#22. Build What AI Can’t: The Future Edge in Business and Career
Brand, community, and relationships will outlast AI—here’s how to focus on them.
Welcome to the 22nd Free edition of More than Buzzwords—your weekly dose of sharp, experience-backed startup wisdom! 🚀
If you're a founder, operator, creator, or even a fresher looking to grow your influence, future-proof your career, and build a sustainable business, this edition is packed with insights that will actually get you moving.
Here’s a sneak peek at what’s inside:
🔹 Business Building, Tweet by Tweet – Handpicked tweets revealing sharp insights on building and growing a business.
🔹 Spotlight on a Startup – How Geniemode is revolutionizing global sourcing with tech, transparency, and smarter supply chain solutions.
🔹 Lessons from The Psychology of Money – Why building wealth isn’t about market timing—it’s about mindset and consistency.
Let’s get started! 👇
No-Fluff Insights from Startup Ninjas 🧩
Are you a startup junkie who’s always on the lookout for gold insights?
If yes, you don’t need to scroll through different platforms anymore—just stay updated with this newsletter, and every week you’ll get fresh, experience-backed wisdom from industry leaders who are making it big every day!
Today’s lineup is especially useful for founders, operators, and creators looking to grow their audience, build influence, and stay competitive in an AI-driven world. Let’s begin!
#1. Personal Branding Is the New Career Currency 💼
How to add 100+ followers a week:
• ONE actionable post a day
• Reply to 90% of comments
• Connect with 10 people a day
• Write one killer thread a week
I used this formula to hit 1K in 90 days.
Building a personal brand isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore—it’s a necessity. Growing your audience online feels overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be. Start small, and before you know it, you’ll pick up pace—and how!
The formula shared in this tweet is simple, repeatable, and effective. Posting daily boosts your visibility, replying to comments builds engagement, and connecting with people helps you form meaningful relationships that will eventually help you grow.
But the real unlock? A killer weekly thread—it positions you as an authority and gets people talking. Consistency wins in the long run. If you’ve been struggling to grow, start here. It works.
#2. Promote Yourself—Or Get Left Behind 🤷
If you don't shamelessly promote your work, every day for the next 10-20 years, you will get stuck doing someone else's work until you realize that nobody is going to pay you if they have no idea who you are.
Let’s be real—if you don’t talk about your work, who will? This tweet is a blunt reminder that promoting yourself isn’t about ego—it’s about visibility.
The truth is, people can’t hire you, collaborate with you, or even recognize your value if they don’t know what you bring to the table.
Shamelessly promoting your work might feel uncomfortable at first, but it is strategic. The most successful people aren’t necessarily the most talented, they’re the ones who make sure others know what they’re good at.
If you want to stop working for someone else's dream, start talking about your own. Consistently. Loudly. Confidently.
#3. AI Mastery = Career Survival ⚔️
Every expert has to become AI native to remain relevant, irrespective of their domain.
Those who stay in denial will be left behind.
AI isn’t the future—it’s already here. This tweet is a sharp reminder that no matter your field, becoming AI-native is no longer optional. It’s a necessity to future-proof your career.
The experts who integrate AI into their workflows will have a massive edge—faster insights, smarter decisions, and more efficient execution.
The ones who resist? They risk becoming obsolete. It’s not about replacing human expertise; it’s about amplifying it. Learning to work with AI is the new professional baseline. If you want to stay relevant, adapt now.
👉 Adapting to AI is crucial—but that’s only half the story. While becoming AI-native will help you stay relevant, the real edge lies in building what AI can’t replicate. That’s where this next insight comes in:
#4. Building an AI-Proof Business 🛠️
What is AI-proof?
Today my colleague @sajithpai and I were exchanging notes in our common content group. I'd shared the link to an agency that does kickass designs and we were mulling over the question - is it AI-proof?
I think the simplest way to decide if something is going to be AI-proof is: "If it can be converted into 0s and 1s, then it is not AI-proof. It's only a matter of time horizon."
So then what is AI-proof?
I believe by the end of 2025, we will all come to the realization that only 5 things are AI-proof for businesses and these will provide them different types of advantage.
Brand: Strong brands will remain standing in the post-AI world. The only way to check if you have a strong brand is pricing power—if you increase price, do the customers churn or they stick around? Brand gives you economies of scale advantage in marketing, manufacturing and talent.
Community: AI cannot replace the Harley Owner's group or your family WA group with good morning and happy birthday messages. Community gets you 'distribution advantage' that AI cannot replicate.
Relationships: Relationships give you a social graph which gives you access advantage. The Indian question 'Tu janta hai mera baap kaun hai?' (Do you know who my father is—used as a way to show-off in parts of India), is going to be more true than ever in the post-AI world :-D
There are two other vectors that give you advantages in short-term:
Taste: This may not last forever, but while it lasts, having better taste lets you craft better things-better products, better UX, better content, etc. which has a strong compounding effect if you can do it over a period of time.
Speed: As @amasad said in a podcast, in the future the winner will be the person who can generate good ideas faster than others. Speed will get you short-term lead over others, perhaps a window big enough to get that marquee customer.
So if you are still making the AOP for FY2025, brand, community, and relationships should be your top priorities.
