I’m going to say a number out loud that some people won’t understand:
I’m spending close to $3,000 a month on AI.
Subscriptions, platforms, builders, credits, tools stacked on tools. It adds up fast.
And I’m okay with it.
It’s not an expense. It’s a platform.
Here’s how I see it.
A few years ago, building what I’m building right now would have taken a team. Developers. Designers. Writers. Marketers. An agency on retainer. Months of back and forth.
Today I sit down with AI and I build. Websites. Apps. Content. Strategy. Fixes at midnight when something breaks. I’ve been doing it nonstop — emailing, building, launching, rebuilding.
That $3,000 isn’t paying for software. It’s paying for leverage. It’s the closest thing I have to a full team that never clocks out.
I don’t see it as a bill. I see it as an investment platform.
What it’s actually built
This isn’t theory. Almost everything across the Boston Made ecosystem has been touched by this way of working:
- Boston Made now runs ATLAS, a business-intelligence product
- Fenway Web has become a website-builder platform
- The Boston Made App, BostonMade.io and the Boston Made Reader
- Boston Made Pets, the Newsroom, Pupwear, Lumo and more
- New ideas like GrandStrand — a social network for vacation-rental properties
One person. A lot of tools. A lot of late nights.
Investing means expecting a return
I’ll be honest with myself here too, because I think that matters.
An investment only makes sense if it pays back. So the next phase isn’t “use more AI.” It’s turn what I’ve built into revenue — subscriptions, clients, members, customers. The build phase earns the right to the growth phase.
That’s the discipline I’m holding myself to. I talked about it in Checkmate & Battleship: strategy, war, patience. This is the strategy part.
If you’re thinking about going all in
- Start with one problem you actually have. Let AI solve that first.
- Track what you spend and what it replaces. That’s your real ROI.
- Don’t confuse being busy with building. Ship things.
- Keep your story and your values in the driver’s seat. AI is the engine, not the driver.
I’m not slowing down. I’m just getting started.
Keep exploring the ecosystem
Everything I write here connects back to something I’m building. If you want to see it for yourself, start here:
- My Journey — the whole story, in order
- Boston Made — the parent company, now home to ATLAS business intelligence
- The Boston Made App — one guided tour of the whole family of brands
- Boston Made Pets — where it all started
- Boston Made Newsroom and Boston Made Reader
- Fenway Web — the team that builds our sites (and yours)
- Kingswell Strategic Ventures, BOSSTOX, Pupwear and Lumo
— Nate