Building Million-Dollar IRL Businesses by Riding the Anti-AI Trend

Counter-position against the dominant trend to capture latent demand.

While competitors double-down on digital, move to in-person or physical offerings; younger users are already cutting social-media usage and craving real-world interaction.

Why: Scarcity of the opposite experience increases perceived value and reduces direct competition.

"I think that there's a massive opportunity... to take a look at what's happening in the AI space... and just go the opposite way"

Charge 2-3× the digital price for in-person versions and still sell out.

Facilitator.com’s online cert costs $6k; the in-person version is $14.3k and sold out immediately. Summer Camp tickets at $6.8k were the “easiest 30 tickets I’ve ever sold.”

Why: Physical scarcity and immersive experience justify premium pricing and create urgency.

"three of those events sold out right after announcing them"

In-person events have built-in scarcity that digital products lack.

Venue capacity creates natural urgency; campaigns can be short (one week) and still convert 50 % of inventory.

Why: True scarcity removes the need for manipulative marketing tricks.

"scarcity is really hard to do with a digital product... In-person events actually have a limited amount of tickets"

Pre-sell with minimal assets: lock a date, secure a location, then DM potential attendees.

Jonathan books a refundable venue hold, messages 4-5 prospects for soft commits, and only proceeds once break-even is assured.

Why: Reduces financial risk and validates demand before heavy investment.

"I'll try to get like four or five people with direct messaging to soft commit... If two or three people say yes to me, then I'm like, fuck it, I'm doing it"

Physical presence signals authenticity and deters scam perceptions.

Seeing real photos of a rented Italian village or a sold-out retreat convinces prospects the business is legitimate and aspirational.

Why: Tangible proof counters digital fatigue and builds trust faster than online claims.

"these people are obviously up to some real, real life shit. This is not some cave dweller who's going to steal all my money"

People learn better through osmosis and immersion than screen-based content.

Market the coffee-break conversations and hallway moments as the core value, not just the curriculum.

Why: Social learning and embodied practice outperform passive video consumption.

"people learn better through osmosis, meaning just sitting in a room with people... it's complete immersion"

Use in-person events as high-ticket anchors that funnel attendees into larger consulting contracts.

35-person Summer Camp yielded three new consulting clients; the event becomes a 3-day live advertisement for premium services.

Why: Face-to-face relationship accelerates trust and deal size.

"Out of those 35 people, three people booked us for other consulting gigs... it's essentially a three-day advertisement"

Print and ship physical workbooks or playbooks to justify premium info-product pricing.

Alex Hormozi’s $5.8k printed playbook and Jonathan’s own boxed coaching kit outperform PDFs because “people crave the physical thing.”

Why: Tactile experience increases perceived value and completion rates while resisting AI-generated commoditization.

"the ability to have something curated for you physically... is becoming more and more valuable"