Hi, I’m Dan.

For a long time I was doing all the things you’re supposed to do — decent job, steady paycheck, weekends off. But I kept feeling like I was building someone else’s dream on a schedule someone else set. So I started looking for a way out.

I tried pretty much everything. Dropshipping stores that never got a single sale. Freelancing gigs that paid okay but traded one boss for ten. A print-on-demand shop I spent months setting up and then abandoned. Every time I hit a wall, I convinced myself the next thing would be the one that clicked.

Then two things happened almost at the same time: AI tools got genuinely useful, and I discovered digital products. Suddenly the blockers that had stopped me every time before — writing, design, tech, marketing — weren’t blockers anymore. I could move fast and test ideas without burning months on each one.

I found MadeThis.com while I was looking for a simple way to sell a PDF guide I’d written. It handled everything: the store, the checkout, the file delivery. I had a real product live on the internet in an afternoon. I’ve been building on it ever since.

I built StartWithAI because I kept getting asked the same questions: What tools do you actually use? What would you do differently? Is [platform X] worth it? This site is my attempt to answer all of those honestly — no fluff, no manufactured success stories, no products I don’t personally stand behind.

Everything here comes from first-hand experience. If I recommend something, it’s because it worked for me. If something doesn’t work, I’ll tell you that too.