Introduction
Dean, a 23-year-old engineering student from South Africa, built an AI automation business while completing his master’s degree. In just two months, he earned $5,600 by creating websites and AI chat agents for clients, paying his rent for an entire year and funding his next venture.
Founder Success Story QnA
Could you please give an introduction about yourself?
Sure. Good evening everyone. My name is Dean. I am a South African and I’m 23 years old from Cape Town or currently living in Cape Town and I’m currently full-time doing a master’s in engineering at Stalenbos University and part-time I am in the real world which is the AI automation campus and the business mastery campus.
What led up to this? How did you decide to join the real world and why?
Yeah. So interesting story actually. I’ve been quite privileged to have been able to study for free for the extent of my career, that’s because of essentially working hard and getting a scholarship or a bary that pays everything. So tuition fees, accommodation, all of that has been covered. But sort of in the middle of last year which was my first year of masters I sort of got in a little bit of a situation where I needed money essentially. So I started looking into ways to get money, you know, like doing waitering jobs, washing cars, all of those things, but I could never really find the time for that. So I had to find something that I can do online. So I’ve been scrolling on LinkedIn last year, this was I’d say the middle of last year, June, July. And scrolling through LinkedIn, I kept finding these AI data analyst jobs which is basically freelance jobs. What that is, at least the one I did, I had to rewrite math equations that they give us. So I had to rewrite math equations and submit them to this AI company and they use that data for their AI models. And then they pay you per math equation you could say. And so I got lucky and I found this contract freelancing job and I made enough money to cover the rent money that I needed for the last period of the year up until this year. And then I sort of fell in love with the whole hustling thing. It was nice making money on the side, coming home after I’m busy doing my research at the faculty. So now when I found this first AI freelancing job it was nice to have something to do while I’m here and actually earn money as well and spend my time better than just going on social media playing video games etc. And so then I started looking for some more things. So I started setting up a lot of freelancing profiles on Fiverr and Upwork, basically leveraging my degree that I had. So I studied engineering, I have an electronics/software degree. Leveraging that builds a bit of credibility and selling my skills which is more software based websites. So that was just me hustling before the real world. But then things started getting quiet, the company closed this freelancing contract opportunity and I had nothing to do. So at the start of the year, I was like hey, let me check this thing out. I have a little bit of money finally, let me sign up. And I immediately went to the AI automation campus because I saw a YouTube video and I also been following Andrew T. I remember him mentioning the new AI campus near the end of last year and so I immediately joined the AI campus. First few weeks was just grafting through all the videos and I am really glad I joined it because the skills I learned in there is very useful and very efficient compared to what I’ve been doing and amazing. So now fasting forward, I’m here still doing it.
With AI automation, what did you actually end up doing? What parts did you learn and how did you utilize it and land clients?
Yeah. So in the automation campus there was the outreach automation and then there was of course the chat agents and there was some workshops being done on bolt which is the website creation. Something I forgot to mention actually before the real world I was also doing websites for people so I’ve landed like two local companies in my town. I’m not from Cape Town, but I landed some local companies in my town with websites and that was normal door-to-door sales that I did. I went up to them, they didn’t have a website, then I’d make them a website. So the one thing that I leveraged was the website called bold.new, which is very useful compared to what I’ve done. It basically took me a week to make a website, now it takes me 10 minutes or 30 minutes to make a website of better quality. So that was something that was really useful that I learned. And also now I know sort of how websites work in general, how I can sell it. And I’ve worked off that. The big sale that I made to get on the leaderboard was actually eight websites for one company. The other one is the AI chat agents. I’ve sold one of them but I haven’t really put in that much effort into selling those ones yet simply because I don’t have a lot of time with writing my thesis. So I’m sort of balancing everything and when I have free time I don’t sit, I actually work in the real world. So yeah, those are the two things essentially the websites and the chat agents. I did not like the outreach simply because I feel like it’s not very personal. So I prefer doing personal sales, writing up my own emails and stuff. And so for that, I actually joined the business mastery campus. And I’m almost done with all the videos. But I think that one was also really useful in teaching me how to actually sell product in a more personal way rather than the automation way.
