Pieter Levels runs a bunch of internet businesses mostly by himself. This morning he posted that it will matter more than ever to run your business as lean as possible. More than 1,300 people bookmarked it in a few hours.
He was talking about servers. You probably don't care about servers. But you do have a stack of monthly charges you stopped looking at a year ago.
Here's the catch. The same day, Jason Lemkin shared a story about a company that went lean in the worst possible way. It fired its sales team. So this issue is about both sides: what to cut, and what to never cut.
That is our lead. After it: the new Claude models and what "end-to-end work" means for your office, Lemkin's warning about hacks, and why showing up in person still wins. Each item links to the original post on X. Engagement numbers are as of the morning of November 10.
1. Run your business as lean as possible
@levelsio, November 10. About 1,100 likes, 1,350 bookmarks and 59,000 views.
Pieter wrote that moving off pricey hosting platforms onto your own basic server is usually 100 to 1,000 times cheaper, and listed several providers that start at a few dollars a month. Add a couple of free tools to lock it down and you're set, he says. The bigger line was the first one: get your business as lean as possible.
Our take: Most shops don't have a hosting problem. They have a subscription problem. A CRM from two years ago. A website builder you replaced. Three AI chat plans because three people signed up. Here's a 30-minute fix:
- List every bill. Pull three months of card and bank statements. Write down every charge that repeats.
- Ask one question. Does this bring in work or save real hours? If nobody in the shop can say yes, it goes.
- Cut, then merge. Cancel the dead ones. Fold the overlap into one tool. Then put the same audit on the calendar for 90 days out.
One rule before you start swinging the axe. Don't cut the stuff that answers the phone or follows up on quotes. That is where the money comes in. Which brings us to the next story.
2. Don't run lean by firing your sales
@jasonlk, November 10. About 45 replies and 8,000 views.
Jason Lemkin, the SaaStr founder and investor, shared a clip from his conversation on Lenny's Podcast. A company he invested in fired its whole sales team. The founders didn't like sales. They thought it was "icky." He says revenue fell from $5 million to $1 million.
Our take: Lots of trade owners feel the same way. You're a plumber, not a salesman. Fair. But in a trade shop, sales mostly means one thing: calling back after the estimate. Nobody does it, so the job goes to whoever did.
Try this on your next five quotes:
- Day 2: "Hi, it's Mike from the shop. Did the quote make sense? Any questions I can answer?"
- Day 5: "We have an opening next week. Want me to hold a spot for you?"
- Day 10: "Just closing the loop. If the timing's not right, no problem. We're here when you need us."
No pitch. No pressure. Just a follow-up. If nobody in the office has time to send these, that is exactly the kind of work AI can take off your plate.
3. The new Claude models can finish the whole job
@claudeai, November 9. About 33,000 likes, 12,000 bookmarks and 4 million views.
Anthropic shared what its new models, Claude Fable 5.2 and Claude Mythos 5.2, did in pre-release testing. The headline example: from a one-paragraph prompt, Fable 5.2 designed three working electronic devices, including a home voice assistant hub.
Two people worth hearing on this. Box CEO Aaron Levie (about 500 likes and 67,000 views) wrote that coding, computer use and industry know-how together can now automate a lot of knowledge work in fields that haven't had their big AI moment yet, from manufacturing to architecture to product design. Wharton professor Ethan Mollick (about 1,160 likes and 68,000 views) pointed out that Fable 5.2 sits above the trendline on a few key tests. One of them measures whether AI can do complete freelance jobs from start to finish.
Our take: That last part is the one to watch. Not "AI writes a paragraph." AI does the whole office task. For a shop, that's things like turning a walk-through voice note into a quote with two options, a parts list and a follow-up text, all as drafts for you to check.
Pick one office job that eats your evenings. Run it end to end with the newest model you have. Read every line before anything goes out. Prices, code and safety stay with a human. If it gets you most of the way there, you just got an evening back.
4. Everyone is getting hacked. Lock the basics this week
@jasonlk, November 9. About 84 likes and 26,000 views.
Lemkin's blunt version: everyone is getting hacked, and AI agents are speeding it up. He was reacting to a post about a Bloomberg report on Fireworks AI telling customers about its second breach in weeks. In a follow-up post, he quoted a report that security firm Wiz counted at least nine AI developer platforms disclosing incidents in October. The motive: a stolen AI account key can be spent right away, and according to the report, Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 has seen bills reach nearly $1 million before anyone noticed.
Our take: You're not an AI developer. But you have logins, and a card on file with half of them. Three fixes, one afternoon:
- Two-factor on your email, your bank and anything that stores your card. Email first. Whoever owns your email can reset everything else.
- Clean up who has access. Old employees. The nephew who built the website. The marketing person from 2023. If they don't work with you now, change the password.
- Set spending caps on any AI or software account that bills by usage. Most have a setting for it. Turn it on today.
5. Showing up still closes the deal
@jasonlk, November 10.
A short one from Lemkin to finish. The more customers you visit in person, the more you close, the more you keep and the more they buy. He says that's as true in the age of AI as it ever was.
Our take: Good. The trades already know this. AI should be doing the reminder texts, the confirmations and the "checking in" messages, so you have more time for the visit that actually closes a panel upgrade or a boiler swap. Let the machine handle the calendar. You handle the handshake.
One more for the tech crowd
@AnthropicAI (about 3,400 likes and 460,000 views) posted that it has launched the roadshow for its proposed initial public offering. The company behind Claude heading toward the public markets is a big moment for AI either way.
That's issue twenty-eight
One thing to try today: pull your last three months of statements and circle every recurring charge. Cut one you don't use. Keep everything that answers the phone. If calls and follow-ups are slipping while you're on a job, write to us at support@eighteye.ai. Eight Eye is the AI growth partner for small businesses. We answer your calls, text back missed leads, follow up until they book and help you get found online, while you keep the final say. See how it works, compare plans and pricing, or book a demo.
See you in the next issue.