It’s no secret I’m a full-on AI skeptic. And while I still use it, I’m very, very worried about the long-term effects of overuse. I saw a number of stories over the summer that point to us losing our ability to connect with other people.

We’ve decided that efficiency and productivity are more important than everything, including accuracy and trust. That we’ve decided to implicitly trust something made wholly by other people, some of whom don’t fully understand what their creation does.

Here’s my approach to AI, how we can be better, and my hopes for 2026.

And if you want to save time without giving up your humanity, check out my automations at https://streamlined.fm/quiz

Show Notes

• We’re giving up too much to AI
• Don’t Rely on AI for Human Growth and Healing
• Parents of teenager who took his own life sue OpenAI
• Meta’s AI rules let bots hold ‘sensual’ chats with children
• We are rushing into the same mistakes we made with social media
• Faster Doesn’t Mean Better. Faster Means Faster
• The AI Trap: Why Over-Reliance will Cost You Time (and Your Voice)
• The Urgency of Interpretability
• It’s Been 2 Years Since ChatGPT Came Out. How do Solopreneurs Use It?

Read to build your perfect site? Check out StellarSites.

What if your business could support your life instead of consuming it?
That’s exactly what Liz Wilcox has built — a $9/month membership that supports her family, her sister, and three other families… all while she takes summers off.

In this conversation, Liz shares how she built a half-million-dollar lifestyle business that aligns with her values — without sacrificing her time, her sanity, or her kid’s beach days.

We talk about launching imperfectly, setting clear expectations, and building a business that runs with your life, not against it. Liz’s energy and honesty are unmatched, and her story will change how you think about pricing, productivity, and purpose.

Top Takeaways

• A low-ticket offer can be high value — if you set clear expectations and deliver consistently.
• Don’t wait for perfect — Liz launched her $9 membership using Google Docs and built from there.
• Transparency builds trust. Tell your audience what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and when they can expect it.

Liz’s signature $9 membership is here: https://streamlinedsolopreneur.com/liz  — hit the hot pink button to grab her free email templates (and sneak a $1 trial of the membership).

🎧 Listen on: streamlinedsolopreneur.com

What do you think? Send your feedback to streamlinedfeedback.com

Read to build your perfect site? Check out StellarSites.

I’m reading Amy Coney Barrett’s book, Listening to the Law, and it struck me that instead of writing using AI, we should write more like the Supreme Court…at least if we care about our audience. 

Every year, I put together a massive gift guide for small business owners — but this year, I wanted to do things differently. Instead of rattling off every gadget and tool I’ve ever tried, I’m sharing the handful of products that actually made my life easier in 2025.

From sleep earbuds that help me get more rest (even with kids and a dog) to the smart home lights that let me skip climbing into bushes every December, these are the gifts that save time, reduce friction, and make running a solo business just a little more fun.

If you’re shopping for yourself or a small business owner in your life, you’ll find something here that genuinely improves work and home life — without adding clutter or complexity.

Want to check out a written version of the gift guide? Head here: https://streamlinedsolopreneur.com/2025-gift-guide/

Show Notes

• Gift Guide for Small Business Owners
• A Fantastic Episode
• Kindle Colorsoft
• TRMNL
• Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds
• I Bought, and Returned, the Ozlo Sleepbuds
• Full Review – Soundcore Sleep A20 Earbuds
• DJI Mic Mini (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case)
• Zoom PodTrak P4 Podcast Recorder
• Bose SoundLink Max Bluetooth Speaker
• Philips Hue Indoor/Outdoor Holiday 130-Foot Festavia String Lights
• Aqara Zigbee Motion Sensor P1
• Eve Aqua Smart Water Controller
• Gitryin 10-in-1 Desktop Charging Station
• Anker Nano Charging Station
• Anker 9-in-1 Charging Station
• HoverBar Duo
• See HoverBar Duo Setup
• UGREEN NASync DXP4800 4-Bay Desktop NAS
• Post-it Super Sticky Easel Pad
• Professional Grade Gaffer Tape
• Keeping Equipment in Place
• Analog Card Bar by Ugmonk
• CalDigit E5 – Thunderbolt 5 Element 5 Hub
• Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe
• Motorola razr
• SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD
• Bellroy Tech Kit (Tech Accessories Organizer Pouch)
• Tella.tv
• Obsidian
• Gling.ai
• GoodLinks
• MasterClass
• Senja

Read to build your perfect site? Check out StellarSites.

Well, we're in the holiday gauntlet now. I've gotten several emails from small, service-based business promoting Black Friday sales, and I'm not sure that's a very good approach. I share my experience with successful, and less successful BF/CM deals I've run.

I also talk about my approach to affiliates,  and what I'm thinking about for that strategy in 2026.

Check out the 3 tools I'm actually promoting for Cyber Week: https://streamlinedsolopreneur.com/3-black-friday-deals-on-tools-i-cant-live-without/

Here's my 2025 Gift Guide: https://streamlinedsolopreneur.com/2025-gift-guide/

My oldest daughter loves asking me to tell her a funny story about my wife from when we were dating... and I almost always freeze. It's not because there aren't any funny stories. It's because there are too many to pick from.

This is exactly what happens when you open Zapier without a plan. You're faced with a "blank canvas" and endless possibilities, so you freeze and do nothing.

You've heard about "triggers" and "actions," but you're not sure what your triggers or actions should be. Zapier isn’t a sandbox for people starting out. The secret is to look at the work you're already doing.

