These Businesses Will Make You Rich in 2024: The 5 Highest-Income AI Opportunities (With Real Examples & Step-by-Step Launch Plan)

TL;DR: The article outlines five highly profitable AI-powered business models that require no employees, based on insights from serial entrepreneur Dan Martell.

• 📹 Watch the Complete Video Tutorial
• Why These AI Businesses Are Uniquely Profitable Right Now
• The AI Startup Ladder: The 4-Step Framework to Launch Any AI Business
• Step 1: Validate – Prove Demand Before You Build
• Step 2: Pre-Sell – Get Paid Before You Deliver
• Step 3: Deliver – Over-Deliver Fast for Your First Clients
• Step 4: Build – Productize & Automate for Scale
• Business #5: AI Appointment Setter – Turn Inbound Calls Into Booked Sales
• How It Works (Real Demo)
• Business Metrics
• Business #4: AI Content Repurposing Service – Turn Long-Form into Viral Shorts
• Real-World Proof
• Business Metrics
• Business #3: AI Sales Chatbot – Convert Chats Into Revenue
• Real-World Proof
• Business Metrics
• Business #2: AI Data Cleanup Agency – Transform Messy Data Into Business Intelligence
• Real-World Proof
• Business Metrics
• Business #1: AI Inbox & Calendar Manager – Become a CEO’s AI Executive Assistant
• Real-World Proof
• Business Metrics
• Live Walkthrough: How Dan Would Launch the #1 Business (AI Inbox Manager)
• The Validation Call Script (Word-for-Word)
• Key Takeaways from the Call
• Why AI Can’t Replace Your Hustle (The Critical Human Element)
• How to Choose Your AI Business (The Right Way)
• Tools & Resources Mentioned
• How to Partner With Martell Ventures (For Builders)
• Next Steps: Your 15-Minute Action Plan
• Final Thought: These Businesses Will Define the Next Decade

As AI reshapes the global economy, entrepreneurs are racing to capitalize on the most lucrative opportunities. But which AI business has the highest income potential today? According to Dan Martell—a serial founder who’s built million-dollar AI companies through Martell Ventures—the answer lies in five specific, scalable, and highly profitable AI-powered services you can start right now, even with zero employees.

In this comprehensive guide, we break down all five AI businesses Dan would build from scratch, including real-world examples, exact income potential, required effort, startup costs, and actionable case studies. Plus, you’ll get the exact four-step “AI Startup Ladder” he uses to validate, pre-sell, deliver, and scale—plus a live walkthrough of how he’d launch his #1 pick.

No fluff. No hype. Just battle-tested, revenue-generating AI business models you can implement immediately.

Why These AI Businesses Are Uniquely Profitable Right Now

According to Dan Martell, these aren’t speculative “AI dreams”—they’re real money-making opportunities solving urgent, expensive problems for businesses. The common thread? Each service replaces or augments high-cost, time-intensive human tasks with AI that performs better at a fraction of the price.

Businesses are already spending thousands monthly on ads, assistants, and content—but they’re losing leads, drowning in inboxes, and failing to repurpose valuable assets. That’s your opening.

The AI Startup Ladder: The 4-Step Framework to Launch Any AI Business

Before diving into the five businesses, Dan reveals his proven AI Startup Ladder—a four-step process to de-risk your launch, collect cash upfront, and scale profitably.

Step 1: Validate – Prove Demand Before You Build

Pick a specific niche (e.g., med spas, agency founders, SaaS CEOs) and outreach directly to understand their pain points. Your goal: confirm they’ll pay for your solution. Don’t assume—ask.

Step 2: Pre-Sell – Get Paid Before You Deliver

Create a simple offer document outlining your service. Include a Stripe payment link (just Google “Stripe” if you’re unfamiliar). After your discovery call, send the doc and collect payment before building anything. This funds your delivery and proves market fit.

Step 3: Deliver – Over-Deliver Fast for Your First Clients

Once paid, drop everything and deliver exceptional results within 48 hours. Even if it’s manual at first, getting your client a “win” builds trust, generates referrals, and creates social proof for your next sale.

Step 4: Build – Productize & Automate for Scale

After validating demand and delivering manually, productize your service. Build systems, templates, or custom AI workflows that automate deployment. This creates stability, repeatability, and true scalability.

Business #5: AI Appointment Setter – Turn Inbound Calls Into Booked Sales

This service uses AI to answer inbound business calls, qualify leads, and book sales appointments—replacing expensive, inconsistent human receptionists.

How It Works (Real Demo)

Dan demonstrates youratlas.com, an AI appointment setter. When he inputs his info and says “talk to the AI,” the system calls him in real time:

AI: “Am I speaking with Dan?”
Dan: “Yeah. Hey Emma, this is Dan.”
AI: “Great! How’s your day going?”
Dan (objecting): “It’s going amazing, but I’m busy—can we make this quick? I need to automate my sales calls.”
AI: “Totally get it. Atlas is the world’s first AI revenue engine that ensures you never lose a lead to slow follow-ups… Does automating your calls sound like the kind of solution your business could benefit from?”
Dan: “Yeah, that’s why I’m calling.”
AI: “Fantastic! Let’s connect you with our founder. Would you prefer today or later this week?”
Dan: “Busy today—how about tomorrow at 4:00?”
AI: “Checking… we have August 26th at 6:30 or 7:30 p.m. Atlantic time. Would one work?”
Dan: “6:30 works.”

The AI handled objections, confirmed availability, and booked the appointment—all while sounding human-level natural. Dan emphasizes: “There’s no way businesses don’t buy that.”

