful.

1. The Strategic Decision Story

I was struggling with a massive strategic decision. I went on a 45-minute run with ChatGPT voice mode in my AirPods. I talked through the problem out loud.

The result: At the end of that 45-minute run, it told me exactly what I knew I needed to do that I didn't want to do. The AI did the same thing as a good friend for me but it gave it to me with confidence. It gave me the numbers to make the decision clear.

2. The Problem-Solving Framework

I have a specific framework for using ChatGPT voice mode strategically:

1. Set Expectations: "Hey, challenge me. Be my mentor. Make sure that my ideas are bulletproof. Keep asking me questions until you feel like we get there". (I need to tell it to stop being too nice).

2. Give it a Framework: Give it language around "Theory of Constraints" (TOC).

3. Let It Question You: Let it ask about my marketing, sales and delivery. Provide the data.

4. Get Specific Options: "Give me five examples of how I could fix this problem with the resources I have".

Critical point: Give it the constraint.

5. Request Ranking: "Rank these options based on the amount of time I have, the people on my team and what I'm trying to create over the next 5 years".

My promise: Having the AI be a thought partner for strategic decisions using the framework I just taught is going to make you a ton of money.

IX. Tool 8: Precision - Data-Driven Decisions Made Simple

Precision is a tool I rely on heavily.

1. Why Data Matters (And Why Most People Get It Wrong)

My principle: Data is how you make decisions. If you don't have a tool, then how do you know what scorecards to look at?

The problem Precision solves: I use it in all my companies to make sure every leader is making the right decision based on data and nobody is trying to come up with creative problems that don't exist.

2. What It Actually Does

Every morning at 8 AM, my team members receive KPIs and one clear move to improve those numbers.

The result: There are fewer dashboards and it is way easier for everybody in the team to win.

3. The Implementation Workflow

1. Connect Your Data: Link CRM, billing and marketing platforms.

2. Auto-Generate Scorecards: Precision creates a CEO weekly scorecard based on best practices.

3. Enable Anomaly Alerts: Turn on alerts that post to Slack whenever Precision finds something weird.

4. Monitor With One-Page Dashboard: My entire business is visible through a single dashboard.

X. Tool 9: Fyxer.ai - Your AI Chief of Staff

This AI business solution automates the low-level assistant role.

1. What Fyxer Actually Handles

Think of it as a modern-day chief of staff that automates:

• Calendar management.

• Travel booking.

• Vendor coordination.

• SOP creation and management.

• Follow-ups.

2. The EA Evolution

My prediction: I knew at some point that the low-level assistant role was going to be automated through AI.

The nuance: I don't think it gets rid of that person because a lot of communication with the world is very human but it will help that person get everything done automatically.

3. The Implementation Process

1. Import All Playbooks: Upload all your standard operating procedures and manuals.

2. Assign Inbox Ownership: Give Fyxer access to your inbox to move items forward.

3. Review Weekly Digest: Receive a summary of everything Fyxer handled, plus exceptions for you to deal with.

XI. Tool 10: Gamma - Turn Words Into Visual Communication

This thing takes all these crazy ideas, all these words and creates visual outputs. I'm talking decks and docs and web pages.

1. Why Visuals Matter

My learning principle: Humans learn through pictures. That is what we see in our minds, not words.

2. The Before and After

• The old way: My team put strategies in Google Docs. In meetings, nobody was leaning in.

• The solution: We took that same document, asked Gamma to visualize it and now suddenly people are paying attention because we are going through it slide by slide and there is a picture communicating what we said is a priority.

• My verdict: That alone is worth the price of the product.

XII. Tool 11: BuddyPro.ai - Build Your Company's Brain

BuddyPro solves the problem of accumulated knowledge.

1. The Core Concept

I have beliefs, strategies, experience and frameworks collected over the years. When someone asks me about a problem, I give them the answer based on that knowledge.

The vision: What if all of that was captured and anybody at any time of the day could actually talk to it and get the answer I would give?

2. The Future Potential

Licensing company brains: In the future, I believe we will be able to license those brains from other companies. Imagine licensing the culture of Netflix or the product design of Apple.

3. The Client Application

The powerful use case: Load each client's context, what they have bought, when they have reached out and recorded calls.

The result: When they send a question, the AI knows their complete history and provides answers specific to their situation. This is a transformative business solution for support.

My assessment: This will change your support challenges, your customer success issues, your coaching and your training.

XIII. Tool 12: Vapi - Voice API That Transforms Customer Experience

Vapi stands for "Voice API". It is different from Atlas. Atlas helps you make money (sales). Vapi builds custom voice applications for any business use case.

1. The Rolex Story

I saw a viral example of a 20-year-old who used Vapi to negotiate a Panda Rolex.

• The process: Used Vapi to call all used Rolex stores. Chose a "New York Italian guy" voice. Gave it negotiation scripts. Had it log all price confirmations into a spreadsheet. Sorted by the least expensive Panda with the right specs.

• My reaction: It was wild to watch.

2. The Support Call Example

The scenario: You have a support team handling calls but you want to help customers faster.

The Vapi workflow:

1. Vapi takes the call.

2. AI identifies the core problem.

3. AI attempts to answer using available information.

4. If AI can't solve it, redirect to your human team.

5. Capture that information and update the AI's prompt so future calls are handled automatically.

The progression: Do you see how you can start there and then slowly remove people from your team and retrain them to go do other stuff?

XIV. Conclusion: The Implementation Challenge

After presenting 12 powerful tools, I have one action plan for you: "Pick one tool and ship it this week".

Put a 90-minute block in your calendar. Go in there and use it.

1. The Cultural Imperative

My warning: I understand keeping on top of AI is really hard. Every one of us can learn it. The future of business is AI plus your business. It is putting AI first.

The binary outcome: If you don't decide to say "I am an AI-powered [X] company", then, unfortunately, in 3 or 4 years, there is only going to be one winner. It is the company that is using AI.

2. The Bottom Line

These 12 tools have earned their place through consistent value delivery and real-time savings. They aren't experiments or novelties; they are practical business solutions to everyday challenges.

The question is not whether AI can change how you work. It's whether you'll take the time to learn and integrate the tools that actually matter.

If you are interested in other topics and how AI is transforming different aspects of our lives or even in making money using AI with more detailed, step-by-step guidance, you can find our other articles here:

• 13 Ideas To Level Up Your AI Tool Stack (Only The Useful Ones)

• I Battle-Tested The New ChatGPT Agent. The Results Are... Weird

• This AI Automation Cures The 3 Biggest Business Headaches!

• How To Build Your "AI Employees" (And Stop Prompting Like An Intern)*

• Forget Midjourney, Try This Watermark-Free AI Instead*

  *indicates a premium content, if any