James Carnes

Exited SaaS founder. Husband and father. Champion of the underdog.

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

@TheICHpodcast Real estate bros talking about the future of AI has me rolling 😂

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

Be in the arena, it’s the only way to grow.

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

If you’re thinking about raising money for your startup I’d recommend only taking money from people who understand the game you’re playing.

Even better if they’ve played the game themselves before.

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

@countryroad91 I am stunned to find another WV person that comments on startup stuff on X.

Shoot me a DM!

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

@CoachDanGo Does it matter if walking is on high incline treadmill or just hit the step count on flat surfaces?

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

It’s not the same..

Still cheaper to spend $200+ on tokens a month to train an AI agent (like one on @openclaw) that will get smarter everyday.

There is no language or time zone barrier. They don’t sleep and they are available around the clock..

There’s a reason SaaS stocks are continuing to decline.

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

A startup I mentor built their own custom CRM with @Replit in a few days and opted out of paying for @HubSpot or @salesforce.

I think this is telling of what we can expect over the next decade.

They are early stage so it works great for NOW..

Will they need to migrate to a bigger system as they scale? Possibly.

But I would put my chips on founders like @amasad and others to continue making AI building seamless.

It’s going to be a fun decade seeing who emerges and who gets dismantled 🤠

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

I remember the first time I even remotely understood what money was and how it was created.

Don’t let something that man made dictate or control you.

Use money for your freedom and to sow into the people and problems in the world you care about.

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

The best personal growth I’ve had in my life has always come when I’ve faced a hard, painful situation head on.

These situations in life can often make or break you.

Don’t let them break you and stay in the game.

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

@MartinShkreli I smell a big short position coming

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

@austintexasgov Hoping this only cost the city of Austin taxpayers $20, because it looks like it was AI generated 😅

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

@iiiitsandrea @jordihays I bet @johncoogan would really like this?

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

@amasad @Replit ^^ This is founder mode..

[GREG ISENBERG @gregisenberg]

this is the MOST permissionless moment in history.

10 years ago, you needed investors, cofounders, an office, and 6 months of burn just to start a startup.

not anymore:

1. you want a startup idea → go mining on reddit, app store reviews etc
2. you want customers → build an audience
3. you want a beautiful software product → learn bolt, cursor, replit, lovable etc
4. you want to charge → stripe link. done.
5. you want distribution without using your face → partner with a niche creator. their trust is your launchpad.
6. you want ops → string together GPT-4o + Claude + Gumloop/Lindy/n8n agents
7. you want an office → kitchen table + noise-canceling headphones
8. you want exceptional advisors → binge 1000 hours of podcasts + you can DM anyone on the planet
9. you want momentum → ship something small today. the rest figures itself out.

no gatekeepers. no resumes. no permission needed.
you need consistency, taste, and internet access.
the startup school is open 24/7.
enrollment is free.
but shipping is the tuition.

there are no excuses anymore.

[Andrew Wilkinson @awilkinson]

Using AI feels how I imagine an accountant in the 1980's might of felt when they used Excel for the first time.

Where previously, everything had to be calculated by hand, cell by cell, on a literal sheet of paper (a spreadsheet), suddenly work that would take hours takes seconds.

Magic!

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

@Replit and all these AI tools have every SaaS founder thinking they are now world class CTO's..

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

@benln Makes sense for large, slow public SaaS companies. How are you thinking about early stage, private SaaS startups?

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

March madness sucks this year, who else agrees?

[James Carnes @304TechMaven]

@blakeandersonw If anything - this speaks to what happens when you lock 2 humans in an apartment with very limited time apart from each other 😂