Episode 809 | What I Learned Diving into A.I. for 100 Days (with Craig Hewitt)

Startups For the Rest of Us

What are the can't-miss AI tools for SaaS founders?

In this episode, Rob Walling sits down with Craig Hewitt, founder of Castos, to dive deep into Craig’s “100 Days of AI” YouTube series. They discuss the lessons learned from exploring the latest AI tools for founders, why ChatGPT might not be the best option for SaaS entrepreneurs, and which AI platforms are actually moving the needle.

Rob and Craig also chat about the realities of AI agents, the challenges of building a second product after hitting a growth plateau, and Craig’s approach to evaluating new opportunities as he looks to expand beyond podcast hosting.

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Topics we cover:

• (03:28) – 100 Days of AI YouTube series, biggest surprises and key takeaways
• (08:20) – Claude Code, ChatGPT, and Manus: Which AI tools work best for founders
• (13:00) – Practical AI workflows in content production and automation
• (18:35) – AI agent cuts customer support in half
• (21:27) – Burnout and breakthroughs from publishing 100 videos in 100 days
• (25:43) – Craig’s new AI projects and what’s next
• (30:14) – Three new product ideas under evaluation
• (33:09) – The pros, cons, and emotions behind launching a second product

Links from the Show:

• MicroConf US 2026- April 12-14, 2026 · Portland US
• TinySeed’s SaaS Institute
• Claude Code (by Anthropic)
• Manus
• Creator Hooks
• Cursor
• HelpScout
• DocsBot
• LinkBerry.ai – Craig’s new tool for LinkedIn content creation
• Castos
• Craig Hewitt | YouTube
• Craig Hewitt | LinkedIn
• Craig Hewitt (@TheCraigHewitt) | X

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!

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