Joe Fier

the FIRST gold rush was from 1847 to 1855, and i think we’re LIVING in a new AI gold rush now. this time: – picks + shovels = prompts + AI agents – railroads = openai, aws, v0, X, stripe etc – gold = attention, data, distribution – land grabs = ai-first domains + keywords – miners = builders automating boring work – mining towns = niche discords + communities – saloons = X, short form video – gold pans = claude code, cursor, lovable etc – mentors = youtube + pods – hardware stores = marketplaces for agents + templates – prospecting = searching reddit, docs, search consoles – speculators = people flipping AI tools – outlaws = folks scraping sites and charging – sheriffs = devs enforcing rate limits + terms – folk songs = meme posts and screenshots that turn products into movements – blacksmiths = engineers building the quiet tools everyone depends on - rail tycoons = VC-backed founders building infrastructure everyone else pays to use – boomtown barons = indie hacking builders who automate boring ops, capture niche data, and cash-flow kinda feels like a gold rush out there right now. not everyone will win, but worth a shot. you need a browser, a niche and a a good idea. the first gold rush ran on shovels... this one runs on code. this AI gold rush started in 2022, and no one knows when it will end. start digging.

Lifehacks: 1. Use social media apps on desktop only so you don’t get sucked in. 2. Use analogies. People remember them. 3. Being on someone's IG close friends doesn't mean you are close friends. 4. The fastest way to get out of your town is by building an internet audience to attract people into the same stuff as you are. 5. Build an email list yesterday. 6. Don’t be the last one to leave the party, you've got a big day tomorrow. 7. Come to dinner prepared with interesting stories. 8. Start a "no-complaints" day and shift perspectives. Listen more than talk. 9. Use your favorites on the contact screen and call those people at least once a week (also, call your mom). 10. Show up to meetings with small gifts (the ROI is insane). 11. Build your own BS detector. Most of what you read is BS. 12. Gift your friends randomly. Be a secret santa not just during the holidays. 13. Keep a learning list, make learning your “side-hustle.” 14. Use colored pens to enhance note-taking. 15. Create themed playlists, curate moods. They are time capsules for you to remember chapters in your life 16. Listen to happy music often. I do reggae on Sundays. 17. Create your personal "quote collection" to stay inspired. 18. Don’t forget about day 1 friends. They’ve known you from the start. 19. But don’t keep friends around for the sake of it. Friends help other friends grow. 20. Craft a personal mission statement to guide your decisions. 21. Throw dinner parties and invite the most interesting people you can find. Do it in multiple cities 22. Chasing generational wealth is overrated. Wealth is underrated. 23. Give friends lifts, pick them up from the airport. 24. Amplify your weird, celebrate your uniqueness. 25. Send friends songs you think they’ll like. 26. Pour people’s drinks before yours. People appreciate that. 27. When you’re out with people breaking bread, put your phone on airplane mode. 28. Seek discomfort daily, put it in your calendar 29. You’re never too late. I went to a Phish show in 2005 and everyone told me Phish was over. 30. Avoid prescription drugs, it’s a slippery slope. 31. Zig when others zag. The coolest products/communities are built to feel different. 32. When reading articles or books, take photos of important passages or quotes with your phone for easy reference later. Add to a folder. Print it out. 33. Send postcards to friends and family when you travel. 34. Say "I appreciate you," instead of "appreciated." It’s appreciated. 35. Listen to pump-up songs before important meetings or events. Get in the zone. 36. Tone of voice is the secret key to convincing people. Language is what we say, tone is how we say it. Study the greats and see how they do it. Then mimic them. 37. Have a reverse bucket list. Regularly write down things you've already accomplished. It's a reminder of where you came from. 38. Embrace the quiet of the night/early AM. It’s the most creative time of the day. 39. Keep your computer desktop clean. Regularly change your wallpaper to something that inspires you. 40. Avoid angry people. They suck the good energy out of the room. 41. Eat salads for lunch. 42. Don’t get offended by people on the internet. 43. Avoid people who are quick to criticize others all the time. Toxic. 44. Life never goes according to plan. 45. If you are safe, control your own schedule, feel at peace, and are growing every year, then you are wealthy. 46. The best business people are relaxed. Inhale, exhale. 47. Have at least 1 thing for sale on the internet. Have buy buttons on the internet. 48. Be curious about new technologies. 49. Markers of success — how well you slept and how much you smiled today 50. Be nice on the internet.

Someone is going to make $100M in 2024 with a TikTok Shop. They'll probably have no inventory, no VCs and be 24 years old. This stat is crazy. 1 out of every 10 Americans are going to buy something on a TikTok shop this year. I don't know how to say this any other way, but every entrepreneur should be thinking about selling their product or service on a TikTok shop. Not because it's a new product, but because TikTok wants to see TikTok shops succeed. They're pushing it big time. So, it's a ton of tailwind for you. I'd use ads, lives, or affiliate sellers to drive traffic. I'd partner with creators to leverage their distribution. You are more likely to become a millionaire building a TikTok shop than a being a founder or early at a VC-backed startup.