It’s ironic that sometimes I get inspiration from places I never expect, yet when I actively seek inspiration I come up blank.
This week I traveled to Orlando for the Florida Bar annual convention. Although I retired as an Army attorney in 2022, I am still active with the Texas and Florida Bars. It was nice to be around attorneys again and keep up with the latest legal developments. I attended several seminars on artificial intelligence (AI) and law. Fascinating how the tools of law practice change. If you’re a retiree like me, or someone in their 50s and above, you may think AI is another fad or flash-in-the-pan. I assure you it is not. It is the present and the future. If you are an attorney with a law practice and you do not embrace and use AI in your practice, you will be left behind and likely find yourself out of work. AI is transformational technology and we need to keep up with it.
One of the biggest questions asked by attorneys was “Will AI take away my job as an attorney?” No. AI is great for data based solutions and answers but it only works from data input, from whatever source. The critical skill for attorneys and why people hire us, especially for complex cases, is our ability to think outside the box and come up with unique solutions. AI robots do not abstract think or reason.
I thought about how AI, and ChatGPT, applies to my affiliate marketing business. I admit I’ve been hesitant to incorporate ChatGPT into my business. However, Dean mentioned that AI, or ChatGPT, is a great tool for helping you with phrasing a post differently to better relate to your targeted audience, or coming up with inspiration. While I am starting to use ChatGPT to help me create written content and provide better presentations to my targeted traffic, I have no intention of using AI to replace myself online. I will use AI merely as another tool, like a thesaurus or an Internet search.
All of my posts will still be written by me, all of my ideas will be mine, and all of my upcoming videos will be of me. I am an original guy. I do not like artificial or fake anything. All of the photos I have incorporated in my Blog posts are original photos taken by me via my Nikon camera or iPhone. Nothing artificially generated. Similarly, any pictures I post of myself, either in my Blog or social media accounts, are original photos of me with no filter, makeup or enhanced features. WYSIWYG – what you see is what you get. This is my Blog and my business and the only way people will get to know me, like me and trust me, is by being honest and genuine.
The other thing I took away from the conference was inspiration. I’ve been struggling to decide what type of value content to put in my Voyager newsletter besides in-depth explanations and charts and helpful guides. I realized there is not a lot of business and tax resources out there for small businesses. Yes, there is a lot of advice on the Internet about how to set up a business to pay zero tax, or avoid liability or generate wealth, but the majority of it is bullshit and will get you in trouble. Anybody can say anything on the Internet and pretend to be an expert, but you truly get what you pay for when it’s free.
Since I also have a business background and experience filing business tax returns, I decided to specialize in small business and tax law as it will directly impact my success in my business. For subscribers to my Newsletter, if there is a small business or tax topic, I will explain what I did and why from a legal perspective as well as business perspective. I want to use my ability and experience to help others. No, I will not be giving legal advice, but I can provide well reasoned and correct information about pertinent Federal and State resources that apply to small businesses like ours.
I had a very enjoyable and productive trip to Orlando. I not only received great information about AI and how I can apply it to my business and limited law practice, but was inspired to add more value to my Newsletter so that people will want to subscribe and be part of mail list. My Voyage is getting interesting and I am looking forward to not only succeeding, but offering hope to others and helping them in their own journey. Full speed ahead.
I am so glad you are using AI to help you and not to replace you. It is so much better to be yourself in your content. Who wants to know, like and trust a machine after all? Being authentic can only lead to people respecting you. Looking forward to seeing more of your content.
Thanks, Andy. Yes, generative AI is a wonderful tool, emphasis on tool. It is just another piece of kit to leverage my ability to generate traffic. I will be 100% genuine on my blog, which means any selfies I post will be natural with NO filter. I abhor filters on people as they sometimes totally transform how a person looks. I’m me, perfectly flawed, and working towards a goal.
Hi Jordan,
Your experience at the Florida Bar convention sounds very informative, and your thoughts on AI are well-articulated. It’s great to see how you’re integrating AI into your affiliate marketing business while maintaining your authentic touch. Your commitment to genuine content and your new focus on small business and tax law resources for your newsletter are impressive. Looking forward to seeing where your voyage takes you next!
Meredith
Thanks, Meredith. Sometimes we get inspiration when we least expect it. This helped open my thinking to “how can I use my experience in my business?” ChatGPT is new for me, even though it has been around. Rather than shy away from it like I did, I need to embrace it and make it work for me, and as a benefit, help others as well on my journey. After all, that’s why I am doing this.