Chapter 28: The Future Belongs to Storytellers

The world feels like it’s on fire.

Endless headlines. Constant fear cycles. Wild tech shifts.

No one feels safe.

Especially if you’re doing white-collar work.

Because here’s the truth:

AI isn’t coming for your job — someone using AI better than you is.

I’m watching massive companies lay off thousands and lose their competitive moat in a matter of months.

And small teams?

They’re building $20M businesses with 5 people orchestrating AI agents to do the work of 100 people.

This shift isn’t coming.

It’s already here.

The Only Moat That Matters Now? Trust & Audience

The cost to start a business has never been lower.

AI tools, agents, no-code platforms — there’s something new every week.

Technology is no longer a moat.

Trust and audience are.

• Mid-Day Squares is a family-run chocolate company doing tens of millions by building in public, telling their story online, and going head-to-head with Hershey’s.

• Alex Hormozi is building a billion-dollar private equity company on the back of media, education, and trust.

• Alex Lieberman, the founder of Morning Brew, is now playing “audience co-founder,” partnering with operators to spin up new ventures every few months.

In all of these cases?

Media = leverage.

Whoever controls attention… wins.

But this isn’t just about people with big platforms.

This Works in Any Industry

There are people using the same playbook to:

• Build music labels and events businesses

• Launch motorcycle retreats and sell out every trip

• Grow window cleaning or landscaping businesses

The tools are at your fingertips.

You don’t need investors or gatekeepers.

You just need a phone, a point of view, and a willingness to show up.

AI Is Changing Everything (But It’s Just a Tool)

If you’ve been online recently, you’ve seen Google’s VEO 3.

It generates stunning, cinematic video content with nothing but text prompts.

Now combine that with GPT-4o, ElevenLabs, or any new tool that pops up seemingly every day…

And you get AI-generated vloggers, trained on the internet’s most viral streamers, already producing videos like:

• “If Julius Caesar had Snapchat”

• “Waking up as Cleopatra in ancient Egypt”

• “If Batman & Robin live streamed”

The flood of AI-native content has already started.

This will 100x in the next few years.

It’s hilarious.

It’s insane.

But it’s also making people question what is real.

The New Blueprint for Builders

In a world dominated by AI content, trust and authenticity win.

Here’s my thesis:

To build a business that thrives in this new world, you need three things:

1. The willingness to learn new skills

   What got you here won’t get you where you want to go.

   You need to become a Swiss Army knife.

2. A clear story to tell

   Not just “what you do,” but why you do it, who you help, and what you stand for.

3. A system to share that story online

   You don’t need to go viral. But you do need to be consistent.

   Show your work. Build in public. Earn trust over time.

Introducing My New Project:

StoryHaus is for founders who know they need to leverage modern media — but don’t want to chase trends or dance on the internet.

We help you turn your brand story into a growth engine.

Each week, I break down how the best businesses are using storytelling and organic content to scale.

Subscribe here to get the case studies in your inbox.

Coming soon: StorySchool — an accelerator with the info, tools, and systems for founders who want to scale their business with story and modern media — without burnout or gimmicks.

Join the waitlist here.

Try This Today

If you're a founder or someone dreaming of building your own thing, ask yourself:

• What new skill would give me the most surface area for opportunity?

• What story am I already living — but haven’t told yet?

• If I wasn't scared of being judged — what would I do?

This isn’t about becoming an influencer.

It’s about building leverage.

Trust is the currency.

And story is the tool.

P.S.

If you have a business or idea you're working on (or one you’ve been dreaming of starting) — reply to this and I’ll share a real example of a founder using story in your niche.

Rooting for ya,

—Dodds