Why I'm doing this
I've been teaching high school animation, communications and technology for years. Every semester I tell my students that AI is going to change the way people work, earn money, and build things.
Then I went home to my same job, same paycheck, and the same feeling that I was watching a wave from the shore instead of riding it.
So three weeks ago I decided to stop talking about it and start building.
No expensive hardware. No coding background. No big budget — just a $20/month Claude Pro subscription, an old PC, and a browser.
This newsletter is me documenting everything I figure out — the wins, the failures, and the exact tools and tactics I use. If you're a regular person who wants to build real income with AI and doesn't know where to start, you're in the right place.
This week's tool: Claude Pro
What it is: Anthropic's AI assistant. Runs entirely in your browser, no GPU needed.
What I use it for: Writing this newsletter, planning my content strategy, and building digital products to sell.
What it costs: $0 - $20/month. That's the entire operation.
Honest take: This is the only AI tool I'm currently using right now for this, and it's more than enough to run an entire content business.
This week's move
Set up a free beehiiv newsletter. It takes 20 minutes, gives you a professional publishing platform and a landing page — all free until you hit 2,500 subscribers. That's what I did this week. And you're reading it.
What's coming next week
I'll break down the exact 4-income-stream setup I'm building — and show you the first dollar when it comes in.
If someone in your life is tired of their job and curious about using AI to change that — forward this to them.
Until next week, Jesse Disgruntled Texas teacher. DailyForge Media founder. Building in public.