The 2026 opportunity window for AI monetization is wide open for those willing to hustle. Small business owners—Mom and Pop shops, local services, SMEs—are desperate for AI solutions but don't know where to start. That's your edge.

Deploy AI agents to handle their repetitive workflows: customer service calls, compliance documentation, HR operations, social media management. Each implementation? $500-1,000 per project, easy. The margins are fat because you're not building from scratch—you're integrating existing tools.

Here's the reality: this "Easy Mode" probably has a 2-year shelf life max. Once the market saturates and everyone's offering AI consulting, the pricing and competitive advantage evaporate.

So move fast. Pick up the phone. Close deals. The playbook is simple—find businesses with pain points, show them the ROI, execute, repeat. First-mover advantage matters here.