The Modern Entrepreneur's Playbook
How top founders are blending AI, speed, and grit to scale fast and smart.
What Sets Them Apart?
Out of the 43 startups I reviewed for this article, I picked just three to break down in detail. Not because the others weren’t interesting—far from it—but because these founders represent distinct approaches to building and scaling in the AI era.
Despite their differences, the same themes kept surfacing: ruthless focus, smart use of AI, and an obsession with solving real problems.
These founders aren’t just building products. They’re building systems that learn, scale, and adapt—fast.
The Problem
Speed is now a requirement, not a luxury. Markets are evolving rapidly, customer expectations are higher, and competition is fierce. Traditional playbooks for product-market fit and growth are too slow.
But here's the catch: moving fast without breaking everything requires a new way of thinking.
Insight From the Field
Maor Shlomo (Base44) launched an AI app builder that hit $1.5M ARR in four weeks, then sold to Wix for over $80M—all bootstrapped. His approach: build real tools to solve real problems, use AI for 90% of development, and get users to the "aha" moment within minutes.
Nick Lazette (Black Pearl Group) scaled multiple AI-driven SaaS products from zero to millions in ARR in weeks by leveraging proprietary data infrastructure and hyper-fast execution. His mantra: "Quick or dead."
Justin Lonlon (Ad Engine) built a multi-million dollar agency and hybrid AI product by mastering content workflows, personal branding, and tapping underserved global markets.
All three founders used different strategies, but shared a few key traits:
They solved specific, immediate problems.
They used AI to scale operations without ballooning headcount.
They prioritized execution velocity over polish.
Funding, Bootstrapping, and Getting to Revenue
Not every great company starts the same way. Some are bootstrapped on sheer hustle, others are funded off the back of previous wins. But across the board, these founders treated revenue like oxygen—not a long-term goal, but a near-term requirement.
Maor Shlomo (Base44) bootstrapped from day one. He put in "a few tens of thousands of shekels" and was profitable within weeks. His philosophy: build a product people love, fast. No marketing, no investors—just word-of-mouth, community, and daily product velocity. Base44 hit $1.5M in ARR in four weeks and close to $200K in profit by May. Six months in, Wix acquired it for over $80M.
Nick Lazette (Black Pearl Group) took a different route. He built a $20M data platform over eight years, funded from his previous ventures. He couldn’t raise capital in New Zealand, so he went to the U.S. and hunted down value-add investors like Tim Crown (Fortune 500 CEO). When border closures trapped him in NZ, he listed on the NZX early—with $3M in ARR already on the books. Bbop later added $1.2M in ARR in just 45 days.
The big insight? Whether bootstrapped or funded, these founders didn’t wait for perfect. They pushed product, sold fast, and adjusted in real time. Profitability wasn’t an afterthought—it was the plan.
Lessons Learned
AI isn’t optional anymore.
Maor had AI writing full-stack code within a unified repo.
Justin used AI to generate, edit, and personalize ad content.
Nick’s team processed 21B data rows daily to identify sales triggers.
Speed is your edge.
Pearl Diver launched in 45 days. Bbop, in 90.
Maor pushed new features every 2 days, keeping users hooked.
Community is a moat.
Maor built a loyal user base by engaging early users on WhatsApp, Reddit, and Discord.
Justin hosts offline events to deepen brand loyalty.
Solve problems that matter.
Optimize your own workflow.
Justin batches content in 6-hour marathons.
Maor uses RescueTime to eliminate distractions.
Closing Thoughts
The new playbook for entrepreneurship isn't about blitzscaling at any cost. It's about using the right tools, solving real problems fast, and building sustainable velocity into everything you do.
As AI levels the playing field, execution and focus will be the real differentiators.
You don’t need a team of 50. You need great systems, a clear customer, and the willingness to move fast.