There’s no polite way to say this: AI is going to disrupt the world of coaching, training, and small service businesses in a big way.
If you sell expertise—especially in areas like social media strategy, SEO, content marketing, or general business coaching—you are standing in the path of a tsunami. But here’s the thing: you can surf a tsunami if you move early and learn how to ride it.
This isn’t a doomsday message. It’s a wake-up call. AI is not a future problem. It’s here. Right now. It’s already reshaping how people learn, what they pay for, and who they trust to help them grow. Let’s unpack what’s happening, who’s most at risk, and how you can pivot to thrive in this new era.
AI Is Eating the Middle of the Market
AI tools are getting better every day at doing the work many coaches and consultants charge for:
- ChatGPT can write a social media calendar in 10 seconds.
- Jasper and other tools are cranking out polished blog posts with decent SEO.
- Claude and Perplexity can brainstorm and outline entire business models.
- Midjourney and DALL-E can generate branded visuals for pennies.
The middle of the market—where most small service providers sit—is being hollowed out. The DIYers don’t need you anymore. And the high-ticket clients are starting to ask questions like, “Why am I paying you when I can get 80% of this from a prompt?”
The old model of trading time for money, selling packages of knowledge, or even running group training programs is being challenged.
But not everything is being lost. In fact, what remains is incredibly valuable.
What AI Can’t (Yet) Do Well
AI lacks three things:
- Human Context: It doesn’t know the emotional nuance behind why someone is stuck.
- Accountability: It won’t call you out when you backslide.
- Relational Trust: People still crave connection and validation from other humans.
This is your opportunity.
If your work has always leaned on connection, insight, mindset shifts, and holding space, you’re in a strong position. But if you’ve leaned heavily on tactical execution, predictable frameworks, or cookie-cutter systems—AI will undercut you fast.
Solopreneur & SMB Profiles Most at Risk
Here’s a short list of roles and offers being squeezed the hardest:
- Social Media Managers / Content Planners
- SEO Consultants offering standard audits and fixes
- Coaches relying on pre-made worksheets and drip emails
- Online course creators with generic, static info products
- Marketing consultants doing funnel setup and ad copy
If that stings, good. It should. But it’s not the end. It’s just time to evolve.
The Pivot: From Transactional to Transformational
Let’s talk solutions. The goal here is not to out-AI the AI. That’s a losing game. The goal is to do what machines can’t:
1. Curate AI, Don’t Compete With It
Become a translator. Your clients don’t want 10 tools. They want the right one, used the right way. You can be the guide that simplifies the chaos. Build a micro-niche around “AI for X” where X is your audience (coaches, real estate pros, creatives, etc.)
2. Build Community-First Offers
Courses are becoming commodities. Community is becoming a moat. Pivot your info products into interactive spaces: guided cohorts, masterminds, Q&A vaults, and curated resource hubs.
3. Layer Accountability into Everything
AI can give you the answer, but it won’t follow up and ask if you did the work. You can. Build coaching containers that focus on momentum, follow-through, and micro-wins. These are harder to replace.
4. Turn Your IP Into Systems
If you’ve built a method or model that gets results, consider licensing it. Package your framework into a plug-and-play toolkit that others can buy and implement. AI can generate content, but it can’t yet sell proven outcomes.
5. Learn How to Prompt Like a Pro
Prompt engineering is the new copywriting. The solopreneurs who learn to use AI as a co-pilot will outpace those who resist. Start offering services where your skill is not doing the work, but knowing how to ask AI to do it better than the average person.
Offer Ideas That Work in the AI Age
If you’re wondering what to pivot into, here are a few viable ideas:
- AI-Powered VIP Days: Help clients build their strategy or content using AI tools in real time with you as the co-pilot.
- Accountability Circles: Weekly check-ins, planning calls, and review sessions that build community and encourage completion.
- Niche Tech Concierge: Become the go-to person who helps a specific type of client integrate AI into their business.
- Hybrid Courses: Live sessions + on-demand + prompts and templates that are regularly updated.
- Outcome-Based Services: Charge for transformation, not time. “I help you go from X to Y using the tools that get it done.”
The key? Shift from being the source of knowledge to the source of clarity and action.
The Bottom Line
AI is not going to stop evolving. Waiting it out is a bad bet. But adapting doesn’t have to mean giving up what you love. It means rethinking how you deliver it.
Solopreneurs and service providers who lean into their human advantage—connection, empathy, insight, and judgement—can not only survive but thrive.
The first step? Stop pretending AI isn’t coming for your business. The next step? Figure out how to work with it, not against it.
The future isn’t human or AI. It’s human with AI. And those who embrace that reality today will be tomorrow’s leaders.
Let’s get to work.
And remember … #StayFrosty!
Q&A Summary:
Q: How is AI disrupting the coaching, training, and small service businesses?
A: AI tools are becoming better at doing tasks that many coaches and consultants provide, such as writing social media calendars, generating blog posts with SEO, brainstorming business models, or creating branded visuals. This is particularly impacting the middle of the market where most small service providers sit, as clients can get much of these services from AI prompts.
Q: What are the areas where AI still lacks proficiency?
A: AI still lacks proficiency in human context, accountability, and relational trust. It doesn't understand the emotional nuances behind why someone is stuck, it won't call out when someone backslides, and it can't provide the human connection and validation that people often crave.
Q: What roles and offers are most at risk due to the rise of AI?
A: Roles and offers most at risk include Social Media Managers, SEO Consultants offering standard audits and fixes, Coaches relying on pre-made worksheets and drip emails, Online course creators with generic, static info products, and Marketing consultants doing funnel setup and ad copy.
Q: What are some ways solopreneurs and small businesses can adapt to the rise of AI?
A: Some ways to adapt include becoming a translator of AI tools for clients, building community-first offers, incorporating accountability into everything, turning your intellectual property into systems, and learning how to use AI as a co-pilot through prompt engineering.
Q: What are some viable offer ideas in the age of AI?
A: Viable offer ideas include AI-Powered VIP Days, Accountability Circles, becoming a Niche Tech Concierge, offering Hybrid Courses, and providing Outcome-Based Services, where you charge for transformation rather than time.
