Why I’m 16 and Building AI Agents for Local Businesses
Most people know me for dunking. But there’s a second thing I’m building, and honestly it might matter even more long-term: I’m learning to run a one-person AI agency that helps local businesses grow online.
Here’s the thinking behind it.
Reach you rent disappears
I spend a lot of energy on Instagram, and I’m grateful for every follower. But I also know the truth: that audience isn’t really mine. The platform owns it. The algorithm decides who sees me. If the rules change tomorrow, that reach can shrink overnight.
So I started asking a better question: what can I build that I actually own — and that pays? The answer, for a kid in 2026 who isn’t afraid of new tools, is AI.
What I actually do
Local business owners — gyms, barbers, restaurants, contractors — are great at their craft and slammed with work. The thing they almost never have time for is the online stuff: showing up in Google, posting consistently, answering leads fast. That’s exactly the work AI agents are good at.
So I point AI agents at it. I help a local business get found in search, keep a steady stream of posts going, and stop letting leads slip through the cracks — without them having to learn any of it. They get back to running their business; the agents handle the online presence.
Who I help
- Local owners who know they “should be doing more online” but have no time
- People who are confused about AI and just want someone to set it up and make it work
- Businesses that want to be found by local customers — and aren’t
I’m not doing this alone
I’m following a path that older builders already proved works. Dylan Haugen earned a Google Knowledge Panel at 17. Cam Hazzard went from dunker to AI builder. Hoopin Nate is on the same track. They use AI not just to make content, but to run real, lean agencies for real businesses. I’m learning the exact same playbook.
Being young is the advantage
People think being 16 is a disadvantage in business. With AI, it’s the opposite. I grew up with these tools. I’m not unlearning twenty years of “how it’s always been done” — I just build the thing that works now. And I work harder and cheaper than an agency that’ll charge you a fortune to do less.
It’s the same mindset as the dunking: start from zero, in public, and out-work the excuse. I couldn’t dunk because I was short, so I built the jump. I can’t out-spend a big agency, so I out-build them with AI.
If you run a local business and you’re confused about where to even start with AI — that’s exactly who I help. Let’s talk.