I Spent $200K on My AI SaaS: How to Make Money with AI SaaS

Make money with AI SaaS without coding skills. If you’ve ever dreamed of entering the AI market but aren’t sure how to code, you’re not alone. This was the exact problem my team at Morningside AI and I aimed to solve over the past eight months. We’ve created a platform designed specifically for beginners to make money with AI SaaS, investing over $200,000 of my own funds into its development. The result is a platform that allows users to rapidly build and sell one of the most in-demand AI solutions today: text-based AI agents. This innovative approach opens up new opportunities to make money with AI SaaS, even for those without technical backgrounds.

We strongly recommend that you check out our guide on how to take advantage of AI in today’s passive income economy.

The Platform: Agentive

In this post, I’ll walk you through how to use my platform to create a powerful website lead generation agent. You’ll learn how to replicate exactly what we’ve done and start selling immediately. Additionally, I’ll showcase some of the awesome features we’ve added for AI automation agency owners, making it easier to create value and generate income with AI. And before you worry about costs, let me assure you: using this platform is completely free.

Introduction to Agentive

Agentive is a platform designed for AI automation agency owners to build, deploy, and manage AI agents, particularly text-based agents. Many of you are likely familiar with OpenAI’s GPTs, where you can customize prompts and knowledge bases. However, one limitation is that these GPTs are confined to the GPT site and can’t be easily integrated elsewhere.

That’s where Agentive comes in. It extends the functionality of OpenAI’s Assistant API, enabling you to create and deploy GPTs to various platforms like websites, WhatsApp, and Instagram. This no-code platform allows you to enhance the value of these text-based agents and deploy them with ease.

High-Level Overview of the Build

Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll be building and how it works. First, we’ll use Agentive to set up our agent with a custom prompt, knowledge base, and a tool for lead capture. If you’re familiar with my three-ingredient formula for creating AI agents—prompting, knowledge, and tools—you’ll know that these are the key elements.

Setting Up the Agent

Our example agent will be designed for a hypothetical solar company, “Smith Solar.” The prompt will instruct the agent to act as a skilled solar expert who can capture leads using a tool we’ll set up. The knowledge base will contain frequently asked questions about the company and solar energy. Finally, the lead capture tool will collect visitor information and send it to our AirTable database.

Deploying the Agent

Once the agent is built, you’ll deploy it on various platforms. With Agentive, deployment is straightforward: you can integrate it into a web chat widget on a website, WhatsApp, Messenger, and soon Instagram. The goal is to enable you to build without coding and deploy quickly.

Getting Started with Agentive

To get started, head over to AgentiveHub.com. Register for an account, and you can sign up using Google for convenience. During registration, you’ll be asked about your agency’s revenue and your business type. For those just starting, you can indicate that you’re a new agency.

Connecting Your OpenAI API Key

Agentive is built on top of OpenAI’s Assistant API, so you’ll need an API key from OpenAI. To get this, log in or sign up at platform.openai.com. Create a new project and set a budget for your API usage to manage costs effectively. Set a notification threshold to avoid unexpected charges.

Setting Up Your API Key

Once you’ve set up your OpenAI account, you’ll need to add your API key to Agentive. Go to the API Keys section, create a new key, and copy it. Then, head back to Agentive and paste the key into the designated area. This will allow Agentive to interact with the OpenAI API on your behalf.

Creating Your Lead Generation Agent

With everything set up, you can now start creating your lead generation agent. Navigate to the Agentive studio, where you’ll find three main tabs: Home, Learn, and Studio. Start by creating a new agent and give it a name, like “Solar Lead Generation Agent.”

Configuring the Agent

In the studio, set up the prompt for your agent. For our solar company example, the prompt will instruct the agent to provide information about solar energy and capture leads. Input your prompt, knowledge base, and tools to build a fully functional agent.

Adding the Knowledge Base

Next, create and upload your knowledge base documents. These might include frequently asked questions and informational eBooks. Upload these to Agentive and link them to your agent to ensure it has all the necessary information to assist users effectively.

Testing the Knowledge Base

Once you’ve set up your knowledge base, test it to make sure it’s functioning correctly. Enter sample questions to ensure the agent provides accurate answers and triggers the lead capture tool when necessary.