With the first few clients you landed, what was the situation like? What kind of conversation did you have and how much did you charge?
So the first few clients was more of people that already knew me in my hometown that ran businesses. The one, this was the chatbot one, is running a surf school and one of his employees was actually about to leave and it just so happened to be the guy that’s at the front desk. My brother also works in the company and he told me that his mate is looking into AI automation which at the time I was busy doing. So that was kind of a lot landing in my way. And I approached him. I told him listen, you don’t need to appoint someone, I’ll create you this chat agent that handles all your surf booking, all your surf lessons. It collects all the user data and it books the lessons similar to what a real person would do at the front. All you need to do is put two iPads down in front in your front desk and you run the chatbot and that’s pretty much it. And that got him, that picked his interest and he sort of did further research into that and he just loved the idea. Reached out to me and then we worked it out and now, 31st of March, today or tomorrow is actually deploying the bot that I made for him. Which is good. The other two were websites. So the one was a local hotel that’s the oldest hotel in my town and they didn’t have a website, but their competitors, everyone had websites. And the town that I stay in is quite a big tourist destination, it’s called Jeffrey’s Bay, which is a huge surfing destination. And so they were sort of, I approached them with the angle of when these foreign visitors come in, when these tourists come in the first thing they do is look at people’s websites or they search hotels near me or on Google they search best hotels and whatever and they had a good rating on their Google business profile. So I just told him, “Listen, you guys don’t have a website. You’re the oldest hotel in Jeffy’s Bay. You don’t have a website. What’s going on?” And the guy basically just said he doesn’t like the idea of having to pay someone for a website monthly. So I just told him, listen, you don’t have to pay me monthly. You can pay me once off this amount. I’ll make the website, it’ll take me 3 days. And he was like, okay, sure. I’ll give you a shout. I showed him some examples of what it could look like. So I actually came in with a pre-built website which sort of helped a lot. Sort of like a template that I made for them. And I showed him this and he was like, “Oh, you know what? Why not?” And that was, sorry, I sort of am twisting the story, that was the first client that I had. The second one was the first one that I talked about. So yeah. And the third one was a just a small friend of mine that wanted to start a business. And I wanted to do it for free for him, but he insisted that his dad pays for it and I made him a website and he was quite happy. So that one was quite easy. Now the fourth one, which is the big one, the one that got me on the leaderboard. This one was also quite some luck involved but if you work every day sometimes you get lucky. These people actually, I always aim to send out about three emails outreach emails a day and I make use of LinkedIn. So I have quite a good LinkedIn profile being a student and having a professional degree. So my LinkedIn has been quite well built up and so I was doing outreach on LinkedIn and I reached out to a company in the UK and I reached out directly to their marketing manager I believe and he told me he’ll get back to me actually. So then I sort of was like, “Okay, when someone says they’ll get back to you, usually it means nothing.” But he actually came back to me and he approached me and I had an interview with him and at that time they were one company but they were planning on splitting into eight companies below them. So like one parent company and eight daughter companies and he wanted websites for all eight of them. And I was like yes I’ll do it. Give me two weeks. And he was quite like what, two weeks for eight websites? You must be lying. I’m like, no, I’m not lying. I will show you. And he was like, okay, let me go speak to my CFO and the CEO. And he came back and he’s like, okay, can you do it? I’m like, yes, I can do it. Send me everything you want and I’ll do it. And he sent me everything. Two weeks gone by. So this was at the start of March. I just sort of ballparked an amount and they were happy with it. I could have probably asked more, but hey, I’m happy either way. And now, yeah, rent is paid for the rest of the year.
In those few months, how much have you earned with AI automation?
