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Everyone’s trying to become a general “AI expert.”
They’re making content about ChatGPT prompts. They’re reviewing the latest tools. They’re competing with Matt Wolfe and a thousand other creators who already have massive audiences.
Good luck with that.
Here’s a better play: Stop competing in the general AI space. Become the AI expert in the industry you already know.
That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m not trying to be an AI guru. I’m positioning as the AI guy for lead generation and performance marketing - the world I’ve worked in since 2004. My edge isn’t knowing more about AI than the next person. It’s knowing how to apply AI to problems I’ve solved manually for two decades.
You’ve got 10, 15, 20 years of experience in healthcare admin. Or construction. Or logistics. Or accounting. Or whatever.
That expertise? That’s your moat.
Because here’s what I’ve noticed: there’s essentially ZERO good content about AI implementation for specific industries outside of tech and marketing.
And that’s a massive opportunity.
Why Industry-Specific AI Positioning Works Right Now
The general AI education space is crowded. Saturated. You’re competing against people with millions of followers and years of content.
But “AI for contractors”? “AI for physical therapists”? “AI for property managers”?
Nobody’s there.
I talked to a buddy of mine who works in construction. Smart guy. He knew AI was important but had no idea what to actually DO with it.
My advice: “Think through your daily job. Find the inefficiencies. Figure out how AI could speed things up. Then start making content about it.”
He’s sitting on a goldmine.
There are nearly 4 million construction businesses in the US alone. They all have inefficiencies. They all need to modernize. And there’s basically no one creating content that speaks directly to them.
That’s the opportunity.
The Efficiency Gap That’s Coming
Here’s what I believe is going to happen in the next 2-3 years:
Companies that don’t integrate AI into their workflows will fall behind. Not might. Will.
The efficiency gains are just too significant. We’re talking about tasks that took hours getting done in minutes. Reports that took days getting generated instantly. Analysis that required expensive consultants getting handled by tools that cost $20/month.
The data backs this up:
- Workers using AI save an average of 5.4% of their work hours weekly - roughly 2.2 hours per week
- Frequent AI users report saving over 9 hours per week
- Employees using AI report an average 40% productivity boost
Companies will NEED to adopt AI. It won’t be optional.
And when they do, they’re not going to learn from generic AI tutorials. They’re going to look for someone who understands THEIR industry. Someone who speaks their language. Someone who’s dealt with their specific problems.
That’s where you come in.
The Adoption Numbers Tell the Story
Here’s what’s happening right now:
68% of U.S. small businesses now use AI regularly, up from 48% in mid-2024.
But - and this is the key part - 82% of the smallest businesses (under 5 employees) say they don’t adopt AI because they believe it “isn’t applicable to their business.”
That’s not a technology problem. That’s a translation problem.
They don’t see how AI applies to THEIR work because nobody’s showing them.
The U.S. Chamber reports that 96% of small business owners plan to adopt emerging technologies, including AI.
The demand is there. The supply of industry-specific guidance isn’t.
The Framework: How to Position Yourself
Here’s how to actually do this:
Step 1: Audit Your Current Workflow
Spend a week paying attention to everything you do. Write it down. Every task, every process, every annoyance.
Look for:
- Repetitive tasks you do daily or weekly
- Research that takes forever
- Communication bottlenecks
- Report generation and documentation
- Data analysis and decision-making processes
This is exactly what I cover in the AI niche research guide - using AI to identify problems worth solving.
Step 2: Test AI Solutions for Each Pain Point
Take Claude or ChatGPT and start experimenting. Can it draft that report faster? Can it analyze that data? Can it help you prepare for that client meeting?
Document what works. Document what doesn’t.
This is your R&D phase. You’re building the playbook that you’ll eventually teach others.
If you’re not sure how to get started with AI tools, the Claude Code guide walks through the fundamentals of working with AI for actual implementation, not just chatting.
Step 3: Create Content Showing What You’ve Learned
Start simple. A LinkedIn post about one efficiency you discovered. A YouTube video showing a before/after of your workflow.
You don’t need to be a content creator. You need to be a practitioner who shares what’s working.
The bar for “industry-specific AI content” is incredibly low right now. You don’t need production quality. You need real solutions to real problems.
