No Susan, Using AI Isn't Cheating: A Reality Check for People Who Think Solopreneurs Should Suffer
Because apparently using business tools is only okay if they existed in 1922
Let's Talk About "Cheating"
You think using AI is cheating? Cool story. Quick questions:
Does your phone write content by itself while you sleep?
Does your AI make business decisions without you?
Does your computer spontaneously create products without prompts?
No?
Then shut up about "cheating" and let's talk about reality.
The "But It's Not Real Work" Brigade
To everyone clutching their pearls about AI collaboration:
If I had a human business partner:
"Oh, how collaborative!"
"What a great team!"
"Two heads are better than one!"
But use AI as a thinking partner?
"That's cheating!"
"It's not authentic!"
"You're taking shortcuts!"
Make it make sense.
Here's What Actually Happens:
Without AI:
Solo entrepreneur drowning in tasks
Working 80 hours a week
Burning out trying to "do it right"
Competing against entire corporate teams
With AI:
Solo entrepreneur using smart tools
Getting shit done efficiently
Creating quality content faster
Actually having time to serve clients
But please, tell me more about how I should struggle harder for it to be "authentic."
Let's Talk About Class Warfare
You want to know why people need AI tools?
Because:
Corporate teams have 20 people
We have 24 hours
Bills don't pay themselves
The middle class is vanishing
Time is the new luxury
But sure, let's shame people for finding smart ways to compete.
The Reality of Modern Business:
The elite have:
Full marketing teams
Content creators
Copywriters
Social media managers
Strategy consultants
Solo entrepreneurs have:
Themselves
Coffee
Tools they can afford
24 hours like everyone else
The audacity to keep going
And you're mad about us using AI? Please.
About That "Pure" Creative Process:
You think AI is cheating? Let's talk about:
Teams of ghostwriters
Rooms full of copywriters
Agencies of content creators
Battalions of social media managers
But one person using AI to amplify their own voice? clutches pearls "How dare they!"
The Truth About AI Collaboration:
AI can't:
Generate ideas from nothing
Create personality out of void
Make decisions without input
Run your business while you sleep
You still need:
Your ideas
Your voice
Your personality
Your decisions
Your prompts
YOUR BRAIN
Here's What's Actually Happening:
When two humans collaborate: "Amazing teamwork!"
When one human uses AI: "CHEATER!"
Plot twist: Both are just tools for getting shit done.
For Those in the Back:
AI is:
A tool, like any other
A thinking partner
A way to scale yourself
A method to compete
AI is not:
Magic
Automatic
Self-operating
Your business brain
A replacement for YOU
To Everyone Who's Mad About It:
You have options:
Stay mad
Keep struggling
Fall behind
Or wake up and realize tools aren't cheating
Your choice, but don't come at me for choosing efficiency.
The Bottom Line:
Corporations use teams
I use AI
You use outdated moral superiority
We are not the same.
A Special Note to Critics:
Feel free to:
Do everything manually
Work 80-hour weeks
Burn out regularly
Stay small
Keep struggling
But don't mistake your martyrdom for morality.
The rest of us will be over here:
Using smart tools
Serving our clients better
Creating quality content
Building sustainable businesses
Actually surviving in this economy
Because the real "cheating" would be letting corporate giants win just because we refused to use modern tools.
P.S. Written while competing against entire corporate departments as a solopreneur.
P.P.S. Yes, my AI thinking partner helped craft this response. Die mad about it.
P.P.P.S. Created with my AI collaboration partner because working smart isn't cheating - it's survival. And if you're ready to stop struggling alone, grab my Permission to Process Guide. Because even your resistance to modern tools deserves a safe space to be processed. 😉