Setting Up the Lead Capture Tool

Now, configure the lead capture tool. If you’re using AirTable, you’ll need to set up the base and get the API URL. Follow the link provided to copy the AirTable base into your account. Replace the URL in Agentive with your specific AirTable URL, and set up authentication by generating a personal access token in AirTable.

Authenticating and Testing

Add the authentication token to Agentive to enable the lead capture functionality. Test the tool to ensure it’s capturing and sending lead information correctly.

Publishing Your Agent

With everything set up and tested, you’re ready to publish your agent. You can make it public and share it with clients for demos. This feature allows you to test and showcase the agent’s functionality in a real-world scenario.

Final Thoughts

By using Agentive, you can create powerful AI agents without needing any coding skills. The platform’s integration with OpenAI’s Assistant API, combined with its easy-to-use deployment options, makes it a valuable tool for anyone looking to enter the AI space and generate income.

FAQs:

How Can I Earn Money Through AI?

Earning money through AI can be achieved in various ways, depending on your skills and resources. Here are some common methods:

AI-Powered Products: Develop and sell AI-powered products or tools, such as chatbots, recommendation systems, or AI-driven analytics platforms.
AI Consulting: Offer consulting services to businesses looking to integrate AI into their operations. You can help them identify AI opportunities, implement solutions, and optimize their workflows.
AI Content Creation: Create AI-generated content like text, images, or videos and sell them to businesses for marketing purposes or creative projects.

Data Annotation: Participate in data labeling or annotation projects that are crucial for training AI models. Companies often outsource these tasks and pay per task or hour.
AI SaaS (Software as a Service): Build a subscription-based service that uses AI to solve a specific problem, which customers can access online.

How Do I Start a SaaS Company Using AI?

Starting a SaaS company using AI involves several steps:

Identify a Problem: Start by identifying a problem that can be effectively solved using AI. This could be anything from automating customer support to enhancing data analysis for businesses.
Market Research: Conduct thorough market research to understand your target audience, their pain points, and the competitive landscape.
Build an MVP (Minimum Viable Product): Develop a basic version of your AI-powered SaaS product that includes the core features needed to solve the identified problem. This can be done using AI platforms like OpenAI, Google AI, or Microsoft Azure.

Testing and Iteration: Test your MVP with real users and gather feedback to improve the product. Iterate on the design and functionality until you have a solid product.
Launch and Marketing: Launch your SaaS product and create a marketing strategy to attract users. This could include content marketing, social media campaigns, and paid advertising.
Scale: Once you have a user base, focus on scaling your operations, improving customer support, and expanding your product offerings.

How Do You Make Money from SaaS?

There are several ways to make money from a SaaS business:

Subscription Model: Charge users a recurring fee (monthly or yearly) to access your software. This is the most common and sustainable revenue model for SaaS businesses.
Freemium Model: Offer a basic version of your software for free, and charge for premium features or advanced functionalities. This model helps attract users and can convert free users into paying customers over time.

Tiered Pricing: Offer different pricing tiers based on the features, number of users, or level of support. This allows you to cater to different segments of the market.
Pay-per-Use: Charge customers based on how much they use the service. This model is common in SaaS products that involve high-volume data processing or API usage.
Enterprise Licensing: Offer customized solutions and pricing for large enterprises that need more advanced features, security, and support.

Can I Make Money Using OpenAI?

Yes, you can make money using OpenAI by leveraging its AI models and APIs to create valuable products or services. Here’s how:

Build AI Applications: Use OpenAI’s models like GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) to build applications such as chatbots, content generators, or automated customer service tools. You can sell these applications to businesses or offer them as a service.
Offer AI-Powered Solutions: Develop custom AI solutions for clients using OpenAI’s technology. This can include automating tasks, improving data analysis, or creating personalized experiences.

Content Creation and Automation: Use OpenAI to generate content for blogs, social media, or marketing materials. You can offer these services to clients or use them for your own business.
Educational Tools: Create AI-driven educational platforms or tools that help users learn new skills, improve their knowledge, or automate learning processes. These can be monetized through subscriptions or one-time purchases.
Integration Services: Help businesses integrate OpenAI’s technology into their existing systems, charging a fee for implementation, customization, and ongoing support.

By understanding how to leverage AI and SaaS models effectively, you can tap into new revenue streams and build a sustainable business in the rapidly growing AI sector.

We strongly recommend that you check out our guide on how to take advantage of AI in today’s passive income economy.