AI Is Coming for Corporate Desk Jobs — Build Your Exit Strategy Now
If your work happens inside a spreadsheet, a slide deck, or a SaaS dashboard - this is your heads-up. Because the next wave of AI isn’t coming for blue-collar jobs. It’s coming for yours.
We’re talking project managers, business analysts, financial analysts, HR managers, and accountants. Anyone whose role is powered by templates, checklists, or SOPs?
Automatable. Replaceable. Cheaply replicated.
And software companies know it. They're not asking if they'll cut…they're figuring out when.
The worst part? Most layoffs won’t be loud. You’ll get reassigned, restructured, or offered a “voluntary” package.
And if you wait until then to build your backup plan? It’s already too late.
But here's the good news: You still have time. You still have leverage. This post is your roadmap.
Don’t wait to be caught off guard. Start building your backup plan while you still have leverage.
You don’t need to have a million-dollar idea.
You don’t need to become an influencer.
You just need to show your work.
Start small. Start visible. And reclaim your power.
Step 1: Launch your website (own your name, own your future)
When the layoffs hit, the first thing to vanish is your digital identity.
Email? Deactivated.
LinkedIn? Still tied to your old title.
Your skills? Invisible.
That’s why you start by owning your name. Here's the step-by-step:
1. Buy your domain
Pick a clean, easy-to-type domain…ideally “YourName.com” or a variation like “YourName.co.” I own over a dozen websites; some with my name in it, others named around certain interests, hobbies, and business ideas.
Godaddy.com or Namecheap.com are fast and reliable
You’ll pay ~$10–15/year to start
Grab it before someone else does
2. Set up a dead-simple website
You don’t need code. Just one clean page that says who you are, what you do, and how people can contact you.
Tools that work:
Carrd.co – Super easy drag-and-drop, free or $19/year. Best for single-page sites, landing pages, personal profiles.
Webflow – Gives you more customization if you’ve outgrown Carrd. Best for complex, custom sites, professional portfolios, and client work.
Typedream.com – Looks slick out of the box. Best for multi-page websites, blogs, and Notion-based sites.
3. Include these key sections:
A bold headline (“I help SaaS teams simplify ops with AI”)
Short bio or elevator pitch
One photo (professional but real)
Contact button or form
Optional: link to resume, LinkedIn, or projects
4. Connect the domain to your site
Every builder above makes this easy…they walk you through pointing your domain to their platform.
If stuck, Google: “[Carrd] + connect custom domain”
Step 2: Get clear on what you actually bring to the table
This is where most people stall. They’ve spent years inside company systems, running someone else’s playbook.
So when it’s time to pivot, they freeze…because they don’t know what they actually do.
Here’s the truth: You’ve got value. You’ve just never had to define it in your own words.
Here’s the step-by-step to clarify your edge…
1. Run the Ikigai Check
Grab a pen or open a doc (or print out an Ikigai template like this one). Answer these four questions, fast:
What am I good at?
What do I enjoy doing?
What does the market actually pay for?
What do people always ask me for help with?
Find the overlap. That’s your zone.
Record your reflections out loud? Use Otter AI to transcribe your brainstorms instantly.
Don’t overthink. Write messy. We’ll shape it later.
2. Ask AI to help you frame it
Paste this into ChatGPT: “Based on this list of things I enjoy and am skilled at: [paste list], what are 3 service-based offers or content themes I could build online that people would pay for?”
You’ll get ideas you hadn’t considered. Maybe it’s AI ops for finance teams. Maybe it’s Notion setups for burned-out HR leads. Whatever it is - it needs to be yours, not your company’s.
My friend Mike was a finance analyst. He started a weekly newsletter on AI for FP&A. Now he’s consulting with startups and making more than he did at his old job.
3. Gut-check with a friend or ex-coworker
Pick someone smart who’s seen you work. Ask: “What’s the one thing you’d say I’m better at than most people?”
The answer will be more honest than your last performance review.
Step 3: Start posting (build your reputation before you need it)
Here’s what no one tells you in corporate: If you're not visible, you're vulnerable.
You could be the smartest person on the team…but if no one outside your org knows what you’re good at, you’re invisible when layoffs hit.
And once you're job hunting, it's already too late to start building credibility. Here’s my step-by-step to start showing your work online.
1. Pick your platform
Go where your people already hang out:
LinkedIn: great for ops, HR, SaaS, consultants, PMs
Twitter/X: strong for tech, AI, startups
Substack or Medium: perfect for long-form thinkers or niche experts
Pick one. Post there consistently. You don’t need a full “strategy” yet…just a rhythm.
2. Post 2x/week to start
Here’s an easy content framework:
1 personal insight (“Here’s what I learned running onboarding for 200+ new hires at a tech startup…”)
1 useful tip (“Here’s a 3-line ChatGPT prompt that saved my team 10 hours of reporting work…”)
3. Use this plug-and-play prompt to write faster:
“Write a casual LinkedIn post sharing a lesson I learned about [your skill or role]. Make it helpful, slightly personal, and end with a one-line takeaway. Keep it under 150 words.”
