Byte-Sized Businesses: My A.I. Assisted Biz Blitz - 24
Edition 24 - AI Video Complete
Recap: At first, I challenged myself to launch two micro-businesses per month with the help of AI. Now I am shifting towards building on top of those micro-businesses. You can get caught up on the details of the challenge in my original post here.
For new readers, you can scroll to the bottom of this post to see a full list and summary of the micro-businesses that have been launched. Not each one will be covered in every weekly edition, but I will be sure to keep you up to date on all of the key points as things progress.
In This Edition
The Nordic Jo’s Coffee Video
Thoughts for the Future
Nordic Jo’s Video
In Edition 22 of this newsletter, I shared a sneak peak of some video content that I was creating for my Nordic Jo’s Coffee brand. I have that video completed now. Here it is.
There were two versions of this video that I worked on and ultimately decided on using the one that used RunwayML and Wav2Lip. You can read about the creation process of both versions, including the nuances that went into creating the script here. That edition brings us up to the present.
From there, I modified the the video in two ways. First, I just added a slight bit of camera motion in having the video slowly zoom in. I just did this with traditional video editing methods through Adobe Premier Pro.
The second adjustment was adding in the ambient musical notes to the background. This is where another piece of AI comes in. To create that sound track, I used a program called Soundful. There are quite a few different AI music programs out there, but I picked this one because it is simple and easy to use. I’m by no means an expert in music, and in fact, I basically don’t know a thing about it. So for this, I picked one that was easy to use versus one that offers a wide range of control. Soundful was very user friendly. I just picked a genre. I picked “ambient”. And then from there it was just essentially having it generate samples that I could then easily adjust the speed and keys. If you are looking for something that has more control and customization, there is probably better options, but for something like this where I just wanted a little something in the background, this was perfect.
Thoughts on the Future
I’ve decided to trim back a few more of the earlier endeavors that I launched in the beginning of this newsletter. With the refocus on consulting or coaching services, I have to be very careful of where I spend my time.
As I look at my total portfolio of projects, the three that are showing the most potential are of course my original business, Nordic Jo’s Coffee, the consulting work for other coffee businesses, and the digital products link Tumbler Wraps. So going forward, I am going to put my focus on further developing those areas.
The biggest change that I am going to make is moving away on the customized or personalized print on demand products. This isn’t to say that I don’t think that they have potential. In fact, I think that they could have a lot of potential, but I just haven’t been able to give that category the focus that it would need, even with the assistance of AI tools. I very likely will revisit this at a later time, but for now, I’m going to trim some costs by cancelling my subscription to HelloCustom, and allow myself more time to focus on the key areas that I have seen the most initial success.
The List So Far
Dough Control - Dough Control was a blog on cash management for small businesses that I originally started a couple years ago, but hadn’t maintained. I decided to revitalize that blog with the help of AI tools like ChatGPT. This will be a longer duration project, with the goal of developing a following before monetizing.
Canvas and Quirk (originally PleasurePrinted) - This was the first Etsy shop that I launched. It features captivating nature scenes on canvas or metal prints for home or office decor. The images are generated by Midjourney and enlarged with VanceAI. The product descriptions are drafted through ChatGPT. This shop has now been transitioned into a general store through which I will be launching all of my Etsy oriented micro-businesses / product categories.
LittleDreamersDen - A second Etsy shop that also focuses on wall art, but on the other side of the pricing spectrum. The same tools are used to create the works, but the finished products are posters rather than the more expensive canvas or metal prints. The focus of this shop is nursery room decor.
The Consulting Gig - I received a request for some costing and supply chain help. To start, I’ll provide as much value as I can up front. The hope is that the potential client will find it worth hiring me for consulting/coaching on an on-going basis. I plan on using AI to boost my speed in compiling research such as lists of potential supply chain partners.
CozyGifted (originally FlickersOfFantasy) - The third Etsy shop. This shop was originally planned to be as a candle shop, but I have pivoted to also use it for other physical items that work well as gifts.
Wirestock - Selling stock images generated with Midjourney. Wirestock is easy to use right in Discord and allows you to list your images for sale across multiple platforms at once.
Tumbler Wrap Designs (Digital Files) - Digital files of designs to be printed for tumbler wraps. These are sold through Etsy to hobbyists and vendors that sell tumblers in which the print designs on.
Personalized Enamel Coated Camping Mugs - The products are items that I am fulfilling through print on demand services with personalization enabled through HelloCustom, an AI software that streamlines the personalization process between Etsy and Printify.
Personalized Blankets - Similar to the mugs mentioned above, these are fulfilled through the print on demand services of Printify with the personalization being enabled through HelloCustom.
Nordic Jo’s Coffee - Not a new launch, but actually my first business. I will be sharing how I am using AI to produce some of my content for Nordic Jo’s.