Oh, so yeah, it’s kind of hard to convert to dollars now, but I can give you a ballpark in rand. It was it’s not a lot. I’d say it’s around $5.6K in dollars. So it’s the one big big sale. Yeah. And then the other two was sort of very smallish but still a lot in our currency. But, um yeah indeed. So basically in about 2 months you earn $5,600. $6,000 as a full-time student and in South Africa, which are two very important things to emphasize. So and as you said, that paid your rent for a whole year. So very substantial. Yes. Where where was besides the continue. Sorry, you cut out a bit. Yeah. Uh, continue. You were saying? Oh, yeah. So this is actually extra money for me now cuz I have a scholarship which pays everything for this year. So this is some nice money to use in business. So me and two other mates we are starting a proper big we’re trying to sell a big product to farms in South Africa and that also actually utilizes the chat agent thingy but it’s more of a IoT you know internet of things sensor product so that’s going to be some nice money I can use in that business to start that.
Where do you see your life heading in the short term, medium-term, and long term?
I’d say in the short term, I have to finish my masters. So I have to write my thesis. And then in the medium term, I would like to start going into business. Just now it’s sort of getting as much money as I possibly can to allow me to go into business, staying with the rent paid for the year for example, fully focusing on business. So ideally next year I would love to just focus on building a business but if not I have my master’s degree in engineering and I was planning on heading to the Netherlands which is in quite a high demand for engineers from South Africa specifically because we sort of speak the same language. So that’s sort of the fall back in the medium term and then still hustling around that’s still a longterm thing. I really enjoy it. It’s quite a thrill. I’d say yeah shortterm I need to finish my masters otherwise I need to pay all this scholarship money. If I finish it I don’t need to pay it. Medium term I need to continue working every single day, try and look into business and see how our business cuz we have a really good idea. If that pays off that would be great. Yeah, long-term. Hey, it’s hard to say. Go very fast.
Have you consumed much of Tate’s content? What impact has it had on you?
Yeah. So I’ve been watching the Tates for like ever since they started getting famous. And I’ve always been just laughing at the content. I know people take him quite seriously, but they don’t really think about what he says. And I think my critical thinking skills has actually made me think, not get too offended about his stuff and go on about that. And at the time as well, I was in the middle of my study, so I didn’t really have time to be angry at whatever he said. But I’ve been watching his stuff for long. All the T confidential episodes, most of the emergency meetings I’ve been watching and I’ve been following him on Twitter for a while now as well on Insta. I follow him. So yeah, I’ve sort of been a follower of the top G. What impact he had? It was mostly mindset. Getting that working mindset. I’ve always been a hard worker, but I’ve never really cemented that mentality and I think he really helped getting me in the gym, getting me to do my studies properly. I know he says education is useless but for me it was very useful but you know getting as well with the hustling getting money and I’ve loved since I was born I’ve loved fast cars and that’s also the main reason that got me into I need to go study something that makes money and engineering has a lot of money in it. But throughout my studies I think he had really motivated me to work hard, motivated me to make my parents proud. And also I have an older brother and we have the same sort of relationship. They didn’t grow up with anything and it’s just been hard work. So the mentality is important, I think the most important.
For people unsure about joining the real world for $50, what advice do you have?
I think it’s sort of a situation of if you’re really desperate like I was I was in a situation where I needed money and spending the $50 was nothing. And before that I did believe in the real world. It’s hard for me to say. I knew it was not a scam and all of that. I just didn’t have the funds to actually join. But first of all, no, it’s not a scam. Second of all, if you are really a hard worker and you were really good thinker, spending the $50 will be, I think, a good investment initially. But if you’re not putting in the work for it and you’re not committed to put in the work, you would obviously start thinking, you know, this is a scam. But when you join, you really need to start putting in the work. Um yeah, if you’re a hardworking individual, it’s the most worth it thing to actually join.
For people who want to contact you, where could they do so?