Let AI be your copy assistant…just add your voice.
I recommend using CapCut to trim videos, add captions, and repurpose your LinkedIn content to Instagram Reels or TikToks.
Want high-converting ad images? AdCreative.ai helps generate branded graphics in seconds.
Want to grab my favorite prompts in a simple copy/paste format you can use right now?
4. Don’t worry about likes…you’re planting seeds
The people who matter do see it. Opportunities come from lurkers. Clients. Recruiters. Founders. Build in public, before you have to.
The hardest part is always making the first step. Just start posting and sharing, and I promise…your content strategy will become more clear over time.
Step 4: Package your edge (turn skills into offers or assets)
Now that people know what you’re good at, it’s time to give them a way to work with you.
Not someday. Now.
Because here’s the truth: You’re one offer away from your first $1,000 online. And you don’t need a fancy funnel to get there…just a clear edge and a simple way to deliver it.
Here’s my step-by-step to turn your skills into an offer:
1. Pick your asset type
Your edge can take a few shapes:
Service: offer to audit, fix, or optimize something (think “Slack setup for growing teams” or “Notion dashboards for startup HR”)
Digital product: templates, playbooks, swipe files, frameworks
Newsletter: curated insights + original takes on your domain (position yourself as the go-to voice)
1:1 coaching/consulting: guide someone who wants to shortcut the path you’ve walked
Don’t overbuild - just pick one that matches your strengths and how you like to work.
2. Use this prompt to design your MVP:
“Based on my skills in [area], what’s a simple digital product or micro-service I could offer to [target audience] that solves a clear pain point?”
Let GPT help you find low-friction ways to package what you know.
3. Set up a simple landing page
Use tools like:
Carrd or Gumroad for products
Notion + Tally for services or coaching
Beehiiv or Substack for newsletters
Among these tools, I recommend using Tally to embed a frictionless form for your first service or coaching offer.
Make it easy to say yes:
Clear headline
What you offer
Who it’s for
Price or call to action
4. Soft-launch it in your next post
Don’t wait for perfection. Just say: “Testing something new - if you need help with X, here’s what I’m offering.”
You’ll be surprised who DMs you.
Pro tip: For automating delivery of digital products or coaching offers, I recommend ManyChat for DM automation.
Step 5: Use AI to multiply yourself (not replace Yourself)
The people who win the next decade won’t be the ones who work harder. They’ll be the ones who know how to leverage tools like GPT to move faster, think clearer, and create at scale.
AI isn’t just automating your job…it’s handing you leverage. You just have to learn how to use it.
Here’s my step-by-step on how to make AI your secret weapon:
1. Use AI to write, build, and ideate faster
These 3 prompts will save you hours:
“Turn this bullet list into a landing page section with a bold headline, 3 benefits, and a CTA.”
“Summarize this 5-paragraph email and write a polite, clear reply in my tone.”
“Give me 5 viral post ideas for [target audience] who want to [outcome].”
2. Automate boring tasks
You don’t need to hire a VA. Use GPT-4o + Zapier or Make.com to:
Auto-reply to inbound leads
Summarize long emails or Slack threads
Draft proposals from form inputs
Repurpose content across platforms
Every hour you automate is an hour you can sell, build, or rest.
🚀 Pro Stack:
Make.com – the automation layer behind everything
Sanebox – clears your inbox so you stay focused
Fireflies – summarizes your Zooms
3. Learn just enough to be dangerous
No need to master Python or prompt engineering.
Just get good at:
Writing clear inputs
Asking smart follow-up questions
Saving and refining your best workflows
Start with tools like:
ChatGPT Plus (for GPT-4o)
AIPRM (prompt templates)
Notion AI (for structured documents)
4. Think like a product, not an employee
Ask yourself: “How would I scale me?”
Use AI to clone your process, teach your system, or create leverage from your expertise. You’re not just doing tasks. You’re building assets.
This isn’t about becoming an AI expert. It’s about using AI to become unfireable, unstoppable, and undeniable.
You’ve got 6–12 months max. Use them!
This wasn’t meant to scare you. It was meant to wake you up. About 1.5 years ago, Google took away my travel blog traffic overnight - slashing my revenue by 80% overnight. Shit happens - we all need to face the reality of what’s coming.
Because if your job lives in a spreadsheet, a slide deck, or a SaaS tool — AI’s already learning how to do it faster, cheaper, and 24/7. And companies won’t hesitate when it’s time to cut.
But you? You’ve got something better: time and leverage.
You can build your website. Get clear on your value. Start showing up online. Create a simple offer.
And use AI to scale all of it with zero burnout.
No need to wait for a pink slip. Start building while you still have a paycheck.
👉 If you’re building your backup plan in public- send me an email. Let’s connect.
Every day you wait, AI gets better.
And your resume? It gets a little more irrelevant.
Don’t just survive the shift…use it.
Build your second income stream now, while you’ve still got time, leverage, and clarity.
Grab my free AI toolkit. Let’s go.
You don’t need permission.
You just need a plan.
And now you’ve got one.
-Jon (AI Hustle Guy)
