Start where money isn’t the bottleneck: skills and creativity. One of the most powerful opportunities today is workflow automation with AI agents. Pick an industry function that’s repetitive and painful (e.g. lead qualification in sales, customer support triage, or document processing in logistics). Build a robust AI workflow that automates it.

You don’t need upfront capital: prototype with free or low-cost tools, test with real users, and refine based on the market’s response. Once someone sees it saves them time or reduces errors, they’ll happily pay for it. Use their subscription revenue to cover your software costs, then scale to more clients.

Focus on two things:
– Learn how to design and deliver automation that solves a concrete problem.
– Talk directly to potential users, show them quick wins, and charge early.

That way you’re not waiting for funding—you’re building value from day one.