Richard Brien

Ex-tech & engineering recruitment manager turned shift worker. Husband, dad & aspiring founder. Building with AI agents 🤖🇬🇧 Freedom Through Autonomy!

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

At 47, I left a 20-year career in engineering and technology recruitment to work 12-hour shifts in manufacturing.

Why?

Because the shift pattern gives me large blocks of time off. And I wanted to use that time to properly get to grips with AI, agents and hopefully build something of my own.

Despite spending years working with some of the world’s biggest engineering and technology companies, I wouldn’t consider myself particularly techy and I’m definitely not a coder! I’m best described as more creative than nerdy.

What I want to find out is whether an ordinary guy from the UK, with a job, a family and all the usual responsibilities, can actually use this stuff to create more freedom, build a sustainable additional income and improve life for his family.

I’m going to document what happens here. The good, the bad and WTF of it all!

I expect there’ll be plenty of confused, head-scratching moments along the way, but hopefully a bit of fun too.

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@pelloiafilippo And that’s fair enough! Not everything needs to become a product 👍🏻

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@itsjankoenig Hey Jan! 👋🏻

I’m currently using AI agents to help research and validate business ideas before diving into building anything.

Still early days, but enjoying the journey and meeting some great people along the way!

Happy to connect! 👍🏻

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@Kedeodev I think that’s the majority of founders nowadays! 😂

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@Joe_Moto_Coffee That’s some serious traction there Joe! Well deserved!

I’m back working a set of nights again so haven’t been able to be as active on X today as I would have liked… but u know, we do what u can right? 😂

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@BenBusker Big numbers there Ben! Looking healthy 👍🏻

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

This is great Stephen! 👏🏻

That’s exactly the kind of freedom I’m hoping to create for myself!

Double the income for half the time isn’t a bad result either! 😂

Fair play for taking the leap. There’s obviously risk involved, but it sounds like you’ve found a great balance.

Really interesting that you’re using AI to help with the business development side too. That’s something I’m planning to explore further myself.

How long did it take you to land those first two clients after making the move? 👍🏻

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

Sitting here in the middle of another 12-hour night shift, reflecting on how much my life has changed over the last year.

And particularly, what’s happened here on X over the last couple of weeks!

I realise many of you have only recently started following me, so firstly, hello 👋 and thank you for hitting that follow button! 👍🏻

Thought I’d share a little background.

A year ago, I was a manager in tech and engineering recruitment, developing major commercial partnerships across the defence and space industries 🚀

Today, I’m working 12-hour shifts in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Quite the career change, I know! 😂

And the question I often get is…

WHY?! 😕

Well, my shift pattern gives me something I wasn’t getting previously.

Large blocks of time off!

Seriously, I only work around half the days in a year!

Which give me time to focus on things I’m passionate about, such as learning as much as I can about AI and building something that could eventually give me more freedom and control over my life.

I’ve currently got a small team of Grok Bots helping me research and validate business opportunities, rather than spending months building something nobody actually wants!

It’s still early days. No product launched yet, no income generated and plenty more night shifts ahead! 😫

BUT…. I’ve got a plan.

Have you ever made a big life change to pursue something you really wanted?

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@joelsstafford Not anymore! 👏

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

I do nights in blocks of 4 and 3 and after each, have 7 off and 4 and 3 days off between day shifts.

Yeah I agree wouldn’t want to nights long term but at the moment, it works for me.

My goal with building, is that I’ll first replace my need to do overtime and then replace my salary, so I can return back to the land of day workers! 😂

Thanks for your support pal… Appreciate it👍🏻

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

The X community really is something else! 😂❤️

Yesterday I celebrated reaching 100 followers, which felt like a huge milestone for me.

Less than 24 hours later, another 127 of you have joined me on this journey! 🤯

Genuinely blown away by the support!

Looking forward to getting to know you all, hearing what you’re building and how AI is making a positive difference in your lives.

Thank you all! You’re amazing! 🙌🏻

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

100 followers! 🎉😂

Only started posting on X on 7th October.

Sharing my journey of working 12-hour shifts while trying to build something of my own with AI.

Really appreciate everyone who’s supported me and connected so far! 👍🏻

If you’re exploring AI or building something yourself, come say hello!

Always happy to connect!

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@imhslva Yes Helton! 🙌

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@LinAiDreams Haha 🙏😫

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

Working 4 night shifts in a row at the moment… 😫

So if I’m a bit slower replying than usual, that’s why!

Still got a few people to reply to and follow back.

Haven’t forgotten about anyone! 👍🏻

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

Yeah, definitely! 👍🏻

I only started posting regularly on X earlier this month and the growth has been really encouraging!

Having an agent find relevant conversations and help analyse what’s working has made a big difference.

But I think genuine human interaction and authenticity are really important. These tools should help us find and develop our own voice, not replace it!

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@Olympusperspect Oh yes! No such thing as an overnight success. More power to you👍🏻

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@XtremeMotivated Haha… yeah, it can be a grind. You got to find balance in life right? The good news is after these nights, I have 7 days off! 🙌

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@builtwithrubel Getting closer Rubel! 😬 👏

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@CodeWithTamara 😂 👏

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@master_jpma 18 days

[Richard Brien @therichardbrien]

@venthewise Now the fun begins! 😬😂