Business Metrics

Business #4: AI Content Repurposing Service – Turn Long-Form into Viral Shorts

Businesses create podcasts, webinars, and YouTube videos—but fail to maximize their reach. Your service: use AI to repurpose long-form content into short clips for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

Real-World Proof

Dan cites a freelancer who used AI tools to offer “podcast-to-shorts” repurposing. Result? $30,000/month from just 7 clients.

Why it works: We’ve moved from “social media” to “interest media”—algorithms now serve hyper-niche content to targeted audiences. Businesses need experts to mine their existing content (Zoom calls, podcasts, etc.) and auto-publish optimized shorts.

Business Metrics

Business #3: AI Sales Chatbot – Convert Chats Into Revenue

Businesses get flooded with DMs, comments, and messages on social platforms—but rarely respond. Your service: build an AI chatbot that turns conversations into sales across Instagram, Facebook, SMS, and email.

Real-World Proof

Dan mentions Get Revio, which scaled to $60,000/month in under 7 months by helping businesses monetize their “chat economy.” That’s $2,000/day.

Key insight: You’re not replacing a cost—you’re unlocking new revenue from ignored leads. Clients see this as “free money,” so they pay premium rates.

Business Metrics

Business #2: AI Data Cleanup Agency – Transform Messy Data Into Business Intelligence

Most companies have chaotic data: emails, CRMs, spreadsheets, and documents scattered everywhere. Your service: clean, structure, and vectorize their data so AI can answer business questions instantly (e.g., “What’s our top-selling product in Q2?”).

Real-World Proof

Dan’s friend Matt built precision.co, which scaled to $700,000 in 7 months using this model.

This isn’t just tech—it’s business consulting. You’re helping leaders make million-dollar decisions by unlocking insights from their own data.

Business Metrics

Business #1: AI Inbox & Calendar Manager – Become a CEO’s AI Executive Assistant

CEOs and entrepreneurs hate managing emails and calendars. Your service: build an AI executive assistant that automates 95% of inbox and scheduling tasks—freeing up 10+ hours/week.

Real-World Proof

Dan cites Fixer, an AI assistant company that grew from $1M to $10M+ in annual revenue in just 5 months—that’s $27,000/day.

Dan personally uses this service: “I recently paid for somebody to work with my assistant to buy back 92% of their time managing those two areas.”

Business Metrics

Live Walkthrough: How Dan Would Launch the #1 Business (AI Inbox Manager)

Dan picks the AI Inbox & Calendar Manager as his top choice for 2024 (“It’s the nearest and dearest to my heart—I wrote a book called Buy Back Your Time”). He then demonstrates Step 1 of the AI Startup Ladder: Validate via a real call with his friend Josh.

The Validation Call Script (Word-for-Word)

Dan: “Hey Josh, quick question—you have an EA, correct? If you could wave a magic wand, what’s not perfect right now?”
Josh: “Dealing with household stuff and rental properties—especially remote ones in Mexico.”
Dan: “Does that come through your inbox?”
Josh: “100%.”
Dan: “If that was dialed in, what’s the gap in opportunity? What’s it worth to you?”
Josh: “Saving 5–10 hours a week is huge.”
Dan: “So 10 hours/week at your rate—that’s $10,000+/week in upside.”
Josh: “Correct.”
Dan: “I’ve got an inbox/calendar manager that automates exactly that. It trains on your data so it acts like you. Want a demo?”
Josh: “Yeah!”

Key Takeaways from the Call

• Nail the pain point—ask about current frustrations.
• Quantify the value—translate time saved into dollars.
• Position your solution as custom-trained AI that “acts like you.”
• Always schedule a demo—give them time to consider while you prepare proof.

Why AI Can’t Replace Your Hustle (The Critical Human Element)

Dan stresses: “AI can give you answers, but it can’t do the action for you.” The #1 skill? Picking up the phone.

Your first three calls won’t feel perfect—but they’re essential to:

• Learn your pitch
• Understand customer language
• Refine your offer
• Build proof points

Once you land your first client, collect testimonials. That “snowball effect” makes you the go-to expert in your niche.

How to Choose Your AI Business (The Right Way)

With five options, don’t overthink it. Dan advises:

“Ask yourself: What business do you find most fascinating? What do you inherently enjoy? Pick one and go all-in.”

Passion fuels persistence—especially when you’re making those first validation calls.

Tools & Resources Mentioned

Dan references several key tools and companies. Here’s a complete list:

How to Partner With Martell Ventures (For Builders)

If you’re already building an AI innovation, Dan invites you to collaborate:

“Message me ‘ventures’ on Instagram and we’ll see if it’d be a fit.”

Next Steps: Your 15-Minute Action Plan

Don’t just consume—act. Here’s how to start today:

1. Pick one business from the five that excites you most.
2. Define your niche (e.g., “e-commerce founders with 10K+ Instagram followers”).
3. Make 3 validation calls using Dan’s script framework.
4. Build your offer doc with a Stripe link—ready to send after your next call.

Final Thought: These Businesses Will Define the Next Decade

As Dan concludes: “We’re living in a world where the desire to get a message out has just scaled.” The winners won’t be those with the fanciest AI models—but those who solve real problems for real businesses using the AI startup ladder.

These businesses will generate life-changing income for those who validate, pre-sell, deliver, and scale. The tools are free or cheap. The frameworks are proven. The only missing piece? You taking action.

These Businesses Will Make You Rich in 2024: The 5 Highest-Income AI Opportunities (With Real Examples & Step-by-Step Launch Plan)

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