Step 4: Build Your Platform
This doesn’t have to be complicated:
- A simple website (Hugo + Cloudflare = free hosting) - see the content website guide for the technical setup
- An email list to capture interested people
- A YouTube channel or LinkedIn presence for distribution
You’re not building a media empire. You’re building a platform to attract people in your industry who need help with AI.
Step 5: Monetize the Expertise
Once you’ve established credibility, the business models are straightforward:
- Consulting/implementation services for companies in your industry
- Courses teaching other professionals in your field
- Productized services (done-for-you AI setup packages)
- Speaking and training for industry conferences and companies
The Construction Example
Let me make this concrete.
My buddy in construction could create:
- “AI for Contractors” YouTube channel
- Blog posts about using AI for estimating, project management, client communication
- Templates and prompts specifically for construction workflows
- A course teaching other contractors how to implement these systems
- Consulting services for construction companies that want hands-on help
His competition? Essentially zero.
Compare that to trying to build a general “AI tools” channel where he’s up against creators with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
Same amount of work. Completely different odds of success.
The numbers support this play:
- 3.97 million construction businesses in the US
- Industry revenue of $3.7 trillion in 2025
- Most are small operations without dedicated tech resources
- Zero dominant players - no company holds more than 5% market share
That’s a fragmented market desperate for practical guidance.
Industries With Zero Competition Right Now
I’ve looked around. Here are some spaces where AI implementation content barely exists:
Trades (plumbers, electricians, HVAC)
- Millions of small businesses
- High-value services
- Almost no AI content targeted at them
Healthcare Admin (not clinical AI, but practice management)
- Scheduling, billing, patient communication
- Massive compliance and documentation burden
- Huge efficiency opportunities
Property Management
- Over 304,000 property management businesses in the US
- AI adoption jumped from 21% to 34% in just one year - they’re actively looking for solutions
- Only 13% earn over $1 million - most are small operators who need help
Other Underserved Industries:
- Insurance agencies
- Accounting and bookkeeping
- Legal support (paralegals, small firms)
- Logistics and supply chain
- Manufacturing operations
- Food service and restaurants
- Fitness and wellness businesses
If you’ve got experience in any of these? You’ve got a path.
What You Actually Need to Know About AI
Here’s the thing: you don’t need to be an AI expert to do this.
You need to know:
- How to use Claude or ChatGPT effectively (basic prompting)
- How to identify workflows that AI can improve
- How to document and teach what you discover
That’s it.
The deep technical knowledge? Not required. You’re not building AI models. You’re applying existing tools to industry-specific problems.
Your VALUE isn’t AI expertise. It’s industry expertise PLUS enough AI knowledge to be dangerous.
The “But I’m Not a Content Creator” Objection
I hear this a lot.
Look, you don’t need to become a YouTuber. You don’t need a podcast. You don’t need to post on Twitter 10 times a day.
You need to share what you’re learning in a format that works for you.
Maybe that’s:
- Written guides and tutorials on a blog
- LinkedIn posts for your professional network
- YouTube videos showing your screen as you work through problems
- A newsletter for people in your industry
Pick ONE channel. Be consistent. Improve over time.
The content doesn’t have to be polished. It has to be useful.
The Math That Makes This Work
Let’s say you’re in property management. There are roughly 304,000 property management companies in the US.
If you can reach 1% of them with your content, that’s 3,000 companies.
If 1% of those become clients at $2,000 for a consulting engagement, that’s $60,000.
If 5% buy a $200 course, that’s $30,000.
You don’t need a massive audience. You need a focused audience that has the problem you solve.
Niche beats broad every time.
This is the same principle behind choosing the right monetization model - picking a path where the math actually works.
What’s Your Move?
Here’s what I’d do if I were sitting on industry expertise:
This week: Write down every inefficiency in your workflow. Pick the top 3.
Next week: Spend 2-3 hours testing AI solutions for each. Document what works.
Week 3: Create one piece of content showing what you learned. Post it on LinkedIn or YouTube.
Week 4: Do it again. And again. Build the habit.
Within 90 days, you’ll have a body of work that positions you as THE person for AI in your industry.
Within a year? You could have a real business.
The Bottom Line
The general AI education space is crowded. Don’t fight that battle.
Your industry knowledge is valuable. The fact that you understand the daily problems, the jargon, the workflows, the frustrations - that’s something a generic AI educator can never replicate.
Combine that knowledge with AI implementation skills and you’ve got something rare.
Something people will pay for.
The opportunity is there. The question is whether you’ll take it.