This tweet nails a crucial point: not everything can be replicated by AI. While automation and AI are reshaping industries at breakneck speed, some things remain stubbornly human—and that’s where the long-term edge lies.
Strong brands, thriving communities, and deep relationships create moats that AI can’t replicate. Taste and speed offer short-term advantages, but it’s brand loyalty, human connection, and network effects that will endure in a post-AI world.
If you’re building for the future, this tweet is a reminder to focus on what AI can’t bring to the table. Build a brand people love, nurture real relationships, and foster a loyal community. That’s where the real, lasting advantage lies.
Which tweet was the most impactful? Let us know in the comments!
Now that we’ve unpacked some great and valuable insights, let’s shift gears to a startup that’s redefining renovation.
Spotlight on a Startup: Geniemode ⚡
Revolutionizing Global Sourcing with Tech and Transparency 🚀
Sourcing products can be a nightmare—constant follow-ups, delays, and rising production costs. But what if there was a smarter way to handle it all? That’s exactly what Geniemode is solving.
Founded in 2021 by Amit Sharma and Tanuj Gangwani, Geniemode is a tech-powered B2B E-commerce sourcing platform that connects retailers and suppliers in fashion, home textiles, and furniture.
Their mission? To make global sourcing smarter, more sustainable, and completely transparent.
Want to know what makes them different? Geniemode isn’t just another sourcing platform—it’s a one-stop solution from design to delivery.
They’ve built a proprietary system that maps every step of the process, ensuring 100% order status accuracy and real-time visibility.
Here’s how it works:
✅ Sourcing fabrics, materials, and products
✅ Production and quality control
✅ Costing and sampling
✅ Doorstep delivery
And they’ve taken things a step further with tagged video quality checks to make sure each product meets top-notch standards.
Plus, their in-house design team creates exclusive designs and offers interactive 3D samples—keeping brands ahead of market trends.
Why is it a game changer? Geniemode simplifies the entire process, helping brands save time, cut costs, and maintain quality.
They work with both local and global brands—including big names like Amazon, Mango, Chicos, and Inditex, bringing efficiency and style together.
The best part? They’ve integrated an ERP solution for factories, making production smoother and more effective. This means fewer headaches and more control over your supply chain.
Investors have taken notice. Geniemode recently raised $50 million in latest Series C funding from top names like Multiples Alternate Asset Management, Fundamentum, and Info Edge Ventures.
What’s Next for Geniemode? Geniemode isn’t slowing down. Their goal is to expand into new markets and cement their position as a go-to global sourcing partner.
They're doubling down on sustainability and transparency—because that’s what the future of sourcing demands.
Geniemode is turning a chaotic process into a streamlined, tech-powered machine. If you’re tired of chasing down suppliers and dealing with production hiccups, it might be time to give Geniemode a closer look.
One of the ultimate goals of building a business, working hard for years, and navigating career ups and downs is to achieve financial freedom and build lasting wealth.
But earning money is one thing—knowing how to grow and keep it is another. That’s where the book The Psychology of Money comes in—here’s what makes it a game-changer:
How to Build Wealth (and Keep It): Lessons from The Psychology of Money 💼
Money isn’t just about numbers—it’s about behavior. That’s the core message from The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel, and honestly, it’s one of those books that makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about money.
The biggest takeaway? Success with money isn’t about how smart you are—it’s about how well you manage your emotions and decisions. Housel brilliantly debunks why building and sustaining wealth is more about mindset than market knowledge.
Here are some insights that hit hard:
👉 Luck vs. Skill: We tend to credit success to skill, but Housel points out that consequential gains (and losses) often stem from factors beyond our control—like luck. Recognizing this keeps you grounded and helps avoid overconfidence.
👉 Staying in the Game Matters: Timing the market rarely works. Long-term success comes from staying invested through the ups and downs. In short—patience beats prediction.
👉 Define Your 'Enough': Chasing endless gains can backfire. Knowing when you have enough helps you avoid unnecessary risk and protect what truly matters.
👉 Wealth Is What You Don't See: Flashy cars and luxury items don’t necessarily reflect true wealth—they often reflect spending. Real wealth is the money you’ve saved and invested.
👉 Compounding is King: The real driver of wealth isn’t quick wins—it’s the quiet, consistent power of compounding over time. But growth takes time, while destruction happens fast—so protect your capital.
👉 Capital vs. Labor Gains: As you climb the financial ladder, capital gains (investment income) will eventually outpace labor gains (your salary). Building wealth is about letting your money work harder than you do.
👉 Volatility = The Price of Entry: Market swings aren’t a flaw—they’re the cost of higher returns. Understanding this helps you stay calm when things get rough.
Housel’s message is simple but profound: Mastering money isn’t about market timing or high-risk bets, it’s about managing your behavior and knowing when to hold steady.
This book isn’t just about finances—it’s about life. And trust me, it’s worth a read.
This brings us to the end of this edition of More than Buzzwords. I hope you found some actionable insights and valuable tips to kickstart or progress in your career in this newsletter.
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For more insights from my journey, connect with me on LinkedIn. And if you have any feedback or questions, feel free to drop me an email at saurabh.substack.2407@gmail.com —I’d love to hear from you!