I'll walk you through my simple, three-step process to get started. It starts with documenting your tasks, listing your apps, and then using one specific (and often overlooked) page on Zapier's website that will show you exactly what's possible for you.

Stop staring at the screen, wondering where to begin. Let's get your first automation built.

Want to see some real-world examples tailored to your biggest struggles? Take my free quiz at https://streamlined.fm/quiz and I'll email you four automation ideas you can use today.

Show Notes

• Take the Automation Quiz: streamlined.fm/quiz
• Explore the Zapier Apps Page: zapier.com/apps
• Watch the Zapier Apps Page Walkthrough Video
• Leave feedback: streamlinedfeedback.com

Read to build your perfect site? Check out StellarSites.

Our inboxes are about to be inundated with sales emails and affiliate-link riddled round-ups. Should I contribute to the noise? 

I'm thinking yes...but I want it to feel different. 

What do you think? Let me know at https://streamlinedfeedback.com 

Remember diagramming sentences back in school? I always thought it was pointless, but the real goal wasn't the diagram itself—it was understanding the structure of a good sentence.

The same exact logic applies to building automations. It's tempting to just jump into a tool like Zapier or Make and start connecting things, but that's like throwing a bunch of random words on a page and hoping it makes sense. If you want to build automations that actually save you time (and don't break), you need to understand the structure first.

I'm breaking down the four essential components every automation has—the two that are required, and the two "optional" ones that make your workflows truly powerful and intelligent. We'll walk through the difference between a Trigger and an Action, how to use Conditions to make your automations smarter (like "only do this if X is true"), and when to use specific Timing to batch your work.

Are you unsure what you should even automate first? I built a brand new quiz to help you pinpoint your biggest bottleneck. Answer four simple questions, and I'll send you personalized automation recommendations to solve your most crucial problem.

Take the quiz now at: streamlined.fm/quiz

Show Notes

• **Watch the Video for visuals**
• Submit Feedback: streamlinedfeedback.com

Read to build your perfect site? Check out StellarSites.

Ever wonder if your newsletter should be the product…or just promote the product?

I’ve been treating mine more like a magazine than a sales tool — and it’s cost me. So I sat down with Dylan Bridger, who helps course creators and coaches turn their newsletters into profit machines.

We talk about:

• The difference between a “magazine” newsletter and a “sales team” newsletter
• How to actually warm up your audience so they buy when you make an offer

But we also get into the impact becoming a new dad had on Dylan’s workflows, and a short-lived side project that taught him big lessons fast.

This conversation helped me clear up a ton of issues with my own newsletter, and I think it’ll do the same for you.

Seeking clarity in your business systems? Take the Business Overwhelm Diagnostic.

Dylan Bridger is an email marketing expert who helps coaches and course creators increase their conversions while building stronger relationships with their lists. A full-time marketing consultant since 2021, more than 7,000 entrepreneurs follow his insights across newsletter and social media. When he's not working, you can find Dylan writing songs, goofing around with his daughter, or enjoying a nice cup of coffee.

Links

• Dylan Bridger
• Dylan on LinkedIn
• Dylan on Twitter/X
• Dead-Eyed Portraits: The Real Risk of AI Headshots
• Nathan Barry
• Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
• Ken McCarthy – Jazz on the Tube
• Beehiiv

What do you think? Send your feedback to streamlinedfeedback.com

Read to build your perfect site? Check out StellarSites.

When I was a kid, I said things like, “I won’t forget,” or “When I’m a dad, I won’t get mad.” Or…”I’m bored.”

But as you get older, and life puts you in various, unforeseen situations, it’s easy to get blindsided and react in a way you hoped you wouldn’t.

I think about this a lot when I consider what’s changed between turn 20 and turn 40. And there’s a common theme that has cropped up: pruning.

Letting go of what doesn’t work. Of where you used to spend your energy. About making more space in your life for the things that matter.

And I thought that there was no better person to bring on to talk about this than my friend, fellow freelancer, and fellow father, Austin L. Church. He’s a deep thinker, committed family man, and wants to help people.

Looking to prune what’s stealing your energy? Take the Business Overwhelm Diagnostic.

Top Takeaways

• Fluff vs. value in business books — many books stretch one idea into 300 pages, but the best insights are usually old, durable ideas worth revisiting.
• Growth by subtraction — focus and pruning beat doing “all the things.” Fractured attention leads to mediocre results.
• Attention as water — what you focus on grows. Stop “watering” indignation and instead nurture gratitude, creativity, and presence.
• Values over virality — not all success is worth emulating. If someone’s optimizing for attention or wealth at all costs, that doesn’t mean you should.
• Parenting parallels — kids remember how you respond more than what you say. Choosing patience, presence, and love shapes both them and you.
• “These are the good old days” — a simple mindset shift that makes it easier to stay present with family and avoid regrets later.

Links

• Austin’s post on pruning
• Austin L. Church — Freelance Cake
• Austin’s Book: Free Money
• Buy Back Your Time — Dan Martell
• Good Strategy Bad Strategy — Richard Rumelt
• Essentialism — Greg McKeown
• Dieter Rams — Principles Of Good Design

What do you think? Send your feedback to streamlinedfeedback.com

Read to build your perfect site? Check out StellarSites.

Episode 500 of the show came out on Monday. Here’s I I put it together using Google NotebookLM