Oh, they can contact me on Instagram. If they need someone with some technical skills or they need an electrical engineer for their product or whatever they can contact me on Instagram with Dean. So D E A N L J E G E L S.
Dean’s Business Stats
Dean’s AI automation business rapidly scaled from a side hustle to a significant income source in just 60 days. His journey demonstrates how students can leverage AI tools to generate substantial revenue while balancing academic commitments.
- Total earnings: $5,600 in 2 months as full-time student
- Major client: 8 websites for a UK company (largest single deal)
- Additional projects: AI chatbot for surf school, hotel website, friend’s business site
- Location advantage: Operating from South Africa with lower cost of living
- Time investment: Part-time while completing master’s thesis
- Primary services: Website automation and AI chat agent deployment
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Revenue (2 months) | $5,600 |
| Average Monthly Revenue | ~$2,800 |
| Number of Clients | 4 primary clients |
| Largest Contract | 8 websites (UK company) |
| Startup Investment | $50 |
| Time to First Sale | ~2 weeks |
Dean’s Method
Dean’s approach combines traditional salesmanship with modern AI tools, focusing on personal relationships and demonstrating value upfront rather than automated mass outreach.
- Door-to-door sales for local businesses with no websites
- Pre-built templates shown to prospects before commitment
- LinkedIn profile optimization leveraging engineering credentials
- Personal network mining through family connections (brother’s workplace)
- Direct outreach sending 3 personalized emails daily
- Value-first pitching solving immediate business problems (booking system, online presence)
- One-time pricing model instead of monthly retainers to reduce friction
Dean’s Tools
Dean leverages a lean tech stack focused on speed and efficiency, enabling him to deliver professional results in minutes rather than days while maintaining quality.
- bold.new – Website builder that reduces development time from 1 week to 10-30 minutes per site
- AI chat agents – Custom conversational bots for booking and customer service automation
- LinkedIn – Primary outreach channel for B2B client acquisition
- The Real World platform – Education on AI automation and business mastery strategies
- Fiverr/Upwork – Initial freelancing profile setup (though not primary channel)
Key Notes
Dean’s success highlights critical lessons for aspiring AI automation entrepreneurs, especially students and those in emerging markets.
- Scholarship funding removed financial pressure, allowing reinvestment in business
- Cape Town location provides South African market with tourism-focused clients (surfing, hotels)
- Master’s degree credibility builds trust with corporate clients despite young age
- Personal sales preference over automated outreach yields higher conversion rates
- Time management is crucial – works during thesis writing downtime
- Scalability potential through productized services (8 websites in 2 weeks)
- Mindset shift from hourly work to value-based pricing
Get Started in Just 5 Steps
Follow Dean’s proven framework to launch your own AI automation business as a student or side hustler with minimal investment.
- Step 1: Identify your skill stack – Leverage your degree or existing skills (engineering, design, writing) to build credibility
- Step 2: Join an AI education platform – Invest $50 in structured learning like The Real World to master automation tools quickly
- Step 3: Build 2-3 sample projects – Create pre-built templates for websites or chatbots to show prospects immediately
- Step 4: Start personal outreach – Send 3 personalized LinkedIn messages daily to businesses without websites or with outdated sites
- Step 5: Offer one-time pricing – Pitch $500-800 per website or chatbot with 50% upfront to reduce client risk and secure cash flow
Conclusion
Dean’s journey from scholarship student to $5,600 AI automation earner proves that age and location are no barriers in the digital economy. By combining personal sales hustle with powerful AI tools like bold.new and chat agents, he created a profitable freelance business in under 60 days. His strategy of demonstrating value upfront, leveraging academic credentials, and maintaining disciplined daily outreach (3 emails/day) offers a replicable model for any motivated individual. For students especially, this approach transforms spare time between classes into serious income, funding both living expenses and future business ventures. The key is committing to daily action and investing in the right education—Dean’s $50 Real World membership generated a 11,100% return in just two months.