I got an email last week from Nate St. Pierre.
He's shutting down his business. Not pivoting. Not taking a break. Deleting his server, his list, everything.
He basically said that it's too hard right now, and things aren't working out the way he wanted.
I've known Nate online for years. He's not a quitter. He's been doing this almost as long as I have.
That same day, Neta Talmour (one of Evelyn Weiss's protégés) posted that her business is losing money for the first time in years.
Then she said: "This is going to be my comeback era."
I've been sitting with both of those messages all week.
Here's what I keep noticing:
The people who built real skills are the ones who are most afraid right now.
Because they know how much they invested to get here. They have the most to lose.
The people with no skills? They're not scared. They'll just pivot to the next thing. Sell courses about whatever's trending. Move on when it stops working.
But if you're like me? You've put years into this. You care about your work. You care about your clients, and doing your work with excellence.
So the stakes feel higher.
And I'm not going to lie—I'm terrified too.
I can't open my inbox without another AI influencer declaring that last month's tool is "dead" and this month's tool is "everything."
I worry that I'm going to wake up one day and discover everything I built is obsolete.
I read somewhere that Sam Altman has been talking about universal basic income since 2022. The implication being that AI will eliminate so many jobs we'll need UBI just to function.
That scared the hell out of me.
So if you're feeling this, too, I get it.
But here's the thing:
I started my business in 2006. Right as the economy was collapsing.
By 2008, banks were failing. People had no money. And I was trying to convince small business owners to spend thousands on a website.
Every expert said it was the worst possible time to start.
And then, I survived:
- "A Facebook page is all you need"
- "Instagram is all you need"
- "Design without parallax is useless"
- "Everyone's on their phone now, you just need an app"
Every single time, someone declared the old ways were dead.
Every single time, the people who combined their expertise with the new tools came out ahead.
This isn't different.
Gary Vaynerchuk said something years ago that I think about a lot:
"Y'all have been making 'A' money with 'D' level game."
He meant the boom years. When anyone with a Squarespace login could charge $5k for a new website. When money was easy.
That era is over.
All those people who were coasting on easy money? They're the ones quitting right now.
But if you have expertise, grit, and experience you're willing to capitalize on, you've got something really amazing to sell.
That doesn't disappear just because AI showed up.
AI is a tool. But YOU are the strategist.
And here's what I know from 20 years of doing this: The people who figure out how to use the new tools with their existing expertise are the ones who dominate the next era.
I'm raising the price of my membership on Friday from $497 to $1,297.
Here's the link if you want it.
One AI photoshoot for a client pays for this membership twice over. Everything after that first project is pure profit.
The people who stay in the game while everyone else quits? They need to be ready for what they're about to inherit.
This is how you get ready.
Years ago, I told my a professor of mine that I wanted to be an engineer, but the industry was too saturated, and it didn't seem like a good time.
He shook his head and said, "There will always be room in any industry for people at the top 5% of their game. You just have to decide if that's you."
I've carried that with me through every moment when I thought about quitting.
Through 2008. Through every disruption. Through right now.
That's what separates you from everyone else.
I've been watching people quit all week.
And I keep thinking: They're making room for someone.
I'm betting that someone is you.
The people who stay when everyone else leaves? They don't just survive the hard times.
They inherit what comes after.
You've got this,
P.S. A few of you have asked me about a payment plan for The AI Content Creator Lab. I have one. Scroll to the bottom of the page to get it →
Autumn Midjourney Prompt
"A woman with soft features, standing among vibrant autumn leaves, surrounded by vivid red, orange, and golden foliage, close-up portrait, serene and gentle expression, earthy tones, natural lighting, cinematic composition, shallow depth of field, soft focus, nature-inspired aesthetic" (using a pic of me as an omni reference, no moodboard or srefs)
Interview: The Guy Who Saved Wix's SEO
I sat down with Mordy Oberstein—the strategist behind Wix's reputation turnaround—and he completely changed how I think about AI, branding, and search.
His hot take? Stop optimizing. Start resonating.
We talked about why silos destroy brands, how to actually approach LLM visibility, and why user skepticism is your secret weapon. Plus the live AI demo about the Yankees had me laughing.
It's over an hour, but it's the "grab your notebook" kind of content. Watch it here →
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Join us in the AI Content Creator Lab!
Want to know more about me? I'm Diane Whiddon. I run a Chicago-based brand and web design agency, and I love AI, marketing psychology, and helping consultants expand their reach.
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